Fake strings----again.

GoldenEraGuitars

It might be an idea to not purchase any more strings off eBay. Go onto a retail website and buy them there. I don’t think I’ve ever bought strings from eBay/amazon etc. And if it’s happened to you before then definitely take this as a learning experience and don’t let it happen to you again. Thankfully in this day and age we’re not limited in the choice we have, there are plenty of actual online retailers with dedicated and trusted websites to buy strings from.

OilCityPickups

GoldenEraGuitars said:

It might be an idea to not purchase any more strings off eBay. Go onto a retail website and buy them there. I don’t think I’ve ever bought strings from eBay/amazon etc. And if it’s happened to you before then definitely take this as a learning experience and don’t let it happen to you again. Thankfully in this day and age we’re not limited in the choice we have, there are plenty of actual online retailers with dedicated and trusted websites to buy strings from.

We used to sell on E-Bay, but the place has become such a cesspit (rivaled only by Amazon) that we won't touch it with a barge pole. 
Buy cheap goods from e bay and/Amazon repeatedly and prove Einstein right: 'Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results'

GoldenEraGuitars

OilCityPickups said:

GoldenEraGuitars said:

It might be an idea to not purchase any more strings off eBay. Go onto a retail website and buy them there. I don’t think I’ve ever bought strings from eBay/amazon etc. And if it’s happened to you before then definitely take this as a learning experience and don’t let it happen to you again. Thankfully in this day and age we’re not limited in the choice we have, there are plenty of actual online retailers with dedicated and trusted websites to buy strings from.

We used to sell on E-Bay, but the place has become such a cesspit (rivaled only by Amazon) that we won't touch it with a barge pole. 
Buy cheap goods from e bay and/Amazon repeatedly and prove Einstein right: 'Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results'

I use eBay for selling the odd few things. But I’ve never sold a guitar body or neck on there (even though I’m registered as a business seller). If I find something on there I want to buy from a business I usually go and look for their website and buy directly. Anything I’ve bought on there isn’t anything brand related that can faked. The last thing I bought was white wall tyre rings for my van. 

We’re exactly stifled for choice these days, are we? I know we’ve all hunted for a bargain at some point with varying degrees of success but the risk of repeating the error and getting burned again simply wouldn’t even cross my mind. They’re just guitar strings, trying to save money in the long run by buying them cheap from a randomer on eBay seems a bit futile.

Rob1742

I’m going to stick up for the OP here. Many saying he is a very silly boy for not buying from a non reputable retailer.

Products are constantly promoted or on deal, so I can understand he has been sucked in thinking it might be some sort of promotion.

In this day and age of high low pricing across many consumer categories, you can understand why he made an error.

Then people say some use eBay or Amazon and use real stores. Well that is all very ethical but I’m afraid the horse bolted years ago and retail is on its arse.

I think everybody who likes to think they support the retailers has an Amazon account and click for convenience. Me included who ensured I wandered into Norwich PMT two weeks ago to buy strings I didn’t need, just to do my bit. Later that night clicking on Amazon to buy a book the missus wanted as she couldn’t find it earlier that day. 

It’s also good to support new businesses as well as old ones. Retail has gone to the graveyard years ago as I have said. Even some of our reputable guitar retailers prefer not to have stores and see the financial benefits of just box shifting. So supporting other businesses that might one day be the next big thing isn’t the worst thing you can do.

He just purchased from a wrong un, but there are plenty of wrong uns out there, retailers included. There always have been and there always will be, but no ridicule from me for him making a mistake.

For every wrong un there are hundreds of good new businesses trying to make their way and a lot of them will shape what our future looks like. 

OilCityPickups

Rob1742 said:

I’m going to stick up for the OP here. Many saying he is a very silly boy for not buying from a non reputable retailer.

Products are constantly promoted or on deal, so I can understand he has been sucked in thinking it might be some sort of promotion.

In this day and age of high low pricing across many consumer categories, you can understand why he made an error.

Then people say some use eBay or Amazon and use real stores. Well that is all very ethical but I’m afraid the horse bolted years ago and retail is on its arse.

I think everybody who likes to think they support the retailers has an Amazon account and click for convenience. Me included who ensured I wandered into Norwich PMT two weeks ago to buy strings I didn’t need, just to do my bit. Later that night clicking on Amazon to buy a book the missus wanted as she couldn’t find it earlier that day. 

