amp sale ethics question

[smcgov]

so I've been kind of evaluating my amps and cabinets and just trying to do something new to get my mojo going again lately. I had a GK 400RBIII in the basement pretty near mint that had never had an issue. I see they are usually for sale online for around 200...I put it on CL for 150 because I didn't want to deal with shipping and stuff. A guy came and bought it and I told him if it didn't work that I would take it back, confidently knowing it was fine. I didn't hear from him and then the other day, it's been over a month, he tells me he's played it out like 6 times and now it's making popping noises. He seems down on his luck financially although...when I was in my 20s'...I was too...he emails me and is asking if I knew it had a problem, I told him, if I knew it had a problem, I wouldn't have sold it.

Anyway, for some reason ...my inner social worker sent him an email because I felt sorry for him and offered to pay 1/2 of the repair costs. Now a couple days later I'm kind of po'd at myself because I have kids I have to get through college, this ia a single dude with a job, why do I take on other people's problems like this? He tells me, if it's something small he doesn't want to bother me, but if it's something big I'll hear from him, and I'm thinking....WHY am I involved in this? I didn't offer a warranty and it worked when I sold it. I have no clue if he's abused it or whatnot. Am I crazy for offering to help with this?

 

[baskruit]

I think you've gone well beyond what can reasonably be expected from you.

 

[cthomas5200]

I think you've gone well beyond what can reasonably be expected from you.

+1 I have almost 1,000 feedbacks on the Bay with 100% feedback, and I follow the standard I will accept returns for a refund within 7 days of the sale. You simply don't know what abuse they subjected it to. And $150 for a 400 was a SWEET deal.

 

[Liam Wald]

Your offer to take it back if there was a problem is great. I would have done that too.
But not as an open ended offer. If the guy called me back within a week, said he played it once, and said there were issues... no problem. I would take it back.
But not after a month and six times playing it. That is not reasonable.

 

[i_got_a_mohawk]

I always sell things like that "as is" while being honest about any problems that are actually there.

It probably reduces the final value I'll get, but it saves a lot of hassle. And as soon as someone else has it, you never know what they might do to it. Especially with things like amps, people are going to have a fairly high chance of damaging it when they first get it and start experimenting (seeing how loud it can go or whatever).

 

[coyote1]

Your offer to take it back if there was a problem is great. I would have done that too.
But not as an open ended offer. If the guy called me back within a week, said he played it once, and said there were issues... no problem. I would take it back.
But not after a month and six times playing it. That is not reasonable.

Not sure on that. I would likely take it back, unless I found he'd somehow damaged it.