Guitars on Ebay: Why are they all from Japan?

drad dog · #1 03-16-2018, 10:57 PM

I am looking for a square shouldered gibson and a martin, rosewood and mahogany. The categories I'm looking at it seems like the japanese have hoarded the market on them. Is this just an illusion?

Has anyone bought a guitar from Japan? I can't pull the trigger on somethng like that yet.

WiseAxe · #2 03-17-2018, 04:44 AM

I have noticed this as well. And the pricing might be right for the Japanese market, but in the oft chance that someone in the States "absolutely positively has to have" that guitar, it's questionable whether it's worth it for the Japanese eBay lister to offer it for sale in the US.

When doing eBay searches, I first do the general guitar model search, then have to use the "show results from US only" search refinement option to knock the search results down by two thirds.

00045 · #3 03-17-2018, 05:01 AM

Yeah, I noticed the same. I bought a Gibson Legend J-45 a few years back from a seller in Japan. It was a very good experience, good communication, fast shipment and perfect packaging.
The prices on e-bay are to high for the US

OKCtodd71 · #4 03-17-2018, 06:50 AM

Why even take a chance, shipping is very expensive, a return will be expensive and fraught with issues and complications and of course being shipped from such a distance increases the chances of damage occurring during shipping. I just came from a thread where a members brand new J45 has a top seam issue, everybody telling him to return it. Strikes me that you are just asking for problems, I have read some horror stories of international guitar buying.

KenL · #5 03-17-2018, 07:05 AM

I keep an eye on Alvarez-Yairis, and many of them on eBay these days are from Japan.

They have unusual models too, as certain models were made for Asia and others for the USA.

No way would I buy one, though, that's just too far away for me to have any confidence in a trouble-free transaction.

Rosewood99 · #6 03-17-2018, 07:14 AM

Maybe because all of the American sellers don't use ebay?

AHill · #7 03-17-2018, 07:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paulzoom

Maybe because all of the American sellers don't use ebay?

My thought as well. American sellers are more likely to use Reverb or Craigslist.

gitarro · #8 03-17-2018, 07:26 AM

I have to say that Japanese are generally in my experience honest to a fault. If there is any nationality where an international sale transaction is being negotiated, the Japanese seller or buyer is as safe a person to deal with as any other.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hatefulsob

Why even take a chance, shipping is very expensive, a return will be expensive and fraught with issues and complications and of course being shipped from such a distance increases the chances of damage occurring during shipping. I just came from a thread where a members brand new J45 has a top seam issue, everybody telling him to return it. Strikes me that you are just asking for problems, I have read some horror stories of international guitar buying.

personatech · #9 03-17-2018, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drad dog

I am looking for a square shouldered gibson and a martin, rosewood and mahogany. The categories I'm looking at it seems like the japanese have hoarded the market on them. Is this just an illusion?

Has anyone bought a guitar from Japan? I can't pull the trigger on somethng like that yet.

I bought a MIJ Fender Jazzmaster from Ishibashi in Japan several years ago - the transaction went smoothly. That being said, buying an acoustic from an unknown collector is quite a bit different than buying a solidbody Jazzmaster from a reputable dealer.

WildBill82 · #10 03-17-2018, 01:03 PM

You always have to consider currency arbitrage in international transactions. I haven't seen the chart recently, but the Yen has been very cheap to the Dollar for many years, which benefits Japanese exporters into the US.

drad dog · #11 03-17-2018, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AHill

My thought as well. American sellers are more likely to use Reverb or Craigslist.

I'll check reverb, but isn't craiglist the local market? You could wait 100 years for a suitable piece. I gave up even checking. Not only that but people on CL want too much money. Everybody's chiselling. I don't want to wait my 100 years and get an extorted too.

drad dog · #12 03-17-2018, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WiseAxe

I have noticed this as well. And the pricing might be right for the Japanese market, but in the oft chance that someone in the States "absolutely positively has to have" that guitar, it's questionable whether it's worth it for the Japanese eBay lister to offer it for sale in the US.

When doing eBay searches, I first do the general guitar model search, then have to use the "show results from US only" search refinement option to knock the search results down by two thirds.

Actually with the searches I'm doing I would get 100 knock down by doing that. Thus the OP.

drad dog · #13 03-17-2018, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 00045

Yeah, I noticed the same. I bought a Gibson Legend J-45 a few years back from a seller in Japan. It was a very good experience, good communication, fast shipment and perfect packaging.
The prices on e-bay are to high for the US

Ebay is good for the buyer about prices. You can check sold prices. If the Japanese are competing head to head with US sellers they will lose, but there is no product being listed, except from Japan, for some searches. It seems like a monopoly to me. Overwhelming, like 15 results only from Japan.

guitar george · #14 03-17-2018, 09:11 PM

I read that many of the best looking new guitars are being sent to Japan to be sold. I don't know if this is correct, but, there is a good variety of beautiful looking guitars being offered on Ebay from Japan.

Looburst · #15 03-17-2018, 09:15 PM

I can only tell you that for the last 25 or 30 years, the Japanese have been buying at shows I've attended. They discovered they can get more than retail for them over there and there is still a demand, apparently.