Is this Chinese Tele Custom auction for real?

[Armchair Bronco]

I just spotted this auction on eBay for a so-called "Chinese Popular Telecaster Custom".

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...link:middle:us

The photo appears to be from a *real* Fender Telecaster, but I doubt that's what you'll get if you bid on this thing.

[tonfarbe]

Don't throw your money out of the window!
If you get anything (which I doubt) it will NOT be the guitar displayed in the auction.
They just stole the picture from Fender's website.

There are a lot of chinese auctions on ebay with Fender and Gibson guitar fakes for a ridiculous low price.
Just take a look at the shipping costs: 480 $US

[casterway]

Real fake.

[Armchair Bronco]

Don't worry, I'm not planning on buying anything but a true-blue, American-made Telecaster Custom.

But I was under the impression that it was verboten to cop a picture from, say, Fender, and then pawn off a cheap knockoff as if it were the real thing. Shouldn't this auction be reported?

[kinkstah]

Originally Posted by casterway

Real fake.

+1

[Armchair Bronco]

On the other hand, if you do bid on this guitar, you can rest assured that you'll be getting some Tibetan silver in the deal!

Check out the bottom of the ad...

[bendecaster]

Looks quite questionable!

[Paul G.]

The words "Chinese", "Auction" and "Real" are rarely found in a sentence together.

If you get something from your money, it will appear to have been made in woodshop in the local School for the Indifferent and Crosseyed.

Nice photo!! Right out of Fender's website I believe,

P.

[shoretyus]

Love the listing category ...Portable media centre....

[Sir Jon]

A Tele made from Tibetan silver for only $52?? I'll take a dozen!

I wonder if it comes with a yeti skin strap......

[photoweborama]

I'm not sure of this guitar, but when I was in China, Fender makes a line of guitars for the Chinese market. The quality is between a Squier and a MiM.

They run about $130.00, which is a lot, since he average income is about $300.00 a month.

It could be a made for China version. We will never know.

[tboy]

Maybe what you get is the photo. And for just 50 bucks more, they'll Photoshop a nice 3 tone burst and a rosewood board on there for you.

Ebay busted me for mis-categorizing my setup instruction DVD. Threatened to can me for listing it in the guitar category, where my customers live. Cost me mucho sales, and themselves profits. Good plan!

Where are the EB police now? They can't even comprehend what's wrong with this ad, so they come after honest sellers like me to make a dog-n-pony show of concern for the buyer, but this ad gets posted. Thank god Ebay's customers are smarter than they are.

[JimiBryant]

prob'ly lead-based paint, huh? (Simpsons voice: AH-ha!)

[ajgus]

What the hell is [b]"Kum Are: Alder"?

[OaklandA]

If it walks like a scam and quacks like a scam...

[Armchair Bronco]

Originally Posted by ajgus

What the hell is "Kum Are: Alder"?

To paraphrase Spinal Tap: "Some things are best left unsolved."

I don't think I want to know what "Kum Are: Alder" has to do with a guitar body...

***

[EDIT] I think the actual quote is from David St. Hubbins:

"He died in a tragic gardening accident...Authorities said...it's best to leave it unsolved."

[Tom S]

Originally Posted by photoweborama

They run about $130.00, which is a lot, since he average income is about $300.00 a month.

But not among factory workers, where the average is a lot closer to the equivalent of $200/month, for 6-day weeks with long work days, living in crowded factory dormitories. That's how we get SX teles for $110.

[photoweborama]

Also keep in mind, the cost of living is extremely low compared to other countries. I can't really say one way or the other about working condition in the factories.

I've gone through this same conversation after I visited the Fender Mexico factory. Salaries are par for the cost of living of the area, but there are injustices everywhere.

The thing we need to keep in minds is that just because other people don't have the same standard of living that we have, that does not mean their standard of living is wrong. It is just different.

[blue metalflake]

Originally Posted by photoweborama

The thing we need to keep in minds is that just because other people don't have the same standard of living that we have, that does not mean their standard of living is wrong. It is just different.

There a lot to be said for that, but I've been in some of the more rural parts of China, and the base line is low. Little social welfare, health care, so maybe the guys in the factory are lucky!

Anyway, if we keep on this line, the thread will quickly become "political" - naughty.

Back to the original question - the only way to buy this would be with cash - something like a bundle of $7 notes.

[Shoved BassVIII]

And $480 for shipping

[photoweborama]

Originally Posted by blue metalflake

Back to the original question - the only way to buy this would be with cash - something like a bundle of $7 notes.

Well, for sure, that ain't gonna happen!!

I shipped a Les Paul Custom to Shanghai, and I don't remember it costing much more than $100.00....

[Tom S]

Originally Posted by blue metalflake

Anyway, if we keep on this line, the thread will quickly become "political" - naughty.

Yeah, I don't want to get into a political thing here, this is more about economics. I'm not trying to preach one way or the other. People can either consider or ignore the facts as they chose.

But since we discuss all manner of minutiae related to telecasters, info about where they are made and under what conditions would seem to be at least as worthy of discussion as the precise positioning of a string tee on an original Nocaster. Maybe I'm wrong.

In any event, while I realize that wages must be viewed in context of the cost of living, even with some casual research I think it's safe to say that at the average salary, no one is living anywhere near well at 1450 yuan/month ($200) in Guangdong province. Apparently, this is the major reason why Chinese factories in this area are currently having a hard time getting workers to come back, where they once turned them away in droves.

I also don't think it would be fair to compare these Chinese workers to their Mexican counterparts, either, as the latter make a decent wage vis a vis the cost of living in Ensenada, work normal hours and even get a pretty nice benefits package.

Anyway, these do seem like issues worth noting, but maybe not, I don't know. They definitely have an effect on the price of guitars. Folks can do their own research if they so choose, and decide to consider these issues or not.