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Disappointing ebay bass delivery

#21
acoustic58 said:
my gut feeling is to return it because I think it will forever bother me.
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Unwind the deal completely. Return the bass and get a full refund by any reasonable means (eBay, PayPal, your bank, etc.)

Anything less than that will leave you with a nagging bad feeling about this bass for as long as you own it (which probably would not be "forever").

Legitimate questions about ethics, utility, monetary value, and eventual resale aside, what is important is that this is a musical instrument that (I assume) you intended to play regularly. You would be holding this emblem of ill will and bad feelings, trying to make beautiful music on it with your hands. That's not a great way to live.

The higher road is detachment and positivity, wherein you would keep the bass and get over the moment of badness associated with it. But unless you foresee keeping this bass long enough to discover whether you can take that path, now will be your only best chance to undo the deal and just start over.
 
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#22
I would tell the seller that you are filling a claim with eBay because he probably saved a little coin by changing the shipping method then the bass got damaged during the shipping.All of which go against the eBay policies.Tell him to take his $90 offer and pound sand with it.You can get way more off than that if you press the issue.That is if you can live with the dent.
 
#25
Is the $90 a refund of shipping cost? Or for your trouble? How does the bass play? If you like it, I say get at least your shipping costs returned, and I would push for more. The damage wouldn't bother me, especially if the price reflects it.
 
#27
Thank you for all the comments. 310 for a ibanez sr500 in basically mint condition is a rare find considering they sell for 600 new and most of the sr500's on ebay are much more and covered with dings ( max I will check that one out ). I think if I returned this, I would just buy it new and take care of it. The money is not the issue with me it's paying for someone else's carelessness and always have that dent there as a reminder that I actually paid for this, no matter what it cost.

For me it is the principle. The guy lied about how he was going to ship it, it arrived in 21 days instead of the promised 6 and he didn't have enough brains to pack a guitar correctly that was literally traveling across the country and it now has a dent in it that should not be there. I have to think about this one. Thank you.
 
#29
trips222 said:
Is the $90 a refund of shipping cost? Or for your trouble? How does the bass play? If you like it, I say get at least your shipping costs returned, and I would push for more. The damage wouldn't bother me, especially if the price reflects it.
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The 90 is a partial refund of the total cost. My issue is that I searched for a long time to find this guitar in mint condition for a decent price and it is now in the condition that I refused to buy all along.
 
#30
Ordering things sight unseen and untouched is always a crapshoot. If I were you, if I loved, not liked, enjoyed, or respected the quality, but actually L-O-V-E-D the way the bass felt and it's playability, I'd keep it. Finding an instrument that responds the way you'd like it to is worth a compromise or two. If you only "like" it, then it's up to you. I personally don't care about a few dings if I know an instrument is a keeper and really suits me, from my squier and epi all the way to my higher end stuff.
 
#33
OP, sorry to hear this happened to you. I've been fortunate with the two basses I bought from ebay. Both were very well packed and arrived exactly as described. In your case, this guy is doing a disservice to not only you, but the entire ebay community by pulling a move like this. It would be one thing if it was just poorly packed as a result of ignorance on his part. But from what you describe he not only packed it poorly but purposely violated the terms of the deal by shipping it by an economy method. My vote is get a full refund as it sounds to me like this will forever bother you if you don't.
 
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#34
acoustic58 said:
The 90 is a partial refund of the total cost. My issue is that I searched for a long time to find this guitar in mint condition for a decent price and it is now in the condition that I refused to buy all along.
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This sucks. Sorry it happened to you.

I was ready to recommend you take the $90 as partial compensation to repair the bass but after reading how much work you've put into this, I would recommend what others have said and push for $150. Chances are the seller doesn't want to risk any negative feedback. If he agrees, give neutral feedback that you had shipping issues, but the seller was willing to work with you. If not, FIRE IN THE HOLE!!!
 
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#35
report him for shipping in a way other than what he said he would. i'd consider $150 a fair number and would keep the bass. then leave a negative or neutral feedback about his shipping issues.

can you link us to the completed listing?
 
#36
It's a shame but the finish on these basses is just so flimsy. I don't understand it myself. Mahogany isn't meant to be that soft, surely? Its a fantastic bass, all said, but I used to ding mine all the time dropping jack leads on it by mistake and so on. However the person you bought it from clearly made a poor effort with the packaging.
 
#37
acoustic58 said:
Thank you for all the comments. 310 for a ibanez sr500 in basically mint condition is a rare find considering they sell for 600 new and most of the sr500's on ebay are much more and covered with dings ( max I will check that one out ). I think if I returned this, I would just buy it new and take care of it. The money is not the issue with me it's paying for someone else's carelessness and always have that dent there as a reminder that I actually paid for this, no matter what it cost.

For me it is the principle. The guy lied about how he was going to ship it, it arrived in 21 days instead of the promised 6 and he didn't have enough brains to pack a guitar correctly that was literally traveling across the country and it now has a dent in it that should not be there. I have to think about this one. Thank you.
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Send it back.

If you can afford a brand new, scratch-free one, then do it. Why even worry over this? Maybe a $310 find is a rarity in your parts, but of you're patient enough they pop up for $350 or less pretty often. I sold an SR535 a couple of years ago for less than $300 and it was mint with USA Barts installed, so it happens.

The whole deal got stinky because of the seller's actions and will continue to be stinky because of your attitude about it. Good luck!
 
#38
mikeyjm2 said:
OP, sorry to hear this happened to you. I've been fortunate with the two basses I bought from ebay. Both were very well packed and arrived exactly as described. In your case, this guy is doing a disservice to not only you, but the entire ebay community by pulling a move like this. It would be one thing if it was just poorly packed as a result of ignorance on his part. But from what you describe he not only packed it poorly but purposely violated the terms of the deal by shipping it by an economy method. My vote is get a full refund as it sounds to me like this will forever bother you if you don't.
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dheafey said:
This sucks. Sorry it happened to you.

I was ready to recommend you take the $90 as partial compensation to repair the bass but after reading how much work you've put into this, I would recommend what others have said and push for $150. Chances are the seller doesn't want to risk any negative feedback. If he he agrees, give neutral feedback that you had shipping issues, but the seller was willing to work with you. If not, FIRE IN THE HOLE!!!
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Thanks man. I may consider counteroffering 150. I would always get my money back if I ended up getting this for 250.00. That is looking at it from a financial point of view. My personal feeling is to send it back and slam him on eBay. This guy has about 40 sales with all 100% positive. I am sure he would take the 150 refund and not risk his reputation
 
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#40
I buy stuff off ebay, but I can't imagine ever buying a bass. Too many ways to screw the buyer for me to trust a transaction like that.

That said,I'd have a hard time buying any used bass I couldn't pick up and play before I committed to it. I've bought some new basses sight unseen, but the sellers had good reps and return policies so it was much less of a crap shoot.

regards this situation, as has already been said, if it's perfect you want, save up and get a new one in the exact config you have your heart set on. Although I can tell you from experience that if it is perfect you insist on, you will be buying new basses on a regular basis. If I were in your shoes I'd give the bass an honest play test and if I liked the way it played, I'd go after the seller for as much as I could squeeze out of them, get estimates for a repair and use that as leverage for a larger refund, that kind of thing. If it flunks the play test, insist on a return and full refund and then dog his butt on ebay. It won't get you a bass, but it might make up for the frustration of having to deal with a careless seller.
 

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