Funny Photo business over on eBay ..... perhaps?

[Ptarmigan]

Something fishy on eBay, methinks ...... or are my eyes deceiving me!

 

Check out the internal photo for this concertina:

 

Concertina Anglo Wheatstone

 

Now take a wee look at the internal photo for this concertina:

 

New concertina with English style mechanism

 

Cheers,

Dick

[AnnC]

if your eyes are playing up then so are mine

 

.... if they're not the same photo then it's amazing how the white paper under the concertina is at exactly the same angle in both postings

[JimLucas]

Something fishy on eBay, methinks ...... or are my eyes deceiving me!

 

Check out the internal photo for this concertina:

 

Concertina Anglo Wheatstone

 

Now take a wee look at the internal photo for this concertina:

 

New concertina with English style mechanism

Well, the description does say, "This picture of the mechanism shown here is / may not be EXACTLY the same."

 

So the seller is not only admitting that the photo is not of the instrument for sale, but that the "English style mechanism" which makes it superior (to what?) "may not" even be the same as the one pictured. Couldn't get the instrument (s)he is selling open to get a picture of the mechanism?

 

Also, "This new model fitted with Italian made reeds for better action & response." Better than what? A concertina with English-type reeds? The Italian reeds in a Stagi?

 

And for all of its being "new", the maker is not identified.

 

I wouldn't touch it.

[Daniel Hersh]

Something fishy on eBay, methinks ...... or are my eyes deceiving me!

 

Check out the internal photo for this concertina:

 

Concertina Anglo Wheatstone

 

Now take a wee look at the internal photo for this concertina:

 

New concertina with English style mechanism

Well, the description does say, "This picture of the mechanism shown here is / may not be EXACTLY the same."

 

So the seller is not only admitting that the photo is not of the instrument for sale, but that the "English style mechanism" which makes it superior (to what?) "may not" even be the same as the one pictured. Couldn't get the instrument (s)he is selling open to get a picture of the mechanism?

 

Also, "This new model fitted with Italian made reeds for better action & response." Better than what? A concertina with English-type reeds? The Italian reeds in a Stagi?

 

And for all of its being "new", the maker is not identified.

 

I wouldn't touch it.

Good spotting! I've reported the photo copying to eBay. The picture of the concertina end on the suspect listing looks a bit like a Stagi W-15-S:

 

Edited November 28, 2011 by Daniel Hersh

[Lawrence Reeves]

The seller named Frank did respond to a question about an item for sale I suspect he is legitimate.

[RP3]

I studied both listings and in the first (the Wheatstone), the view through the ends is clearly red and matches the interior shot. I was able to also identify that the action pictures were both showing a standard Lachenal hook and loop lever system which I think was standard for the later Wheatstones like the one in the first listing.

 

A careful look at the end photo of the second eBay listing shows the interior to be a tan or natural wood color. IMHO, there is clearly no baffle cloth or anything like that in the photo posted by Daniel. So my evaluation -- without any other supporting info -- is that the interior shot on the second listing is clearly bogus. It may not have been intended to mislead, but mislead it does.

 

One final thing I noted was that on the interior shot for the second listing, the air button is about exactly opposite that side's hold down screw. But the outside view is of an instrument that has its air button is offset further back toward the palmrest. There is no doubt that those don't belong to the same instrument.

 

Ross Schlabach

Edited November 28, 2011 by RP3

[malcolmbebb]

Do any Italian makers make concertina style reeds? And can you fit accordion style reeds on the pad spacing shown?

[Chris Drinkwater]

A simple bit of detective work reveals that, under business seller information, the seller is of this instrument is Boorinwood Music. They are well-known wholesalers & retailers of musical instruments, are based in Ireland, and have advertised their wares on Ebay a lot, in the past.

Here is a link to their website. So, nothing fishy about this Ebay listing at all, except for being naughty in using someone else's photo of an anglo action mechanism instead of the actual one from the new concertina itself.

 

Chris

[RP3]

Anytime a listing has misleading or incorrect information, then a potential buyer is being defrauded unless the incorrect information is removed in time for buyers to make an informed decision. I sent the seller a question asking about this apparent error to see what they have to say. Hopefully, this will be resolved quickly.

 

Ross Schlabach

[RP3]

I received two replies to my question about the photos from fallaghman, the eBay lister of the second concertina. Here they are:

 

"Very many thanks to you for drawing my attention to this detail, but I have also said that may not be EXACTLY the same,

which should cover this. I couldn't find the proper one @ the time."

 

"Last night I couldn't find the one that I wanted & that was the only pic. that I could find.

Been replaced today"

 

I thought that first reply was totally a cop out and unsatisfactory. But his listing has since been revised with a new photo that hopefully is of the interior of the concertina he's selling and the second reply reflects that.

 

Ross Schlabach

[Wolf Molkentin]

I doubt that this is a "£1,000 instrument"...

[malcolmbebb]

It put me in mind of a Rochelle with metal end plates. But the photo is blurred, so you can't get a good look, and I would have liked to have seen the other end and air valve.

 

£500 - maybe.