Buying from EBAY.... is it really worth the risk

Re: Buying from EBAY.... is it really worth the risk

I didn't read all the posts to this thread, but wanted to chime in on this one. I've bought a lot of stuff off the ebay website, including several guitars. The main thing I can emphasize is that if you have any questions in your mind at all about anything you buy there, ASK questions and DO NOT bid until you get the answers. Your bid is a binding contract and backing out of a deal after the auction is over or retracting a bid can cause you to get negative feedback and hurt your chances of buying from other sellers, as well as get you in trouble with ebay itself. Be aware of the seller's feedback rating and if they have any negative remarks, go and check 'em out to see if there is anything explaining what went wrong. I prefer to buy from those with lots of deals under their belts, and nearly if not flawless feedback rating. During some auctions I've obtained the seller's phone number and called them to clarify a few details and to listen to their tone of voice
I've never had a problem with any shipments (knock on mahogany....lol) and have bought two amps at ebay and one other that was also shipped to me. The only thing you might have to do when you get a tube amp through the mail is to make sure your tube-bias is set properly, but I've never had to except for amps I re-tubed with new ones. Setting bias is something that needs to be done periodically anyways no matter what you do with your amp. If you buy solid-state you shouldn't have any problems.
I have another rule I always follow when I do high-dollar deals (pretty much anything over a couple-hundred dollars): always make sure there's a money-back guarantee in case it isn't what you expected or wanted. I've only had to do that a few times out of hundreds of transactions (400+ over several years with a 100% feedback rating), and it's cost me a few bucks for return shipping costs (although you can always take a chance and resell on ebay and see if you can get your money back out of it). AND, anything over a hundred bucks make sure it's insured. Anything I can do to ease my mind about big money deals is the rule of thumb. You can always ask people here about auctions, but remember that the person you ask here might end up being the one you bid against in one of those auctions....he-he

just my $.05

....Bob
 
Re: Buying from EBAY.... is it really worth the risk

RatPoison said:
Ok, here's another point. I forgot to meantion this: when I saw a used 5150 on EBAY, the product description stated that the head's exterior had scratches on it (though he stated that the head worked 100%). My dad remarked, "something with scratches must have been used for a long time by a band"..which is obvious. but he reccomends me to avoid items like these completely, since they have been though lots of abuse and may be F'ed up. is his point justified?
Click to expand...
not at all. it proves, if anything, that it's built well. if i see an amp that's in "mint condition" it hasn't been put to the test
 
Re: Buying from EBAY.... is it really worth the risk

RatPoison said:
Ok, here's another point. I forgot to meantion this: when I saw a used 5150 on EBAY, the product description stated that the head's exterior had scratches on it (though he stated that the head worked 100%). My dad remarked, "something with scratches must have been used for a long time by a band"..which is obvious. but he reccomends me to avoid items like these completely, since they have been though lots of abuse and may be F'ed up. is his point justified?
Click to expand...

...not really.

Just because something has scratches on it doesn't mean it was abused. It just means it has some scratches on it.

For amps I prefer buying ones that have some wear and tear on them. To me it says that they've been gigged and played and worn in and anything that was going to go on them will have been long gone by now.

The depreciation for buying new is ridiculous; it's a nice romantic notion to have but not realistic financially. The sheer loss as soon as it leaves the shop is out of hand. You'll spend more to get an amp that in my eyes, hasn't been proven. There's few things I hate more than having an amp break down on me because it was a dud from the manufacturer. Buying used avoids this.

Lots of people unload perfectly good amps everyday for reasons that are not that they've abused the amp so much that it's on the verge of breakdown. Some folks just don't play that style anymore. Some folks had the band detonate on them. In Boston were seeing the college kids unloading amps and other gear because they're moving to other parts of the country for work as they graduate.

A couple of scratches and a couple of dings can be exactly that and nothing more. I can appreciate your Dads desire to look out for you, but with something like this his concerns are pretty unfounded.
 
Re: Buying from EBAY.... is it really worth the risk

WELCOME :beerchug:

As far as guitars go.....be patient & grab one that will ship with a hard case.

For amps, that's a little tougher. TONS of things can happen when shipping something that heavy & temperamental. A head should be O.K. especially if it's gonna be shipped in its' original packaging. But for every bad thing you hear, there are usually 10 good transactions, so............

Good deals can be had....be patient & get what you want. The nicest thing about buying used, aside from lower prices, is that there are usally a few upgrades that have been done ie. pickups, tubes, speakers.

You might also check the classifieds at www.HarmonyCentral.com or www.thegearpage.net (when it gets back online). Maybe try a few online searches to find someone closer to you. Toronto has some killer stores...try their classifieds or www.craigslist.org :bigthumb:

GOOD LUCK & WELCOME AGAIN :D
 
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Re: Buying from EBAY.... is it really worth the risk

Quote chopstherocker "Check out the Trading Post on this forum. ..................... We're honest here on the SD board, and we like to help a brother out when we can"

I agree ...consider trying this first if you fear Ebay to any extent.

