"Secret" Taylor dealers?

[Dogberry415]

Well, here's something I haven't seen before. There's an auction on eBay for a "mint" Taylor 816CE (I won't list it here, but it's very easy to find, as it's the only one of its kind being auctioned right now), and it's going for a buy-it-now price $2990. That seemed kinda high to me for a used guitar, so I sent them an e-mail asking if they knew that for $9 more, a buyer could get a new one from a Taylor dealer at the Minimum Advertised Price that includes the lifetime warranty (I didn't mention the better bargains available from dealers who price below MAP... it wasn't relevant). Here's the response I got:

"Hi there, Actually, our guitars are brand new as we are Taylor Dealers. Our agreement with them doesn't allow us to list them as new on eBay, but they come with a lifetime warranty and are brand new just the same. We use ebay mostly for marketing."

A quick look at Taylor's web site showed me they weren't listed as a dealer.

Seems fishy to me. Has anyone ever heard of a dealer agreement like this?

[muscmp]

contact taylor to see what they say.

play music!

[EighthAveLocal]

Yes call taylor and see what gives.

[Dogberry415]

Originally Posted by muscmp

contact taylor to see what they say.

I probably will, but I thought I'd check with you folks first. I'd hate to call Taylor on Monday and have their customer-service rep sigh and say, "Yeah, they're part of our little-known "Used-is-New Program."

[Dru Edwards]

Could it be that authorized dealers are not allowed to sell on eBay? Does this eBay retailer have a non-eBay website that you could check out?

[Dominus]

Something about it just seems off. I can't picture in my mind a successful, profitable, professional company like Taylor feeling the need to make unnecessary back room deals like that. It sounds like a line the seller is feeding you to make you feel comfortable. The guitars themselves might be fine and stranger things have happened in business, so the guy might be telling the truth, but I'd sure as heck check with Taylor about that warranty question at the very minimum.

[JohnW63]

Are they selling "2nds" and have to list them as used, but they have never been sold before, so they tell you they are new ?

[HHP]

All sorts of weird stuff relates to Ebay. Noticed several items in the Auctions forum that listed guitars that were several years old as "Played less than 1 hour". Sure, right.

[Dogberry415]

Originally Posted by JohnW63

Are they selling "2nds" and have to list them as used, but they have never been sold before, so they tell you they are new ?

Good question. If so, the ethical thing to do would be to sell them as seconds (and not charge MAP for them).

[Dogberry415]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

Could it be that authorized dealers are not allowed to sell on eBay? Does this eBay retailer have a non-eBay website that you could check out?

It does, Dru. The site says they sell all kinds of guitar brands... but it doesn't say they are an official dealer for Taylor (or anyone else).

[JPHoush]

Taylor's policy for their dealers states that the manufacturer will NOT honor a warranty if the guitar is sold on ebay.

[edman]

I bought a "used" Taylor GA4 on eBay.

I contacted him to ask a few questions and he told me he was a Taylor dealer and the guitar was new with the full warranty. He had to list it as used because he was selling it below MAP.

I checked it out - his store was a Taylor dealer - they had their Taylor Road Show the same week that I bought the guitar.

It came in the Taylor shipping box with all of the Taylor paperwork.

I checked the auction in question - it's not the same seller I dealt with.

[Dwight]

Originally Posted by HHP

All sorts of weird stuff relates to Ebay. Noticed several items in the Auctions forum that listed guitars that were several years old as "Played less than 1 hour". Sure, right.

That's what I said in some recent ads. I have a bunch that have never been played that I'll be selling in the next ten years or so.

[Larpy]

It does seem odd.

I know from past experience that sometimes shops trade guitars with one another and end up selling a brand new guitar that they're not a dealer for. I once considered buying such a guitar and the owner of the shop told me to declare on the warranty card that I bought it from the other shop he got the guitar from--that way the warranty would be good. Didn't buy the guitar in the end, so it was a moot point.

Could this be a similar situation?

I don't know how widespread this practice is, but the shops in question were both small, independent operations, and each owner seemed interested in trading for a guitar that would be an unusual item given their usual stock, something they hoped would be easier to sell. This was years ago before internet sales became ubiquitous.

[JRB]

Originally Posted by JohnW63

Are they selling "2nds" and have to list them as used, but they have never been sold before, so they tell you they are new ?

Taylor doesn't have "2nds." If something doesn't pass muster as a "first" it gets destroyed.