Mascun
Oud Maniac
Posts: 53
Registered: 12-28-2005
Location: Dordogne, SW France
Member Is Offline
Mood: Top of the world !
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"Free" Oud picks
This morning I received an e-mail fom nileshop@gmail.com informing me that as a member of Mike's Oud Forum, I was entitled to a free buffalo horn oud
pick. All I had to do was to click on a link at the bottom of the e-mail. Which I did, and found myself on an e-bay page with bidding in action. Every
time I tried to push the bid up (starting around $0.61) I was told that someone has just outbid me and very soon I was almost at a dollar for the
pick, and no sign of the bidding topping off. Since when does one have to pay for a free product ? Looks like one helluva scam to me ! Any similar
experience from other Forum members ?
Alan
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Microber
Oud Junkie
Posts: 853
Registered: 1-20-2006
Location: Belgium - Liège
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
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I receive the same.
I have sent a question to the seller.
It seems to be evident that the pick and the shipping are free.
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billkilpatrick
Oud Junkie
Posts: 563
Registered: 1-3-2004
Location: italy
Member Is Offline
Mood: what?
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nothing quite so gratifying as getting angry about something; deciding to do something about it (vent my spleen here) and find i'm not alone.
this "free" risha offer is nothing but an ill-advised, huxtering gimmick which is bound to backfire on the merchants at nileshop.
it's spam as well, sent (i'm sure) without the knowledge of our kind and generous host ... who is in it (the internet oud community) purely out of
love for the instrument.
- bill
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Jameel
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1672
Registered: 12-5-2002
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
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I don't recall any scams from Yehia (nileshop), whom several forum members have bought Shehata ouds from over the years. On the contrary, I remember
people being generally satisfied. I got the same email. Sounds like you'll get a free pick when the auction ends and you accept the second chance
offer. If this really is a scam, only the high bidder will be stuck with an expensive pick.
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Microber
Oud Junkie
Posts: 853
Registered: 1-20-2006
Location: Belgium - Liège
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Jameel
only the high bidder will be stuck with an expensive pick. |
Yes indeed.
Here is the answer of Nile shop
"I will give this item totaly free to all the bidders after accepting the second chance offer.
looking forward to get more positive feedback ."
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billkilpatrick
Oud Junkie
Posts: 563
Registered: 1-3-2004
Location: italy
Member Is Offline
Mood: what?
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i bought a gig bag from nile shop - jolly good it is too ... but i'm not going to play fiscal russian roulette for a "free" pick.
- bill
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Jason
Oud Junkie
Posts: 733
Registered: 9-17-2005
Location: Louisville, KY
Member Is Offline
Mood: Loving my oud
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I think it would have been easier for them to set up a thread here on the forum to sign up for free picks but I assume they're going through ebay so
they can get their feedback boosted before putting more expensive things on there.
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Mike
Super Administrator
Posts: 1568
Registered: 12-3-2002
Location: California, USA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Happy
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I know nothing about this promotion. But I do know that many forum members have bought instruments and other things through Yehia, and most were very
happy with his services.
P.S. Bill...whenever I see that you have posted...I always look forward to reading it! 
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dizzywood
Oud Admirer
Posts: 5
Registered: 9-23-2006
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
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Hi guys,
I bid for the pick (& free papyrus bookmarks!). I think what they are attempting to do is give away free picks & essentially buy positive
feedback from people who receive them, thus improving their ebay credibility. I've heard of scams where people on ebay sell positive feedback. Maybe
this is a more imaginative approach.
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Greg
Administrator
Posts: 926
Registered: 7-22-2004
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Member Is Offline
Mood: Serene
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With a Feedback score of 1,013 and 99.8% of that positive, I don't think Yehia needs to "buy" positive feedback.
Regards,
Greg
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dizzywood
Oud Admirer
Posts: 5
Registered: 9-23-2006
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
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Never thought to look at their existing feedback Greg! It does seem odd though, they do mention the feedback thing on their ad. The other weird thing
is that, thinking it was a promotion, I looked at "sellers other items" expecting to see a range of instruments, but there was nothing else for sale.
