Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

What do you think? I am sick & tired of looking at their rediculous ads & yet they keep posting them. Silly prices & poor condition seem to be the order of the day. Combine this with the same ad running again & again because they can't sell it & things start to get a little irritating.
This is typical...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=41439&item=7321388981&rd=1

They claim that this is in 'very good' condition & has twin humbuckers & 22 frets. It looks well worn/poor to me with a pickguard that doesn't fit, two s/coil toasters & a 21 fret neck. They then claim that people often have different product condition expectations than those outlined!!!!
Perhaps they should be a little more truthful/realistic about their descriptions...

Good observation, Tony. They end up looking foolish. Especially to RIC-heads like us.

just like they are in their stores, someone will eventually buy it. heck, that 4001 "rock out like motorhead" bass is still being listed.

I guess their only saving grace on this one, Tony is that the photographs are good enough to show a potential buyer the actual condition. It looks like they haven't even bothered to remove the greasy fingerprints!!

On my scale the condition would be 'pretty average'!!

They're probably hoping that given the population of the USA, there's at least one poor, unsuspecting, inexperienced eBayer who will bite.

Calling all wood ducks!!

Assuming of course, that the photos are of the actual instrument being auctioned!

Would they stoop that low, Jeff? Being an Aussie, I only know of them and their reputation(?) through this forum.

Yeah they're terrible now. Way overpriced and don't have a clue. They think they have a monopoly and just about do actually in many places. I have four of them within a hours drive and I don't waste my time going there anymore. their prices on ebay have been beyond ridiculous, I even e-mailed them a few times for basses and told them to go geta reality check. They keep calling 4001's 4001S's for example and pricing them close to $2000.00-$3000.00.

Howard,
I have heard that they would indeed stoop that low!

Are there laws relating to false and misleading advertising over there?

Tough to say, I believe there are supposed to be, but things aren't what they used to be over here, if you know what I mean.

Understand. It's mostly a corporate thing over here. Rarely would a private individual entertain a legal stoush. Although there are compensation tribunals if you think you've been hard done by...........

You guys are a bit off-base. GC may be clueless and they may stretch the truth, mis-state in their ads, due to real ignorance and/or stupidity. Their prices on used stuff are mostly awfully inflated. Because of their stupidity in writing copy, often the instrument shown is not entirely as described. I have never bought a guitar from them. But I believe that out and out fraud of the type that Jeffrey hints at--of substituting one instrument for another in a used equipment sale--is not their style. They're just a big, stupid, 2000 pound gorilla with a cutthroat corporate culture and overly-ambitious store managers.

The copy for each "GCREP XXX" ad on eBay is written by the guy (usually in his 20s) who has been given charge of liquidating the used old stuff, trade-ins, etc., on eBay. Almost without exception, these guys are not historians; they're salesmen working on the usual draw vs. commission, who because of their ages, have come late into the game. No doubt their managers are saying, "price 'em at the top end".

I've been following a '50s Gretsch solidbody auction run by them on eBay. Their opening bid is $5500.00! Of course, no bids on that one, like most of them. And you can bet that the store manager has approval of all the details, and that he took an extra-hard look at this one!

It's just typical big box corporate culture with the underlings scrambling to make a mark. That doesn't necessarily imply fraud. Am I defending them? Nope--I think this is a stupid move, but they can afford to wait and relist until the right "sucker" comes along.

Tee hee.......... Maybe a 'stupidity' disclaimer at the bottom of each ad, Paul?

It's already there, Howard--the GC logo...

Gotcha!! Good one....... LOL!!