One variation on the "Bait and Switch" is perfectly suited for eBay-style auctions and Buy-It-Now sales of used percussion gear. Here's how to make sure you don't fall for it.

As you probably already know, the unlawful "Bait and Switch" practice is traditionally used to lure a buyer in with a great deal, and then sell him a more expensive product than he planned to buy. But the scam has another variation, in the selling of used and second-hand percussion items such as those that are found on eBay every day.

This may happen to you someday: You bid on - or buy outright - a drum stand or cymbal, or any percussion item that is mass-produced and has many similar lookalike models on the market. When it arrives, you discover that the stand you received is not the one in the auction. It may be smaller, lighter-weight, older, dented, rusted, or in some other way less than what you thought you were getting.

You notify the seller, who then immediately responds, "I'm so sorry, the items somehow got switched before I sent them out. I don't know how that could have happened!" He then makes this offer: "If you like, I'll refund X amount of your purchase price, and you'll have a nice stand at a much lower cost than the one you bid on. After all, it's already been shipped to you. We can solve this problem so easily! Would that be satisfactory?"

What you decide to do at that point is entirely up to you, but I want to emphasize one thing: if you agree to this offer, then you've fallen for a Bait and Switch. You've just purchased something other than what you wanted, the seller has unloaded a piece of junk that he could never have sold for near the same price, and you've just helped perpetuate the Bait and Switch game by making it pay off for the guy who's running it! No honest eBay seller would offer to sell you an item that you did not bid on or buy, and that you received by "mistake". Remember, to offer the buyer a different item than was advertised (or purchased) is the definition of a Bait and Switch.

My advice is to resist the temptation to make a deal. Send the item back and demand the correct one. You'll probably be informed that, regrettably, the original stand you thought you were buying is "no longer available". In that case, all you can do is demand your money back. Yes, you'll lose a little on the whole transaction with the cost of shipping it back - but so will the seller. If he has to pay to ship his junk over and over to buyers who will not accept it, maybe he'll give up the scam. If the seller suggests the least degree of hesitation about refunding your money, go at once to the eBay Dispute Console and file a dispute.

I hope you don't ever encounter this kind of trickery, but if this happens to you, remember to stand up for your rights as a buyer - don't settle for less than you were offered, at any "discount" price. Help put a stop to the Bait and Switch game!