It’s also good to support new businesses as well as old ones. Retail has gone to the graveyard years ago as I have said. Even some of our reputable guitar retailers prefer not to have stores and see the financial benefits of just box shifting. So supporting other businesses that might one day be the next big thing isn’t the worst thing you can do.

He just purchased from a wrong un, but there are plenty of wrong uns out there, retailers included. There always have been and there always will be, but no ridicule from me for him making a mistake.

For every wrong un there are hundreds of good new businesses trying to make their way and a lot of them will shape what our future looks like. 

Okay ... Being in the industry I can tell you Strings and Things are the gatekeepers as far as pretty much every string brand you could mention. You have to be VAT registered to get a SAT account, and without one you won't be selling the top brands. Full stop.
 The sort of string retailer who hangs out on E Bay is highly unlikely to be VAT registered, and as such pretty much can't be selling legitimate strings. You also don't have to be 'legitimate' to sell on Amazon. 

Real stores include

Strings Direct  availiable online
Peach  availiable online
Coda availiable online
Gear4Music availiable online

I could go on and on. Yes there are wrong un retailers out here, but nowhere near so many, and there are more checks and balances on them. 
Support new businesses by all means: Ones that can be bothered to have a proper online presence, a website with a business address and proper terms and conditions would be a good start. It's not expensive to set up a retail site, Squarespace and Wix are two very easy hosting platforms but it does raise your profile. The cheapskate, market style traders who hang about behind user names on e bay don't want a profile, they want to take the money and run with no consequences.  Retail has not gone to the graveyard, it's alive and well online, but you have to look carefully at the platform and the profile of the seller, and think ... 'if they can't be bothered to invest in at least a turnkey site ... then they probably haven't spent out on legitimate products'.  

GoldenEraGuitars

Good example here -

Google tells us Globogoods has eBay and Amazon presence, which isn’t in the criteria to legitimately stock EB strings. As Ash said, you need a store front to be a stockist of many brands in the industry and even with my workshop I wouldn’t be allowed to stock, say fender accessories because Rossetti require you to operate a retail premises. 

I’d be keen to learn more about the legitimate business's deemed “wrong uns” as mentioned above. And is there any substantiated evidence to back up why some retailers have been branded “wrong uns”?

Rob1742

Retail is alive and kicking online I agree. But these same manufacturers that do checks on who they supply also ensure prices are fixed so they control the market.

The main reason they don’t open accounts to more people is so they can control the retails, end of. 

I could pass all the credit checks, I could have a showroom, I could have everything they want, but if I told them I’m going to undercut my competitors by 10% they would not supply me.

So I get the OP got done by a faker, but saying we should only buy from certain places just plays into the hands of the manufacturers who want all the control and keep prices high.

Unfortunately there isn’t any small players for strings or guitars, so we do only have those retail options you suggest. But I quite like the fact he tried to source from someone outside of those that control the market. 

No offence to those retailers you mention  by the way, they all do a great job, but I wouldn’t mind someone else getting hold of stock to stir the market up a bit. 

TTony

Rob1742 said:

but saying we should only buy from certain places just plays into the hands of the manufacturers who want all the control and keep prices high.

... and ensure that we - customers - actually get the product that we thought we were buying and protects the brand reputation of those manufacturers.

Looking for "bargains" (I'm not sure that there really is any such thing nowadays) might be worthwhile when you're spending a few £hundred, but you can't really say that the price of strings is "high" and looking to save 50p on a pack isn't really worth the hassle, surely?  

And as for "buying from eBay/Amazon to support new businesses" - putting aside that most of them are unlikely to be "businesses" at all - what about supporting established businesses that have put time and effort into building and running a reputable operation, who'll be there if you have a problem?

Rob1742 said:

 But I quite like the fact he tried to source from someone outside of those that control the market. 

In a triumph of futile hope over experience and common sense to save 50p?

As someone else posted: Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice ...


As I posted originally, the reason that the market gets flooded with fakes and some innocent buyers get stung is as much the fault of those who should be (and are) better informed who still choose to buy from fakers as it is the fault of the fake-sellers. 

GoldenEraGuitars

If I wanted to support the little guy compared to the big companies, eBay is the last place I’d go looking. 

