A moral question for the guitar community

[blakejcan]

If you find a great guitar at an amazing price on craigslist.......something that you know is listed way under market value by a seller who is saying he has to sell for medical issues.........would you buy it with no regret or inform this person of it's true value?

Having typed that out.....I want to believe I am the guy who would actually tell him it's true value but at the same time.....there are so many people out there trying to sell knockoff or misrepresented items it's hard to know who to trust? How do I know if he has medical issues? Is it stolen? Who is ripping off who?

 

[Aceman]

You have to ignore the medical issues thing. Just don't even go there. When I see that on eBay I actual ignore the post. Don't trust it.

That said - If someone is selling a real 1959 Les Paul for say 500-2000 dollars, I really would like to think I'd tell them what they have.

This was the gist of a post I was on about Guitar Center. I can almost guarantee they would buy it for cheap. I don't NEED a guitar, but they might NEED the money.

 

[Demanic]

I wouldn't trust it worth a crap.

 

[Mincer]

I wouldn't trust anything. There are so very few 'deals too good to be true' out there. Usually something is fishy. You might get lucky, but knowingly taking advantage of someone isn't cool, either. So if you want something specific, paying market value significantly increases the possibility it is legit.

 

[Securb]

If I came across a yard sale with a vintage guitar on the lawn, I would like to think I would tell the people they grossly undervalued the instrument. It would greatly depend on my interaction with the sellers. If they were friendly or elderly, I would tell them. I would likely be walking away with it if they were crass or put offish when I inquired about the instrument.

 

[Aceman]

And there is a range here.

I find a $400 Epiphone going for $100....ok, I hit that

I find an $800 Charvel going for $100...I throw $3-400 at that.

I find a $1500 Ibanez Original RG550 going for $100...I tell the guy.

 

[blakejcan]

I think we are all in relative agreement here. Especially that last part about the range.

 

[blakejcan]

I guess my last bit of thinking is that if you are capable enough to post it on craigslist then you should also be able to look up it's value

 

[GuitarStv]

Any time I see something that's way too good to be true, I start wondering how it has been faked. Because they're always fake. In the age of the internet you would have to be pretty damned stupid to not be able to do a basic search.

 

[solspirit]

Meh . . . I wouldnt do this for any other business and the odds of anyone doing it for me are slim to none. This is a business transaction regardless of how informal.

I also think most of you guys are full of BS.

 

[Securb]

Any time I see something that's way too good to be true, I start wondering how it has been faked. Because they're always fake. In the age of the internet you would have to be pretty damned stupid to not be able to do a basic search.

My Ovation Deacon 12-string was listed with 6-string pricing at $600 because a store employee looked it up wrong in the Blue Book. At the time 20ish years ago the value of the guitar was $2500. Often an instrument is misvalued because the person selling it looks up the wrong version of the instrument. They could look up "Orange Gibson Les Paul" on the internet to get baseline pricing, not knowing it is a Budonkan edition or Page reproduction going for thousands more than your typical Burst LP Standard. They also might look up Les Paul and price the guitar based on Epiphone pricing, not knowing the difference in brands. We assume the layman knows as much about the instruments as we do. Truth be told, most guitar players do not have the knowledge this group has, that is why people come here to ask questions.

 

[jeremy]

i havent run into any crazy good deals in a long time so havent been faced with this dilemma. "medical issues" is bs most of the time. usually that means "stolen goods" and trying to make a quick sale. ask a few questions and usually the person selling doesnt have good answers. there are no $500 or even $2000 '58-'60 les pauls out there. theyve basically all been tracked down so those are fakes at best. the days of finding a too good to be true deal on most things are done, but that doesnt mean you cant find a great deal every once in a while if youre lucky.

i wouldnt want to rip anyone off too badly, unless they were a total asshole. in general, if you are selling something you know little about, do some research or ask someone who does know about it. i dont know about vintage furniture so when i was selling a piece, i contacted someone who does and got some advice.

 

[beaubrummels]

And there is a range here.

I find a $400 Epiphone going for $100....ok, I hit that

I find an $800 Charvel going for $100...I throw $3-400 at that.

I find a $1500 Ibanez Original RG550 going for $100...I tell the guy.

I'd add, if I find a $7000 Gibson whatever going for $100, I check serial numbers, look at the wood, logo, parts, and might be inclined to notify law enforcement.

That said, once i did buy a used R0 for the price of the discount instead of the price of the guitar. It was a major retailer who definitely should have known what they had, but they screwed up the listing and posted the discount amount as the price. The flunky that did the listing even called out the VOS antique treatment as used wear on the guitar. In that case, I just bought it fair and square. It was all automated online, there wasn't really anyone to talk to. Screw it, after 40 years of searching and waiting, I had one lucky day.

