Done Buying Used Online
 

Over the years I've bought countless guitars on Ebay and Reverb and had many good experiences. The last three major purchases have all be BAD!

I bought a D-18 GE that had a crack in the side where the tailblock is - I seriously doubt that it happened during shipping and the owner didn't disclose it. He refunded me $850 which made it a great deal and I got it fixed and it's fine.

I bought a D-41 that had a crack between the bridge pin holes in the bridge that was not disclosed - again, there's almost no way this happened during shipping. I had my luthier fill it as he said it was not a structural issue and was fine.

I just got a Recording King RK-36 banjo today with a serious crack in the neck by the headstock. Seller says it must have happened during shipping. Once again, I doubt that and the seller and I are both now working with Reverb to resolve this - I won't keep this one as I don't want a banjo with a crack in that place even if he gave me a bunch of $$ back.

So, my conclusion is that there are many unscrupulous sellers out there that will sell damaged instruments without divulging the issues in the hopes that the buyer will either put up with it, be ignorant and not notice or they can just claim that the damage happened during shipping and hope that they'll get some insurance $$ (we all know how difficult insurance claims are on instruments that have been shipped.)

I know there are many trustworthy sellers out there. But, I'm aggravated and have had it. I'm sticking to buying locally or buying new online from reputable dealers with a decent return policy. Argh.....

I just had a 10 year old used guitar returned because the color wasn't what the buyer thought it looked like in the pictures and the pick guard had some pick brushes on it. $$$

Sorry about your bad luck. I've probably purchased more than a half dozen used guitars online and never had a bad experience.

Same here. And I'm pretty much done with that.

But in my case, that's because I have acquired the guitars of my dreams, and my Guitar Acquisition Syndrome is well in remission! My guitars came from all over the U.S. I would never have been able to acquire them if I'd only shopped locally.

Maybe there are too many guitars being sold.

The last 2 new guitars I purchased had serious problems causing a return.
I started selling guitars on Reverb about a year ago. I've never been asked so many irrelevant questions. Definitely a buyer's market, currently. And a lot of the buyer's care about everything but how the guitar plays and sounds.

I don't even bother looking at Ebay, for anything. When I look on Reverb, the first thing I look for is to see if I could drive to pick it up. If not, I don't look any further.

There are just too many bad deals reported here. I don't need the aggravation

I'm about there too. I do have a used Eastman on the way... but that's not a high dollar guitar. At this point every used guitar over about $800 I've bought entirely online has gone back, that's about 5 or 6 guitars, the most minor infraction just went back last week... a 00-18 with undisclosed binding separation, but the listing allowed a 30 day return period. That was the least bad one... the worst was an Epiphone Texan that was listed as having a top crack and needing tuning machines, but showed up with all of the top braces in a plastic bag in the pocket of the gig bag.

On another note, though, it is entirely possible that the headstock damage on the banjo happened during shipping... other than getting crushed, that kind of headstock damage is one of the most common types of damage (in guitars anyway, I'd assume banjos too).

I have enough problems with new products. This extends beyond guitars. I don’t buy used anything.

What you are describing are the exact kinds of scenarios that run through my mind towards explaining why I will not buy used guitars. Your experiences are just a few examples. There have been enough bad experiences from others on here to sink a ship. It is a risk. One that I just don’t have the time or inclination to deal with.

People can really suck. I suspect you suspicions that the sellers knew is bang on.

Good luck

If it weren't for long distance buying, I'd still own the turn of the century Takamine that I purchased new at Guitar Center and nothing else...

I have bought several used guitars--TwoMartins, a Taylor, a Gibson and an Eastman over the internet. All from people who were selling on AGF. Never had a problem.

My used Taylor arrived today in perfect condition. Looked exactly like the photos. I did buy from a reputable dealer who I had purchased from before. I’m very skeptical about buying from a private party (or a dealer for that matter) without some kind of trial period or return policy.

My problem is with the cost of shipping. When I started buying/selling, you could ship a guitar anywhere in the lower 48 for $50-60, insured.

Now it's more like $125 or more, with insurance on top of that. Where I live now has something to do with that, an isolated little town up in the mountains.

I'm happy with the guitars that I've got now, so maybe my buying/selling days are over. But I do still check the local CL every few days in case something of interest pops up that I can drive to see.

Buying used, unplayed, carries risk. Ignoring it doesn't make it go away, and just because it hasn't gone against you in a purchase, it doesn't mean it didn't exist. You were fortunate.

I've never received a damaged guitar, just a few that I wouldn't have bought had I first played them. That's another risk you take.

I hope you get the banjo issue resolved to your satisfaction.

I buy used guitars very confidently from AGF members on the Classifieds page.....especially glad to deal with those members who have a track record here.

That's why you buy here at the AGF instead of reverb or ebay.