Purchasing guitar equipment via. eBay

Yarr · #1 June 9th, 2006

Generally, how safe is it?

I want to buy a Gibson Les Paul Classic (or Custom), and eBay, of course, has the best deals. The thing is, I don't use ebay so I dont know how safe it is..

earlier, when I was looking at some LP's, I noticed a lot of misleading auctions/scams (all from china, go figure). but it does seem that there are people who are generally nice, and will inform you of all the dents, blemishes, etc..

oh that reminds me... what good is the serial number of a particular guitar?

btw I realize the whole 'you should play a guitar before you buy it' thing, but it seems that a lot of people use ebay to buy guitar stuff, so..

is using ebay a good idea?

8LU3 · #2 June 9th, 2006

i wouldnt use it myself. not safe enough cuz you dont get to even see it in person before buying, and like you said, theres alot of scams

allthumbs · #3 June 9th, 2006

I have bought a couple of guitars on E bay and am happy with them. You need to keep your witts about you though. Watch out for unresonable shipping charges and use paypal so your covered. Always check their ratings for staisfied and unsatisfied customers. Ask questions. Research what you are going to buy. Don't get caught up in a bidding war. That is all I can think of off the top of my head.

Clancy · #4 June 9th, 2006

I haven't bought guitars on eBay but I have bought plenty of computer equipment and musical accessories (sound cards, guitar stands etc.) and I've never once had a problem. I would only order from someone with good feedback (and plenty of it) and only from my own country, but that's more to do with duty and shipping etc. Although I wouldn't order from China or Russia or India (sorry Kush no offence) or any country that is known for scamming online.

Ebay is great, they have a good buyers protection policy.

Clancy

MoonShine · #5 June 9th, 2006

Same here, love eBay and totally addicted, but!, before I purchase anything off anyone will thoroughly check their feedback. Haven't been done yet touch wood.

cshude · #6 June 9th, 2006

If it looks too good to be true, it is. Scams abound, especially around the holidays. I found that out when shopping for my laptop at the end of last year. In one case, somebody's ID had been hijacked- they usually sold little antique things (postcards and photos mostly) and someone got their ID and password and started listing all kinds of electronics. Then they wanted you to contact them outside of ebay to do the deal. That's definitely something you don't want. Make sure the whole deal goes through the ebay site.

Keep your eyes open and stay sharp and you shouldn't have any problems.

scotty_b · #7 June 9th, 2006

HI
I run an Ebay store for a music shop located in Sydney, and so I think Ebay has somethings to offer that are very good, but there are some dodgy people on there. If the guitar is being sold by a shop you have recourse for action if something goes wrong, if you pay with Paypal they offer protection of up to $1000 US (could be wrong on that figure) if there is a problem.
Check the person's history, if they are a store front see if they can be contacted somehow so that you may be assured that it is legit, and don't buy from China or India

USGold · #8 June 9th, 2006

If you are speaking of in the USA-have you considered your local "craigs list " instead--usually you can drive over and see the axe before you buy it if you go this route.

fly135 · #9 June 9th, 2006

The only guitar I've bought off eBay was a First Act Bass for $54. No much chance of someone makig a cheap clone of those.

I second USGold with the Craigslist suggestion. I've seen better deals on it. However, I have bought tons of odds and ends on eBay. The biggest advantage is simply getting a reasonably cheap price and it's delivered to your door. But you can get pretty much the same thing by buying from MusiciansFriend.com. I personally wouldn't pick eBay as a first choice buying a guitar.

munky · #10 June 9th, 2006

I've bought five guitars off ebay and haven't been scammed. You just have to know what to look for.

Yarr · #11 June 9th, 2006

Alright, a lot of different opinions. I never thought to use craigsilst, i'll go look at that after i'm done writing this message. But to the people that say they wouldn't use ebay, what other way (besides craigslist) can you find a used les paul in the right colour for the right price? All the local shops here overcharge.

fly135 · #12 June 9th, 2006

Have you checked the price at musicianfriend? More often than not I see their price cheaper than eBay.

Yarr · #13 June 9th, 2006

Is it possible to buy used guitars from musiciansfriend though? I live in Canada, so some items also don't ship here.

I just found this on craigslist btw:

http://vancouver.craigslist.org/msg/169629745.html
"missing cords, will trade for computer" hahahhahahaha

allthumbs · #14 June 9th, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by fly135

Have you checked the price at musicianfriend? More often than not I see their price cheaper than eBay.

The shipping is usually free with them anywhere in the states That can make a difference to your final price compared to flea bay.

fly135 · #15 June 9th, 2006

Too bad you aren't in Orlando. Check this one out...

http://orlando.craigslist.org/msg/168795719.html