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Not so “RARE” phones, phony items and other such fakery on eBay

Started by Phonesrfun, March 17, 2011, 01:36:48 PM

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Key2871

Some sellers don't see them everyday, therefore they are rare. Plus it makes a great selling ploy.
KEN

HarrySmith

Quote from: MMikeJBenN27 on June 04, 2021, 01:56:38 PM
I don't know how to copy links.

Mike

It's fairly easy. Click on the address bar. It should highlight. Right click, select "copy" from the pull down menu. Go to where you want to put it. Right click again, select "paste" from the pull down menu. In the case of eBay links they will be very long, shorten them by deleting everything after the item number. Item number will be right after "itm" in the link.
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"

MMikeJBenN27

One of the things that really bugs me is how sellers of Automatic Electric phones love to ad "Made in Northlake" to make it show in the North Electric section, yet E-Bay does nothing about this manipulation.

Mike

Key2871

Some post them as Western Electric Automatic electric, and the sets are clearly AE. But I chock it up to the fact they want more exposure for their item.
KEN

MMikeJBenN27

It bugs me, probably because E-Bay doesn't let me get away with things like that.

Mike

markosjal

Quote from: MMikeJBenN27 on June 04, 2021, 07:57:58 AM
Right now, somebody is trying to sell a North Electric phone that looks like it was made for the military as being from the Second World War, despite the fact that Touch Tone did not exist in the 40s.  This phone is probably from the 70s.  That seller has me blocked, so they have probably lied about items before and don't like it when I correct them.

When i lived in Mexico and was buying phones on Mercadolibre (a Mexican auction site). A few sellers blocked me because they listed 1970s rotary phones as 1950s and i corrected them. They were especially bad at dating US and European phones.
Phat Phantom's phreaking phone phettish

MMikeJBenN27

Probably crooks, as most people who really didn't know will say so.  Those who DO know, get mad that you are on to them.

Mike

Key2871

The recent RARE Brown WE three slot phone, I was tempted to tell the seller WE never made a brown three slot. And it was clear as a sunny day it was painted by him, but I didn't because most times they either ignore you or as some have said, block you from their auctions.
Frankly as it's been said, buyer beware. Know what your buying ahead of bidding or live with it if you got a lemon that was supposed to be a gold nugget.
KEN

markosjal

Here is a great one

"Upgraded to "touch Tone"
https://www.ebay.com/itm/334377931111

Additionally, from the bottom, it looks empty!
Phat Phantom's phreaking phone phettish

MMikeJBenN27

#129
Quote from: Phonesrfun on March 17, 2011, 01:36:48 PM...I think we need to look long and hard at how we as a group discuss and put down items that are not, let's say, totally honest on e-Bay or other things like Craig's List.  Some sellers are more than happy to receive correcting information, and many are not...

Many don't really know much about what they are selling, that's true, but there are quite a few OTHERS who are deliberately lying about their item to try to make it worth more money than it really is, and will block you if you try to correct them.  One is the American Heritage Museum.  They lie about phones they are selling, and refuse to correct the description when you point out their errors, and block you from contacting them ever again on E-Bay.

Mike

Darkstar2006

I'm new to this forum and to antique phones in general. But I am an avid American Flyer Trains collector and I do see people claim that they know "nothing" about an item they are selling but if you check their other items for sale or sold its a bunch of the same type of items. I usually stay away and won't bid.
I have found that with phones and parts its pretty much the same. I'm just too stupid to realize when i'm being snowed.
So yes I have been burned but i keep the item and learn from it and ask more questions. You know like "does the dial rotate and return"
There is a person currently selling an AE bell unit. He says it works. Close examination of the picture of the label on the ringer clearly shows 33.3. I'm guessing he has a way of testing this thing at that frequency.  Because of my inexperience I don't what he could have used. I am new at this and didn't think it was my place to contact ask the seller how he tested the bell
I still think it should be stated that its a 33.3 ringer and not a SL ringer In the description   
Why do people with cell phones use "old phone" as their ring tone?

-Dave S.

TelePlay

Quote from: Darkstar2006 on August 03, 2022, 08:30:30 PMThere is a person currently selling an AE bell unit. He says it works. Close examination of the picture of the label on the ringer clearly shows 33.3. I'm guessing he has a way of testing this thing at that frequency. . . . I still think it should be stated that its a 33.3 ringer and not a SL ringer In the description   

If the seller knows that (the difference between physical construction and the numbers on the label), it would be best to state that. If the seller doesn't, unfortunately the seller is protected somewhat under eBay "rules" because the listing image shows the frequency.

eBay is always a "buyer beware" purchase and if a novice does not know that 33 1/3 on the ringer means frequency, the next point is what did the seller mean by saying it "works." I have had 33 1/2 Hz ringers ring softly on a 20 Hz POTS line so a seller having a phone with a soft ringing ringer can say it "works."

I sold that phone on eBay a year or two ago and stated in the listing description that the 33 1/3 Hz ringer worked but at a low sound level. The buyer was happy with the phone when received.

I see a lot of mistakes by sellers on eBay and feel sorry to the uninformed buyer who ends up with something less than what they think they will be getting. Even listings that show defects in the listing images can be a disappointment to the buyer once they hold the item in their hands even though the condition is right there in the image.

It's the intentional phony and fake items with false descriptions (other than unintended mistakes and typos) that can really bite a buyer if they don't have the knowledge to make an informed purchase.


MMikeJBenN27

Quote from: markosjal on May 01, 2022, 06:58:06 PMHere is a great one

"Upgraded to "touch Tone"
https://www.ebay.com/itm/334377931111

Additionally, from the bottom, it looks empty!
Wow.  What might have been worth something is now junk.  Shame.

Mike

MMikeJBenN27

Quote from: markosjal on May 01, 2022, 06:58:06 PMHere is a great one

"Upgraded to "touch Tone"
https://www.ebay.com/itm/334377931111

Additionally, from the bottom, it looks empty!
Wow.  What might have been worth something is now junk.  Shame.

Mike
Quote from: TelePlay on August 03, 2022, 09:15:08 PMIf the seller knows that (the difference between physical construction and the numbers on the label), it would be best to state that. If the seller doesn't, unfortunately the seller is protected somewhat under eBay "rules" because the listing image shows the frequency.

eBay is always a "buyer beware" purchase and if a novice does not know that 33 1/3 on the ringer means frequency, the next point is what did the seller mean by saying it "works." I have had 33 1/2 Hz ringers ring softly on a 20 Hz POTS line so a seller having a phone with a soft ringing ringer can say it "works."

I sold that phone on eBay a year or two ago and stated in the listing description that the 33 1/3 Hz ringer worked but at a low sound level. The buyer was happy with the phone when received.

I see a lot of mistakes by sellers on eBay and feel sorry to the uninformed buyer who ends up with something less than what they think they will be getting. Even listings that show defects in the listing images can be a disappointment to the buyer once they hold the item in their hands even though the condition is right there in the image.

It's the intentional phony and fake items with false descriptions (other than unintended mistakes and typos) that can really bite a buyer if they don't have the knowledge to make an informed purchase.


That's my point of view - the buyer who winds up getting burned.  It gives E-Bayers and E-Bay in general a bad image.  An image of crooks and con men.

Mike

Mike

markosjal

One very common thing I am seeing on ebay is for instance a Modular WE 500 and the seller claims it is from the 1950s. SOmetimes they even show a date on the baseplate and a mic elemt that clearly show dates from the 70s


Phat Phantom's phreaking phone phettish