New and legitimate small mom and pop style stores that are independently run (albeit not well known) would still be likely to have social media presence. Scammers and counterfeiters use eBay to maximise sales with little to no consequences. 

If you wanna support local/support the small business/support a family run business then do a bit more searching on social media and google. Because I am a small and family run business I will always use social media to hunt out the honest independents like myself. 

andy_k

GoldenEraGuitars said:

Good example here -

Google tells us Globogoods has eBay and Amazon presence, which isn’t in the criteria to legitimately stock EB strings. As Ash said, you need a store front to be a stockist of many brands in the industry and even with my workshop I wouldn’t be allowed to stock, say fender accessories because Rossetti require you to operate a retail premises. 

I’d be keen to learn more about the legitimate business's deemed “wrong uns” as mentioned above. And is there any substantiated evidence to back up why some retailers have been branded “wrong uns”?

Are you suggesting that all the strings for sale here are fake??
Do you have proof, as £42.99 plus postage for a pack of 5 sets is pretty much what Peach are selling them for, and when I check, they don't appear to have my gauge in stock.
To be clear, I never suggested I was trying to save 50p, so being called a fool does feel a little harsh.

BillDL

GoldenEraGuitars said:

..... The last thing I bought was white wall tyre rings for my van.

Did they help you cruise the miracle mile 

Grunfeld

Roland said:

Can I suggest Newstrings. You buy straight from the man who makes them. You know what you’re getting. In my experience they last longer, which compensates for the slightly higher unit price.

Great suggestion.  Came to the same conclusion too after going through >3 sets of dodgy D'addario which should have been kosher given they came from Amazon (not one of its traders or whatever they're calling that bloody fishmarket these days).

And I'm guessing you mean Newtone Strings!

https://newtonestrings.com/

DB1

Just two ports of call for me. Newtone for acoustic strings and Strings Direct for anything else. I'd never knock anyone for looking for a bargain, but I'd prefer to know that, for a little amount extra, I'm going to get top quality and service. 

OilCityPickups

TTony said:

Rob1742 said:

but saying we should only buy from certain places just plays into the hands of the manufacturers who want all the control and keep prices high.

... and ensure that we - customers - actually get the product that we thought we were buying and protects the brand reputation of those manufacturers.

Looking for "bargains" (I'm not sure that there really is any such thing nowadays) might be worthwhile when you're spending a few £hundred, but you can't really say that the price of strings is "high" and looking to save 50p on a pack isn't really worth the hassle, surely?  

And as for "buying from eBay/Amazon to support new businesses" - putting aside that most of them are unlikely to be "businesses" at all - what about supporting established businesses that have put time and effort into building and running a reputable operation, who'll be there if you have a problem?

Rob1742 said:

 But I quite like the fact he tried to source from someone outside of those that control the market. 

In a triumph of futile hope over experience and common sense to save 50p?

As someone else posted: Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice ...


As I posted originally, the reason that the market gets flooded with fakes and some innocent buyers get stung is as much the fault of those who should be (and are) better informed who still choose to buy from fakers as it is the fault of the fake-sellers. 

One hundred and fifty percent correct @TTony

Now re Globogoods 
Below is an extract from their Amazon feedback @andy_k ;

andy_k

OilCityPickups said:

TTony said:

Rob1742 said:

but saying we should only buy from certain places just plays into the hands of the manufacturers who want all the control and keep prices high.

... and ensure that we - customers - actually get the product that we thought we were buying and protects the brand reputation of those manufacturers.

Looking for "bargains" (I'm not sure that there really is any such thing nowadays) might be worthwhile when you're spending a few £hundred, but you can't really say that the price of strings is "high" and looking to save 50p on a pack isn't really worth the hassle, surely?  

And as for "buying from eBay/Amazon to support new businesses" - putting aside that most of them are unlikely to be "businesses" at all - what about supporting established businesses that have put time and effort into building and running a reputable operation, who'll be there if you have a problem?

Rob1742 said:

 But I quite like the fact he tried to source from someone outside of those that control the market. 

In a triumph of futile hope over experience and common sense to save 50p?

As someone else posted: Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice ...


As I posted originally, the reason that the market gets flooded with fakes and some innocent buyers get stung is as much the fault of those who should be (and are) better informed who still choose to buy from fakers as it is the fault of the fake-sellers. 

