• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Giving refunds for a Craigslist purchase?

#81
AaronVonRock said:
I live in a condo, so I met him in the lobby of my building. He doesn't know what floor I live on or my unit number.

He wasn't demanding a refund. The entire exchange on the phone was polite on both of our ends. I agree $100 isn't worth any drama, but hopefully a polite but firm "No refunds" on my part will be enough.
Click to expand...

It's his bass to keep then; he tried the bass, liked it, and now is having buyers remorse.

He'll get over it
 
#82
cyclopsbookworm said:
When you buy on craigslist, everything is sold on an as-is basis with no guarantees. It's in the terms of use, and buying or selling on CL is just understood to be that. For a $100 bass, it's asinine to ask for your money back. And even if you buy a $6,000 Jimi Hendrix relic V or whatever and get burned buying a fake, it's still on you. Again, it's all in the CL terms of use. I'll only take a refund if something isn't as I described it, like the electronics don't work, or something. If you're returning it cuz you don't like it, then you should have bought something new from a big box store.

I may give a refund, but not for this. I've sold on Ebay for years, on TB for a few months, and on CL for years as well. This hasn't ever happened to me in a transaction in those hundreds of transactions, but this is a dumb request.

Oh, and to the OP, I always meet people from Craigslist in public. Most CL users are normal folks, but 'most' isn't good enough for me not to take precautions. I like meeting at guitar center because they really don't care if you buy or sell stuff in their parking lot. Then if they want to try it, the amps are there. Then they don't know where you live. Just a precaution.
Click to expand...

This is the best possible advice/input on the subject.
 
#83
blaxquid said:
Buyers and sellers do have responsibilities though - as a seller, I thoroughly test anything that I sell beforehand so as to avoid situations like these.
Click to expand...

That's another good point. I never sell a hunk of crap. Every instrument I sell gets a full set up. That includes fresh strings, cleaning the electronics, adjusting the rod if necessary, and a full polish job. I want whoever buys my stuff to be able to enjoy it right away, not have to take it to a tech or assume it's defective if they don't know how to do setups.

If I buy something and am not happy with it, I'll fix it up and give it to my nephew or send it to the junk heap. It's only happened a couple of times, but it does happen.
 
#84
On that same note, it makes me cringe (followed by a chuckle) when I see a CL ad with an instrument that is filthy from sitting in someone's garage for 20 years or has broken strings. Sort of a pet peeve of mine. It's like, dude, change the dang string. I'm not asking you to reshape a nut or anything, but change that string. Your instrument looks ridiculous.
 
#85
The weekend has come and gone and the guy never called back for a refund. I appreciate the good advice on this thread. Moving forward, I learned some things about selling stuff on Craigslist. Mainly, make it absolutely clear that all sales are final.
 
#88
Part of buying used gear on CL is that it's Caveat Emptor. It's used gear without a warranty. You pay your money and you take your chances. You have to be comfortable in that sort of transaction, or you just shouldn't get involved in CL transactions.

I wouldn't refund his money. Part of the CL model is that you're taking a risk in order to get a good price. You have to be willing to accept that. There aren't any do-overs.

I've bought a few gear items on CL, including both tube amps and cabs. My experiences have been good. I've always ended up meeting the sellers at their houses to demo the items, because it's not practical to demo an amp in a parking lot. Around Chicago, it's pretty common to meet people in their garage to consummate a guitar/amp deal.

I bought my Super Twin Reverb off of CL in Chicago. I got it for a good price because it needed some work that I was willing to put into it.

I recently bought a Mesa Road Ready 2x15 from another Chicago seller. I met him in his garage. I put the cab through it's paces using the seller's Dual Showman and his bass. He was kind enough to drag the stuff out to his garage for me. The cab sounded fine, and I verified that the speakers were EVM-15L by looking at the cones. I didn't bother to pull the drivers out to look at them, because I can ID an EV speaker by sight and sound. when I was off-loading it at home I lost control of the cab and sent the fridge tumbling down a flight of concrete stairs like a football. There was no external damage to the cab but I pulled the drivers and looked at them and one of the baskets was fractured. I had to throw away one driver and buy a replacement.

I have no way of knowing whether I did the damage to the driver or whether the damage to one of those drivers was there when I bought the cab. I'll never know for sure because I didn't bother to pull the drivers and inspect them. In the big scheme of things it doesn't even matter. I had time to demo the cab, I was happy with it, and I passed on one of the inspection steps that I should have done (pulling the drivers). Then I had an accident that could have caused the damage that I found. I didn't even re-establish contact with the seller because it was all my responsibility. Any grown-up buyer should have a similar outlook.

I wouldn't offer a refund.
 
#91
No refund, the bass was in fine shape when he tried it and he liked it and he bought it. You might tell him his little amp is what is not doing the job, not the bass.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back