“What’s This Worth?” Thread

[vaya]

Is the chat with the reverb support also a part of the scam? Because these messages are also somewhat weird.

Unfortunatly we are currently having problems with our PayPal payment system, so some payments are not going through succesfully.
15:01:19
Reverb Support

We are now going to refund your payment to your PayPal account, and provide you a personal payment link, where you can choose one of available payment methods
15:01:32
Reverb Support

Your order has been refunded, please proceed to payment following your personal link:
15:02:22
Reverb Support

PAYMENT LINK
15:02:24
Reverb Support

I have been refunded but I noticed that there was a very similar listing to the one I tried to buy. The pictures are the same but the seller location is different.
15:21:08
Me

That listing might be fake, please do not engage
15:21:56
Reverb Support

https://reverb.com/item/75425124-parker ... _sold=true
notice the sellers location as Greenford, United Kingdom while the one I just tried to buy was Runkelen, Belgium.
15:23:30
Me

That listing was fake Sir
15:24:02
Reverb Support

Thank you for helping me with the refund. Have a nice day.
15:25:59
Me

Do you need any help in making this transaction Sir?
15:26:26
Reverb Support

I just showed you another listing with the same pictures from a different seller. I think this listing is fake and a scam.
15:28:06
Me

The listing you showed me is fake, this one is legit
15:29:26
Reverb Support

Why would this one be legit when its newer? The one from United Kingdom was 2 days ago. This one from Belgium 1 day ago with the same pictures.
15:32:51
Me

Because we have verified the seller with his ID document and KYC verification
15:33:55
Reverb Support

I have been refunded by Reverb but am still asked to pay with a different method even when I explain the identical listing?

[vjmanzo]

Is the chat with the reverb support also a part of the scam?

No. However, it doesn’t seem that they have a clear sense of what’s happening. As long as you’ve got your money, then you’re good.

[mmmguitar]

For what it's worth (not much, in this case ) I had reported that "Belgian" clone listing as fraudulent within a few minutes of it having been published (with the report unambiguously linking to the listing it was cloned from).

The problem is that, on the weekends, Etsy doesn't allocate Reverb support/moderation staff in numbers sufficient to prune these fraudulent listings in a timely manner. This means that every Friday is generally when you see the cloned listings published by scammers counting on their bait to be left up until Monday morning.

[Nefarius]

Almost EUR 22k for the Parker Fly Custom "Thor" on Reverb.
https://reverb.com/item/70596786-parker ... l-mahogany

What are those sellers doing? Deter lowball buyers and simply wait until someone offers enough?
I really don't get it.

Still nice to see one of the Northern Flys again.

Greetings...
Nef

[Patzag]

Almost EUR 22k for the Parker Fly Custom "Thor" on Reverb.
https://reverb.com/item/70596786-parker ... l-mahogany

What are those sellers doing? Deter lowball buyers and simply wait until someone offers enough?
I really don't get it.

Still nice to see one of the Northern Flys again.

Greetings...
Nef

That's with a $2500 price drop!

[Nefarius]

Yeah, I'm slowly starting to recognize this is a case of "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em".

I will ask a friend to take a few professional photos of my DF845 Custom and write up a melodramatic posting, including "one of a kind" (which it is) and "original owner" (which I am) and, of course, a ridiculous price tag (which will be ridiculous). Consider it a social experiment.

And if someone makes an offer that's ridiculous enough, it shall fund some new gear I'd actually be using. Unlike my future ex-Parker that would most likely end up in storage of some guitar dealer and show up occasionally on different websites for even more ridiculous price tags.

What would be an appropriately ridiculous price tag?

Greetings...
Nef

[vjmanzo]

What would be an appropriately ridiculous price tag?

Marc has summarized some high price tags that might be a good reference:

This '99 Supreme with a hidden serial (nonetheless identifiable through its body's grain markings), in "mint except for a finish chip" condition, was asking $10,145 until the listing price dropped to $8,950 on 9/21, then to $7,995 on 9/30. After rejecting two offers, the seller unlisted the guitar; which was concurrently listed in the FB groups with a $7,500 asking price, before again being dropped to $6,500 on 10/6. It's possible a FB sale for that amount precipitated the Supreme being taken off Reverb.

'99 Natural Classic 236029BMH previously advertised without a price here with the qualification that "I'm sure it is worth far more than what most of them are selling for, considering her age and MINT condition", asking $9,904.

