Screwed on eBay for the SECOND time---

[tonyvenn]

A cautionary tale....

For the second time, I found a guitar I really wanted with a great "buy it now" price.

In both instances, I paid immediately...frankly because the prices struck me as "too good to be true". ..but I have no idea what a seller is thinking.

And in both cases, I received marble-mouthed emails saying "the guitar isn't available" and my favorite "oh wow, I don't know how that auction is up. I thought I cancelled it...I sold it"

People are real dicks.

If you ever pulled this stunt--shame on you--just honor the deal.

If you ever got burned like me, it sucks....

 

[drdoom8793]

I had a similar situation on craigslist. Was all set to buy this guy's guitar, then he can't meet that day. So we push it off to the next day. I make sure we're still on for that day. He says yes. I'm on my way to meet the guy and he emails me and says that he already sold it. Like wtf. Craigslist, the bay, and other websites can be really nice but it really pisses me off when people do $hit like that.

/rant

 

[sergiodeblanc]

I hate when that! Had it happen to me twice a couple years ago, but the cool thing was it led me to a much better purchase.. Third time's the charm!

 

[andy474x]

That's a bummer. I buy and sell a lot of pedals on eBay and have had great results - good way to save a few bucks. But guitars, I've not tried.

 

[Huggy Love]

Don't get too frustrated by it, I've experienced some tomfoolery in the past online. Just let it go and move on to your next opportunity, the more you steam on it, the more wasted time & energy, the quicker you let go of it, the sooner you'll move on to a REAL deal.

 

[WeFixFlats]

We don't use eBay anymore for guitars. I use a newer website(reverb dot com based in Chicago) that's dedicated to nothing but musical instruments, pedals 'n stuff. Much more seller/buyer friendly, in my opinion. They have live chat and answer the phone if you call them. Sold two guitars and bought one from there(a dealer had it posted). I only use eBay to buy toothbrush refills, lawnmower parts and vacuum cleaner filters.

 

[DHW]

We don't use eBay anymore for guitars. I use a newer website(reverb dot com based in Chicago) that's dedicated to nothing but musical instruments, pedals 'n stuff. Much more seller/buyer friendly, in my opinion. They have live chat and answer the phone if you call them. Sold two guitars and bought one from there(a dealer had it posted). I only use eBay to buy toothbrush refills, lawnmower parts and vacuum cleaner filters.

My experience with reverb has also been very good. As a seller their fees are a lot more realistic and as a buyer I have only had 1 person not respond when asking a question compared to pretty much all of them on the other sites...

 

[vchizzle]

Yeah, that sucks. I got burned on an amp last year. It wasn't maybe a total steal, but a good enough deal that I never found another comparable. I like Reverb as well, but there are less "good deals" to be had since it's not as large. I shop there a decent amount, but you rarely find any "steals".

 

[Mikegarveyblues]

eBay used to be good. Have been a member for many years and never had an issue, but that seems to have changed the past year or two. Way too many wankers on there now!

Sold 5 pedals to 5 different people. Countless idiotic questions. People asking me to make dumb deals. Sob stories. Complaints the pedals don't sound as good as they hoped. Tough!

I'll still use it if it proves to be the best option but I know I'll likely have to deal with some idiots.

 

[CVS]

My experience with reverb has also been very good. As a seller their fees are a lot more realistic and as a buyer I have only had 1 person not respond when asking a question compared to pretty much all of them on the other sites...

My experience with Reverb has been good as well

 

[CantankerousCarl]

Caveat emptor...anything you buy sight unseen is risky, especially used stuff. I bought one guitar from eBay, it went well but I rarely even look there because of the horror stories. Craigslist I won't do anymore - personally I don't feel its worth the risks.

I also have had excellent success with Reverb.com, both buying and selling. It's a good community as well, lots of information, support, etc.

Happy hunting...your next guitar is just around the corner!

 

[dmatthews]

Caveat emptor...anything you buy sight unseen is risky, especially used stuff. I bought one guitar from eBay, it went well but I rarely even look there because of the horror stories. Craigslist I won't do anymore - personally I don't feel its worth the risks.

I also have had excellent success with Reverb.com, both buying and selling. It's a good community as well, lots of information, support, etc.

Happy hunting...your next guitar is just around the corner!

I bought my 305 from eBay, my McRosie on a local Craigs deal, and my P22 rosie from Reverb. All deals went well. Just lucky I guess.

 

[Eighthnote]

Buying a guitar online is a lot like on line dating. They never look like their pictures. Just kidding. I've been lucky a guess. I've been a seller or buyer maybe 6 or 7 times. I did buy a nice 1998 Strat once that I didn't keep long. Pickups were not hot enough for my style of playing so I sold it online for what I had in it. I've sold a CE24 with no problem. Both buyers were happy. Not too long ago I bought a Custom 24 that was suppose to be a top ten. I requested a picture of the back of the head stock but never received it. After paying for the guitar I did find out by other means the guitar was not a top 10. I know that doesn't effect the sound but if someone list something it should be an accurate description. To the seller's credit he apologized for the error and refunded my money. The bottom line is if you do buy online maybe think about a few things. Will the seller send you extra pictures to make sure the guitar is what they say it is? Does the online site allow you to see feedback comments? And if so, 100% positive is a must. Brick and Mortar music stores are the pits. Especially the big ones. Some smaller shops have an online presence which is better than someone you may never be able to track down or communicate with again. I think my luck buying has been good but I don't want to press it much more. I'm OK selling because I know what I'm selling. Good luck to everyone that wants to go the online route........... Cheers.........

 

[Bufford T]

Seemingly they have nothing to gain, so why do they other?

Guessing the guitar is for sale elsewhere (and had sold) re or they have done a cash deal outside of feeBay.
Not cool regardless.

 

[HANGAR18]

A cautionary tale....

For the second time, I found a guitar I really wanted with a great "buy it now" price.

In both instances, I paid immediately...frankly because the prices struck me as "too good to be true". ..but I have no idea what a seller is thinking.

And in both cases, I received marble-mouthed emails saying "the guitar isn't available" and my favorite "oh wow, I don't know how that auction is up. I thought I cancelled it...I sold it"

People are real dicks.

If you ever pulled this stunt--shame on you--just honor the deal.

If you ever got burned like me, it sucks....

Isn't there a buyer's protection option so you can get your money back?

 

[ChrisCst22]

Years ago I sold two unopened sets of Zakk Wylde EMG's to a guy on eBay. He paid for them, then claimed he never got them. PayPal refunded his money, and I got screwed. There was nothing I could do because I didn't ship them with signature required. I have not used the service since.