Maybe they're just really nice guys & we live in an overly cynical world! Lets all gather here & sing their praise when the picks arrive!
Cheers guys
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Andy
Oud Junkie
Posts: 314
Registered: 10-5-2004
Location: MA
Member Is Offline
Mood: excellent
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it is possible that someone can pose as another and you reply to the solicitation believing that the solicitation is real and genuine only to find out
later that you gave away your ebay info and someone is using your ID. Be very very cautious.
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Mascun
Oud Maniac
Posts: 53
Registered: 12-28-2005
Location: Dordogne, SW France
Member Is Offline
Mood: Top of the world !
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That is yet another possibility, Andy, and one that first occurred to me, grade-A paranoid that I am, when I first read the nileshop mail. Especially
e-bay which is a front used by a lot of hackers and spammers. But the e-bay website I went onto this morning liked bona fide to me, and I sent an
e-mail to nileshop querying them about what it was all about, and I received the same answer as Microber
Alan
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billkilpatrick
Oud Junkie
Posts: 563
Registered: 1-3-2004
Location: italy
Member Is Offline
Mood: what?
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nile shop have a wonderful selection of things on offer - not least of which are their tantalizing selection of ouds and beautiful david roberts
prints:
http://www.nileshop.net/store/front.asp
this "free" risha offer is a mistake ... it's a gimmick - and as i said initially, ill-advised.
as has been shown here, they have friends - myself included - not only because they provide good products at good prices - i wish them well.
why are they trying to "jump start" their ebay rating by dragging their happy, satisfied customers into what amounts to a spam-scam?
olivewoodoud-oooooo - bill
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Microber
Oud Junkie
Posts: 853
Registered: 1-20-2006
Location: Belgium - Liège
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
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I receive that email from ebay :
The following is a notice from eBay Trust & Safety regarding:
Item Number - 110045228402
Item Title - Free Egyptian Hand Made Oud Picks - top quality
Our records show that you were a bidder or buyer of one or more of this seller's items. We recently removed this seller's active listings and
suspended the seller's trading privileges. Due to privacy concerns we cannot share further details about this seller.
If the seller asks you to complete this transaction outside of eBay, we strongly recommend that you do not proceed with the transaction. Transactions
for items listed on eBay but then completed off of the eBay platform are not covered by buyer protection programs offered by eBay and can be highly
indicative of fraud. For more information on Offers to Buy or Sell Outside of eBay, copy and past the following Help Page link into your browser: http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/rfe-spam-non-ebay-sale.html.
If you have already paid for this item but have not received it, you should take all possible steps to receive reimbursement.
1. Stop payment with your bank if you paid by check.
2. Contact the Security Department of your credit card company to file a chargeback if you paid via credit card.
3. If you paid via Western Union or MoneyGram, contact the company directly (Western Union 800-325-6000 or MoneyGram 800-926-9400).
4. If you paid with PayPal, you may be eligible for up to $1,000 USD coverage at no cost. To file a claim with PayPal, login to your PayPal account
and copy and paste the following link into your web browser:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_protections-buyer-outside Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the File a Claim link.
PayPal claims must be filed within 45 days of the close of the listing. It may take at least 30 days to complete the investigation and resolve the
dispute.
5. If you did not pay with PayPal and would like to file a claim with eBay, please initiate the Item Not Received Process online directly from the
Security and Resolution Center at the bottom of the eBay.com page.
6. eBay claims must be filed within 60 days of the end of the listing.
Our goal is to ensure that your eBay experience is safe so that you can buy confidently. It is rare that something goes wrong with a transaction on
eBay. However, in the event it does, we would like to provide as much assistance as possible to help resolve the issue.
Please do not respond to this email, as your reply will not be received.
Regards,
Customer Support (Trust and Safety Department)
eBay Inc
ANY COMMENT FROM OUDPLAYER OR OTHER.
