Ventura
Well-known member
TRUE STORY:
Last year I was perusing the ePay sites just meandering around looking at axes... I came across brand new, reissue, gloss top, goldtop dark back '57 Lesters for a very, very decent price. Some cat in the midwest selling 'em out of his real store and his 'virtual' ePay store. Now, a week or so prior to this, I almost bought - but found out by phoning the kid's house who was selling it - a '57 goldtop reissue Lester, that was a fake. Ended up speaking with the kid's mum, he had no idea what he was talking about, but the mom was super helpful, and I said to grab the guitar and then asked her a bunch of questions - needless to say, I confirmed it a fake. This family was in and around the same area as the aforementioned store...ahem.
ANYWAY, I start talking to this guy about the Goldtop, and he's this black dude with a great accent, and he tells me as we're talking (if you're wondering, I always confirm my purchases with a phone conversation with the vendor when it comes to bigger ticket items) that he doesn't know much about the guitars, and he doesn't really sell guitars very often, but a contact of his had asked him to sell them for him through his store and through his online ePay storefront. Interesting I thought - who is this guy? The dude then tells me - totally excited - about how many goldtops this guy has, man, must have 50 or more!! And I said REALLY!!!!!! What kind of business is this guy in who has 50 goldtops?? "Aw man, he's like, you know, all over the place man, he trades fabrics and stone tiles from China and Bali and, awe man, like watches - you know - HIGH end watches man - everything bruthah, this guy's got stuff galore man, and he said for every guitar I sell, I'll get $200, so I said ya man, for sure - no problem - so whaddya think man, everything cool...???".
I explain to him he's being had, and by selling these guitars, he's the one that'll get nailed, not his 'contact'. He still doesn't quite believe me, so I said to tell his contact I want 2 of them. So this cat gets 2 into his hands the following day, and I said - is there a S/N on the back of the headstock (poor guy didn't even know what a 'headstock' was) and he's like "aw yeah man, fo'sure there is man, I told you man, these are the real deal bro". I said 'what's it look like'? He said it was a sticker... I then asked for the number. He gave it to me. I then said look at the other guitar - he did. Turned it around - another sticker. Same number. I told him he was being had. He got all freaked out - asked me if he should phone the cops and I told him I was guaranteeing him these were 100% illegit copies being sold for $2000 as new, and man, ya, call whoever he needed to call, but just STOP SELLING THEM. He was freaked right out. Anyway, I left it at that.
Got a call from eBay, Gibson, and a couple other people about a week later letting me know that I was helpful in their blowing an entire ring of fake guitar sellers in the midwest US. They said thanks. I asked about the original dude (the store owner) and they said they were pretty confident he didn't know what was going on, and he was totally ace in giving them all the info they wanted after he called them. But they got the main guy and his minions - and that's the end of my story.
Peace!
V.
Last year I was perusing the ePay sites just meandering around looking at axes... I came across brand new, reissue, gloss top, goldtop dark back '57 Lesters for a very, very decent price. Some cat in the midwest selling 'em out of his real store and his 'virtual' ePay store. Now, a week or so prior to this, I almost bought - but found out by phoning the kid's house who was selling it - a '57 goldtop reissue Lester, that was a fake. Ended up speaking with the kid's mum, he had no idea what he was talking about, but the mom was super helpful, and I said to grab the guitar and then asked her a bunch of questions - needless to say, I confirmed it a fake. This family was in and around the same area as the aforementioned store...ahem.
ANYWAY, I start talking to this guy about the Goldtop, and he's this black dude with a great accent, and he tells me as we're talking (if you're wondering, I always confirm my purchases with a phone conversation with the vendor when it comes to bigger ticket items) that he doesn't know much about the guitars, and he doesn't really sell guitars very often, but a contact of his had asked him to sell them for him through his store and through his online ePay storefront. Interesting I thought - who is this guy? The dude then tells me - totally excited - about how many goldtops this guy has, man, must have 50 or more!! And I said REALLY!!!!!! What kind of business is this guy in who has 50 goldtops?? "Aw man, he's like, you know, all over the place man, he trades fabrics and stone tiles from China and Bali and, awe man, like watches - you know - HIGH end watches man - everything bruthah, this guy's got stuff galore man, and he said for every guitar I sell, I'll get $200, so I said ya man, for sure - no problem - so whaddya think man, everything cool...???".
I explain to him he's being had, and by selling these guitars, he's the one that'll get nailed, not his 'contact'. He still doesn't quite believe me, so I said to tell his contact I want 2 of them. So this cat gets 2 into his hands the following day, and I said - is there a S/N on the back of the headstock (poor guy didn't even know what a 'headstock' was) and he's like "aw yeah man, fo'sure there is man, I told you man, these are the real deal bro". I said 'what's it look like'? He said it was a sticker... I then asked for the number. He gave it to me. I then said look at the other guitar - he did. Turned it around - another sticker. Same number. I told him he was being had. He got all freaked out - asked me if he should phone the cops and I told him I was guaranteeing him these were 100% illegit copies being sold for $2000 as new, and man, ya, call whoever he needed to call, but just STOP SELLING THEM. He was freaked right out. Anyway, I left it at that.
Got a call from eBay, Gibson, and a couple other people about a week later letting me know that I was helpful in their blowing an entire ring of fake guitar sellers in the midwest US. They said thanks. I asked about the original dude (the store owner) and they said they were pretty confident he didn't know what was going on, and he was totally ace in giving them all the info they wanted after he called them. But they got the main guy and his minions - and that's the end of my story.
Peace!
V.
