Won a guitar on eBay - seller doesn't want to sell - the hilarity ensues

[aasti3000]

If you paid thru paypal, contact them and tell them the situation. I had an issue like that and paypal froze the seller's bank account and he eventually shipped it overnight.

That's crazy what the seller is trying to pull but Ebay needs to come down off of that 9% fee of the sale knowing you also have to pay I think a 3% fee with paypal. Ebay is making a killing with that fee for every sale. Paypal seems sort of reasonable. At that rate...you never get the expected amount or close to the amount.

[sevdog]

Originally Posted by smcd

Uh huh. So you're going to buy from an ebay seller that has a storefront in Bangor ME. So you can travel from TX to ME to confront them in person? That makes sense.

No, probably not. But I drink a lot, take a healthy amount of drugs and might be bipolar; so sometime if you screw me for enough money and I catfch a wild hair with enough smack talking from my dirt bag friends then I just might.

[mournblade]

Originally Posted by sevdog

No, probably not. But I drink a lot, take a healthy amount of drugs and might be bipolar; so sometime if you screw me for enough money and I catfch a wild hair with enough smack talking from my dirt bag friends then I just might.

LOL, OMG! That might be the greatest line ever.

[smcd]

Originally Posted by mournblade

LOL, OMG! That might be the greatest line ever.

+1 on that!

[sevdog]

Thank you, thank you. I'll be here all night.

[michael_atw]

Originally Posted by aasti3000

That's crazy what the seller is trying to pull but Ebay needs to come down off of that 9% fee of the sale knowing you also have to pay I think a 3% fee with paypal.

9%? You must be living in 2009 More like 11% right now - but it's a staggered fee structure. Fees on shipping, Paypal, insertion, and FVF. The FVF is structured so that higher valued items pay less as a percentage.

[lowphatbass]

Originally Posted by sevdog

No, probably not. But I drink a lot, take a healthy amount of drugs and might be bipolar; so sometime if you screw me for enough money and I catfch a wild hair with enough smack talking from my dirt bag friends then I just might.

If you buy an astronaut suit and rig a fuel cell with a bunch of 5 gallon gas cans you won't have stop.

(I do NOT recommend the gas cans, astronaut suit is AWESOME though)

[Templar]

Originally Posted by michael_atw

I make a pretty good living on it so I'm happy they "dump" it on me

Once again, I've bought hundreds. They don't lie any more than the average person. And no, it's not called "lying by omission" when you know nothing about something and state in the listing (paraphrased), "I know nothing about this, buy at your own risk."

Except that they absolutey DO know when items are damaged or are not working properly. Are we to believe pawn brokers routinely sell merchandise with no clue as to whether or not any of it actually works? Nonsense, of course they know, it's their business to know. Literally, their "business".

Besides, any tard can see a cracked headstock, missing parts, etc. But only a lying scumbag seller will omit that info from his ebay listing, hence...lying by omission.

"I know nothing about this, buy at your own risk."

Except that is NOT what is normally stated in their listings, paraphrased or otherwise. Stating that in an ebay auction is a bid-killer, a death knell to sales, so they don't do it.

And on the rare occasion when it is stated, it means the seller knows the item has issues. It's simply stated as a disclaimer to plead ignorance when things go wrong, which they likely will. Caveat emptor.

It's gonna be a hard sell convincing anyone that pawn brokers are typically as honest as "average people". They didn't get a lousy rep for no reason.

That said, dealing with pawn shops in person can be rewarding, providing one knows what one is looking at.

[michael_atw]

Originally Posted by Templar

Except that they absolutey DO know when items are damaged or are not working properly. Are we to believe pawn brokers routinely sell merchandise with no clue as to whether or not any of it actually works? Nonsense, of course they know, it's their business to know. Literally, their "business".

Besides, any tard can see a cracked headstock, missing parts, etc. But only a lying scumbag seller will omit that info from his ebay listing, hence...lying by omission.

I repeat again, seeing as it seems to not be valid information. I have literally purchased hundreds of guitars from pawn shops on Ebay.

You can call pawn shops "lying scumbags", but you've obviously had little experience on the matter. I have had a wealth of experience. They are no better or worse than any other seller.

Originally Posted by Templar

Except that is NOT what is normally stated in their listings, paraphrased or otherwise. Stating that in an ebay auction is a bid-killer, a death knell to sales, so they don't do it.

False. It is quite common. Additionally, it often does mean that the guitars (or other items) go for much less than the average. The law of the market drives the price in that case - there are still many people who are very happy buying sight unseen.

