Am I the jerk here? Reverb return

[boombloom]

You made a verbal contract/agreement prior to asking an important question. No need to consider the anus. Karma is the issue. Honestly, if I got excited about a listing I can easily see myself jumping into a deal and then asking an important question prior to payment. It would be a tough spot but I do my best to do what I feel is the right thing. If, after the verbal agreement you had asked about weight and had gotten the correct 11 pound answer I suppose you could have requested an honorable cancellation. That would have been fine, but the seller could have just as easily said that the deal was done and the bass was yours.

 

[Sam Dingle]

Not your issue why it was being sold imo. Yes that sucks but where is the line? Imagine they sent you a jazz bass instead? Would you feel this way? If the pickups didn’t work cuz they didn’t know how to plug it in?

bass weight is important. If you’re unable to play the bass on a gig cuz it’s too heavy then it’s not worth owning imo unless you’re a guy who does all your playing sitting and recording.

personally I would do this if you like the bass. You need a stupid good deal on it to keep it even with the weight. If they want to send you 40 or even 50% of what you paid back then I’d keep it but if not they owe you all your money back plus return shipping

 

[perfektspace6]

If it sounds great then start doing some shoulder work in the gym and you will be good in a couple months.

 

[southpaw723]

Picky, but fair

 

[KaseOfBass]

Some of y'all have apparently never bought something significant like a car or a house...either side can pull the cord. I can call a car dealership and make offers all day, then go test drive and decide it's not happening. I can make offers on a home, go look at it, ask some questions, and rescind that offer. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Nothing changes here because it was a bass.

Ain't nothing a deal until money has been exchanged, funded, etc. OP, you're absolutely, 100% in the right to return it. Regardless of when you asked the question, it was asked and you received incorrect info. That's that.

 

[beaglesandbass]

It happened before payment, so it should be binding. But I agree that questions should have been made prior to the offer.

Before payment, but after the sale.

The agreement on the buyer’s side took place as soon as he submitted an offer. If it even tells you that when you go to submit the offer.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Before payment, but after the sale.

The agreement on the buyer’s side took place as soon as he submitted an offer. If it even tells you that when you go to submit the offer.

Yeah, I guess you're right. And that's not a sarcastic or passive aggressive agreement, really agreeing.

 

[bucephylus]

Well what if the sellers calibrated arm scale shows "about" 9 lbs, and the sellers calibrated arm scale showed "exactly"11 lbs???? Who you going to believe????? Seriously.

If an instruments has to be a specific weight (9 lbs) then try it out first (in person) with your calibrated arm scale to make sure it's the right fit...... What the hell is wrong with some people today that buy instruments off the internet.... It's like those buyers that don't like the setup when they buy a used guitar online and complain like someone took their 2nd amendment rights away from them.

Please direct your anger elsewhere. I’ve purchased instruments on the internet for the past 30 years. I’ve had zero issues. You are out of line.

 

[LBS-bass]

Some of y'all have apparently never bought something significant like a car or a house...either side can pull the cord. I can call a car dealership and make offers all day, then go test drive and decide it's not happening. I can make offers on a home, go look at it, ask some questions, and rescind that offer. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Nothing changes here because it was a bass.

Ain't nothing a deal until money has been exchanged, funded, etc. OP, you're absolutely, 100% in the right to return it. Regardless of when you asked the question, it was asked and you received incorrect info. That's that.

I don't think that's how it works on Reverb. This is a website. There's a button that says "make an offer". If your offer is accepted it's binding; that's spelled out in the Reverb TOS, unless I'm mistaken.

 

[bucephylus]

OP sent their offer before asking about the weight. Pretty sure Reverb states that sending an offer represents an agreement to purchase the instrument as-listed if the offer is accepted.
That's what the OP did incorrectly.

Personally, the only transaction of mine that would get hung up over a 2-pound differential would be if I ordered a quarter-pounder with cheese from McDonald's, but that is neither here nor there.

I see. I may have mis-read the OP. I got the (apparently wrong) impression the question was asked before the offer was final. My bad.

