More and more GNW readers are reporting an increase in the amount of fake and counterfeit guitar auctions appearing on online auction websites such as eBay.com.

What is a counterfeit or fake guitar auction?

– A counterfeit auction is when a physical copy of a legitimate guitar is made and then resold under the guise that it is in fact an original. Ibanez not long ago issued an official warning about counterfeit models of their guitars.

– Fake auctions are when sellers copy pictures and information from legitimate guitar auctions and then repost them as their own. Of course, the new seller does not have possession of the guitar and you’ll be lucky to receive even a cardboard guitar.

It’s definitely a worrying trend, one which we’ve been discussing in the GuitarSite forums for some time. Whilst most hardened internet and auction users will not be fooled by the obvious fakes, plenty of new users are.

This means the counterfeit guitars may recirculate online and through traditional brick and mortar stores. It may also lead to online guitar auctions being seen as to risky and legitimate users therefore unable to sell.

“If a guitar is up for auction or straight sale at a price that’s a fraction of what a new or used Ibanez guitar would typically sell for, chances are it’s not a genuine Ibanez. If the shipping cost is more than the price of the guitar, it’s probably not a genuine Ibanez. As the old saying goes,” If something seems to good to be true, it probably is” the Ibanez warning states.

Many eBay users have gone as far as to actively monitor the site for fake auctions and report them, but most believe the response has not been satisfactory.

“I was told by eBay UK that an auction will not be stopped on my say-so because ‘the original seller may have given permission for the pictures and text to be used'” GuitarSite Moderator 1BassLeft said. “A once-legit auction for a nothing special LP with the word “loooky” has now been so rampantly hijacked by the same people from Beijing that I’ve given up covering it.”

Anyone with ideas on combatting the issue of fake and counterfeit guitar auctions are welcome to share their ideas, either in the forum or via email.