Tired of wading through BS when buying used

[Special_Ed]

I am in the market for a lot of diffrent peices of used gear. Frankly, I have been met with nothing but pure B.S. from the general public the whole way through. I am starting to get VERY pissed off. Reasons:

#1: Everyone always has to post some BS excuse as to why they are selling their gear. "Cough Cough... I'm sick and lost my job, need cash to pay for medical bills....." "I just lost my job and need the cash..."

I don't need to know why someone is selling their gear. They always try to play off your emotions and avoid giving the real awnser which is, I don't like this item I want to get rid of it.

I would say most people selling gear sell it because they don't like it anymore and want something else. Yet, not once have I heard anyone say they are selling something because they don't like it.

#2: Rediculous hype. I get tired of people telling me how awsome their gear is. "Man, this Rouge shreds." "My amp that looks like it stormed Normandy is in 'excellent' condition"
"This 15 watt practice amp can easily be heard over any drummer"

#3: Using bloated price examples. "Musicians friend says my fender squier retails for around $500 new, but I'll give it away for $300.

#4: Lying about it's condition.

Here is a sample of what I usually end up reading:

"Cough, cough.... I just lost my job due to illness, which is forcing me to part with this beautiful peavey squier. It is in mint condition other then the fact its beat to crap. This bass is so awsome, it will freakin rock you!"

Here is what should have been said:

"Selling a peavey squier in OK condition for $75 OBO"

[Special_Ed]

Check this out. This is a clip of an ampeg I was after.

Seller: "Ampeg SVT III Pro ~ $650.00"

Me: "Do you have the originial receipt so the warranty can be transfered?"

Seller: "Actually, this is an ORIGINAL Ampeg SVTIII"

Me: "Will you sell it for 600?"

Seller: "650 firm"

Seller reposts ad the next day saying: "All are OBO!!! "

[Brendan]

Does this all make sense to you? I mean, like, when you're getting all pissed off and stuff, in your head, does it all fall into place?

[Special_Ed]

Well man, it pretty much made sense to me before I got mad. People get crazy stupid when they chase after the all mighty dollar.

[Only]

You heard him, men! Police the Internet! I want every person posting a classified ad rounded up and given a good firm talking to!

Ain't nobody gonna post an overly verbose ad on my watch. You can rest easy now, Mr. Ed.

[MJ5150]

What horrible thing has happened in your life to make you think everyone is lying? Come on dude....you're trying to call out someone who is sick?

-Mike

[Puarija]

Wow.

If I didn't "need the money" I would've never sold anything I ever owned in my entire life. I've sold amps I loved just because I needed more power, sold a 2-space rack case (Thanks MJ ) because I went to a 4-space, have sold numerous basses that I would die to have back just because I went from 4 to 5 to 6 to 4 to 5 etc etc...

While I'm sure not everyone is honest about why they sell their gear, more often than not, people who don't need money don't sell their stuff. So if a guy says he lost his job, he probably did. If he says he has a new baby on the way so he doesn't need a 1000W amp, it's probably true.

When I'm buying used gear, I personally like the stories behind how the piece was acquired, what it had been through, and yes, why it is being sold. Just call me sentimental, but I like a good story.

Jake

[mike_v_s]

Originally Posted by Puarija

Just call me sentimental, but I like a good story.

Once upon a time, there was......

(come on people, you knew someone was gonna do it)


Mike

[Gard]

Originally Posted by mike_v_s

Once upon a time, there was......

(come on people, you knew someone was gonna do it)


Mike

...a really sentimental guy that liked to read internet gear for sale ads...

[mike_v_s]

....he became quite frustrated after a while...

[nonsqtr]

Originally Posted by Special_Ed

I am in the market for a lot of diffrent peices of used gear. Frankly, I have been met with nothing but pure B.S. from the general public the whole way through. I am starting to get VERY pissed off. Reasons:

#1: Everyone always has to post some BS excuse as to why they are selling their gear. "Cough Cough... I'm sick and lost my job, need cash to pay for medical bills....." "I just lost my job and need the cash..."

I don't need to know why someone is selling their gear. They always try to play off your emotions and avoid giving the real awnser which is, I don't like this item I want to get rid of it.

I would say most people selling gear sell it because they don't like it anymore and want something else. Yet, not once have I heard anyone say they are selling something because they don't like it.

Yeah, I'd have to say, that's a little extreme. I've gone through plenty of ups and downs in my life. In the "up" times, I buy gear, and in the "down" times, I'm forced to sell it. I agree with Puarija, I'd never voluntarily sell anything that I bought. I bought it "for a reason", 'cause I thought is was good. If it didn't fully meet my expectations, well, that doesn't necessarily mean it's "bad", does it?