One hundred and fifty percent correct @TTony

Now re Globogoods 
Below is an extract from their Amazon feedback @andy_k ;

Ah, but your original pic does contain other sellers in a ebay search, and you chose to highlight Globogoods as fakers on Amazon, so they are ALL fakes, right?
caveat emptor, same as always.

OilCityPickups

andy_k said:

OilCityPickups said:

TTony said:

Rob1742 said:

but saying we should only buy from certain places just plays into the hands of the manufacturers who want all the control and keep prices high.

... and ensure that we - customers - actually get the product that we thought we were buying and protects the brand reputation of those manufacturers.

Looking for "bargains" (I'm not sure that there really is any such thing nowadays) might be worthwhile when you're spending a few £hundred, but you can't really say that the price of strings is "high" and looking to save 50p on a pack isn't really worth the hassle, surely?  

And as for "buying from eBay/Amazon to support new businesses" - putting aside that most of them are unlikely to be "businesses" at all - what about supporting established businesses that have put time and effort into building and running a reputable operation, who'll be there if you have a problem?

Rob1742 said:

 But I quite like the fact he tried to source from someone outside of those that control the market. 

In a triumph of futile hope over experience and common sense to save 50p?

As someone else posted: Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice ...


As I posted originally, the reason that the market gets flooded with fakes and some innocent buyers get stung is as much the fault of those who should be (and are) better informed who still choose to buy from fakers as it is the fault of the fake-sellers. 

One hundred and fifty percent correct @TTony

Now re Globogoods 
Below is an extract from their Amazon feedback @andy_k ;

Ah, but your original pic does contain other sellers in a ebay search, and you chose to highlight Globogoods as fakers on Amazon, so they are ALL fakes, right?
caveat emptor, same as always.

I didn't put up an 'original pic' mate, I re posted someone else's. 
... the point being that Globogoods would not be able to get a legitimate account to sell from Strings and Things unless they had proper premises and were VAT registered. I leave it up to you to decide if the lovely, trustworthy souls on eBay are VAT registered and have proper Strings and Things accounts ... 

By the way ... I have some Nigerian friends who'd love to send you $50,000 if you give them your bank details :-)

andy_k

OilCityPickups said:

andy_k said:

OilCityPickups said:

TTony said:

Rob1742 said:

but saying we should only buy from certain places just plays into the hands of the manufacturers who want all the control and keep prices high.

... and ensure that we - customers - actually get the product that we thought we were buying and protects the brand reputation of those manufacturers.

Looking for "bargains" (I'm not sure that there really is any such thing nowadays) might be worthwhile when you're spending a few £hundred, but you can't really say that the price of strings is "high" and looking to save 50p on a pack isn't really worth the hassle, surely?  

And as for "buying from eBay/Amazon to support new businesses" - putting aside that most of them are unlikely to be "businesses" at all - what about supporting established businesses that have put time and effort into building and running a reputable operation, who'll be there if you have a problem?

Rob1742 said:

 But I quite like the fact he tried to source from someone outside of those that control the market. 

In a triumph of futile hope over experience and common sense to save 50p?

As someone else posted: Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice ...


As I posted originally, the reason that the market gets flooded with fakes and some innocent buyers get stung is as much the fault of those who should be (and are) better informed who still choose to buy from fakers as it is the fault of the fake-sellers. 

One hundred and fifty percent correct @TTony

Now re Globogoods 
Below is an extract from their Amazon feedback @andy_k ;

Ah, but your original pic does contain other sellers in a ebay search, and you chose to highlight Globogoods as fakers on Amazon, so they are ALL fakes, right?
caveat emptor, same as always.

I didn't put up an 'original pic' mate, I re posted someone else's. 
... the point being that Globogoods would not be able to get a legitimate account to sell from Strings and Things unless they had proper premises and were VAT registered. I leave it up to you to decide if the lovely, trustworthy souls on eBay are VAT registered and have proper Strings and Things accounts ... 

By the way ... I have some Nigerian friends who'd love to send you $50,000 if you give them your bank details :-)

I get that you re-posted the pic, but for clarity, are you suggesting ALL the strings sold via e-bay / Amazon are fake, cos that is a very bold claim, I'm not defending any of it really, but if they are ALL fake, thats all I've been playing for the last 20 years or so, with good results.
I understand that you are directly affected by fakery, so I'm not defending it for an instant, but to damn them all seems a little strong.