You could put a post on the Trading Post and take it from there.

Good Luck from a Canuck (Sorry...couldn't resist)

Dave
 
Re: Buying from EBAY.... is it really worth the risk

Just curious...Did you talk to the guys at Song Bird Music (near Bank St.) They have an amp tech on staff and maybe they could keep a look out for something coming in on consignment. You might be able to get a decent price on an amp. and guitar "package".
Plus you can "try before you buy".

I was there a couple of weeks ago and they had some nice used gear IMHO.

Just a thought. This way you could take your Dad ( if that would help at all...especially if he is prepared to donate to the cause)

Again...Good Luck !!!!
 
Re: Buying from EBAY.... is it really worth the risk

Songbird....actually haven't really thought of that. I could probably have them keep their eyes open for something...

I think I'll visit them this week then, thanks for the idea.
 
Re: Buying from EBAY.... is it really worth the risk

Please let us know what you decide to buy.

Songbird has a decent website with pics if you wanted to take a look before going.

This amp.would not likely be your thing, but have a look at the '64 Princeton (I think) Brownface (brown tolex also)...don't see these very often. A nice example of amp. history.

Good hunting.

Dave
 
Re: Buying from EBAY.... is it really worth the risk

I don't think it's risky...and if you buy only from someone with 95% plus positive feedback it's not very risky at all. I've only been burned on Ebay a couple of times out of a thousand deals. Most people want to avoid negative feedback and will give you a refund if you're really unhappy just so they can avoid negative feedback. Avoid people with zero or just a couple of feedbacks...but a seller with 100 or more is probably going to be fine. Lew
 
Re: Buying from EBAY.... is it really worth the risk

I couldn't tell you the last time I bought a guitar in an actual store. Every guitar I've purchased since September of 2001 has been from eBay. That's at least 7 guitars maybe 9. Never a problem. I've also bought a Mesa Dual Recto head without an issue. I get scared and don't wanna get ripped off. But as they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Look through the feedback email back and forth with the seller and know what you wanna spend and what the market value is. You won't get ripped off. But there are also proections put in place to help you, both by eBay and PayPal. It's a bit of an inconvenience if you do get ripped off but you won't be out much if anything in the end.
 
Re: Buying from EBAY.... is it really worth the risk

I had the same problem with my parents when I wanted to buy something off eBay. However I managed to convince them that eBay and Paypal have Buyer Protection programs so there are ways to decrease the chances that you'll get ripped off. Parents, especially those who haven't yet adapted to more modern technology and aren't that tech-smart, can often be paranoid just because they think "it's a deal over the internet, so it must be a criminal on the other side".

I think the most important thing is to keep your eyes open, and search often for something you're looking for, and when you see it, make sure the seller has a good amount of positive feedback, and read it all. If there are any negatives make sure you read those as well and see if there was a good reason. Sometimes buyers are just picky and they blame the sellers for broken/non-functional items that are actually the fault of the courier (*cough*UPS*cough*).

So far I've bought at least four pedals, two Nady UHF-4 Wireless systems, my Peavey Triple XXX head, and some other stuff off eBay. Never had a problem with the sellers, because I've done my research before I bid. And now my mom isn't so paranoid about it either, which is great.
 
Re: Buying from EBAY.... is it really worth the risk

Congratulations on the guitar !!!

Which amp are you looking at now?
 
Re: Buying from EBAY.... is it really worth the risk

Oh, that's coming later lol.... Right now I'm just going to play it through my practise bass amp, probably with some OD box, until I get a proper guitar amp.

But for the record I'm considering something along the lines of 'tear your head off'. I'm likely ending up with a 5150 or an XXX for now since I love how they sound, and since they're all over the used market, but everyone and their dog is using a 5150 so I might get a Randall for the sae of being different. I never liked Rectos and I don't know about Marshall..great sounding but for the most part 'not for me'.


Of course, my 'ultimate' amp is the Mesa Boogie Mark IV, just ****ing phenomenal tone...but they're said not to be for less experienced players like yours truly since it takes patience to tune in your sound...I really like the sound of ENGLs and H&Ks as well :)

Now what pickups will I get once I get the stack and the axe. Likely a good Duncan Distortion/Jazz pairing. :D

Cheers everybody.
 
Re: Buying from EBAY.... is it really worth the risk

Good luck on the amp and enjoy the new axe.

Nice to see all the Canadian participation in your post !!

Dave
 
Re: Buying from EBAY.... is it really worth the risk

Only advice i have about ebay is to make sure to use paypal, and get as much info from the seller as possible before sending payment. I'm currently in a dispute over an amp I purchased on eBay that was paid for but not delivered. Though overall, i think most transactions go off without a hitch.
 
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