eBay item to avoid

[Roger Young]

Here's another eBay listing that will leave you shaking your head:

(Link removed as no longer valid.)

spurious claims to being an authentic Old Town salesman's sample or display piece when, in fact, it's a commonly seen, crudely and cheaply built souvenir, complete with square (flat) bottom. The real canoe builders at Old Town would be ashamed at such an item being passed off as their work.

The true outrage is that someone has pasted an Old Town decal on this thing, and is passing it off as authentic. Hilariously, the decal is upside-down to the normal practice of having it face into the canoe rather than toward the end.

So much for daily humor (or disgust).

 

[Kathryn Klos]

And then there are the eBay sellers who "guess" about what it is they are selling... like this "miniature canoe", which is actually a loom shuttle (the seller took it off auction when informed):

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160311062817&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123

 

[Roger Young]

hey, even I have two of those

Kathryn, would you believe that even I own two of those 'shuttle' canoes. Purchased, of course, when I was a very naive, inexperienced 'canoe chaser'. I did have some idea they could be loom shuttles, but bought them after being assured they had at least been played with by youngsters as toy canoes. Hey, they were really cheap. One even came with a fancily printed parchment "Certificate of Authenticity". Both were sold by so-called 'highly reputable' expert dealers whose statements (being near god-like) must, of course, be unquestioned by a mere client such as me. One learns by making mistakes - at least by those we recognize as being mistakes. Comforting, nowadays, to have friends and colleagues at WCHA to gently warn of the pitfalls out there.

 

[Dave Wermuth]

Marlette?

Marlette is near me. Near the headwaters of the Cass R. I saw the listing on ebay. I also contacted the seller. Seller has 100% feedback on 12 items in the last year. I should ask seller If'n I could come inspect the canoe.

 

[Dave Wermuth]

I meant to say

Inspect the cheap imported imposter of a canoe.

 

[BadgerBoater]

Yup, that is a cheap imposter of a canoe! A few years back, I picked up two similar canoes off eBay. One is identical to this one, and the other is a clear stripper. Both made in some Asain country.

I guess you have to make a buck however you can nowadays, but not by scamming the public with a cheap home made Old Town sticker slapped on the deck. I sent him a little note, too - just to let him know that other canoeists and eBay sellers are noticing his auction.

 

[chris pearson]

Makes us honest model canoe builders just cringe! I'm still working on lining up the Gerrish, stay tuned yall.

 

[BadgerBoater]

Reply from eBay Seller

Seems as though this eBay seller has been getting a bit of attention from other canoeists, myself included. I sent him an email stating my concerns, both as an eBay buyer/seller and canoeist, and I received a reply from him today. He said he was sorry and that he intended to pull the item. He's probably sorry that he got so much negative attention! And, no, as of this writing, he hasn't pulled the item. I suggested that he, at the very least, should re-word the listing and remove the reference to Old Town and it being a salesman's sample. We'll see.

 

[Dave Wermuth]

I received a reply from the seller. I had suggested that their 100% feedback might be in jeopardy. Seller advised the item has been withdrawn.

Why is jeopardy spelled like that anyway?

 

[Greg Nolan]

Maybe it has something to do with leopards??

 

[Kathryn Klos]

Noah Webster apparently didn't get to that one, or those of us in the US would spell it "jepperdy" (or something like that...)... but in Canada, they would still favour "jeopardy".

Found an interesting example of the use of "jeopardy"... this will keep our discussion totally on-topic:

Jeopardy
\jeop"ard*y\ (?), n. [oe. jupartie, juperti, jeuparti, of. jeu parti an even game, a game in which the chances are even; of. jeu, ju, f. jeu (l. jocus jest) + f. partier to divide, l. partire to divide. see joke, and part.] exposure to death, loss, or injury; hazard; danger. there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy.

Without the work of Mr. Webster, would Old Town be Olde Towne?

 

[Benson Gray]

Without the work of Mr. Webster, would Old Town be Olde Towne?

Actually Oldtown was the more common early form as shown at http://history.rays-place.com/me/oldtown-me.htm and other references from before the Old Town Canoe Company was started.

Benson