ebay advice please: second chance offer

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

I put in a bid for 202.50 in the vinegar strokes of this auction and was beaten by a fiver:
[url="http://offer.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBids&item=360215899745"]http://offer.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?V...em=360215899745[/url]
75 minutes after it ended and I had resigned myself to a lifetime of not owning a solid stika topped rosewood ABG, I receive a second chance offer to buy it at the amount of my bid.

I love the way rosewood acoustics smell and it should be louder than most ABGs due to the solid sitka top and big fat body, so I'm happy paying the amount of my maximum bid, but I'm in uncharted territory as I've never had any dealings with 2nd chance offers so I can't tell whether anything about this looks dodgy. It looks like the seller has a shop & there is a possibility that he has more than one of these basses & of course his feedback looks good.

what do you think - does it look OK?

[Platypus]

Looks ok to me, just be sure that the 2nd chance offer has come from eBay! I mean from an eBay message not an email from another source. That sort of thing used to happen when the bidders' id was available to all.
Of course the winner could have been a shill bid - a 'friend' trying to push up the final sale price and hence the 2nd chance offer coming in stright away when he 'won'

Edited December 15, 2009 by Platypus

[geoffbyrne]

I've had a couple of 2nd chance offers sent to me. I PM'd them using the Ebay system to check & they both worked out fine.

Just get in touch using the Ebay emails and double check.

There was a scam in the Staes a while back (maybe still) of 3rd parties send '2nd chance offers', & they took the money & ran.

G.

[jonno1981]

Same pics as this auction

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Electro-Acoustic-Bass-Guitar-NEW-Ex-demo-Stock-400-RRP_W0QQitemZ360218122375QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item53deac5887"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Electro-Acoustic-Bas...=item53deac5887[/url]

which is a little dodge but it doesnt scream fraud to me. Maybe just clarify the one you are bidding on IS the one in the pics. Bear in mind its only laminated rosewood back and sides so it will not have the crucial whiff of rosewood!

The seller has huge amounts of feedback and its a good £150 saving on a new one. If its a shop I would ask for the number and speak directly to them, its generally possible to get an idea if its dodgey or not just with a 5 minute conversation.

Edited December 15, 2009 by jonno1981

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

Well I got a reply back - it turns out the explanation is that they have a number of these new & boxed to sell & the winning bidder didn't back out. I could wait a few days & hope the one currently listed fetches a lower price, but I'm happy with the £220 I bid (inc postage) so I've hit the button & paid so it will be on its way to me very soon. It'll be nice if it does have the lovely rosewood smell that my 80's washburn guitar has, but as long as it plays well and is loud enough for acoustic rehearsals I'll be chuffed with it.

OK what acoustic strings are good?
I'm guessing my favourite TI 344s flats won't be very loud - are the TI acoustic rounds worth a go?

[ashevans09]

nice to see this went the right way, i remember when someone hacked my account and second chance offered everyone who bid on my MM Stingray. He went down to ridiculous prices too, offered it for something like £150 to a few.

That took a while to sort out...