Check it out: 6 string Series II - $2500

[tsarter]

Just saw this - thought someone here might be interested as it seems like a great deal.
 
 - Tim
 
 
FOR SALE: Alembic Series II 6 String
Posted: : 04/21/2004
Category: Basses
Condition: Mint
Age: 2 Years
Asking Price: $2500.00
 
      Cocobolo Top/Back - Omega Cut -Medium Scale w/OHSC
      Rack mount power supply. Very quiet electronics.
 
FULL NAME: Craig Schneider
PHONE:
CITY, STATE: Seneca,KS
EMAIL: CSdude@hotmail.com

[David Houck]

Thanks Tim; yes that does seem like a great deal and I've already sent an email to the seller.  Where did you run across the ad?

[valvil]

It's listed on www.bassgear.com, Dave.  
 
It just got posted today, as matter of fact, so good luck, you might have been the first to reply.
 
Valentino

[David Houck]

Thanks Val!  Have not heard back from him yet.

[tsarter]

>
 
> > Hi Dave,d be > > Just back in... > > > Be careful on this one. > >
 
 
 
 
 
> Though I personally was not interested I thought I may know of some > others that would be so I shot him an e-mail too. Since I was in the > process of posting my SC for sale when his went up I know I sent my > e-mail within two or three minutes of his post going up. That e-mail > was bounce back. Sent another that was not bounced, but have not > heard from him. That, coupled with an almost too good to be true > price and a hotmail account makes me suspicious. If you do make > contact insist on a safe means of completing the deal and ask a lot of > question. I have a bad feeling about this one - I could be wrong but > it fits the profile of a scam well. > > I'll let you know if I hear back. > > - Tim

[aussielink]

G'day from Australia,
 
I also sent an email to Craig Schneider early today asking for more information. All I have had so far is silence. I probably agree with tsarter, that its too good to be true. I am sure that if i walked in to a music store who deals in quality equipment, they would be breaking my arm to get it off me at that price. However, as always i am open minded.
 
Mike

[David Houck]

Thanks Tim, good point.  By the way, there may be a slight typo in your ebay listing; shouldn't it be 30.75?
 
And Mike; welcome to the group.

[bsee]

The price may seem too good to be true, but I thought the discussion recently was that $3K was a good starting price for a Series II?  If that's the case, then a dealer is going to offer $1500-2000 for the bass.  Maybe he's just out to do better than he could by trading it in?
 
Also, you can't scam cash out of people that you don't communicate with.  One would think a scammer would be active in replying to all of you, and maybe trying to get you each to pay for the bass.  Many of us would be hesitant to post our 'real' email address and/or phone number on a public bulletin board with all the spam out there.
 
Absolutely be cautious in any dealing with strangers, but I don't think the alarm needs to go up just yet.  Time will tell.

[tsarter]

> > >
 
 Yes, I hear what you are saying. There is no rational reason to suspect fraud at this point, but I have a feeling about it. I pay attention to those as they are often correct.
 
 >

[David Houck]

Well after reading the posts to this thread, and while waiting for a response to my email, I decided to do a little checking.  
 
First check was the AT&T white pages; no listing for a Craig Schneider in Seneca, KS.  
 
Next, a Google search of newsgroups for posts by CSdude@hotmail.com  
 
This email address is used by a person who goes by the name of Mike and lives in North Carolina.  Mike has reported that he has had trouble with someone else using his email address.  Mike's latest posts were yesterday.  His report of the impersonation problem was in February.  
 
A Google web search on the email address finds that in December Mike reported that he suspected someone of using his email address for the purpose of sending spam through his server.  
 
Now why someone would use someone else's email address to solicit responses to something like a six string bass that's going to be of interest to a relatively small number of people is just a bit perplexing.  
 
So it looks like Tim's too good to be true feeling might be accurate.
 
(Message edited by davehouck on April 22, 2004)

[keavin]

aaaaahhhhhaaaaaaa!!!!! ,,,,,,busted!!!!!.theres no way a two year old??? seriesII would be sold @ that price by someone who knows about alemibic.

[effclef]

Good sleuthing, Dave. I also note we haven't seen any further posts from Amel who had a Series bass she wanted to sell here last month...
 
It just goes to prove a couple of things. One, that it is easier to commit remote crimes of fraud over the Internet than ever before, and two, that much of what we do on the Internet literally lasts forever. If you post it once, it's going to wind up archived somewhere, sometime, and future surfers can find it. This harkens back to my earlier post (about the recent fretless 6 string S II theft) that people need to be careful about what they make public.
 
EffClef

[hollis]

Just because I'm paranoid, doesn't mean they're not following me?

[bsee]

I just can't believe that crooked people could be that stupid.  I also can't believe that they think those of us who have several thousand dollars in disposable income to spend on luxury basses would be that stupid.
 
I just don't see how a scammer can make a profit by not responding to the people he's trying to scam.  It would seem that maybe the scammer is that ignorant.

[bracheen]

Let me throw in my two paranoid cents.  What if the scam isn't the bass but email address harvesting?  How many addresses does this person have from our group now?  Of course if this was the goal all someone has to do is register with the club and start looking at profiles.
 
Sam