DOES ANYBODY RECEIVE THE PICK ?
Robert
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Jason
Oud Junkie
Posts: 733
Registered: 9-17-2005
Location: Louisville, KY
Member Is Offline
Mood: Loving my oud
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I got the email too.
I think they were banned because they were trying to buy positive feedback. The fact that they sent out tons of second chance offers could have also
triggered the banning of their account. I don't doubt their intentions but I think they broke ebay's rules with their methods.
As I said from the beginning, they should have just made a thread on here if they wanted to give away picks.
Since no money changed hands I don't think anyone is in danger of being a victim of fraud.
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Mascun
Oud Maniac
Posts: 53
Registered: 12-28-2005
Location: Dordogne, SW France
Member Is Offline
Mood: Top of the world !
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These are two e-mails I received from Nileshop, after I stopped bidding for the risha. The price was hitting outrageous levels (I seem to remember it
reached about $11. E-bay then told me I had been outbid, which was peanuts to me, 'cos I had no intention up pushing the stakes up for what was
supposed to be a gift :cool
Eventually I was told I could have it for $0.81, and when I asked Nileshop how I was supposed to pay, they answered the following on 25/10:
"dear customer
no you dont have to send any fees
just send us your mailing address and you will get it for free.
your feedback is appreciatable
best regards
nile shop team"
Then, after I had sent my mail address (26/10)
"Dear alan
thanks for your interest,you will receive the risha ( dans 15 jours,) (this may be long time but thats because we are sending it through
registered mail).
for further details don't hesitate to contact us,
best regards
nile shop"
So far, quite frankly, no reason for complaints
Will inform y'all when risha is deposited in my mailbox.
Quelle histoire !
Alan
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Greg
Administrator
Posts: 926
Registered: 7-22-2004
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Member Is Offline
Mood: Serene
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Greg
With a Feedback score of 1,013 and 99.8% of that positive, I don't think Yehia needs to "buy" positive feedback. |
I guess I was wrong about the Nile Shop's motivations.
Two months have passed and I am still waiting for my "Free Risha."
How did other folks fare? Did many of you receive one?
Regards,
Greg
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mavrothis
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1674
Registered: 6-5-2003
Location: NJ/NYC
Member Is Offline
Mood: big band envy
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I have not received anything.
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Microber
Oud Junkie
Posts: 853
Registered: 1-20-2006
Location: Belgium - Liège
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
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I received the risha in early novembre i think.
Maybe you could email them.
Robert
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Jason
Oud Junkie
Posts: 733
Registered: 9-17-2005
Location: Louisville, KY
Member Is Offline
Mood: Loving my oud
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I got mine about a month ago. I didn't get the papyrus bookmarks though. Mav/Greg if you don't receive anything let me know and I'll send mine to
one of you. I like the pyramid plastic picks a lot better.
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oudplayer
Oud Junkie
Posts: 849
Registered: 5-9-2004
Location: new jersey/ Israel
Member Is Offline
Mood: ouds up
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hey guys
I resived it right after this whole thing happaned maybe 2 weeks after he got kicked off. i am very happy with it but the top was sanded to much and
snapped sop i shaved ti a lil and made it beter
tghx sammy
we are lost camels in the desert and wanna find our way to water and the water is in aden
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Greg
Administrator
Posts: 926
Registered: 7-22-2004
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Member Is Offline
Mood: Serene
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Jason
I got mine about a month ago. I didn't get the papyrus bookmarks though. Mav/Greg if you don't receive anything let me know and I'll send mine to
one of you. I like the pyramid plastic picks a lot better. |
Thanks for the kind offer Jason, but I really don't need it. My concern was more about the process than the risha 
Regards,
Greg
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mavrothis
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1674
Registered: 6-5-2003
Location: NJ/NYC
Member Is Offline
Mood: big band envy
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No thanks Jason, very nice of you to offer though.
Looks like he meant well, but the whole process was a little strange to say the least.
mav
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