Watch out for scams!!
As any of you who have tried to sell an instrument online probably know, there are all sorts of unsavory characters out there looking for an opportunity to take advantage of well-meaning musicians. Some scams are well-known, such as the music instrument theft ring based in Indonesia. Others may look more innocent, as the letters Kerry and I received last week in response to the ad for the Paxman 23L (still up for grabs, by the way!) Two different people contacted us requesting pictures and a final asking price. We wrote them back, and then each of them said they were interested in buying the horn. Person #1 named "Mike" said that he has a client in the USA who owes him $9900. He then asked us to accept a check from this person in the States, to cash it, to keep what we need for the horn, and then send the balance to his "shipping agent" who will pick up the horn.
Person B, named "Ted" (both wrote in poor English as well) claimed to have a colleague in the USA who owes him $10,520. The rest was quite similar, except he asked us to send the balance via Western Union to his shipping agent. He concluded by saying, "Pls i hope you are a honest person and also tell me if i can count on you to send down the balance to the shipper or not (sic)" This is a very common tactic in scams, to put the intended victim on the defensive in order to legitimize their own position.
We wrote back to both of them saying we were suspicious that they were attempting fraud, and of course that was the last we heard from either of them.
Please be very, very cautious when selling an instrument online. I tend to believe that most people act in good faith, but it doesn't hurt to look over your shoulder from time to time. If you have had any similar experiences, please reply to this post and keep the rest of us in the know...
