From Guitar World · · 2m
Guitar Giveaway Scam Turned Reality
A UK guitar giveaway site wins a Gibson Flying V for 48p after initial scam fears.
In brief
A UK guitar giveaway site wins a Gibson Flying V for 48p after initial scam fears. A UK guitar giveaway site won a Gibson Flying V for 48p after initial scam fears, proving online prizes can be legitimate despite early skepticism. Originally reported by Guitar World.
Scam fears
I thought it was a scam until a Gibson Flying V arrived at my door.
“I thought it was a scam until a Gibson Flying V arrived at my door”
48p ticket
I entered a giveaway for a 2009 Gibson Flying V for 48p.
“Tickets were 48p”
Wife's skepticism
My wife said it was a scam, but I won the guitar.
“Really? You know it's a scam, right?”
Real guitar
The guitar arrived safely and was a genuine Gibson Flying V.
“It wasn't a Chibson”
Guitar Gear Giveaway
Guitar Gear Giveaway is a UK-based guitar competition site.
“Guitar Gear Giveaway team (left to right): Dan Russell, Andrew Willett, Sam Boxell, and Geraint Coll”
2009 Flying V
The winner got a 2009 Gibson Flying V for 48p.
“I jumped on it”
Business model
Guitar Gear Giveaway ships over 125 guitars a month, mostly secondhand.
“We ship out over 125 guitars a month, and they're not Squiers”
Secondhand guitars
90% of guitars are sourced secondhand from GuitarGuitar, Andertons, Peach Guitars, and eBay.
“Around 90% of their instruments are sourced secondhand”
Early challenges
The site faced payment issues with Shopify and Stripe for 500 days.
“We were running on Shopify and using things like Stripe and PayPal for payments, which swiftly blocked us and took all of our money and froze it for 500 days”
Post-pandemic growth
Users grew from 5,000 to 25,000 in two months after lockdowns.
“We went from 5,000 to 25,000 users in two months on the site”
1952 Les Paul Goldtop
The site won a 1952 Les Paul Goldtop for a winner who panicked.
“He was having a panic attack”
Panic attack
The winner panicked about insurance and value of the 1952 Les Paul Goldtop.
“I don't know what I'm going to do with this; my house insurance won't cover it”
Buyout solution
The platform helped a winner get £20,000 cash for a modern Custom Shop model.
“He could walk away with a cool £20,000 in cash to buy a modern Custom Shop model”
Guitar Gear Giveaway
Guitar Gear Giveaway is preparing to put the 1952 Les Paul Goldtop back into a draw in December.
“Guitar Gear Giveaway is actually preparing to put the legendary instrument back into a draw in December”
Regulation
The UK government created a voluntary code of conduct for guitar giveaways.
“The government has stepped in with a voluntary code of conduct run by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport”
Third-party RNG
Operators must use independently audited random number generators for draws.
“Third-party verified random number generators help keep things as fair as possible”
Government register
Players can check if a site is legit using the government's verified list.
“The government now has a verified, compliant list of operators listed on official government trade registers”
Responsible gaming
Sites must enforce monthly spending caps and restrict credit card use.
“Platforms must enforce monthly spending caps, restrict credit card use, and you can even lock your account if things get out of hand”
UK vs US
The UK model is hard to replicate in the US due to different state regulations.
“The rule set is so different in every single jurisdiction that you can't possibly comply with everyone”
Safety tips
Players should verify sites using government registers and third-party RNGs.
“Confirm the operator appears on the government code of conduct register”
The one thing
A UK guitar giveaway site won a Gibson Flying V for 48p after initial scam fears, proving online prizes can be legitimate despite early skepticism.
