New Ebay scam.....Restored or not????

[QuadBob]

Just a warning to all the other vintage lovers here on AK. First time I've seen THIS type of scam on EBay!!!

Today a Sansui QRX-9001 that I restored in 2005 was sold on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Sansui-QRX-9001-Quad-Receiver-Quad-Bob-Reconditioned_W0QQitemZ330095097497QQihZ014QQcategoryZ50596QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item330095097497

As any owner that I've restored equipment knows.....I keep a record by model and serial number of EVERY unit I restore. The above auction was legitimate and only the 3rd QRX-9001 out of 50 that I've restored to go to Ebay.

Within hours this QRX-9001 appeared:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250093501204&ssPageName=ADME:B:EF:US:2

It was obvious to me immediately from the pictures that this QRX-9001 isn't one of my restorations.......even without the serial number! The main caps look original, there is no preamp/amp jacks added to the backpanel, etc. (besides the horrid black spray painted cabinet!!)

So, if any of you are considering buying a "restored" piece of vintage equipment....do yourself a favor. Ask the seller for specifics BEFORE hitting the Buy It Now button!! If he claims it was restored by me, drop me an email and I'll be happy to confirm whether it is in fact a unit I restored.

My restorations are for our enjoyment and listening pleasure.......not to let some Ebay scumbag rip someone off!!:thmbsp:

Be careful out there!!


QB

 

[LBPete]

Too late. Someone pulled the BIN trigger.

- Pete

 

[QuadBob]

Too late. Someone pulled the BIN trigger.

- Pete

Luckily, I found out about the 2nd auction from the Buyer...who did email me to inquire about the unit and he hadn't paid up yet. He's dealing with cancelling the Buy it Now already.

Watch out.......I'm sure it will be up again along with who knows how many others!!:tears:

 

[jami w.]

thanks for letting us kno bob

 

[sssmokin99]

The more heartwarming the story by the seller as to the history of a piece, the more I suspect that they are full of baloney.....

 

[wajobu]

Wow, complicated unit under the hood there! Nice looking restoration (the REAL one) there QB.

 

[vintagestereo]

QuadBob -- Even though we have our disagreements, I'm totally in agreement with you on this issue. There is simply so much room for distortion and flat-out misrepresentation on E-Bay. "Restored" can mean almost anything. There have to be some standards.

 

[roseskunk]

yeah thanks for the heads up. i'm not into quads (thank god-$$$), but the one you did looks like a bad boy...:thmbsp:
the other just looks bad. bad bad, not good bad...:thumbsdn:

 

[Manitoulin]

Good of you to post this Bob.

Hopefully when an unsuspecting buyer does a Google search on "restored Sansui", this post will come up for them.

 

[thisOne]

Forgive my ingnorance but I'm confused. Clearly this unit was not restored by QuadBob, but the seller's description does not say that it was.

Aside from the sappy story (which I too am always wary of), the seller, starting with some hartfelt family story, simply claims that the unit has "2 service stickers on the rear of the unit. The one sticker indicates it was recondition in 2004 and the second indicates it was service in 2006".

Then more sappy family references, after which he says " The unit has been fully tested and works fabulous. All knobs and buttons are in tact, the lights all are working yet one seems dim. The face plate is clear and clean and the dials works smoothly. I'm not 100% certain of the extent of the reconditioning however I was able to find out that my family member had shipped this item to Cailfornia for the servicing and that the 2004 reconditioning was nearly $1300.00."

He does actually say that one of the lights is dim, which would make him either a really savvy scammer or a dim one.

The descripton finishes off with some brags about the place of the receiver in the top lineup of receivers of all time and says that it comes with a copy of the original owner's manual.

I also looked at the seller's feedback and noticed that the two negatives are for pieces over $200, so I thought that maybe he sells a run of cheap things legit and hits you with a high priced scam, but some of his other recent high dollar sells got positive feedback.

