Stolen Limelight Precision...

[Kev]

I mean IN fairness, this is more than likely incompetence more than anything else.  I'm sure this parcel has ended up in the auction house pile in error as I'm sure they must hang on to it longer.  Or they shipped the 2025 Q4 pile earlier than they should have.  I think it's a bold conspiracy to suggest it was a deliberate act of the company, unless they wanted rid of it as it's effectively counterfeit and tried to get some money for it.

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

Maybe I should haver applied Hanlon's Razor before I posted previously, but it seems whatever system is in place to ensure that a parcel has a fighting chance to reach its intended destination before being disposed of and profited from is clearly broken.

[Cato]

I don't know how these things normally work but , if I've understood the timeline correctly, 30 days from initial postage to turning up in an auction for unclaimed goods seems like a ridiculously short period for a fairly valuable item, especially one that is so unique and easy to identify after it went 'missing' in the first place.

 

I agree it's far more likely to be error that criminal intent, but something has clearly gone very wrong here.

Edited 5 hours ago by Cato

[Cato]

I wonder if it's one of those Limelights with a Fender logo?

 

I can just about imagine a situation where, for whatever reason, the shipping information goes awol and ,after checking the headstock, the undeliverable bass is recorded as a Fender on whatever database they use for such things.

 

When the Limelight is reported missing they check the database and come back saying the only undelivered bass we have is a Fender,

 

Then because no one has reported a Fender bass missing they have no idea where the one they have came from and it ends up at the auction

 

Just a thought.

 

Edit.

 

The final step would be the auction house correctly identifying it but not telling the courrier company, and so the circle of f-ups is complete.

Edited 3 hours ago by Cato

[walshy]

So sorry to hear this man and yeah I always use UPS as had bother with Parcelforce before. If I get offered anything at Vintage Bass Room I’ll get in touch immediately @knicknack

[Downunderwonder]

13 hours ago, Chris26 said:

Hi everyone, I think I’ve come across your bass in a live auction with Wellers Auctions in Guildford. I check their listings from time to time for instruments, and this one caught my eye due to the very limited information provided. A quick Google reverse image search led me to this forum. The auction ends tomorrow, so it may be worth contacting them ASAP. I really hope you’re able to recover the bass. Chris

Case closed but overlooked for two pages. Call the cops and get it seized before numbnuts takes it back from the auction house.

[ossyrocks]

The auction ends in 8 hours time, currently 25 bids, up to £310, 19 watchers.

 

Someone needs to walk into this place and stop this!

 

https://auctions.wellersauctions.com/catalogue/lot/f72e04251781ce1fd69a2f03361751e1/45205abdbb84d2df36d33a64cd5790b5/unclaimed-goods-from-a-major-uk-courier-network-lot-1412/

[Cato]

Now showing as 'withdrawn'.

 

Good work @Chris26 and those who contacted the auctioneers.

[warwickhunt]

13 minutes ago, ossyrocks said:

The auction ends in 8 hours time, currently 25 bids, up to £310, 19 watchers.

 

Someone needs to walk into this place and stop this!

 

https://auctions.wellersauctions.com/catalogue/lot/f72e04251781ce1fd69a2f03361751e1/45205abdbb84d2df36d33a64cd5790b5/unclaimed-goods-from-a-major-uk-courier-network-lot-1412/

 

They'll log onto their system this morning and hopefully find an inbox full of messages saying this has a legal owner!

[police squad]

12 hours ago, Sean said:

There's the added complication of the goods being (in the eyes of the law) counterfeit or bearing an unlicensed trademark. It's illegal to steal and/or sell counterfeit goods and if due process is followed by police in the case that they are involved, the recovered will be assessed, categorised and if the boxes are ticked, they will be disposed of to remove counterfeit goods from the marketplace. 

 

Whether or not this particular bass will flag up as counterfeit is anyone's guess. It could slip through the net, get to the buyer and we all learn a lesson about applying decals to headstocks. 

 

If it doesn't, I guess things would have to be more like Nash Guitars.

it does say Limelight on it and a serial number so it's not passing itself off as the real thing IMO

It's a replica not a counterfeit. Counterfeit is designed to deceive people. There is no intent to deceive as it says Limelight on it, therefore it's a replica

[police squad]

I've just looked at the auction and it has been withdrawn

fingers crossed for Mark and his customer

[Lozz196]

The thing for me is surely PF (and other couriers) have a database with the shipment numbers on in order to show "unclaimed" items and what has been done with them. Given that this was very recent how could the people handling the complaint not have located it.

[ossyrocks]

The description has been amended, and now begins with "**WITHDRAWN**", although it appears you can still bid on it?

[Cato]

26 minutes ago, police squad said:

It's a replica not a counterfeit. Counterfeit is designed to deceive people. There is no intent to deceive as it says Limelight on it, therefore it's a replica

 

Also Limelight have been doing the Fender decal thing for years, long enough that Fender must be aware of it by now.

 

If it was Gibson I'm sure there would have been a 'cease and desist' years ago  but for whatever reason Fender must be OK with it.

