AliExpress: I got lucky.

[cincinnatiharry]

Got this “Dan Armstrong” guitar today, keep in mind I ordered it in September, and already refunded. It showed up today and I didn’t have to pay Customs Duty (that is RARE). Has good intonation, frets are good.

The nut is a bit too high but the luthier I use can sort all that out.

I might buy an aluminium neck for it.

[Fiddy]

So, you got it for free?

[cincinnatiharry]

So, you got it for free?

Yes. I got lucky

[Fiddy]

aka the seller got fucked!

[JSett]

aka the seller got fucked!

Yeah, faceless Chinese company or not you owe them the money. They're out a guitar and the cash. There's still real people trying to earn a living at the end of AliExpress, people with houses to pay for and families to feed.

Not paying them now the guitar has turned up is a d*ck move. It's not free, it's stolen.

[Fiddy]

With the pandemic, shipping delays are normal. Aliexpress has always had slow shipping, even before said pandemic.

[Embenny]

It's not free, it's stolen.

It's more of a "who fucked whom for what reason" scenario.

-Chinese company sold stolen intellectual property and counterfeit product.

-OP bought counterfeit product knowing all this.

-Guitar had a shipping delay and was mistaken for being lost.

-Refund was issued.

-Guitar arrived.

We don't know whether the refund was covered by shipping insurance or not, so we don't know who got stiffed - the Chinese manufacturer of counterfeit goods, the shipping company, or a third-party insurance company.

Even if all went according to plan, this entire story is nothing but moral grey areas.

[Fiddy]

-Chinese company sold stolen intellectual property and counterfeit product.

No different from the majority of boutique builders. Some slightly tweak an iconic design and even go as far as claiming it as their own...

[wooderson]

-Chinese company sold stolen intellectual property and counterfeit product.

No one's producing Dan Armstrongs anymore and body shapes aren't covered IP.

[snarf]

and I'm scared. Besides the pickup, would I be able to tell if its authentic?

[Larry Mal]

There's also the question of how do you pay them for it now? I'd not be bragging about being lucky, but I'd probably write it off.

[Embenny]

-Chinese company sold stolen intellectual property and counterfeit product.

No one's producing Dan Armstrongs anymore and body shapes aren't covered IP.

Did I say it was the body shape? It literally has "Ampeg" printed on it.

You can make a generic strat in China. You can't, however, stamp "Fender" on it.

[Fiddy]

There's also the question of how do you pay them for it now? I'd not be bragging about being lucky, but I'd probably write it off.

Ive had an item show up 6 months late. It was something small. O had gotten a refund earlier. I let the seller know and he setup a link for me to pay.

[Unicorn Warrior]

Let Cincinnati Harry be. The dude had to wait 5 months for this. That’s inconvenient enough. Who knows where the error occurred, but what if he actually doesn’t have the funds for it anymore. Let alone pay to ship it back, or have the seller pay to ship it back. Not hardly worth it for anyone at this point. It is what it is.

[graceless]

Let Cincinnati Harry be. The dude had to wait 5 months for this. That’s inconvenient enough. Who knows where the error occurred, but what if he actually doesn’t have the funds for it anymore. Let alone pay to ship it back, or have the seller pay to ship it back. Not hardly worth it for anyone at this point. It is what it is.

little bit of this, honestly...we just don't know the back story, maybe an insurance claim was already filed on it.

i've had this happen to me before and the seller just told me to keep it as they'd already claimed the money back from FedEx for the lost package.

long story short...nobody knows. stop waving the righteous flag around