So where in his description does one get that this is a scam, or am I the dim one???:scratch2:

Lastly, it's nothing to me (since I have no association with the seller or the buyer, nor do I particularily care for Sansui quad receivers), but there are some serious words being used in this thread accusing a seller of running a scam on e-bay without much evidence of one, so my purpose of writing this missive is that we could be writing this about an auctions of anyone here and that wouldn't be nice...

 

[willyrover]

Well, if it was indeed reconditioned, the seller should have the papers to prove it. $1300 in repairs/restoration is something I would probably NEVER toss out the receipt for.

No papers, well, then the buyer decides to take the chance.


And on an other note....what is with the sappy sob stories in eBay descriptions. Who cares. Sales people on comission should try this technique. "...you know...I'll take 20 bucks off the price for you today because...well...my brother passed away recently and with all the funeral expenses and such...well...I kinda need the money for my daughter's braces...and well...."

 

[whyaskit]

I'm with thisOne on this one. The description say that it was serviced and reconditioned, which is a little different that restored, at least to my mind. Not once did I read the name Bob or Quad Bob. I don't see the scam others are claiming. Could there be others in California that work on these units? I don't know, but jumping all over this as a scam when it sounds like this is someone who is asking others in the family a little history is a little much.

Of course I could be dim as well.

QuadBob, good to know you are willing to verify your work for the members here. Thanks for that and the possible heads up.

At any rate, not my cup of tea and I have no affiliation to anyone or anything realted to this auction. Just a couple of pennies to toss out.

Take care all.

 

[LBPete]

thisOne, I basically agree with what you are saying but the auction is still highly suspect. He says there are two service stickers on the back but I don't see them in the pictures. These types of stickers usually have the repair shop's name printed on them and they stick out like a sore thumb. 97.9% feedback is a little scary too. If $1300 was spend on a restoration it's odd that he doesn't state who did it. If done by a reputable shop, that would add value to his auction.

- Pete

 

[restorer-john]

I restore a lot of hifi. My restorations range from a complete rebuild with every single component off the pcbs (see the Kenwood LO7M threads), through to 'lightweight' restorations where cleaning, polishing and component/performance checks are done. Some customers want originality at the expense of possible future failures, others want new components wherever they can as they think that will provide a more reliable unit. There is nothing 'scam' like about that listing that I can see. If QuadBob wants to be the only quad expert and ensure future customers for his rather expensive (I'm sure worth it) restorations, one way is to attack other people's listings and intimate that because the 'restoration' wasn't done by him, it can't be any good. We aren't talking rocket science here guys, there are plenty of repairers, restorers and builders of hifi and although we'd all like to be the ultimate expert and authority, it aint gonna happen. Replacing 242 caps isn't going to make a receiver necessarily last 20 years. I know that although I have never had a failure in any of my sales or any of my own repairs, that one day, something will blow up- due to age and there is nothing I can do about it. A transformer primary will internally corrode and short, a power transistor will simply fail, a tuning cap wheel will crack due to dial cord tension, an IF transformer will fracture, a pot will fall apart, etc etc.
To involve oneself in someone elses business by emailing a buyer is terrible, unless there was a misrepresentation which I cannot see. The only people involved in that sale are the buyer and the seller, not some self appointed ebay sansui monitor.

 

[restorer-john]

If anything, the original post is nothing more than a very thinly disguised self serving commercial post for someone attempting to ensure an ongoing revenue stream. I personally think the entire thread should be deleted.

 

[Brian]

I looked and thought maybe it had been revised and QuadBob had been removed. Service stickers many times are on the bottom of the unit and "overlap" the back to insure someone does not open the unit and screw something up. Possibly the labels are as such.

I know nothing about this particular unit and realize there is a hardcore following of quadraphonic lovers but, spending that type of money on these units seems a bit over the top.

 

[gadget73]

I'll also toss my hat into the 'i don't get it' camp, and resume listening to the Allmans on my non-scammed CL Onkyo.

 

[Fisherdude]

Gentlemen, I'm getting very uncomfortable with where this thread is going.

Giving the membership a "heads-up" about a questionable auction is one thing, but let's not cross the line into unsubstantiated accusations.

Thanks.

