The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Hello, all!

Someone from North Carolina on the U.S. eBay is attempting to sell me an HMV Senior Monarch. The gramophone was listed on the U.S. eBay site, and then the listing was pulled. The seller said it was because she had to leave the country for Spain for a few weeks. However, in searching the web, I noticed that the pictures she showed me are the same as these show here, which state that the machine was sold on eBay in 2010. Does anyone know anything about this machine?

http://phonautographist.blogspot.com/20 ... narch.html

The lady is also requesting payment via Moneybookers/Skrill, which seems to be a legitimate site through eBay. However, something about it just smells fishy. If I paid with Skrill, would there be any chance of getting my money back if the deal turned out to be a fraud?

Best,

Garret

Hi Garret,

A good way to help determine whether the seller is a scammer, is to ask some very specific questions about the machine; the sort of questions that are unlikely to be answerable unless the machine is stood right there in front of them. You could also ask for some additional pictures.

Another idea would be to ask if you could view the machine in person and pay cash, even if you have no intention of actually doing so. A refusal would naturally raise your suspicions.

Hope this helps!