Legit or scam?

I received this interesting link in a PM from a community member who was being genuinely helpful in helping me source an alternative Pod Go.

I was very tempted, as itā€™s new and runs on the same wireless system I already have. Then I remembered if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is :thinking:
The site looks well-designed/legit, however on closer inspection they only have very tempting sale offers and an unrelated YT video from watchMojo.com. I havenā€™t been able to find any references to it on the internet apart from the website itself. No reviews, no other linksā€¦ nada.
There are two contact addresses on the site, one is the Waverly Bridge Market in Edinburgh, (which does not include this business on their website), and the other in contacts: 81 Murray Place, which does not appear to exist (13 being the highest number there). I find that quite worrying, esp. if thatā€™s the address for shipping returns to.
Iā€™m not usually a paranoid freak, but donā€™t want to send a couple of hundred quid into the ether :open_mouth:
Do I smell a rat or is that just the remnants of the last one under my floorboards? :roll_eyes:

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Your nose is working well.

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pretty low price. that image is suspicious for sure, oversaturated and fuzzy. Add the missing address? Well, Iā€™d avoid them.

The pod go have a $50 rebate right now in the US at Sweetwater. That makes them $450 and $550 after the rebate.

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Oh that URL as well. Iā€™d be super wary, sounds like a scam. Selling in demand items for really cheap.

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Thereā€™s an address in Edinburgh. Perhaps some Scot who lives in Edinburgh can tell you if theyā€™re legit?

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Whilst I would be wary, there is what seems to be a legitimate address in the contact info, although there doesnā€™t seem to be a registered business here.

Having said that, it could still be a legitimate small trader. Note that itā€™s also not VAT registered either, which indicates small trader.

The website domain was only registered this month. Take that as you will but, ultimately, people have to start somewhere. Of course that means a lack of track record.

The prices are cheap, but not stupidly cheap: they are within the margins I would expect a retailer to have. Of course, normally retailers are ā€œencouragedā€ to sell at RRP, which is why you rarely see significant discounts these days.

Itā€™s something that it might be worth taking a punt on, but only if you use a payment method with protection, so you can get a refund relatively easily if the item is not delivered or is not as described.

The fact that they take credit card payments indicates, to me, that they may not be a scam, as these have payment protection in the UK.

Cheers,

Keith

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Some good points raised but I can understand you being wary Brian. Its priced low but I guess not stupidly low like some of the ads that pop up on facebook etc.

I noticed there is a phone number. Would it be worth giving them a bell and see what kind of vibe you get before committing ? You could query the address anomalies and see if they respond in fluent BS or offer a plausible explanation. Canā€™t offer much else Iā€™m afraid.

:sunglasses:

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They have a weird business name, which searching the UK business registry doesnā€™t existā€¦ how would a small operator without VAT registration get better buy prices than the big guys, let alone get Line6 partner resell permissionā€¦ I just wouldnā€™t.

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I always go with my gut on these things, which is right almost every single time. The reasoning mind usually has a 50/50 strike rate :crazy_face:

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Lots of good/interesting points here. Thanks everyone, esp. those whoā€™ve gone and looked up background stuff :open_mouth:
I doubt I will be going down this path, although curiosity will definitely make me call them after to the weekend to see what their ā€˜explanationā€™ is. I canā€™t see myself just taking a punt if I donā€™t think itā€™s legit, even knowing that I can get my money back. Lifeā€™s too short.
Scams are always becoming more sophisticated and I presume will become even more so when the ubiquitous AI becomes employed. Be careful out there people :smiley:
@sclay, whenever I ask my gut for advice, the response is invariably puke or poop :laughing:

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flag

not an existing address:

flag

having a shop with only 14 items:

flag.

Price too good to be true:

flag.

Thatā€™s enough flags for me to mistrusting it

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The URL has ā€œmusiccalinstrumentsforbandsā€ in it. Iā€™m not a native English speaker, but I do know dat ā€œmusicalā€ has only 1 c. Thereā€™s also a website, with the same design, which has indeed just 1 c in the musical, but also ā€œinstrumenttsā€. And thereā€™s a third where itā€™s just ā€œmusicā€ instead of ā€œmusicalā€. And a fourth containing ā€œfforā€. And probably a couple of other badly spelled URLā€™s.

And then thereā€™s this:

Not Scottish, but the same name. So I guess thatā€™s where they got the idea for the name for their ā€œshopā€ from.

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Slap the delete button for sure!

Hi James ,Iā€™ll do some testingā€¦ and find a victim whose thread I can abus.

And have you figured it out yet Brian what to buy?

I donā€™t think I understand much of what you mean James, or is what I quote you only for mobile phone?..who knows, maybe this message wonā€™t arrive at all and Iā€™ll type all this for nothing and brian thinks Iā€™ve really lost my mind completely now :roll_eyes:
Greetings
Edit:
Hoi Jamesā€¦save yourself the trouble (if you see this anyway???). I get stuck and donā€™t get it, but thatā€™s not bad at all because it works great for me the way it worksā€¦ I thought Iā€™d discover something useful for myself, but :upside_down_face: :see_no_evil:

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Haha, how did you get from there to here? :rofl:

Actually, I was saving this for later, but Iā€™ve been keeping an eye out for it for over a year now, calling Lost and Found, checking behind the cushions of the Community couchā€¦ Iā€™m afraid itā€™s gone :slightly_frowning_face:
Iā€™ve only been able to find the occasional fragments of sanity and was putting them all in a box for a surprise Christmas present. I really donā€™t think itā€™s worth it though :neutral_face:

The Pod is in the post :smiley:

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Heā€™s magicā€¦ just needs to tap that orange text in his message to go back now to where he came fromā€¦ lol

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:laughing: :upside_down_face:
I really have no idea how I got that quote here because of what James said, and left a paper clip (link) in that other post and/or James got a notification about this (I guess)ā€¦ but what I wanted to find out has unfortunately stranded, and back to the / your topic ā€¦ so your search is not finished
(edit: A Pod is in the post means that you buy a new pod? if i read correct what Toby say`sā€¦but me is very not so sharp today :upside_down_face:)

That is fun quoting :smile:
Hey Jamesā€¦I see you find it :laughing:

I feel so stupidā€¦grrrā€¦I keep reading what you wrote and i believe i am close to a brain crash :boom:

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Yowser :sunglasses: