We've all seen these guitars, basses and other instruments from China and thought "hmm....99p and £150 postage, it must be too good to be true for a "genuine (insert name of popular make of instrument) but it could be worth risking...".

So ask yourself the following:

1. Would I buy a new guitar from a jewelery or antiques store on my high street?
2. Would I buy a guitar labelled *ender and advertised as a *ibson or vice versa on my high street?
3. Would I expect to get a  genuine vintage guitar for £150 ish  even in the private ads at  home?
4. Would I buy a US guitar advertised as genuine (on the ebay listing) and then "made in china" (in the text?)
5. Does it really cost £150 to send a lump of wood from  one country to another or is it a way of not refunding payments made?
6. Would I buy a guitar from a well known UK seller but apparently now with a chinese identity?

I've never bought one of these "so-called bargains" so don't feel able to offer any further insight except to suggest that any potential buyers also look very closely at the feedback of these sellers and check out exactly what it is for. One I looked at today (according to the feedback) had been selling minature guitars posing as full size ones! Another was selling musicm*n shaped basses as *enders! Another built up their positive feedback with cheap purchases.

As far as I am concerned, these Chinese ads are amusing at the best and downright dishonest at their worst: it's a shame ebay seem unable to moderate their proliferation.