TTony

andy_k said:

are you suggesting ALL the strings sold via e-bay / Amazon are fake, cos that is a very bold claim, I'm not defending any of it really, but if they are ALL fake, thats all I've been playing for the last 20 years or so, with good results.

I understand that you are directly affected by fakery, so I'm not defending it for an instant, but to damn them all seems a little strong.

I don't think anyone has suggested that, and can't really see how you'd reach the conclusion or supposition that they were.

Some reputable retailers use Amazon, eBay and Reverb to shift genuine products - it's just another (albeit expensive) sales channel.  However, the shopfronts of those reputable retailers on those channels are usually obviously named/branded and will be recognisable to customers who typically buy that sort of product.

(The issue with Amazon is the co-mingling risk.  You're buying product X from Amazon.  Let's say 10 different suppliers (some genuine, some maybe not) all provide product X to Amazon, and it all sits on Amazon's shelves.  The risk is that you never know which supplier has provided the specific instance of product X that arrives at your doorstep).

OilCityPickups

andy_k said:

OilCityPickups said:

andy_k said:

OilCityPickups said:

TTony said:

Rob1742 said:

but saying we should only buy from certain places just plays into the hands of the manufacturers who want all the control and keep prices high.

... and ensure that we - customers - actually get the product that we thought we were buying and protects the brand reputation of those manufacturers.

Looking for "bargains" (I'm not sure that there really is any such thing nowadays) might be worthwhile when you're spending a few £hundred, but you can't really say that the price of strings is "high" and looking to save 50p on a pack isn't really worth the hassle, surely?  

And as for "buying from eBay/Amazon to support new businesses" - putting aside that most of them are unlikely to be "businesses" at all - what about supporting established businesses that have put time and effort into building and running a reputable operation, who'll be there if you have a problem?

Rob1742 said:

 But I quite like the fact he tried to source from someone outside of those that control the market. 

In a triumph of futile hope over experience and common sense to save 50p?

As someone else posted: Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice ...


As I posted originally, the reason that the market gets flooded with fakes and some innocent buyers get stung is as much the fault of those who should be (and are) better informed who still choose to buy from fakers as it is the fault of the fake-sellers. 

One hundred and fifty percent correct @TTony

Now re Globogoods 
Below is an extract from their Amazon feedback @andy_k ;;;;;

Ah, but your original pic does contain other sellers in a ebay search, and you chose to highlight Globogoods as fakers on Amazon, so they are ALL fakes, right?
caveat emptor, same as always.

I didn't put up an 'original pic' mate, I re posted someone else's. 
... the point being that Globogoods would not be able to get a legitimate account to sell from Strings and Things unless they had proper premises and were VAT registered. I leave it up to you to decide if the lovely, trustworthy souls on eBay are VAT registered and have proper Strings and Things accounts ... 

By the way ... I have some Nigerian friends who'd love to send you $50,000 if you give them your bank details :-)

I get that you re-posted the pic, but for clarity, are you suggesting ALL the strings sold via e-bay / Amazon are fake, cos that is a very bold claim, I'm not defending any of it really, but if they are ALL fake, thats all I've been playing for the last 20 years or so, with good results.
I understand that you are directly affected by fakery, so I'm not defending it for an instant, but to damn them all seems a little strong.

I would have said there's more than a strong case that the majority of brands exclusively carried and promoted by Strings and Things in the UK and also sold on eBay and Amazon are fake. Why not ask them?  https://www.stringsandthings.co.uk/  They are very much about supporting legitimate dealers and I'm sure they would be only to glad to help. 
I spent quite a few years owning and running a music shop, and I'm only too painfully aware of how difficult it was for my shop to get account status with Strings and Things. 

Having a cast around ... and 'Players Circle' on Amazon looks legit ... not super cheap, but legit

nonesuch

In the last year or so, I've bought strings from both a local guitar shop (yes I should do this all the time, I know) and eBay. Sometimes online is just more convenient. 

I think with eBay, if you look at the seller's profile to see if they're an actual music shop you should be fine. They won't be the cheapest but at least they'll be genuine.

Sellers on eBay I've bought from:

Rockem Music
https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/rockemmusic

Craig's Music
https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/guitarsandlightscraigsmusic