Edited 2 hours ago by Cato

[police squad]

Just now, Cato said:

 

Also Limeluggt have been doing the Fender decal thing for years, long enough that Fender must be aware of it by now.

 

If it was Gibson I'm sure there would have been a 'cease and desist' by now  but for whatever reason Fender mist be OK with it.

agreed and it's so easy for anybody to apply a fender logo to anything

my chinese necks come from ebay fully logoed (is that even a word)

[fretmeister]

6 minutes ago, police squad said:

it does say Limelight on it and a serial number so it's not passing itself off as the real thing IMO

It's a replica not a counterfeit. Counterfeit is designed to deceive people. There is no intent to deceive as it says Limelight on it, therefore it's a replica

 

 

Sorry - but that's not what the law says. Disclaimers are specifically not allowed. The mere use of a Fender logo on a non-Fender item makes it counterfeit. The fact that there is also a Limelight name and number doesn't matter as the illegal act is to sell it with Fender logo on it at all.

 

it is NOT illegal to own, but it is illegal to sell and is subject to confiscation and destruction with no compensation.

The rationale is that while the first seller might be entirely honest about the origin, the buyer/next seller may not be.

 

This falls into "Strict liability" - in other words intent is irrelevant. The mere act of selling it is enough to be an offence. There are quite a few offences that are Strict Liability. Speeding is another one. 

 

You'll find confirmation of this on all Trading Standards websites and information sheets from around the country.

 

https://services.southwark.gov.uk/assets/attach/10444/Counterfeit-goods-2019.pdf

 

 

[BassApprentice]

Hopefully this is case closed and the bass get returned to either Mark or it's rightful owner - but such a massive hassle. 

 

Makes you think driving (if you can) to collect things like this might be easier, even if it is a couple of hundred miles all in.

[fretmeister]

6 minutes ago, Cato said:

 

Also Limelight have been doing the Fender decal thing for years, long enough that Fender must be aware of it by now.

 

If it was Gibson I'm sure there would have been a 'cease and desist' by now  but for whatever reason Fender must be OK with it.

 

Far more likely that Fender just can't be bothered for an outfit as small as Mark's.

 

But this sort of thing might bite him in other ways - if he has business insurance to cover lost instruments and so on, that just won't pay out on counterfeit items.

So a customer buys one - knowing it's not a real Fender. It gets lost on the way to the customer. Mark then replaces it and cannot claim from his own insurers because it was illegal to sell in the first place. Or if he refuses to replace it - the customer can't sue him for non-delivery of a purchased counterfeit item because no contract can make an illegal item legal.

 

The silly thing is - his instruments are well loved. He should just put his own logo on them and have done with it.

[fretmeister]

5 minutes ago, BassApprentice said:

Hopefully this is case closed and the bass get returned to either Mark or it's rightful owner - but such a massive hassle. 

 

Makes you think driving (if you can) to collect things like this might be easier, even if it is a couple of hundred miles all in.

 

I find that's really good for controlling my GAS urges too - if I don't want to take a day to go and get something then I clearly don't want it enough.

It's saved me quite a few quid!

[Kev]

18 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

The silly thing is - his instruments are well loved. He should just put his own logo on them and have done with it.

 

This.

[jonnybass]

surely as they seem fairly customisable, you could order one without the Fender logo?

 

Jonny

[fretmeister]

3 minutes ago, jonnybass said:

surely as they seem fairly customisable, you could order one without the Fender logo?

 

Jonny

 

Yes - you get the option of that or a Limelight Logo. IIRC it's black with a star motif, or similar. 

 

There was a limelight logo'd one in the classifieds relatively recently.

[Cato]

16 minutes ago, jonnybass said:

surely as they seem fairly customisable, you could order one without the Fender logo?

 

Jonny

 

I gues the people that buy them want a vintage looking Fender but either can't afford one or can't find one in the colour they want.

 

You could probably spend years looking for a genuine pre CBS Precision in Ice Blue for example and never find one for sale and even if you did a really rare custom colour vintage instrument would likely cost well into 5 figures.

 

It's a lot quicker and cheaper to order a replica

 

Having a different logo on the headstock would break the illusion.

 

Wouldn't bother me at all but then I've never really gassed after vintage instruments.

Edited 1 hour ago by Cato

[Lozz196]

1 hour ago, BassApprentice said:

Hopefully this is case closed and the bass get returned to either Mark or it's rightful owner - but such a massive hassle. 

 

Makes you think driving (if you can) to collect things like this might be easier, even if it is a couple of hundred miles all in.

Agree, I`ve a Sandberg Superlight being made at the moment, which Mark has arranged, when he receives it I`ll drive and collect rather than chance all this malarkey.

[fretmeister]

1 minute ago, Lozz196 said:

Agree, I`ve a Sandberg Superlight being made at the moment, which Mark has arranged, when he receives it I`ll drive and collect rather than chance all this malarkey.

 

@Lozz196 Unless something has changed - he won't get to see it. It will come directly to you from the UK distributor.

 

When I ordered mine via him he didn't even get photos - I took some for him when it had arrived.