Originally Posted by Special_Ed

#2: Rediculous hype. I get tired of people telling me how awsome their gear is. "Man, this Rouge shreds." "My amp that looks like it stormed Normandy is in 'excellent' condition"
"This 15 watt practice amp can easily be heard over any drummer"

#3: Using bloated price examples. "Musicians friend says my fender squier retails for around $500 new, but I'll give it away for $300.

#4: Lying about it's condition.

Here is a sample of what I usually end up reading:

"Cough, cough.... I just lost my job due to illness, which is forcing me to part with this beautiful peavey squier. It is in mint condition other then the fact its beat to crap. This bass is so awsome, it will freakin rock you!"

Here is what should have been said:

"Selling a peavey squier in OK condition for $75 OBO"

Okay, I hear you. There are definitely some hype artists out there. On the other hand, it's a matter of "caveat emptor", right? You're "always" taking a risk when you buy an instrument, whether it's new or used. If you're really lucky, and your dealer is really patient with you, you can spend time "in the shop" setting up the instrument and tweaking it to your own personal tastes, before you buy it.

On the other hand, once you've been around a while, you get a "sense" for an instrument. Probably more so "in the store" than on eBay, but still you get a sense for the relationship between the advertising and the reality. There's been more than one occasion in my life where I probably paid more for an instrument than what it's worth on the open market, but "for me", it was what I wanted (and needed) at the time.

It's really a pretty subjective equation, isn't it? The "worth" is in the eye of the buyer.

[bassmonkeee]

Of course, the other option is to stop looking at the ads ,and to stop buying used gear.

People have been selling stuff like this for a loooooooong time. What makes you think the anonymity of the internet would make things...better?

If people posted JUST the facts and JUST told the truth, there wouldn't be any such thing as advertising, now would there?

[Bryan R. Tyler]

"For Sale-Ampeg 4x10 cabinet. I am selling it because I don't like it and I want something else. It is not a super-amazing sounding cab. It is not in perfect shape. I would like you to pay me as much as you possibly can for it. More than I paid is preferable."

Boy, an ad like that would REALLY draw me in. Is that what you're looking for?

[Razor]

Dunno about everyone else but when I buy something I want it for the absolute lowest price I can get it...when I sell something, I want the most I can get for it....

Anything else that goes with it? Well that's when you use your good common sense to help in the purchase/sell decision.

[JMX]

Misc.

[secretdonkey]

Hey, I've got a cab for sale if you're looking. It's the freakin' awesomest, mint+ condition and it breaks my heart to sell it but I've suffered a personal tragedy and am letting it go for a tiny fraction of what these things sell on Ebay. PM me if you're interested!

[Brendan]

Ed, offhand, is this thread going the way you expected?

[Puarija]

Originally Posted by Brendan

Ed, offhand, is this thread going the way you expected?

ahh... this made me laugh heartily. I'm curious too.

[cheezewiz]

Originally Posted by Special_Ed

I am in the market for a lot of diffrent peices of used gear. Frankly, I have been met with nothing but pure B.S. from the general public the whole way through. I am starting to get VERY pissed off. Reasons:

#1: Everyone always has to post some BS excuse as to why they are selling their gear. "Cough Cough... I'm sick and lost my job, need cash to pay for medical bills....." "I just lost my job and need the cash..."

I don't need to know why someone is selling their gear. They always try to play off your emotions and avoid giving the real awnser which is, I don't like this item I want to get rid of it.

I would say most people selling gear sell it because they don't like it anymore and want something else. Yet, not once have I heard anyone say they are selling something because they don't like it.

There is a legitmate reason to do this. I can't count the number of times I've had gear for sale, and the FIRST question I'll be asked is "Why are you selling?"

Originally Posted by Special_Ed

#2: Rediculous hype. I get tired of people telling me how awsome their gear is. "Man, this Rouge shreds." "My amp that looks like it stormed Normandy is in 'excellent' condition"
"This 15 watt practice amp can easily be heard over any drummer"

Buyer beware. If you don't know the realities of the gear you are buying, don't be buying it. This annoys me to, but it is all part of being an educated buyer.

Originally Posted by Special_Ed

#3: Using bloated price examples. "Musicians friend says my fender squier retails for around $500 new, but I'll give it away for $300.

Another reason to be an educated consumer. KNOW what "going price" is and ignore the hype. I personally could care less what Musicians Fiend sells crap for.

Originally Posted by Special_Ed

#4: Lying about it's condition.

Here is a sample of what I usually end up reading:

"Cough, cough.... I just lost my job due to illness, which is forcing me to part with this beautiful peavey squier. It is in mint condition other then the fact its beat to crap. This bass is so awsome, it will freakin rock you!"

Here is what should have been said:

"Selling a peavey squier in OK condition for $75 OBO"

Now this one annoys most people. THIS is the reason you should always request more pics if the ones provided are not sufficient, and more information if you have any questions in your mind. It also doesn't hurt to get some sort of 24 hr. trial period.

[Kelly Lee]

Another thread whining... 1¢

Brendan nailing the thread starter...priceless!