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Am I the jerk here? Reverb return
- Thread starter jpbicknell
- Start date
I built an 11lb bass so that fault is mine, no way in hell would I want another…
Thanks man! Even though I tend to flip a lot, a fair deal was always a big thing to me.
I’m still relatively young, and am a very strong and thick person. I don’t want a heavy-ass bass eitherIf I ordered a quarter pounder with cheese and it was two and a quarter pounds I'd be pretty happy...
And I've broken 7 bones in my spine... an 11 pound bass is not a significant burden.
it’s bizarre and cringey to read peoples comments who seemingly believe or pretend that they can’t even fathom weight being an important criteria for someone.
it’s also bizarre that people are pretending that ‘durh welp you had already hit the offer button, we all know that has never been undone or backed out, not for hundreds of millennia.
Get real. It’s not insane to ask a very important question before someone ships it. That is not a factor making or breaking this transaction.
Here’s the rub- OP could have sussed out that a non-bassist selling off an estate may not have appropriate context for the importance of the weight. To a random person, awkwardly holding a bass on a bathroom scale that says 9 lbs is indeed ‘about 9 lbs.’
Likewise, the seller could have said ‘eh it looks like 9 lbs but it’s hard to weigh accurately and I’m not a guitar dealer.. let me know if this is a crucial deal breaker’
There’s a better way this could have gone, but no one here is crazy for considering their interests, whether or not it happens as an inconvenience. Sometimes things are annoying, but I think more people need to be aware that it’s often NOT the right call to just eat a loss because you feel rude.
personally? I would keep it and sell it, or see if I can get used to it. But frankly that’s mainly because shipping instruments is a huge PITA.
Again, devils advocate. We don't know that the seller didn't weigh the bass. 2 different scales (neither of which we know the accuracy) gave a 2 pound difference (if the seller did indeed weigh the bass). I don't know if they did or didn't. What I am saying is it's possible that they did and gave an answer based on their experience.
I consider this matter too straight forward to need a "devil's advocate".
Before I even read the initial post in these kind of threads, I am well aware of what will happen.
This thread did not disappoint.
This thread did not disappoint.
They're actually pandemic.pounds - that bass has just been sitting around, doing nothing. If the OP plays the bass and puts it through its paces with a daily practice routine, it'll be back to nine pounds in no time.
You should have asked about the weight before you made the offer, if it was that important.
170 replies without the OP engaging. 
This would be my source of confusion too. If the weight isn't there, and it is (pivotally) important, why not ask the seller to weigh the instrument (and if it's super-important, ask them to 'photograph the scale reading'), before making the decision.
If I were a seller & had someone propose/accept a deal before asking questions, I'd assume that their decision was made based on the information posted on the listing at the time. Reneging on the deal after (even based on questions after accepting offer, but prior to payment), is on the buyer at that point. i'm not sure how Reverb would deal with apportioning blame/negative-feedback in this case.
If the seller saying 'about 9lb' didn't sound precise enough (and to me - anything short of a photo of a digital scale with the bass on it is not 'precise enough' - YMMV), there was a chance to ask for clarification, or back out at that point. Perhaps they didn't have an accurate scale, and used an old-style mechanical 'bodyweight' sale to measure, maybe they have no scales & were guessing, etc - you (we!) don't know.
I've had a situation in the past where weight WAS important, and seller said they didn't have scales. I sent them a link to a scale that (for me) was 'sufficiently precise' at an online retailer's site, along with a coupon for a few $ to cover the cost. Seller bought the scales (arrived next day), weigted the bass (posted a readout-photo to me), and we made the deal. They also ended up crediting the price of the scales against my purchase, since they figured it was useful to add precise weights to their future listings.
Just put it up for sale at the same price you paid. If nobody buys it, it’s meant to stay with you.
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I get where you’re coming from….BUT, I also think that returning a used instrument over 2 pounds is just splitting hairs. I doubt the seller gave you that number maliciously. It was probably an estimate, or maybe they just don’t know how to weigh a bass. Honestly, if I were the seller I would agree to the return, but I would give you a poor rating for the transaction or ask for the original review to be removed.
TL;DR: You’re being kind of a jerk and maybe a little petty, but you’re not really being an a**hole.
TL;DR: You’re being kind of a jerk and maybe a little petty, but you’re not really being an a**hole.
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and you have no idea if the seller is telling the truth about said woman. its not your problem.
however, you did make a bid and it was accepted then you asked the question. you're in a tight spot.
how much were they asking and how much did you pay? if your lowball price got you a good instrument just on the heavy side you might just need to...
Actually it's 22% heavier. Which is (a) a significant difference, but (b) probably not deliberate misrepresentation: I would guess (and all any of can do is guess) that the seller just used bathroom scales that weren't as accurate as they thought, and their response using the word "about" did make it clear they were giving an estimate - at which point the buyer didn't try to clarify further.
So, given that (apparently) Reverb terms and conditions clearly state that submitting an offer is making a commitment to buy, when a detail that is a preference and not a fault comes to light after the sale goes through I would say the buyer should just accept that they (the buyer) made a mistake by not clarifying prior to committing, and not push for a refund when the seller doesn't want to do it.
I too have noticed this and found it a little suspicious.170 replies without the OP engaging.
Having said that, I can totally understand why you would not want a bass that weighs close to 5 kg. My (negotiable, but not to that extent) upper limit is 4 kg.
I agree with this. The 11 lb bass would not sit well with me either. BUT - I think the overall circumstance of timing the question(s) AFTER the offer is really bad form and draws it's own penalty. I would say the right thing is for the OP to pay shipping both ways and get a refund of the actual purchase amount for the instrument itself. Even if inbound shipping was 'free' it really wasn't and the actual inbound shipping amount should be deducted from the refund amount. This is not a win / win deal. It is a lose / lose deal. The bad part for the seller is trying to relist / resell AFTER the sold item has been posted. Many previously interested parties will be reluctant to offer on it for fear of the unknown. The seller has much more to lose than the OP and for the most part the OP is at fault.
Exactly. At this point the OP has just created more work for the seller and temporarily froze his own money when he didn’t have to. The seller isn’t blameless but people have to buy smart and be informed before putting a bid out there. It’s like a guy actually buying a used Mercedes then backing out after the dealer told him what the potential parts replacement costs are.
