More Misinformation On Ebay

[Daniel Hersh]

From this listing:

 

"Up for auction is a Regoletta 30 button metal ended anglo concertina reeded with accordion reeds which gives it an exceptionally fine sound. The current version of this concertina is made by Stagi which does not use accordion reeds and pales soundwise in comparison. Accordion reeds impart a very beautiful and dynamic sound which rival the concertina reeds used in Lachenals and Jeffries concertinas."

 

[Dirge]

Well I suppose the thing to do is to say here "What a spectacular load of old tosh that is" and hope any bidder does his homework.

 

I have a certain sneaking admiration for the creativity involved; surely someone of this ability has many more fruitful opportunities to modify the truth with such slick plausibility than fiddling in penny numbers on Ebay?

[Greg Jowaisas]

Well I suppose the thing to do is to say here "What a spectacular load of old tosh that is" and hope any bidder does his homework.

 

I have a certain sneaking admiration for the creativity involved; surely someone of this ability has many more fruitful opportunities to modify the truth with such slick plausibility than fiddling in penny numbers on Ebay?

 

I understand there are numerous openings for such types in, but not limited to, Nigeria. A Western Union transfer account and unlimited email addresses seem to be some of the perks. Only the unscrupulous need apply.

 

Greg

[Theo]

And there is This one with another great example of antique dealer hyperbole:

 

AWESOME ANTIQUE LACHENAL BRASS REED CONCERTINA 1800s

 

......supreme example of an early Lachenal & Co. of London 30-button Anglo concertina with low Serial Number of 113784. Lovely old ivory buttons and air valve, mahogany ends, brass reeds which are especially sought-after.......

 

I can't bear to quote any more in case I'm sick

[richard]

At least both will make a "fine addition to any collection"

[Pete Dunk]

At least both will make a "fine addition to any collection"

 

A collection of what - treen? If scrap cars are old bangers are scrap concertinas old wheezers?

[Dirge]

Bart Simpson quote 'Until now I hadn't realised it was possible to both blow AND suck.'

 

Theo's man writes stuff like that and has done hundreds of deals, yet has 100% feedback. I always watch this sort of seller/buyer carefully; I've come across a couple of people who were very cynically working the system to dishonestly gain; one was the man who complained that the engine I'd sold him had cracked flywheels, an expensive fix. I knew it hadn't because I'd had it apart when I bought it.

 

Ebay thinks people will black dodgy dealers and risk a counterstrike philosophically, but, in fact, the system encourages you to cowardice; there have been a couple I SHOULD have blacked but didn't find the nerve to risk a tit-for-tat spoiling of my feedback to do so. Sorry; I talked myself into it at the time, with hindsight I wish I'd shown more backbone.

 

The clever ones can maintain 100% feedback and still be dodgy. Feedback's only a guide and, if you are about to spend serious money, I'd always look at a couple of other recent sales to get the feel for the seller, or find an excuse to ask a sensible question and see whether you get better than a grunt back!.

[Theo]

At least the guy I quoted isn't obviously making factual errors in the description. But he gets a gold star for OTT value judgements. For example a serial number, which I've no reason to doubt, but qualified my a meaningless adjective like "low". Likewise the Brass reeds, no reason to doubt they are brass, but "sought after" - not by anybody here!

 

So someone who buys this will get what was stated ie brass reeds, but whether they are "sought after" is something that is a matter of opinion. Quite clever really.

 

Now if ebay made it mandatory for all questions and answers to be displayed on the auction listing, that would be interesting.

[Daniel Hersh]

He also provides an unusually thorough set of photos and acknowledges that the instrument is in old pitch. Definitely an odd mix of good and bad attributes for a seller on this one.

 

At least the guy I quoted isn't obviously making factual errors in the description. But he gets a gold star for OTT value judgements. For example a serial number, which I've no reason to doubt, but qualified my a meaningless adjective like "low". Likewise the Brass reeds, no reason to doubt they are brass, but "sought after" - not by anybody here!

 

So someone who buys this will get what was stated ie brass reeds, but whether they are "sought after" is something that is a matter of opinion. Quite clever really.

 

Now if ebay made it mandatory for all questions and answers to be displayed on the auction listing, that would be interesting.

[Dieppe]

And there is This one with another great example of antique dealer hyperbole:

 

AWESOME ANTIQUE LACHENAL BRASS REED CONCERTINA 1800s

 

......supreme example of an early Lachenal & Co. of London 30-button Anglo concertina with low Serial Number of 113784. Lovely old ivory buttons and air valve, mahogany ends, brass reeds which are especially sought-after.......

 

I can't bear to quote any more in case I'm sick

 

But it includes a book!

[m3838]

Sound bellows with very slow air intake when held aloft

It's a poetry! You can't complain he is using Internet translator, can you?

[Daniel Hersh]

A footnote on this: the seller modified the descriptive language to make it a bit less outrageous before the auction closed.

 

From this listing:

 

"Up for auction is a Regoletta 30 button metal ended anglo concertina reeded with accordion reeds which gives it an exceptionally fine sound. The current version of this concertina is made by Stagi which does not use accordion reeds and pales soundwise in comparison. Accordion reeds impart a very beautiful and dynamic sound which rival the concertina reeds used in Lachenals and Jeffries concertinas."

 

[m3838]

A footnote on this: the seller modified the descriptive language to make it a bit less outrageous before the auction closed.

 

From this listing:

 

"Up for auction is a Regoletta 30 button metal ended anglo concertina reeded with accordion reeds which gives it an exceptionally fine sound. The current version of this concertina is made by Stagi which does not use accordion reeds and pales soundwise in comparison. Accordion reeds impart a very beautiful and dynamic sound which rival the concertina reeds used in Lachenals and Jeffries concertinas."

 

 

I really really like it!

Something like:

"To retain the quality and craftsmanship of Suttner concertinas, production was moved from Germany to China, where masters are able to benefit from ancient tradition of instrument making, and retain the fine quality of our conceritnas, unavailable in Germany."

[Woody]

At least the guy I quoted isn't obviously making factual errors in the description. But he gets a gold star for OTT value judgements. For example a serial number, which I've no reason to doubt, but qualified my a meaningless adjective like "low". Likewise the Brass reeds, no reason to doubt they are brass, but "sought after" - not by anybody here!

 

So someone who buys this will get what was stated ie brass reeds, but whether they are "sought after" is something that is a matter of opinion. Quite clever really.

Perception plays a great part in determining the price that things sell for on eBay. If someone puts an item up for sale with a description that is factually accurate but heavily embellished with subjective opinion then its just a case of caveat emptor. Equally you can get more for an item just in your choice of words (even without resorting to subjective embellishment or hyperbole), the images you use, the time/date you put it up for sale, or even just your choice of selling method.

 

If the buyer is happy to pay the price and is happy with the product, where's the problem?

The buyer could get the same item elsewhere for a lot less? Then they should have done their research better. The seller's just used their sales skills to maximize their profit, just like any shop, hotel or car dealership. Most people don't sell on eBay to be nice or to give people bargains, they do it to make money.