Originally Posted by Templar

And on the rare occasion when it is stated, it means the seller knows the item has issues. It's simply stated as a disclaimer to plead ignorance when things go wrong, which they likely will. Caveat emptor.

It's gonna be a hard sell convincing anyone that pawn brokers are typically as honest as "average people". They didn't get a lousy rep for no reason.

I have experience. A wealth of it. If that's not enough to convince you...well...I don't know what to tell you.

[Gasman]

Originally Posted by michael_atw

I repeat again, seeing as it seems to not be valid information. I have literally purchased hundreds of guitars from pawn shops on Ebay.

You can call pawn shops "lying scumbags", but you've obviously had little experience on the matter. I have had a wealth of experience. They are no better or worse than any other seller.




False. It is quite common. Additionally, it often does mean that the guitars (or other items) go for much less than the average. The law of the market drives the price in that case - there are still many people who are very happy buying sight unseen.



I have experience. A wealth of it. If that's not enough to convince you...well...I don't know what to tell you.

I agree with you, michael. I've bought quite a few (not as many as you, mind you) instruments off of ebay. The only problem I've had have been from individuals, not shops that use ebay for online sales. There's always going to be a bit of "Buyer Beware" with any ebay transaction, but my experience has been that the ebay stores care more about their feedback than the individual seller trying to make a quick buck.

To the OP, I feel for you. Raw deal, and the seller obviously knew what he/she was doing and was trying to get around the cost of putting a Reserve on the auction. I'm sure you'll get your money back, and you should leave negative feedback. The seller deserves it.

[GreaserMatt]

Originally Posted by bassgod0dmw

If he wanted/expected at least $500, why didn't he set a reserve price of $500? Moronic.

This is why I don't use Ebay any more.

Me too; this, & many, many other reasons,,,

[Marcury]

Here on Talkbass now $450 1984 Guild Pilot Bass Pickguard Model

[Templar]

Originally Posted by michael_atw

I repeat again, seeing as it seems to not be valid information. I have literally purchased hundreds of guitars from pawn shops on Ebay.

You can call pawn shops "lying scumbags", but you've obviously had little experience on the matter. I have had a wealth of experience. They are no better or worse than any other seller.




False. It is quite common. Additionally, it often does mean that the guitars (or other items) go for much less than the average. The law of the market drives the price in that case - there are still many people who are very happy buying sight unseen.



I have experience. A wealth of it. If that's not enough to convince you...well...I don't know what to tell you.

Here's the thing, michael atw...it doesn't matter how many experiences you claim to have had buying from ebay pawners. However vast, your experiences don't negate the experiences of others. It's not a p*****g contest. My experiences with them have been negative over the past ten years. I don't need to endure "hundreds" of bad beats to know what's up.

It's absurd to claim that ebay pawn shop sellers don't know if their merchandise is fit to sell or not. They are not the innocent lambs you're trying to portray them as. Comical.

As you say, you've bought hundreds of guitars from ebay pawners, and are making a good living from it. Evidently you're running a similar operation yourself. Perhaps that explains why you are trying to whitewash the pawner image? Good luck with that.

[lowphatbass]

I have to say, I've bid and won some basses from "pawn shops" with ebay stores. A few of them had issues beyond what I was comfortable with and in every case the seller did what they had to do to make the transaction a positive one for me. Pawn shops buy cheap and aren't dreamers who are attached to their merchandise and/or over-value it. I've known michael_atw as an ebay seller for some years. IME, he is pretty realistic in terms of pricing and provides accurate descriptions of his merchandise. I seriously doubt he would still be at it if he was trying to making a living ripping people off.

I don't know him personally, and don't have an axe to grind either way. I have spent a good deal of time on ebay and base my opinion on his auctions. There are still some great deals on ebay but it's never a sure thing, the more informed you are about the products, tendencies and processes involved the greater the chances of you coming out ahead.

[michael_atw]

Originally Posted by Templar

Here's the thing, michael atw...it doesn't matter how many experiences you claim to have had buying from ebay pawners. However vast, your experiences don't negate the experiences of others. It's not a p*****g contest. My experiences with them have been negative over the past ten years. I don't need to endure "hundreds" of bad beats to know what's up.

It's absurd to claim that ebay pawn shop sellers don't know if their merchandise is fit to sell or not. They are not the innocent lambs you're trying to portray them as. Comical.

As you say, you've bought hundreds of guitars from ebay pawners, and are making a good living from it. Evidently you're running a similar operation yourself. Perhaps that explains why you are trying to whitewash the pawner image? Good luck with that.

Yes, experience takes a back seat to ad hominem attacks. Oh well.

