You guys really need to see these!

[Guest gkentsmith]

Hey,

Today a new "Vintage Advent" listing appeared on eBay. So, I thought I'd seen the worst scam ever, but today takes the cake. Go to this auction and then read the rest of this post:

150100108977

The cabinets and grills look authentic and that's it. The tweeters are Jensen Advent at best, the woofers are probably 5002 (unlikely to be New Large Advent), one of the surrounds is the wrong one and was replaced using the shim technique.

I ripped him a new one, and told him not to bother to respond. I'd like to see: 1) your thoughts; 2)other people flame this idiot.

I'd report him to eBay but they don't penalize sellers because it would cost them final value fees. This kind of thing makes me sick and is a major part of the reason I've put Advents aside for awhile.

Let me see some comment, ok? Thanks.

[Guest russwollman]

The sad thing about stuff like this—and it certainly has proliferated in many spheres of life—is the picture it gives of the people in today's world.

It's hard to know what to do. It's difficult to educate the ignorant. They may (or may not) learn things on their own time and in their own way, because in general, they are not inclined to listen, and haven't much interest in learning.

eBay is open to almost anyone, so anyone can sell anything. In the US, where marketing/advertising/promotion is the main game plan for landing quick bucks, far too little attention is paid to higher values of integrity, honesty, knowledge, the richer and deeper values that lead to lasting satisfaction for both sides of any transaction.

It's a cultural issue—and a large one created by massive failures in the educational system, which offers very little in the way of real knowledge of life.

Maybe the best thing to do is be thankful you are wiser, can recognize the impostor, and know how to spend your time as well as your wealth, and simply let the fools be fools.

Right action brings good consequences for those who perform it and those who receive it.

The Real True Knight—

as Seen by Don Quixote

Do not make empty boasts.

Take a deep breath and consider

how it should be.

Call nothing your own except your soul.

Love not what thou art,

only what thou may become.

Do not pursue pleasure, for you may have

the misfortune to overtake it.

Look always forward, in last year’s nest

there are no birds this year.

Be just to all men—

courteous to all women.

Live in the vision for Whom

all great deeds are done.

I come in a world of iron

to make it a world of gold.

What matters is that I follow the quest.

The quest is the privilege to dream the impossible dream and to try to bring it

into reality.

[Guest russwollman]

Another thing is the increasing technicality of everything. The guy may quite innocently think he's fairly representing the speakers. But he doesn't know them as members of this board know them. Maybe he isn't a dunce...maybe he just doesn't know speakers. I read your post and did not bother looking at the auction until later. I've seen enough idiocy on eBay that I'm almost finished with it. All those misspelled words and malapropisms and just plain bad English coupled with cheery little marketing come-ons are starting to give me instant nausea.

I watch no TV but the Simpsons, have no cell phone, read no local newspapers, listen to no commercial radio, don't keep up with the latest movies, read no magazines—and I have been deleted from numerous catalog mailing lists. It's great opting out. The only downside is that I can't talk to people about what they saw last night on TV. It's a loss, but I'm learning to adjust ;-)

I am no fan of many aspects of modern life. But some of the technology is marvelous when used intelligently and for the good of the world.

[Guest gkentsmith]

With all due respect, I checked this fellows history. He appears to have sold enough loudspeakers that he SHOULD know better. Call me a pessimist, but I consider this form of ignorance, real or for profit, to be more snake oil sales than simple ignorance.

That having been said, I must say just one good thing about eBay. I have been contacted by a number of people who have read my "feedback from buyers" (some have even visited this site) and am encouraged that there ARE people out there who do not blindly act on impulse.

I really hate the fact that the kind of thing I find on eBay has had such a negative effect on me. I hope to return to active status after my next two knife shows coming up during the next 6 weeks.

There is something gratifying in actually seeing the people you are trading with and not having to work so hard to get a profitable transaction. I cleared more money in 2 days at the last show than I made in profit on sales all of last year in the loudspeaker enterprise.

Pretty sad, but I really enjoy the human interface and may just (eventually) sell off my rather large inventory of loudspeakers and just focus on something that, even if not highly profitable, gives me the satisfaction of dealing with people face to face.

End of rant - lol.

[Guest IReilly]

Well, it looks bad, all right, but not *truly* sleazy. After all, he did put, apparently, Advent woofers in the cabinets. Truly Sleazy would have been to use Radio Shack woofers, attached with flat-head wood screws.

The tweeters look mismatched, and definitely not original. The dust caps on the two woofers are different sizes, as well as the surrounds.

The two speakers look like photos for those "find all the differences in the two pictures" games.

What, BTW, is the difference between the 5002 woofer and the New Advent or Advent/1 woofer?