Blatant lies, ignorance or calculated deceit ?

[Christopher D]

Over the past 40 years or so I have looked at more guitars than I would be able to count, I started to collect in the Eighties when adverts were put in the local classifieds or you bought from the high street shops. The classifieds didn't have photographs so you had to telephone and arrange to go and see/play and there were quite a few 'wild goose chases'. In my opinion descriptions on such as Ebay and Reverb tend to be accurate and sellers draw attention to faults, I have never been disappointed by the descriptions given by dealers. However, there does seem to be sellers exploiting the trust that we have and should expect to be applied. It may be that with the restrictions on travel/ contact that Covid has forced on us some sellers feel they can achieve a sale without the guitar being inspected. I have over the past few months looked at a few guitars described in glowing terms as 'Mint', 'Flawless', 'fantastic condition' etc to find that in reality they are in good to average condition and in a couple of instances less than that. Needless to say I did not buy any of the guitars but do have a concern that such instruments could be bought on 'No returns accepted' terms and leave the buyer bitterly disappointed. Caveat Emptor is a powerful protection for the unscrupulous, has anyone else had similar experiences or contributions to make?

[TheGITM]

Most that I've seen are pretty good on description... and more and more sellers are paying attention to detailed photos where there might be condition issues. When I see offers posted with glowing descriptions but only 3 photos I don't even bother considering them. I move on. Any decent seller knows that condition is critical.

What I don't get are the sellers that post great descriptions and photos, but they ask for $100s more than the guitar is worth (based on other online sales info).

[tbeltrans]

For me, the solution has always been simple - try before you buy, which means buying locally. I realize that not everybody is in a geographical position to do that, however I am grateful to avoid all the hassles I have read about in these forums.

Anyway, I don't know anything about whether long distance sellers are telling the truth, lying, misinformed, or whatever. Given how much hassle can be involved when things go wrong, maybe it would be a good idea to make a road trip vacation for those who don't live near decent guitar shops.

Tony

[Rev Roy]

Nope. I’ve never had a bad experience. But I typically only buy long distance used guitars from fellow AGFers or other friends I trust. For me, communication is the key. Ask lots of question and for photos. If possible, get the seller on the phone. That kind of direct communication makes it much easier to get a read on a seller.

[para_adams]

IMO the vast majority of sellers are honest and diligent about describing their guitars well. However, some otherwise honest sellers can be ignorant or lazy.
Ignorant of what to look for with certain issues. Lazy because they are still seeing their long-loved guitar through rose colored glasses and haven't been honest with themselves about its faults.

In the old days you bought locally via CL or at a guitar store. One way I like is a modern hybrid of the old "brick and mortar" safety...find your guitar online at at GC across the country, call them for a detailed description, and then have it shipped to a nearby store where you can still inspect it and unwind the deal relatively painlessly if needed.

[dnf777]

I know what youre talking about, but like GITM, I tend to pass those over with relative ease. Im sure luck comes into play as well, but I think Ive developed a pretty good BS detector. I typically have found purchased guitars in better shape than advertised, with several “large dings” turning out to be barely perceptible in normal light.

[steelvibe]

I'm not as seasoned as some of you here as I've only bought one guitar and sold two (so that is what I mean when I say that). But before I ever sold guitars here I bought my first. I was straight up with the seller that I was new to the process but welcomed his mentorship. He was super gracious and understanding and really eased my tensions, and yes we did talk on the phone.

As for the guitars I've sold, both buyers asked lots questions of which I was happy to oblige. I didn't speak on the phone with the buyers, but we did lots of texts, photos and question/answer sessions. One of those guitars I had personally refinished and so obviously the seller knew risk was involved. I put that buyer at ease basically making the sale open-ended that it could be returned as long as he was willing to pay for the return shipping. That demonstrated that I stood behind my product and made the buyer confident in my confidence As it turned out I was right and the buyer said the finish was "beautiful". Nice!

These interactions are my favorite things about this forum and I suppose much of that has to do with having a great moderation team. So thank you mods! I've heard from legacy forum members that this is "a tight knit group". I agree wholeheartedly. I've had one bad transaction experience on this forum but simply told said individual that I didn't want to do business with them, canceled the sale and blocked them. It might have even been bad communication on my part but the buyer was a bit deceptive.

Always trust your gut- it is like 95% right.

[Italuke]

No. Have not had that experience. Maybe I'm lucky.

[Mezner]

Just as a perspective from the other side, I always try to under-evaluate whatever I'm selling; as-in, I don't try to oversell anything. If something is in excellent condition, I will list it as "great" and try to point out any flaws with utmost scrutiny. I always ensure to take more pictures than needed so a prospective buyer can feel secure with their potential purchase. I don't like to bicker with buyers, especially so when it comes to perceived condition from their side.

I've come to the realization that any online marketplace (eBay, Reverb, Amazon, etc.) always has a favor towards the buyer. Even if something is marked as "no returns," if the product is not as-described there's always a course of action for the buyer that they can pursue.

Additionally, I've only really had one instance where a guitar was described as in excellent-mint condition and what showed up was a "good" condition guitar at best. The guitar was riddled with a rough-feeling finish as well as multiple other little flaws and stand-out defects. The cherry on top was the lifting bridge that became apparent as soon as I brought the guitar up to tune and applied tension on the strings. It was extremely disappointing, but the seller accepted his faults and paid for the return.

[TDavis]

The vast majority of the guitars I’ve bought over the last several years have been bought from sellers/traders on the AGF Classified forum, or from the Buy & Sell forum on another guitar-centric forum. With maybe only one exception, I’ve never had any issues with a seller being deceitful or buying a “dud” that was just a bad guitar. I try very hard to do due diligence in communication & my own particular gut-feeling plays a major part too.

Maybe I’ve just been fortunate.

[Mr. Jelly]

As for eBay a buyer may claim that the guitar received was not as stated or claimed and they may return it. Even when it says they do not accept returns.

[msbedard]

My somewhat limited experiences of buying/selling on AGF have been flawless. When selling I tend to understate the condition and when buying I look for high def photos and a Seller willing to answer any questions.

Where I get completely confused is when I see a purchase price of X and a trade value of X+$$$. What could the justification for a higher trade value be? Isn’t the guitar worth what it’s worth, regardless of the type of transaction? Then again maybe I’m just too old to get it.

[gfspencer]

I have purchased two guitars off of Reverb. Both purchases left a lot to be desired.

The first was a Martin D-1 Authentic. The seller - which claimed to run a music store - wound the strings backwards.

The second was a J12-65M. The seller said that the guitar had been inspected by his tech and had a perfect setup. I have not seen such high action in all my life. I wanted a maple 12-string so I had Gryphon do a setup that included a neck reset and a new bridge.

I'm not buying anymore used guitars unless I can play them first.

[islandguitar]

All my experiences have been here on AGF with outstanding results. The one time I had a Reverb sale, it went smoothly at the start, but then after the guy received it, he actually complained about how completely it was packaged, and then he bashed me for putting "those" strings on it. (new JP PB). Put "his" favorite on and all was wonderful. Really? Then proceed to find things he didn't like on a mint guitar.......
I followed him on another forum briefly and he flipped the guitar within weeks........sigh....oh well........
Back to AGF!!

[Shortfinger]

What's a high street?