 

[Mincer]

I'd add, if I find a $7000 Gibson whatever going for $100, I check serial numbers, look at the wood, logo, parts, and might be inclined to notify law enforcement.

That said, once i did buy a used R0 for the price of the discount instead of the price of the guitar. It was a major retailer who definitely should have known what they had, but they screwed up the listing and posted the discount amount as the price. The flunky that did the listing even called out the VOS antique treatment as used wear on the guitar. In that case, I just bought it fair and square. It was all automated online, there wasn't really anyone to talk to. Screw it, after 40 years of searching and waiting, I had one lucky day.

In that case....good on you.

 

[Chistopher]

I've had two situations where this has happened. Two years ago I saw a guy trying to sell a "no-name" acoustic guitar at the local mom and pop store so he could cover a family vacation, so I told him it was an Alvarez lawsuit guitar and he did a quick search on his phone to find out it was worth $800 instead of the $150 he was asking for.

The other case, I saw a 1 of 3000 reverse color DS-1 online at guitar center being listed as a 40th anniversary model for $70, I snagged it. At that point all I'm hurting is a company that didn't do their due dilligence.

 

[Top-L]

Buying used music gear can be depressing. Its either a good deal and someone is losing because they need the money, or its a bad deal and ends up being a waste of your time.

I haven't bought used directly from a person in.... 20 years or so. Its been 10+ years since I've actually unloaded something (I needed the money) and the guy went to my ebay feedback to brag about how much of a great deal he got from me. Yeah, I already know. No need to rub it in. I expected the auction to fetch another $500.

In fact, thats the last time I've ever used ebay for music gear. Now I occasionally check GC used section. You can just take it back if you don't like it. That is worth paying a premium. Going to some trailer park to check out a guitar is too depressing.

 

[Lucius Paisley]

I haven't bought used directly from a person in.... 20 years or so. Its been 10+ years since I've actually unloaded something (I needed the money) and the guy went to my ebay feedback to brag about how much of a great deal he got from me. Yeah, I already know. No need to rub it in. I expected the auction to fetch another $500.

Isn't that what reserve prices are for?

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Guitar Center used to make mistakes like that pretty often. No excuse for it; a major music store should have better sense.
If it were a private individual underpricing a musical item, I'd say something. But at Guitar Center? No.
I've bought things below their actual value more than once - with a clear conscience.

 

[Texsunburst59]

About 90% of the guitars are basses in my 40+ guitar collection has come from pawnshops scores over the last 15+ years.

Here’s sonic my better scores.

Can you guess which were stolen and which were just instruments guys just lost because of their financial problems?

I know I can’t, and I don’t worry about it because these guitars are supposed to be sold legally, and that’s all I care about.

Guitars & Basses:

$64.64 - '74 Fender Jazz Bass
$115 - '90 MIJ Fender '57RI P-Bass
$149 - '98 Yamaha LL-11 Acoustic
$165 - ‘70 Gibson ES-335
$180 - '98 USA Parker Nitefly
$180 - '78 Fender P-Bass
$180 - '78 Hamer Black Bound and Crowned Sunburst
$207 - '96 Larrivee D-05 acoustic
$225 - '94 Fender Jazz V Plus 5-string bass
$270 - '03 Taylor Jumbo Custom
$277 - 03 MIJ Epiphone Elite LP Custom
$315 - '89 Fender Jazz Bass
$325 - '90 Fender Strat Plus
$400 - '07 Fender '57RI AVRI Strat
$400 - '78 Fender P-Bass
$500 - '75 Fender Strat
$600 - ‘00 Gibson SH Supreme
$750 - '77 Gibson LP Deluxe
$756 - '08 Gibson LP Standard Plus
$762 - ‘76 SL Mossman Great Plains
$923 - ‘95 PRS Custom 24 10-Top
$923 - ‘81 Martin 7/28 Dred.
$993 - '89 Gibson LP Standard
$1100 - ‘77 Gibson RD Custom
$1200 - '03 Tom Anderson Hollow T Drop Top

Amps:

$250 - '05 Hughes & Kettner Tri Amp MKII Head
$320 - '07 Vox AC 30 Tube Combo
$400 - '10 Mesa Boogie Roadster Dual Rectifier Combo
$600 - '73 Fender SF Deluxe Reverb
$600 - '83 Mesa Boogie MKIIC loaded head

 

[Aceman]

Isn't that what reserve prices are for?

Reserve prices are for people who think an item is worth more than it really is.

"I read this guitar is worth 1200 retail, so I'm not letting it go for less than 1000" - when in reality 1200 MSRP means 900 actual, which means 400-500 used.

I never deal with reserve price auctions.