ENFIELD TANKER CARBINE sells for over $1000

[browningautorifle]

It could be an auction rope-a-dope where you buy something you made yourself to generate an interest and a standard value before you sell a bunch more.

Once again, one I've never heard of. Interesting tactic of internet sales...somewhat dishonest though.

[Peter Laidler]

Tankers......., yes.......... Yes......... On this side of the pond, a tanker is something totally different. Usually out on a Sunday morning, age 75, leather flying helmet, driving at 37mph in an open top 110mph customised E type on single carriageway road when you are 9th in line BEHIND, trying to get past. Have I got the spelling right Beery.......?

[Seaspriter]

Tankers......., yes.......... Yes......... On this side of the pond, a tanker is something totally different. Usually out on a Sunday morning, age 75, leather flying helmet, driving at 37mph in an open top 110mph customised E type on single carriageway road when you are 9th in line BEHIND, trying to get past. Have I got the spelling right Beery.......?

W.C. Fields made a marvelous movie in the 1930s called "Road Hog" that epitomized your tankers. Unfortunately his movie seems to have trained generations to perform his irritating callousness, and its gone viral. The response is "Road Rage." Alas, perhaps horses in open fields and bicycles on back trails may be the best alternative. Or, you may choose to hoist the sails matey and take to the sea! Just bring your Enfield Tanker Carbine on board to repel boarders!

[Seaspriter]

Originally Posted by Smellymarkfive

It could be an auction rope-a-dope where you buy something you made yourself to generate an interest and a standard value before you sell a bunch more.

There are some very conniving sellers that know how to manipulate the "game." (BTW, I am NOT alleging this happened in this situation!!! Nor am I saying it is common, I have not personally experienced this game, and have bought guns with very satisfactory results on GunBroker.)

It takes two "names" to play the "Rope a Dope," but these names are either just pseudonyms for the seller or just shills for the seller who are "bidding stooges."

Here's how the game works:
- Seller posts the product, then arranges to have one or two bidders (shills or pseudonyms) crank up the bids, creating a "feeding frenzy."
- Innocent bidder, who is not terribly aware of real values, gets roped in, figuring that if several other experienced bidders are in the fray, the value must be there.
- As the price escalates, the shills watch how fast the innocent bidder responds to their counter-bids. To the innocent, his odds look like 33% because there are 2 other bidders at this point.
- If the innocent bidder slows down his response times in counter-offering, it means he is probably beginning to have doubts about his chances of winning (or is running out of money or doesn't see the value).
- At this point one of the shills drops out, figuring if the innocent thinks he now has a 50/50 chance of winning, he will stay in the game a bit longer.
- As the bidding and counter-bidding slows down again, the last shill drops out, leaving the innocent holding the final bid.
- If the innocent fails to bid on the final round (which is possible, but a lower probability than winning the final bid) the gun never really sells, and shows up on some other auction site at a later date.

Hopefully exposing this technique will save someone the pain of inadvertently becoming "the dope that got roped."

BTW, if in other parts of the world you aren't familiar with the term, it's a boxing phrase that Mohammad Ali (aka Cassius Clay) used to make his opponents think the was "on the ropes" and ready to fold. Then he would miraculously turn the tide as he emerged from his "stupor."

[browningautorifle]

Shill bidding I'm fully aware of...just the rope a dope thing. That's a good reason a man can't let himself get swept up with bidding and needs to set a limit. Then just wait to see if you won or not...

And yes, I also remember the Ali thing. But too, he used to hit like a train.

[vintage hunter]

They can't even get the nomenclature right. This side of the pond we say "tankie" not tanker.

On this side ''Tankie'' is a somewhat derogatory slang term for a member of the Boilermaker trade.

I've been dealing with this seller for several years now and IMO he's as honest as they come. I found out about his gun/parts business from a friend of mine from upstate NY that knows him personally.

[yoopercollector]

He seems to always list pretty nice rifles and they always sell for more than I can spend.

[Smellymarkfive]

There are some very conniving sellers that know how to manipulate the "game." (BTW, I am NOT alleging this happened in this situation!!! Nor am I saying it is common, I have not personally experienced this game, and have bought guns with very satisfactory results on GunBroker.)

It takes two "names" to play the "Rope a Dope," but these names are either just pseudonyms for the seller or just shills for the seller who are "bidding stooges."

Here's how the game works:
- Seller posts the product, then arranges to have one or two bidders (shills or pseudonyms) crank up the bids, creating a "feeding frenzy."
- Innocent bidder, who is not terribly aware of real values, gets roped in, figuring that if several other experienced bidders are in the fray, the value must be there.
- As the price escalates, the shills watch how fast the innocent bidder responds to their counter-bids. To the innocent, his odds look like 33% because there are 2 other bidders at this point.
- If the innocent bidder slows down his response times in counter-offering, it means he is probably beginning to have doubts about his chances of winning (or is running out of money or doesn't see the value).
- At this point one of the shills drops out, figuring if the innocent thinks he now has a 50/50 chance of winning, he will stay in the game a bit longer.
- As the bidding and counter-bidding slows down again, the last shill drops out, leaving the innocent holding the final bid.
- If the innocent fails to bid on the final round (which is possible, but a lower probability than winning the final bid) the gun never really sells, and shows up on some other auction site at a later date.

Hopefully exposing this technique will save someone the pain of inadvertently becoming "the dope that got roped."

BTW, if in other parts of the world you aren't familiar with the term, it's a boxing phrase that Mohammad Ali (aka Cassius Clay) used to make his opponents think the was "on the ropes" and ready to fold. Then he would miraculously turn the tide as he emerged from his "stupor."

I wasn't trying to be super cynical but the antiques trade is full of tricks, the best solution is to knowledge up.

[Brian Dick]

The importer was Interarms who didn't convert any LE rifles to "Tankers" that I know of unlike Navy Arms, Gibbs Rifle Co., etc. My uneducated guess is it was butchered and rebuilt in someone's home workshop in the not-too-distant past.

[browningautorifle]

There were a bunch available here in Canada not that long ago Brian. I forget who had them but it was something new until it came to light they weren't what they seemed. Now that's in the past so we re-live the history...