Now, if we look at the guitars in that $9K+ range which have sold, what's shown is that the actual, final sale prices are undisclosed because they were negotiated:

The $27,000 Koa Fly, listed at that price to circumvent paying for Reverb bumps, sold following three offers. The $10,095 2013 quilt burst blue Mojo P1308021 went for a single offer.

Might be a good idea to consider what amount you’d be comfortable getting for the instrument. As Marc suggests, the instruments with very high price tags tend to just sit there until someone offers something that the seller is comfortable getting for the instrument. If you already have that number in mind, you could just ask for that and not offer the option to receive offers.

[Nefarius]

I'd much rather see it go to someone who will actually play and enjoy it. But someone seriously overpaying and funding a lot of new gear is certainly an interesting possibility. I guess most of all I'm just curious what kinds of offers would actually come in, hence calling it a "social experiment". Unless one of you has already tried this and is willing to spill the beans.

Greetings...
Nef

[Augustonian]

If it's up in a year from now I'd love to be the person who'd actually play and enjoy it but not for the "join em" reverb price

That being said, I'm sure you could "lift" some language of how you'll never see one of these again or whatever ballyhoo those 20k listings have.

[Thermand]

In either case, the brand seems to still be on the Steinberger trajectory (with aftermarket scarcity of premium models fueling the belief that sub-$500 import models with visible wear can now command a $500+ asking price).

My hope is that it’s due to players growing more appreciative and holding on to a Fly as their sleeper-brand #1, rather than just sitting on them like they’re crypto.

Greetings!

I completely agree with your opinion that the popularity of the Fly brand continues to grow. The high asking prices for imported models under $500 are evidence of this.

I think there are several reasons why Fly is becoming more and more popular. First of all, these are really great guitars. They sound good, play well and have a unique design. Secondly, they are relatively affordable, making them accessible to a wider range of players. Third, they are unique and stand out from other guitars.

I think Fly's rise in popularity is a positive thing. This means more people have the opportunity to enjoy these great tools.

As for whether Fly's rise in popularity is a result of players becoming more appreciative of the brand or just speculation, I think it's a combination of both. I'm sure there are some players who really appreciate Fly and want to support the brand. However, I'm also sure there are some players who are simply speculating on their value.

Ultimately, I don't care what's driving Fly's rise in popularity. I'm just glad this brand is becoming more popular.

Mod edit: Did anyone manage to read through the whole post before they recognized that this was a bot account? I removed the crypto advertisement from the end, but thought to leave this up as an example in case there’s an influx of similar bot accounts posters will need to learn to recognize.

[Patzag]

Mod edit: Did anyone manage to read through the whole post before they recognized that this was a bot account? I removed the crypto advertisement from the end, but thought to leave this up as an example in case there’s an influx of similar bot accounts posters will need to learn to recognize.

Wow. It sounded weird and I was waiting for an Ad or Sale notice, but never would've recognized a bot!

[colliderman]

https://reverb.com/item/76594556-parker ... t=76594556

Here’s an interesting listing that didn’t last more than a few minutes. I’ve never heard of a “custom cedar” model. Is this legit? Price was very reasonable if so. The last line of the listing about being shipped from Korea seems a little suspect.

[vjmanzo]

Yes, it’s legit. Any time you see a cedar Fly, however, it’s mostly like a USM-era Fly (like the one you linked in your post) as Ken only made a handful of cedar Flys—cedar particles can stay in your lungs and become disastrous for certain folks with an intolerance to it; Ken is one of these individuals. The Fly Artist/Concert is typically associated with a Sitka spruce body as you likely know, but Joni Mitchell’s Fly and a few other Ken-era Fly Artist/Concert models have a cedar body.

My true faves have spruce or cedar bodies, so in spruce (one-piece of sitka spruce from out your way) it would be the “Artist” if you need the magnetics, and the “Concert” if you don’t.

Cedar bodies were so very few, maybe 10?

The awful problem was the human respiratory reaction to the nice cedar closet smell that murders moth larvae in their sleep, ya know?

Many of us suffered terribly in the shop when we made cedar guitars, and of course it would have been madness to ignore it.

#WoodTypes

[colliderman]

Yes, it’s legit. Any time you see a cedar Fly, however, it’s mostly like a USM-era Fly (like the one you linked in your post) as Ken only made a handful of cedar Flys—cedar particles can stay in your lungs and become disastrous for certain folks with an intolerance to it; Ken is one of these individuals. The Fly Artist/Concert is typically associated with a Sitka spruce body as you likely know, but Joni Mitchell’s Fly and a few other Ken-era Fly Artist/Concert models have a cedar body.

Cool, thanks for the info! Looks like somebody scored a pretty sweet deal on this then.