Jonathan Holmes' problem with the African "piano dealer" is,
unfortunately, a common one.  I have received a dozen such offers
from various people offering to pay via "cashier's check" for the
pianos I've listed on eBay and elsewhere.  Sometimes, they offer
a couple thousand more than my price.  Check www.pianomart.com where
you'll see the scam described.

The most common one is where the "buyer" sends out a genuine-looking
cashier's check in excess of the purchase price for some technical
reason due to import fees, etc.  The "mark" is asked to refund some
money to the buyer (usually in Africa) only too late discovering the
original check was phony.  Just remember that there are not too many
piano dealers in Nigeria or Russia!

Philip Jamison