Advice needed

[ilan]

So I won this '65 Hofner on eBay on Feb. 18. I paid £800 (Best Offer. That's $1,034). The seller doesn't ship to Israel, so I give him a friend's address in London. He says he sent the bass but it came back because the courier couldn't find the address. He suggests to deliver the bass personally next time he's in London, says he's there once a month with work. I agree. Then he texts me that he lost my friend's phone number. I send it to him. On April 20 he calls my friend and says he's on his way. He never arrives. He can't be contacted ever since. Meanwhile, my eBay Money Back Guarantee eligibility has passed.

Any I idea what I should do? Did I just lose £800?

His name is Conor Lawrence and I understand he's a session drummer from Hebden Bridge, near Manchester. Any chance someone here is located nearby?

[4stringer77]

The local authorities might help. Good luck.

[Dave W]

No idea if any of our UK members are in the area. Hopefully someone will chime in.

If you paid by Paypal with a credit card, you still may be able to take action through your credit card issuer.

His FB page is public, maybe a public post would make him take notice. He's on the staff of a drumming school with a public phone number. If i were you, I'd take a friendly approach at first.

If none of this works, you might try a UK-centric bass forum.

[ilan]

He just texted me! what a relief. His next trip to London is on the 25-26th, he'll deliver the bass then. My friend will send the bass to Israel, where hopefully the postal office won't delay it too much. I'll update.

Thanks for the help, guys.

[dadagoboi]

He just texted me! what a relief. His next trip to London is on the 25-26th, he'll deliver the bass then. My friend will send the bass to Israel, where hopefully the postal office won't delay it too much. I'll update.

Thanks for the help, guys.

Why did he miss the previous appt and not call, etc?

Not saying there won't be a happy ending but this is classic con man stuff, from promises to missed appointments, etc.  Could be just buying time.  He's stringing you along until it's impossible for you to collect or he can completely disappear.

I highly recommend this book to everyone:

https://www.amazon.com/Confidence-Game-Fall-Every-Time/dp/0525427414

I'm with Dave, try FB and the school he works at.  Worst case is identity fraud.

[Dave W]

Ilan, I hope the guy is serious and that it all works out, but Carlo is right, don't assume everything's okay now. I wouldn't rule out identity fraud either.

[ilan]

Oh, I'm not at all sure I will get the bass, the whole thing has alarms going off all over it for sure. But my Money Back Guarantee eligibility has passed, so I can only hope he'll stand by his word. I have his full name, address, phone number, two facebook accounts, workplace details, and email. That will make it less easy for him to disappear.