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Buy from Ebay ?

#2
I wouldn't call it safe ... my experiences have been mixed, going from superb and straight deals, over buying that isn't really what I expected, to not getting what I bought and paid for ...

Just be carefull and use your brains. If the price is too good to be true, it is probably not true.

Maybe check the classifieds here on TB?
 
#4
I've had good luck buying basses off Ebay.
It's usually a better idea to try before you buy.
Pawn shops or Craigslist generally have stuff.
If you want a new bass, shop around at Guitar Center or your local Music Store first.
Musicians Friend and the other online retailers have a return policy.

High dollar basses.. not a chance I would risk Ebay
 
#5
perogato02 said:
I wouldn't call it safe ... my experiences have been mixed, going from superb and straight deals, over buying that isn't really what I expected, to not getting what I bought and paid for ...

Just be carefull and use your brains. If the price is too good to be true, it is probably not true.

Maybe check the classifieds here on TB?
Click to expand...
Like anything you get what U pay for...you should really check out the deals here from the members, they'll give you the real truth about what they have, AND you're helping out a fellow muscian not some guy who's only out to make a buck:bassist:
 
#7
tangentmusic said:
...Pawn shops or Craigslist generally have stuff.
If you want a new bass, shop around at Guitar Center or your local Music Store first.
Musicians Friend and the other online retailers have a return policy.
Click to expand...
^^THIS^^
Depending on where you live, you might have MUCH better chances buying locally. I've bought TONS of pedals off eBay but I haven't bought a bass off there yet. Personally, I'm too nervous about. I buy my instruments locally.
 
#8
Know what you are buying, buy from a seller that has a good bit of positive feedback and use PayPal for protection, and the odds are it is safe. I have bought several basses from eBay no problem. I have also bought basses from the classified here on TalkBass. An even better chance of having a good experience.
 
#10
I've purchased one bass through ebay and it was a good transaction. But I've also heard the horror stories.

I MUCH prefer buying and selling through Talkbass. For one you don't give a cut of your sale to another party. But more importantly, I have more confidence in my fellow bassists on this board. And I'm much more interested in helping out somebody I "know" here on TB.

All that being said, it can be safe to buy through ebay. Look at seller feedback. Request more information if pictures aren't clear, if a description isn't very descriptive etc.
 
#11
I've had good and bad experiences with Ebay. The best thing to do is check the feedback. Not just the rating. Take some time and read the comments and the repsonses the seller leaves regarding any negative feedback.

Carefully read the descriptions. I've seen many listing where the title says something like "Original 1972 Fender P Bass" and somewhere in a very long description you find out that it's a reissue or MIM. Always ask questions and for more pictures if the are are only one or two in the listing. If the seller isn't going to respond before the sale, they are not going to respond if there is a problem after the sale. I always ask a couple of questions just to see if I get a response.

Finally, check prices of similar items on other sites. Go to the various forums and post questions asking for opinions on the price.
 
#13
eBay is cool, but I do far more buying than selling. Sellers are always complaining about the rule changes which make it harder and more expensive to use as a seller. I have around 980 private transactions on eBay over the past 8 years or so, the vast majority of thoses as a buyer, I have a perfect 100% positive rating, and I can still count on one hand the number of bad transactions.

You gotta be smart and aware.
 
#14
Rockmusician said:
I've had good and bad experiences with Ebay. The best thing to do is check the feedback. Not just the rating. Take some time and read the comments and the repsonses the seller leaves regarding any negative feedback.
Click to expand...

^^this

Read the feedback comments and look at the item descriptions of things they sold. Make sure they sell a lot of guitars and people are happy with them.

If you do this, and are able to do your own setups and you scrutinize the photos carefully, you aren't likely to get burned.
 
#16
I've bought guitars, parts and all kind of miscellaneous things on ebay and never had a problem. Like others have said check the sellers feedback comments and don't buy from anyone with 1 or 2 transactions or something silly. I've have also bought from Musician's Friend and had excellent results and they have a great return policy If there is a problem. Also scour the classifieds here. I recently made a purchase here for the first time and it went great. To be Honest I think you could find your best deal right here on these classifieds as most everything I've looked at has been priced right.
 
#17
Agree with most of what's been posted. I've bought several basses on eBay and haven't really been burned. Two worst experiences were where a seller completely mis identified the bass, but refunded a significant portion of the purchase price. The other was when the preamp wasnt working on a bass when it arrived. I did a lot of diagnositics and the seller refunded a portion of the purchase price to get fixed.

Research and ask questions. Sellers that don't respond or respond intelligently should be avoided. Ask direct questions and expect straight answers. Always ask about the condition of the frets, neck, electronics and truss. If they misrepresent anything you can return and will be covered by eBay.

Best advice is to know what you want. I've rolled through so many basses by not following my own advice. I have a very soft spot for rare, different or unusual basses in the $300-$600 range and have tried most :-) - many off eBay since I can't find locally.

Like anything else, make sure you are a smart and educated buyer.

Also, always check the classifieds here first! I've had my best experiences dealing with fellow Tbers.
 
#18
I bought 12 bass through eBay and was never deceived, for the models that I never try I read the review on Harmony central to get a head on the possibility and the problems that I could get with one bass and/or look at youtube clip. Then I look at the photos if I could live with the bleemish that exist, if the price is right I go for it but always take care to not over paid so I look for the deals. My best deals was an Ovation Magnum III for 360,00$, Wooh! that's my favorite bass now, an Hagstrom Black HB-8 8 String for 260,00 the truss rod was stuck but I bring it to my luthier for a repair and tune-up, 100,00$ more but play like a charms now. and I could follow up on the other ones...
 
#19
Living in Canada, I had delivery by UPS, FEDEX and USPS and the best one (and the cheapest) is the USPS service, maybe it take one week more to comes but it's UPS and FEDEX never succed to reach me by day and I always have to go to their deposit to get my bass. By regular postage I got to go to the conner street postal office to get it.
 
#20
Craigster said:
Like anything you get what U pay for...you should really check out the deals here from the members, they'll give you the real truth about what they have, AND you're helping out a fellow muscian not some guy who's only out to make a buck:bassist:
Click to expand...


Not always in fact I have bought tens times as much stuff on ebay as here and overall perfer ebay . Guess i am jaded from a few deals here.

Ebay is pretty safe dont by from people with bad pics, crap descriptions and low feedback.
 

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