Frank Edgley Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 I made this concertina about nine years ago.It was stolen from a customer of mine a while back, in California. At least, I am pretty sure as I have only made two zebrawood concertinas, and I know who has the other one. http://cgi.ebay.com/Hand-Crafted-Frank-Edgley-Concertina-30-Key-Zebrawood-/350434036584?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item51977f0b68#ht_500wt_715 . I have contacted the owner, but am not sure how to contact E-Bay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Timson Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 (edited) It may be the seller doesn't know himself it was stolen. See this conversation:- Q: Hi, What key is this in? What is the serial number? Mike A: Sorry...No idea on either question. It was hard enough to even find out who the maker was..It came out of a storage locker,,Just happed to find it when the guy came out to the flea market..Sorry..I took one end off...Very carefully..No info inside...Sorry Chris Edited to add PS: I've done exactly the same, Paul (by the looks of things at exactly the same moment). Hopefully ebay will notice both of us. Edited January 29, 2011 by Chris Timson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Read Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 I've reported it to ebay showing this link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael sam wild Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 (edited) A friend has been having a lot of trouble with a stolen melodeon she bought on eBay , unwittingly, eBay weren't cooperating . The buyer needs lots of police evidence so act quickly. They do pay up from the compensation scheme but it can take ages. In this case the seller was gettiing threatening. Don't leave instruments aroud in sessions etc. there are specialist thieves who lurk. Keep photos and get invisible police markings Edited February 5, 2011 by michael sam wild Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveS Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 I have contacted the owner, but am not sure how to contact E-Bay. I think the police should also be contacted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kautilya Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 I have contacted the owner, but am not sure how to contact E-Bay. I think the police should also be contacted. Too late to get somebody nearby to ask about popping round to "try it out" (with a camera and a few friendlies)? One should bear that potential scenario in mind if same occurs in the UK; otherwise the goods might disappear after an ebay stop/alert goes out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Read Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 From ebay: Thank you for reporting this item. If you see an item on eBay that you think may be stolen, please contact law enforcement immediately. Tell the police officer handling the case that we will be pleased to cooperate in the investigation. Please forward this message to the officer and ask him or her to contact us as follows: 1. Go to: http://pages.ebay.com/help/contact_us/_base/index_selection.html 2. Select "Listing Violations," and then click the "Continue" button. 3. Select "Stolen property," select "You are a law enforcement official," and then click the "Continue" button. 4. Click the "Email us" link. Best regards, eBay Trust & Safety Department Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theo Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 (edited) I think the police should also be contacted. Most definitely. Our local police (Newcastle upon Tyne) were straight onto the case a year or two ago, when a couple of us spotted a melodeon on ebay that we suspected had been stolen from a friend a couple of months earlier. The police went round to the sellers address, and took the suspected stolen melodeon into custody immediately. Luckily for the owner I had done some work on it a few weeks earlier, so when the police brought it round I was able to give a positive ID. It was returned to the owner reasonably quickly after that. Edited January 30, 2011 by Theo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayhomewood Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 I too have reported this to ebay showing this link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayhomewood Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 I too received an automated ebay response advising that this should be reported to a law enforcement agency - it sounds very much as if ebay do nothing to stop sales of stolen property themselves! This is not a very encouraging situation (and I have told them that) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Drinkwater Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 I do hope the police manage to act quickly on the case. They may be just in time to still find a concertina inside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptarmigan Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 (edited) Keep photos and get invisible police markings Ahhh so that's why you never see any Policemen on the streets any more Michael .... But seriously: "I was able to give a positive ID. It was returned to the owner reasonably quickly after that." Great result Theo! "I do hope the police manage to act quickly on the case." I'll 2nd that Chris. Cheers Dick Edited January 31, 2011 by Ptarmigan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Edgley Posted January 31, 2011 Author Share Posted January 31, 2011 Great news! The police retrieved the concertina and have returned it to the rightful owner. Fortunately, this instrument was one of only three zebrawood instruments, and was the only one to have distictive handles, which the owner could relate to the police, confirming its uniqueness and identity. E-bay is one of the only ways a concertina can be sold for anything close to what is worth as most people have no idea what a concertina is. On www.concertina.net selling a stolen instrument is too risky or the seller may not even know about this site. I think it is a good idea for every concertina owner to take a photo of their instrument, especially if there is something distinctive about it---design, wear marks, scratches etc. Wood grain can be as unique as fingerprints, as well. You might want to open it up and write your name in it. If it has a visible serial number, take a photo of that. Some makes of concertina are all alike in appearance so it is difficult to identify it, so putting your name inside may help, but it will be next to impossible to tell from an ad on E-Bay, for example, if an advertised instrument is the one stolen. Chaulk one up for uniqueness. Thanks to James McLeod, who works in my shop, for spotting this on E-Bay and telling me about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveS Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 (edited) Great news! The police retrieved the concertina and have returned it to the rightful owner. This is indeed good news, and a great relief to the owner. Do you know if the police will prosecute? Edited January 31, 2011 by SteveS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Edgley Posted January 31, 2011 Author Share Posted January 31, 2011 The seller says he found it at a flea market, and bought it there for $80. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kautilya Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 The seller says he found it at a flea market, and bought it there for $80. Where! Where Frank?!Tell us == Maybe there will be more Zebras with fleas and praps some Crabbs too! Glad the friendlies sorted it for you and owner :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Barnert Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 From ebay: Thank you for reporting this item. If you see an item on eBay that you think may be stolen, please contact law enforcement immediately. Tell the police officer handling the case that we will be pleased to cooperate in the investigation. Please forward this message to the officer and ask him or her to contact us as follows: ... It's great that this was resolved so quickly. I'm still not sure here... Which police do you call? Your local police? The police where you think the stolen item may be located (you might not know)? The police where the theft occurred (ditto)? The internet police ( )? How likely are police in a jurisdiction distant from the crime to want to get involved? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Edgley Posted January 31, 2011 Author Share Posted January 31, 2011 The owner reported the E-Bay siting to his local police force. They were able to find out that the seller lived in the area. They were most helpful and friendly when I spoke to them, at the request of the owner, to confirm what he told them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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