Fifteen listening tubes can be used at once!

Have you ever paid 5 times the price asked for an item? This is what happened to me recently when I first went through eBay-UK to buy a modified Edison Diamond Disc reproducer for a duplicate Amberola III which I am restoring.

After the classic exchange of e-mails regarding this transaction, the seller added:

"Among my bits and pieces I have a rare metal object which fits on a phonograph reproducer instead of a horn, with 15 curved hollow tubes, and allows people with headphones to listen to the recorded music with hearing or listening device. It is 3 1/2" long and the metal tubes are 1" long 1/4" diam. and 3/16" bore protruding from one end. Price if you are interested £20 and could be sent with the reproducer."

So, I immediately (as you can imagine) answered:

"Yes, I am interested by your 15 ear tubes device for 20 pounds. Is it possible to have a picture, just to see how it looks like? Yes, please, send it with the reproducer and I will send you a check this time (I already have your address)."

Two days afterward - I still do not know what happened in the meantime - I received this strange answer:

"I have health problems (he is 84), recently had an eight day stay in hospital, and saw the Dr. yesterday, and an Xray today. Enough said about that. I have decided to keep the phonograph ear attachment (one is not supposed to make deals outside of eBay)."

?????? (as if eBay were entitled to stop all other commercial transactions on earth)

This made no sense to me as, to my way of thinking, once a deal is sealed, it is sacred. For example, I recently cut all new contacts with a French collector who asked me to make a deal for a Graphophone "Q" sold in France with a French reversible cabinet and interesting decal (Type "B" is common over there, but it was the first time I heard of such a "Q" accompanied by an original ad). After having accepted in return a nearly mint Puck "Mermaid", he changed his mind, just because he had found another "Mermaid" over there. This is the kind of pleasantry that I do not really appreciate, especially when he had already packed up the "Q" and it was in the hands of somebody who was supposed to bring it to me next year.

In 35 years of collecting, maybe 3 or 4 individuals have played this little game with me, always with the same results on my side. Termination. In the case of the ear-tube device, I was disappointed, even if the pictures had not come yet. My answer was as follows:

"I find questionable the fact that you offered me the phonograph ear attachment for 20.00 pounds, and once I say "yes", you change your mind. As for me, the deal was sealed as soon as I have accepted your price. On my side, I have only one word that I respect, it seems that it is not the same on your side."

Then he tried to tell me the story that, while packing the Diamond Disc reproducer, he dropped it on the floor and broke it (which, of course, was likely not true).

This picture shows how the piece connects to an Edison reproducer

Confronting this situation, I asked for delivery of my Diamond Disc reproducer or pictures of it, in its broken state, suggesting that negative feedback could be used in case of refusal. The reaction was quick and concise:

"Reproducer posted today Saturday 19th".

This first problem was solved. After having used the stick, I tried to use the carrot:

"Thanks a lot for the reproducer. Sure, I will let you know when arrived. Just for my information, can you please, send me a picture of your phonograph ear attachment. If you think you made a mistake and asked too low, may be, we could arrive to an agreement."

And then, the waited-for pictures arrived - 4 days later. Faced with such an astounding piece of apparatus, I realized that I was going to have to walk on eggs with him and that, with my first mis-step, I could say bye-bye to it.

In the meantime, the modified Diamond Disc reproducer arrived, unbroken, and I continued to ask him for a price for the ear-tube device. I e-mailed him on the 23rd, the 24th and the 25th. Finally, on the 26th, still seeing no answer arriving, I made the proposal that he sell it to me at the same price that he had already sold me the Diamond Disc reproducer; namely 49 pounds. That same day, I received his answer: 100 pounds! After my acceptance, certainly realizing that he had treated me unfairly, he proposed to me that he include, for free, a Gem Model D reproducer carriage to help make the pill easier to swallow. Very soon on eBay, I am not quite sure to be able to get my 80 pounds back.

Anyhow, everything is well which ended well (I am not sure of the English translation of this French proverb), but it can make a good Christmas story. The only thing left for me is to make another 15 repro ear tube sets, having recently sold my original ones with my long oak Class-M.