 

[pglaser01]

Am I wrong? And why? And why is your hyperbole about +/- .5% weight tolerance to be taken seriously? 16%, "brother"? For the record, I think he should have asked prior, but it was definitely misrepresented in a way that matters.

I think maybe the “oh brother” was less your comment regarding the 16% increase, and more the fact you decided to reference one “about” description with your own “about” description.

however I could certainly be mistaken and do not mean any ill-will

 

[KaseOfBass]

I don't think that's how it works on Reverb. This is a website. There's a button that says "make an offer". If your offer is accepted it's binding; that's spelled out in the Reverb TOS, unless I'm mistaken.

Yes indeed, I understand that. What I am saying is despite the language Reverb chooses to use, as well as the opinions here, it's absolutely, 100% not binding. Legally speaking, generically, a deal is not a deal until money is exchanged. Within that, there are definitely some actions you make, such as signing a loan document, that facilitate money exchanging. Submitting an offer does not constitute such an exchange. The basis of where or how this was facilitated changes nothing regarding the actual legal aspects of a purchase.

I can pick out a whole cart full of items at Costco, but until I've paid for them, they aren't mine and I'm welcome to abandon that purchase should I choose. Examine anything you purchase...it all happens the same. Monetary exchange required.

Edit: I'm certainly not advocating wasting folks' time with erroneous offers for items. Strictly speaking from a legal sense. Anyone that's done business with me here knows I don't waste time and if I say I'll buy it, I buy it.

Edit 2: The compelling argument here regarding your specific point is that even Reverb sided with the OP.

 

[BadSanta1281]

TalkBass is like Thunderdome...

 

[fu22ba55]

Well, I'm a 'bathroom scale guy', what is the right way to do it ?

Most postal scales crap out at around 3 or 4 pounds unless you get a larger version that can weigh boxes, etc. Those usually go up to 25 pounds or so.

Or some people use a hanging spring scale (like for fish, the other kind of bass), but I'd never hang any of my basses on a spring scale. Too sketchy.

Beefy postal scale is the way to go IMO.

 

[Amano]

I ‘ll take the same aproach in bands, am no social worker. If can help somebody in the process anytime. But its not mandatory.

 

[wyleeboxer]

Some of y'all have apparently never bought something significant like a car or a house...either side can pull the cord. I can call a car dealership and make offers all day, then go test drive and decide it's not happening. I can make offers on a home, go look at it, ask some questions, and rescind that offer. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Nothing changes here because it was a bass.

Ain't nothing a deal until money has been exchanged, funded, etc. OP, you're absolutely, 100% in the right to return it. Regardless of when you asked the question, it was asked and you received incorrect info. That's that.

This is what I’m talking about

 

[Lesfunk]

Well, considering I’ve seen people want to return a bass because the removable plastic pickguard cover material had marks on it, this subject is at least worthy of discussion…

 

[lermgalieu]

I think maybe the “oh brother” was less your comment regarding the 16% increase, and more the fact you decided to reference one “about” description with your own “about” description.

however I could certainly be mistaken and do not mean any ill-will

Ok, but I rounded to a PERCENT, and he is rounding to TENS! I've got no issue with approximations nor did I say I did. I do have an issue with trying to create an argument based on a non-sensical application of them.

 

[Tim Lombardi]

If the weight affects your ability to play this bass, then send it back.

 

[bpc]

Most postal scales crap out at around 3 or 4 pounds unless you get a larger version that can weigh boxes, etc. Those usually go up to 25 pounds or so.

Or some people use a hanging spring scale (like for fish, the other kind of bass), but I'd never hang any of my basses on a spring scale. Too sketchy.

Beefy postal scale is the way to go IMO.

I recently bought a luggage scale. Made a thingy to hold the bass securely by the headstock, like when you hang it on a wall hanger. Works really well and accurate to less than an ounce up to around 35 pounds.

As to the OP's question, I ain't getting embroiled in this! Fascinating to watch the diametricly opposed opinions. Pretty typical talkbass and highly entertaining. Hope it works out for buyer and seller, somehow.