This flute sale is a fraud.
I just purchased it last week and it is in MY hands and I am not selling.
ebay # 3736928846
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3736928846
shall we drive up the price to, say, $5 million??
dave m
Wow, pretty flute!
I’d give a dollar for it! 
Thanks, DM
Mary
Thanks for the warning.
Is the flute as described in the fraudulent auction? It’s pretty interesting looking.
Eric
I was in a sort of Ebay posse with some of the boys from Mandolin Cafe, we did a lot of this sort of thing. We had a (non-existent) Phoenix Deluxe mandolin from an Indonesian seller bid up to $60 million when Ebay pulled the plug and we got suspended for a few weeks. It was great fun, though now I play a little more nicey-nice and just report 'em.
Email the seller pretending to be interested and ask for a picture of him/her holding the flute, that should get things started…
Is it just my failing eyes, or does this thing not have an Eflat key? I sure don’t see one.
This is getting to be a very common method of fraud. The signs of it are that these people register as a user the same day they start the auction, copy an auction that has recently ended, make it a 3-day affair so it’s over before they’re discovered, and ask for payment only by Western Union. They used to all say they were from Indonesia, but people got wise to that so they started saying they were in London or Canada or the US.
There were several fraudulent concertina auctions like this a few weeks ago, and the people on http://www.concertina.net started watching out for them and reporting them to eBay. The first one took over a day to get removed by the eBay fraud team. A week or so later I reported one to them that was gone in about an hour.
Steven
Thanks for the help, all.
Just wanted to flag everyone
I’ll do the same to any bidder.
Regarding the flute.
Yes, exactly as described. Thus far it’s the highest serial number 8 key recorded for a Rudall (#7403). It’s cylindrical bore with French tuning slide (patented and modified by Mr. Rose) and parabolic head joint. Teeny crack that doesn’t hurt and the head, unlike the seller notes, is indeed original. The Eb key is indeed there, too. The foot is a Boehm style rod system.
It plays very well. And at Eb a=440. I thought it was a high-pitch flute. It is not.
Anyway…as I noted…do not bid on it.
Thanks all.
Dave m
get’s better by the minute
I asked the seller where he received it.
His reply:
:
“The flute was a gift from my father, it is in excellent condition and it works wonderfull.”
Very nice.
More to come!
Cool!
A new asshole to beat up on! 
Got kids David?
If yes - sounds like someone is trying to increase their allowance
/MarcusR
Just one son, grown and out.
The seller is now asking for $1500 or best offer.
Amusing.
Let’s find out, shall we?!
dm
VERY interesting.
Ummm… how come you haven’t reported this to E-Bay as a fraud? We might not get burned, but someone else could.
Chris
Ummm..
I have. Right before I started this thread.
Guess I should have said that up front.
Problem is, the auction listed on a Friday…
and no one’s at eBay over the weekend to investigate…
and the auction ends on Sunday…
as the fraud-lovers like to do. Quick hit, in and out before they’re caught.
So, I’ve been trying to get this asshole to give up some info so I can drill him…but he’s sorta figured out something as his emails have stopped…
And I’ve been emailing every person who puts a bid in…
two have thanked me profusely…
and another I’m hoping has seen the email by now.
Of course, I could just sit back and watch it all play out…and shrug with a mere “caveat emptor”…
but I hate liars, frauds, deceptionists, thieves and anyone else who tries to make a buck on someone else’s back…
But, hey…
thanks for asking!
3 bidders. One with zero feedback (new user), could very possibly be a whatchamacallit? a shill?
this is a tactic that could backfire if the seller complains – not that this one will. it is considered auction tampering and can get you suspended. just FYI… i’ve done this plenty of times myself, but usually when i don’t have a bid in on anything.
RH…
I would LOVE it if the idiot would do that! Let him complain (and I doubt eBay would allow negative feedback from such a shiester to stand)
But his complaints would mean we can track him better.
By the way…he’s said he’ll sell the flute to me…
payment by Western Union.
The fish is on the hook…
now we play.
God, I love sport!
DM
The suspense is eating me alive 
In a nutshell…
she’s in London, vacationing, in need of money…
western union is fastest…
her bank in the USA would be too slow…
I say: I will wire the money to a USA bank happily; they will gladly to a Western uNion for you. It’s more secure that way.
No answer yet.
It’s too cool.
dm
And to think people watch reality TV this is much more fun. 
Yeah, that’ll work for a little while. Then the “seller” will figure out you’re doing it and start putting new “auctions” (under new names) up with bidders’ IDs hidden.
Jerks.