Am I the jerk here? Reverb return

[jpbicknell]

This is an ongoing matter here but let’s see what TB says


I’ve been looking for a early 80s Fullerton STD P with rosewood board… found one! Placed a lower but still fair offer. Accepted!

my first very first question before payment and checkout (and perhaps out of order here and my one and only error in the process)

“what’s the weight?”

“about 9lbs, very comfortable!”


Great! bass arrives as described except it weighs 11lbs. From the listings I’ve researched, and the other maple necked Fullertons I’ve put my hands on, 9lbs is actually on the heavy side. 11lbs feels like an anomaly, yes body is original.

Reverb agrees this is an issue of not as described.

Here’s where the karma gets tricky. Listing mentions “raising money for a woman who lost her husband last year”

He was the original owner and was a veteran. Bass is in great player-grade shape actually considering (maybe because it’s 11lbs and tended to sit in the case!”)

seller is pissed and thinks it’s “absurd” that I’m wanting to kill a deal “because of 2lbs” and I acknowledged the bad reverb karma on my end.

arguably this bass plays and sounds better than the other 83s I’ve played… and maybe the heavy body has something to do with that. Idk it just isn’t sitting well with me either way.


Am I the ******* here?

is anybody here interested in a boat anchor? Could be showing up in the classifieds later today.

 

[Kallen]

You didn't buy the bass to help that woman out and it's your money.

 

[dalkowski]

^^^ This

 

[fu22ba55]

Most people who aren't bassheads like us don't have a postal scale around that will properly weigh a bass.

So they use the bathroom-scale method which can be innaccurate.

So probably no ill intent, just bad luck.

When I get "surprises" on Reverb, I usually ask for a partial refund, just because nobody wants the hassle of sending things back.

Can you come to a compromise with the seller on a partial refund?

 

[RattleSnack]

If you can use it, like for studio work, keep it. Also, maybe it can be resold if the price was right?
Otherwise, return it.

 

[LBS-bass]

I'm not understanding something. The listing says it weighs 11 pounds, but you asked her anyway and she said 9 pounds, but then when it got to you it weighed what the listing said? I'm not certain how it's not as described or why you asked her, unless I'm missing something about the listing. It seems weird that Reverb would agree with this being not as described if I'm understanding this correctly.

Would you have not bought it otherwise, even though you've been searching for a while?

 

[Philonius]

I'm not understanding something. The listing says it weighs 11 pounds, but you asked her anyway and she said 9 pounds, but then when it got to you it weighed what the listing said?

I read this differently: Description did not state weight, buyer inquired and was told it weighed 9#, bass arrived and actual weight was 11#.

 

[LBS-bass]

I read this differently: Description did not state weight, buyer inquired and was told it weighed 9#, bass arrived and actual weight was 11#.

I took everything before the end quote to be what was in the listing. But I think you are correct.

 

[two fingers]

I read this differently: Description did not state weight, buyer inquired and was told it weighed 9#, bass arrived and actual weight was 11#.

Yeah this.

There was no weight in the ad. After the offer was accepted, but before payment, OP asked about the weight. Seller said 9. It wound up being 11.

If you're not going to play it, OP, return it. Whether or not the guy is doing a widow a favor has no bearing here. He did not tell the truth.

 

[sleddogn]

What makes it confusing, is her saying "about". That word means close i'm guessing..

 

[gln1955]

When a customer specifically asks for a weight, it's important to get it right. The seller didn't care, so just ballparked it. The backstory is irrelevant to the problem.

I'd try to negotiate enough back to pay for shipping when you resell it.

 

[aprod]

This is a business deal, leave the emotions out of it. An 11 lbs bass would be unplayable for me. Get your refund and move on.

 

[tb-player]

I've returned a bass because of a less than 2lb differential. Any other information is inconsequential.

 

[Rolling Thunder]

What makes it confusing, is her saying "about". That word means close i'm guessing..

"About" sounds like a "horseshoes & hand grenades" unit of measure.

 

[J-Bass RMR]

Still a little confused about the details / order here;
If your offer was not contingent upon weight, the deal was done once your offer was accepted.

If the weight was (mis) represented before your offer, that's a different story.

 

[duanev3]

This is an ongoing matter here but let’s see what TB says


I’ve been looking for a early 80s Fullerton STD P with rosewood board… found one! Placed a lower but still fair offer. Accepted!

my first very first question before payment and checkout (and perhaps out of order here and my one and only error in the process)

“what’s the weight?”

“about 9lbs, very comfortable!”


Great! bass arrives as described except it weighs 11lbs. From the listings I’ve researched, and the other maple necked Fullertons I’ve put my hands on, 9lbs is actually on the heavy side. 11lbs feels like an anomaly, yes body is original.

Reverb agrees this is an issue of not as described.

Here’s where the karma gets tricky. Listing mentions “raising money for a woman who lost her husband last year”

He was the original owner and was a veteran. Bass is in great player-grade shape actually considering (maybe because it’s 11lbs and tended to sit in the case!”)

seller is pissed and thinks it’s “absurd” that I’m wanting to kill a deal “because of 2lbs” and I acknowledged the bad reverb karma on my end.

arguably this bass plays and sounds better than the other 83s I’ve played… and maybe the heavy body has something to do with that. Idk it just isn’t sitting well with me either way.


Am I the a**hole here?

is anybody here interested in a boat anchor? Could be showing up in the classifieds later today.

Why waste a sellers time like that. If you have to know the weight and every small detail about a purchase on a used instrument, either buy new or look locally for a used bass so you can go put your hands on it.

 

[lermgalieu]

Why waste a sellers time like that. If you have to know the weight and every small detail about a purchase on a used instrument, either buy new or look locally for a used bass so you can go put your hands on it.

Really? Weight is important, and 2lbs is a giant difference. If the seller didn’t know the weight, the seller shouldn’t have replied with an answer. Because the OP wouldn’t have bought it.

 

[duanev3]

And yes you're the *-**** regarding this situation.

 

[LBS-bass]

Still a little confused about the details / order here;
If your offer was not contingent upon weight, the deal was done once your offer was accepted.

If the weight was (mis) represented before your offer, that's a different story.

True, an offer was made before the question was asked.

I'm going to guess that most non-players have no idea what a big deal this is for a lot of players. Now she knows. The reasonable thing to do would be to explain to her that she needs to have accurate weight in the listing so that it isn't overlooked by future buyers because it actually is an important detail for people. Apologize for the oversight in making the offer before you had the details. Negotiate however you will, but don't let her guilt you into the karma thing. Being nice about it will make the karma issue a non-issue. Since Reverb is on your side, you don't have a problem beyond this one.

 

[duanev3]

Really? Weight is important, and 2lbs is a giant difference. If the seller didn’t know the weight, the seller shouldn’t have replied with an answer. Because the OP wouldn’t have bought it.

The Seller said about 9 lbs.... I'm sure he didn't have a scale... The OP to me is just looking to squeeze more of a discount out of the deal. I've had a couple of buyers try and do the same BS to me, then ask for a $200 discount on the original agreed price.... I just tell them to send it back... they never do.