Buyer Beware

[FatFingerBlues]

Am I they only one that this aggravates?

An ebay ad for "Purple PRS 6 Strings Electric Guitar Solid Mahogany Body Tremolo Bridge"
Found while surfing eBay this add lists the guitar as new
it has pictures of a good looking guitar with the birds on the fretboard
but every picture cuts off the head stock so you can't see it
the ad copy touts the china factory it was made in
it does in the fine print list it as unbranded
To me its an obvious effort to rip off PRS for $260

The seller has several other guitars being sold like this
Always on the edge of truth and fraud

I flagged it to eBay but I got an email back saying it didn't violate their terms

I wonder what PRS would think about this

ebay ad

 

[Moondog Wily]

Keep in mind (and you did not do this here, just putting this here as a reminder), we are discouraged from detailing what is NOT right about a guitar. This attitude is based on the theory that it would help counterfeiters to correct errors in the future.

I see two glaring reasons why I would label this as a counterfeit!

 

[Maertl513]

Especially the shape of the lower horn for access to the high fretboard positions identifies it as a poor copy.

 

[Prs Mods too]

Especially the shape of the lower horn for access to the high fretboard positions identifies it as a poor copy.

Ixnay on the etailsday!

 

[Prs Mods too]

Oh and looks totally legit to me.

I just bought one of the other ones he had for sale.

 

[Black Plaid]

Keep in mind (and you did not do this here, just putting this here as a reminder), we are discouraged from detailing what is NOT right about a guitar. This attitude is based on the theory that it would help counterfeiters to correct errors in the future.

I see two glaring reasons why I would label this as a counterfeit!

I don't understand the line of thinking here. If counterfeiters want to make the guitars more correct, they just have to look at the guitars in detail.

It's the fact that they don't sweat the details that make them cheap to make.

 

[DISTORT6]

I don't understand the line of thinking here. If counterfeiters want to make the guitars more correct, they just have to look at the guitars in detail.

It's the fact that they don't sweat the details that make them cheap to make.

Why would you want to help them in ANY way?
Obviously they need all the help they can get by the crap they pedal year after year.

 

[Prs Mods too]

What's crazy is that there are plenty of cheap tools/equipment that make it super simple to make exact copies. Not going to go into details, but crap, I could easily make perfect copies with the cheap equipment that I have that cost less than $2000 USD total and with very little time invested.

 

[Black Plaid]

Why would you want to help them in ANY way?
Obviously they need all the help they can get by the crap they pedal year after year

I think of it more as helping people not get scammed. There are more people that could be searching on how to spot a fake than selling fakes.

 

[RC Mike]

I don't understand the line of thinking here. If counterfeiters want to make the guitars more correct, they just have to look at the guitars in detail.

It's the fact that they don't sweat the details that make them cheap to make.

I kind of think it’s an ego thing. “I’m a PRS expert.” The idea that a Chinese counterfeit guitar builder would come here is funny. Between parsing the English, innuendos, and Julie Bowen references, I doubt they’d glean more than they do from a photo.

 

[DISTORT6]

I think of it more as helping people not get scammed. There are more people that could be searching on how to spot a fake than selling fakes.

So if you point things out to help people not get scammed, you’re helping the scammers scam more people by helping them improve their work.
I guess we’re both right and wrong at the same time.

 

[FatFingerBlues]

I think some of you are missing the point
My post wasn't so much about the fake guitar
It was about the deceptive advertising used to sell it

I was kind of hoping someone from PRS would see and it would make its way to their legal department
And a cease and desist order issued

 

[László]

I think some of you are missing the point
My post wasn't so much about the fake guitar
It was about the deceptive advertising used to sell it

I was kind of hoping someone from PRS would see and it would make its way to their legal department
And a cease and desist order issued

An ex parte order to have the US Marshal seize the counterfeit goods without notice to the seller is usually issued in a deceptive/counterfeit trademark case as a matter of course, if the goods can be located in the US.

More problematic, of course, if it's offshore, where lots of these scams arise.

 

[FatFingerBlues]

An ex parte order to have the US Marshal seize the counterfeit goods without notice to the seller is usually issued in a deceptive/counterfeit trademark case as a matter of course, if the goods can be located in the US.

More problematic, of course, if it's offshore, where lots of these scams arise.

That would make me extremely happy as well

BTW the ad says it ships from California

 

[helmi]

The paranoia around here sometimes never fails to amuse me!

 

[Herr Squid]

An ex parte order to have the US Marshal seize the counterfeit goods without notice to the seller is usually issued in a deceptive/counterfeit trademark case as a matter of course, if the goods can be located in the US.

More problematic, of course, if it's offshore, where lots of these scams arise.

It would be not difficult, I think, to cause such a good to become located in the US, point the marshals at it, and stand back, no? If you've got the funds and the desire to do it?

Or is that messier and more painful than my naive self would want to believe?

 

[Moondog Wily]

I don't understand the line of thinking here. If counterfeiters want to make the guitars more correct, they just have to look at the guitars in detail.

It's the fact that they don't sweat the details that make them cheap to make.

Was just trying to be a good guest in the house of PRS! Early in my time here at the forum, I noted something about a knock off and was instructed that was not something we should be doing. I understand both sides (and lean towards the say nothing other than "fake" which is all the prospective buyer needs to hear), but I am just trying to play by what I perceived as a house rule and/or the consensus of some experienced members ;~)) YMMV!

 

[Maertl513]

The most annoying thing is, that the seller gets clickbaits by using "PRS".
The copy cat-manufacturer is committing counterfeid to a certain extent, misusing the brand name and aswell other copyright items (bird design, headstock).
The shape of the lower horn with the bevel is obviously not a proper copy of original SE or S2 or Core (incl. WL, AG, PS).

To chase those legal is up to PRS themself.

 

[László]

It would be not difficult, I think, to cause such a good to become located in the US, point the marshals at it, and stand back, no? If you've got the funds and the desire to do it?

Or is that messier and more painful than my naive self would want to believe?

It isn't difficult, not even particularly messy, and there are statutory minimum awards for damages for each violation.

The pain comes when the bill for the legal work arrives, if the defendant isn't collectible.

 

[Jo-]

I think of it more as helping people not get scammed. There are more people that could be searching on how to spot a fake than selling fakes.

This is exactly how I feel on the issue of not sharing the details of why something is a fake.

We should be helping people to identify a fake. I think it’s a stupid reason that it ‘helps the counterfeiters’. There are less people selling fakes than there are people being fooled by it.