The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

WOWSER!!! For that price, you can get the whole machine and then some.
Harvey Kravitz

Well, I appear to have found a news article about the poor fellow who was bidding on my items last Sunday. Now I see whay it is so difficult to contact him by telephone. Imagine what the toll charges would be!

http://www.timesnews.net/News/2008/07/3 ... Henry-Lake

No need to block this guy...

UPDATE - The man found in Fort Patrick Henry Lake on Wednesday was identified Thursday morning. The Sullivan County Sheriff's Office says he is Paul J. Phelps, 59, of Bristol, Tenn. The investigation continues, and an autopsy being conducted hopes to determine cause of death.

Uncle Vanya wrote:

Amberola wrote:Uncle Vayna,
What would you think without knowing the real story?

Well, it does look pretty suspicious. On the other hand I have found over the years that I am correct more often when I make a point to assume that a potentially suspicious situation has an innocent explanation than when imagining the worst.

It is so very easy to instigate a rabid, foaming dog pile on the internet, and so very hard to recover a good name.

Haven't you noticed that sort of thing even here in this otherwise decorous forum from time to time?

It seems to me that life runs a lot smoother when we all try to give the other fellow the benefit of the doubt. Of course as the youngsters say; "your mileage may vary".

Then, too, when jumping to judgement we might all do well to consider "Projektion": "What the ego repudiates is split off and attributed to another"...

I agree. Lord only knows what people have said about me and I am the kindest person on earth.

The late bidder on my sales appears to have been a gentleman if some note. His father was Earl Phelps, the last surviving performer at the legendary Victor "Bristol Session" of 1927. Oddly enough, for a gentleman from rural Tennessee, his e-mail provider and IP address are British.

Uncle Vanya wrote:The late bidder on my sales appears to have been a gentleman if some note. His father was Earl Phelps, the last surviving performer at the legendary Victor "Bristol Session" of 1927. Oddly enough, for a gentleman from rural Tennessee, his e-mail provider and IP address are British.

What was he trying to bid? 202.50?

Crank_it_up wrote:Take a look at this recent eBay auction. Then look at the bid history. I can't believe someone really bid this much for a very average bracket with tonearm. A bidder with a high rating placed a crazy bid of at least $2025. Then someone with a low rating bid 22 times in a 40 minute span pushing it to this crazy result. What am I missing? I can think of a few reasons why it happened but they are bad thoughts. Joe
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nice-ORIGINAL-V ... true&rt=nc

I just looked at the listing. Eleven bidders. There were more than two idiots bidding the prices up! A whole Victor III could be bought for half the price of that bracket.

Amberola wrote:

Uncle Vanya wrote:The late bidder on my sales appears to have been a gentleman if some note. His father was Earl Phelps, the last surviving performer at the legendary Victor "Bristol Session" of 1927. Oddly enough, for a gentleman from rural Tennessee, his e-mail provider and IP address are British.

What was he trying to bid? 202.50?

The winning bidder told me that he had bid $350.00, and ended up bidding $3500 or $35000. The fellow ran up the bid appears to have just run out of time, when he placed his last bid at $2000, so the winner's bid was one increment above that at $2025.00

gramophone78 wrote:

Uncle Vanya wrote:"What am I missing? I can think of a few reasons why it happened but they are bad thoughts. Joe"

"I would suspect shill bidding if you look at the bidders."

"but there are a few shady sellers in our hobby as well"


There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

I am the seller of this item, and I am simply beside myself. A well-known collector left a period out of his bid, and some new, low-feedback buyer bid the thing up in little nibbles to this rediculous price. The same new buyer won five other of my items sold last night. His contact information is false.

Oh! The joys of eBay!

Maybe, you can share with all of us the highjacked user name in order for us to block.

I did not wish to share the name until after the unpaid item process was completed, which now it is. I ended up having to give discounts on nearly every item that I had listed last week, for this gink had bid on nearly all of them. Of course there were also five items which he won and did not pay for, not to mention the infamous $2000 back bracket.

The account remains acitve even though eBay knows that the fellow's telephone number does not work and he has five unpaid item strikes against him in his first two weeks on eBay. It seems that he is still bidding on and buying small phonograph items (Victrola panels, knobs, cheap reproducers). One other seller informed me that this buyer requested shipment to the UK rather than to Tennessee. Beyond that I do not know, only that the gentleman who's name is on the account once lived at the address which is associated with the account, but does so no more.

The account name is "pauphelp-5" please be careful if he bids on your items. He does follow the eBay accounts of two regular posters on this board, one of which is a UK account. He has purchased from the American TMF-er, but not out UK member.

Once again...it's eBay folks! If it feels wrong, it most likely is wrong.