 

[QuadBob]

QuadBob -- Even though we have our disagreements, I'm totally in agreement with you on this issue. There is simply so much room for distortion and flat-out misrepresentation on E-Bay. "Restored" can mean almost anything. There have to be some standards.

I totally agree Chris. If anything AK is the place where some guidelines could be established.......for sure Ebay is anyone's guess! On there "restored" can be anything from "I dusted it off and turned it on"........to "I looked inside and everything looks like it was there!"

For myself, with the QRX-9001 my goal has been simple.....deal with every known or potential problem due to its age and correct it. And, for over 10 years I've posted exactly what those issues are. So, if you have the time and skill..........you could easily "do it yourself" or have someone else do it.

If you ask me to do it........then the owner's know exactly what I'm doing and what it will cost.

QB

 

[QuadBob]

Forgive my ingnorance but I'm confused. Clearly this unit was not restored by QuadBob, but the seller's description does not say that it was.

You're absolutely correct. If the seller had dared to use my name or "Quadraphonic Restorations Xtraordinaire".....you could be sure that I'd be all over Ebay about it. He merely tried to imply it through his use of "reconditioning" it and shipping it to California for the service.

Aside from the sappy story (which I too am always wary of), the seller, starting with some hartfelt family story, simply claims that the unit has "2 service stickers on the rear of the unit. The one sticker indicates it was recondition in 2004 and the second indicates it was service in 2006".

And there you have the second "deception" as from his own pictures you can see there are NO service stickers "on the rear of the unit".

Then more sappy family references, after which he says " The unit has been fully tested and works fabulous. All knobs and buttons are in tact, the lights all are working yet one seems dim. The face plate is clear and clean and the dials works smoothly. I'm not 100% certain of the extent of the reconditioning however I was able to find out that my family member had shipped this item to Cailfornia for the servicing and that the 2004 reconditioning was nearly $1300.00."

His statement here may very well be true.......my point was simply that "I" wasn't the one to do it. And, as others have noted here.....anyone that spends that much money on a QRX-9001 would most likely have documentation to back it up.

He does actually say that one of the lights is dim, which would make him either a really savvy scammer or a dim one.

The descripton finishes off with some brags about the place of the receiver in the top lineup of receivers of all time and says that it comes with a copy of the original owner's manual.

I also looked at the seller's feedback and noticed that the two negatives are for pieces over $200, so I thought that maybe he sells a run of cheap things legit and hits you with a high priced scam, but some of his other recent high dollar sells got positive feedback.

So where in his description does one get that this is a scam, or am I the dim one???:scratch2:

Very simply from his deceptive description.....again "implying" that this unit was "reconditioned" in California for $1300 which in the world of serious quad collectors has meant "me" for 15 years now. And, I think his description of that stock cabinet which has been spray painted black (look at the brighter of the two pictures of the cabinet.....and note that the rear air grill is also the same color as the cabinet vs. the original anodized bronze color) which he refers to as a "rare find especially with a black cabinet".

And of course let's not even consider that he put it up just 7 hours after the auction by an owner of a unit that I DID restore....I have to almost wonder if the paint was dry yet! One hell of a coincidence for sure.

Lastly, it's nothing to me (since I have no association with the seller or the buyer, nor do I particularily care for Sansui quad receivers), but there are some serious words being used in this thread accusing a seller of running a scam on e-bay without much evidence of one, so my purpose of writing this missive is that we could be writing this about an auctions of anyone here and that wouldn't be nice...

And, neither do I have a connection to either the seller or buyer. When I was first contacted by the Buyer (which is how I found out about this auction)....my first response was simply to ask the seller for the serial number and I'd be happy to confirm that I did in fact restore it. As, what owner's do with units that I've restored for them is entirely their business alone. The Seller went fishing...........and the Buyer bit. But only because HE was deceived by the auction listing. And, it's back between the two of them as to how they work it out.

My point in starting this thread was just as I stated, to simply let everyone here on AK know that "if" I did restore a particular piece.....I'll happily confirm it for either the Seller or Buyer. And, I think any of us here that do restorations/repairs or other service would do the same!

QB