[michael_atw]

Originally Posted by lowphatbass

I have to say, I've bid and won some basses from "pawn shops" with ebay stores. A few of them had issues beyond what I was comfortable with and in every case the seller did what they had to do to make the transaction a positive one for me. Pawn shops buy cheap and aren't dreamers who are attached to their merchandise and/or over-value it. I've known michael_atw as an ebay seller for some years. IME, he is pretty realistic in terms of pricing and provides accurate descriptions of his merchandise. I seriously doubt he would still be at it if he was trying to making a living ripping people off.

I don't know him personally, and don't have an axe to grind either way. I have spent a good deal of time on ebay and base my opinion on his auctions. There are still some great deals on ebay but it's never a sure thing, the more informed you are about the products, tendencies and processes involved the greater the chances of you coming out ahead.

I'm glad you have found me to be an upstanding guy Thanks for the kind words.

Sometimes I get a bit saucy with lowballers - hopefully no TB'ers hahaha

Ebay is a hard spot because you buy/sell sight unseen - meaning not only the item but the person as well. That's always a bit hard for me to swallow sometimes - it makes meaningful conversation with repeat customers hard and it makes ironing out issues even harder. Always a new learning experience. And always some new stresses. Guitars are high risk items - I think some people don't realize that (both buyers and sellers). Somewhat fragile wood and electronics.

Some of the best deals in my personal collection came from Pawn Shops too. Picked up a Geddy Lee Jazz with hard case for $500, took the neck off and mated it to what I believe to be a charcoal frost metallic(? or maybe gunmetal blue) Fender USA Jazz body. Loving it. The Geddy Lee was better than expected. Now that I think about it, that Fender USA Jazz was a pawn shop purchase too!






I think I have 9 basses in my stable right now and at least 3 were pawn shop purchases. My Ampeg B15S was a pawn shop purchase, my '72 SVT blueline was a purchase from a picker who got it at an estate sale. I always figure - the less competition, the better the deals! Maybe I should talk them down so everyone runs and hides :P

[Hobobob]

Originally Posted by michael_atw

I'm glad you have found me to be an upstanding guy Thanks for the kind words.

Sometimes I get a bit saucy with lowballers - hopefully no TB'ers hahaha

Ebay is a hard spot because you buy/sell sight unseen - meaning not only the item but the person as well. That's always a bit hard for me to swallow sometimes - it makes meaningful conversation with repeat customers hard and it makes ironing out issues even harder. Always a new learning experience. And always some new stresses. Guitars are high risk items - I think some people don't realize that (both buyers and sellers). Somewhat fragile wood and electronics.

Some of the best deals in my personal collection came from Pawn Shops too. Picked up a Geddy Lee Jazz with hard case for $500, took the neck off and mated it to what I believe to be a charcoal frost metallic(? or maybe gunmetal blue) Fender USA Jazz body. Loving it. The Geddy Lee was better than expected. Now that I think about it, that Fender USA Jazz was a pawn shop purchase too!






I think I have 9 basses in my stable right now and at least 3 were pawn shop purchases. My Ampeg B15S was a pawn shop purchase, my '72 SVT blueline was a purchase from a picker who got it at an estate sale. I always figure - the less competition, the better the deals! Maybe I should talk them down so everyone runs and hides :P

Love that finish/pickguard combo. Looks like it needs a rosewood board to my eyes tho.

[michael_atw]

Originally Posted by Hobobob

Love that finish/pickguard combo. Looks like it needs a rosewood board to my eyes tho.

Never! haha...I am fond of maple + blocks. I have my '75 RI Japanese Jazz in Ocean Turquoise, she'll fill the role of rosewood, bound, and blocked. The pickguard was on it when I bought it - one of the things that made me have to have it. I've always appreciated this specific type of color from Fender - threw that heavy chrome tugbar on and I'm stylin'.

The Japanese neck mated with the USA body better than I thought, too.

[Munjibunga]

I can barely express the joy and satisfaction I receive from the fact that I don't do eBay.

[Hobobob]

Originally Posted by michael_atw

Never! haha...I am fond of maple + blocks. I have my '75 RI Japanese Jazz in Ocean Turquoise, she'll fill the role of rosewood, bound, and blocked. The pickguard was on it when I bought it - one of the things that made me have to have it. I've always appreciated this specific type of color from Fender - threw that heavy chrome tugbar on and I'm stylin'.

The Japanese neck mated with the USA body better than I thought, too.

Believe me, I love a good bound n' blocked maple board too! Just that finish and guard really seem like they would work well with rosewood. Oh well, guess I'll just have to get a charcoal Am. Standard P and slap a tort guard on it just to tick you off!