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Buying online: Is it a good choice?

M

Mitch_bassman

Jan 14, 2013
18
0
#1
I am in need of some opinions regarding buying instruments off of online sites; specifically eBay. I have found a bass on eBay that I am quite interested in purchasing, but as everything with online shopping there is the risk that it is not legit or is some sort of rip-off. The online shopping community has become a lot more legitimate in the past few years but I know those issues are still there and I personally would not like to be caught in one of those situations.

I have bought musical items, such as effects pedal, accessories for my gear and the like, off eBay and the like with a 100% delivery and quality rate but have yet to purchase an instrument. Is purchasing instruments off eBay as reliable with quality and delivery as everything else is?

P.S I am in Australia and the item is in America. I am prepared to pay for the shipping costs; I am aware of how expensive they can be. Should this issue be an immediate turn off to purchase the item?

Cheers.
 
#2
I've bought three guitars online from Guitar Center and two guitars online from eBay, and I've had zero problems.

My ebay purchases were well researched and from sellers with good feedback history.

I wouldn't let the shipping cost be a deal breaker if it is a piece you really want and can't get locally.

I took a real bath on shipping getting a Streamline razor from eBay UK shipped to the states, but those razors are vintage and were never available in the states, so it was worth it for me.

(I know, razors aren't basses, but the same train of thought applies.)
 
#3
Online retailers like Musiciansfriend are low risk because of the return policy. As stated above, eBay can work just fine but feedback rating is key, especially when dealing with more expensive items.
 
#4
I've bought loads of basses online, most have been problem free but there's been the odd lemon, no big deal sending it back for a replacement at no cost to me, bit more of a hassle when you've got to send it to another country.
 
#6
well, logically speaking you've got all the same rights as you would if you were buying in a shop. 30 days to return for a full refund, no arguments, if you so choose.

i've only bought one bass online but it suited me fine because there was none of what i wanted around here, and it allowed me to pick from a wider range. having it dropped off right at your door is a nice perk, too. :p

what do you have to lose my friend? i went with Thomann.de (based in germany) and i'd definitely recommend them.
 
#7
Buying online really isn't that much of a problem. I've bought 3 basses online, and 2 in person in a shop. The ones I bought online were: my first bass, a Harley Benton from Thomman (every bass I bought online I got it from this site), a Dean Metalman Z and a Kramer D-1. All of them were bought blind with very little info, and to be honest I bought them for their looks.

The Harley Benton was a POS. But it was a decent first bass I guess, and the whole pack I bought contained the bass, an amp, strap, tuner, etc. I was very happy with the Dean that I bought for a very long time, it was a good bass in its own right but I grew away from it, especially after I got my Kramer. This really is the cream of the crop of my online basses. It's incredible, the only bad thing about it is that it has a dead spot on the 7th fret of the A string (which is pretty annoying but I can live with it). Everything else about it is great.

If you research what you want and search around for the best deals, you can't really go wrong. Just make sure to buy from a reputable site with good return policy and warranty so that if it goes wrong or you don't like it, you can send it back.
 
#8
In the past year, I've bought two basses on eBay that were shipped from the US to Bangkok, Thailand. Both arrived without any hassle. Look at the seller's feedback rating, make sure the seller provides an international tracking number so you can watch the progress of your shipment, and keep the communication channels open. Good sellers usually are good communicators. They don't mind a lot of questions.
 
#9
I gave up on E Bay a number of years ago, after getting screwed out of less than $100.00 on a deal. The buyer protection was no help. I quit using Pay Pal at the same time. I have more money, and less stuff because of it. In the last two years, I bought two new Fender Am Dlx basses, and a new Ampeg head, and a number of speaker cabs from local shops. The prices were fair, the service excellent, and spending locally helps the local economy, which benefits me as well.
 
#10
Generally, in my situation , I have not found much for screaming deals on the net that I cannot get locally(fortunate that way) so I buy locally and support local business and get to defray additional shipping costs/border hassles. Unless I cant get it local (IE DR neon strings I want to get for my custom) I will order off the net, but after shipping and brokerage (on larger items) I generally would pay more if I was to order available product I can get local
 
#11
Mitch_bassman said:
P.S I am in Australia and the item is in America. I am prepared to pay for the shipping costs; I am aware of how expensive they can be. Should this issue be an immediate turn off to purchase the item?

Cheers.
Click to expand...

That would definitely be an issue for me if I lived in OZ. If the item has to be returned for whatever reason (happens now and then especially with used gear), eating that much two-way shipping would ruin my day. But that's just me, I like to minimize risk factors.

That said, on new items, the odds are in your favor for success. So....feeling lucky? ;)
 
#16
Mitch_bassman said:
I am in need of some opinions regarding buying instruments off of online sites; specifically eBay. I have found a bass on eBay that I am quite interested in purchasing, but as everything with online shopping there is the risk that it is not legit or is some sort of rip-off. The online shopping community has become a lot more legitimate in the past few years but I know those issues are still there and I personally would not like to be caught in one of those situations.

I have bought musical items, such as effects pedal, accessories for my gear and the like, off eBay and the like with a 100% delivery and quality rate but have yet to purchase an instrument. Is purchasing instruments off eBay as reliable with quality and delivery as everything else is?

P.S I am in Australia and the item is in America. I am prepared to pay for the shipping costs; I am aware of how expensive they can be. Should this issue be an immediate turn off to purchase the item?

Cheers.
Click to expand...

If I were to buy an instrument online, I would be expecting to do some setup work because the climate change will probably affect it, the previous owner may have preferred different setup or it may never have been set up properly. If it's an instrument that's known to be a good make/model with few problems, I would consider this. If it's a gamble WRT general quality, I would pass. Unfortunately, sellers aren't always honest when they describe something and their photos may have been altered to make it look better than it is or the ones that show problems have been omitted.

Where is this instrument?
 
#19
Templar said:
It shouldn't anymore. It's hard to get ripped off on ebay these days.
Click to expand...

Depends on the definition of "ripped off". I have bought probably 1000 guitars and basses on Ebay at this point and I'd bet if I did a stat-sheet on it about 25% had significant issues that deviated from their description. These, in my case, have almost always been hidden from identification. Obvious things like knock-offs I don't buy.

This is most obvious in, as most people would expect, musical gear. Sure, the return ability is easy on Ebay but lost time and money is more common than I wish to acknowledge.
 
#20
Insofar as advice on reliance on feedback; avoid that concept. Feedback means almost nothing on Ebay. I have had far more issues with people with 100% feedback than ones with worse.

In the realm of evaluating sellers, OP you would do well to avoid pawn shops and the ilk that mask themselves as legit guitar stores on there but are actually pawn shops. Also, avoid most small sellers. They'll have 100% feedback but they are very keen on refusing to acknowledge their mistakes (or deception) far more often than big sellers.

That being said, all of my stable was purchased online. It really depends on what you're wanting.
 

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