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Guitar Center used site

#262
A-Step-Towards said:
Just a fyi , I got a bass in not as described shape and rather then return it I got them to refund me 1/3 of the purchase price which made up for the issues. If this happens to you just call guitar center directly and be prepared to send photos of the issues.
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I recently did the same thing. I bought a used bass online, saw a pretty obvious issue that wasn't mentioned. Called the store, was told I could get an estimate and they'd cover it or I could return the bass.

I got an estimate, which would admittedly make that part of the bass like new, they countered, I accepted, everybody won.

And the bass absolutely kills. It was maybe $3500-$4000 new and I got it for under a grand before the repair.

Looking forward to my next GC experience.
 
#264
Brad Johnson said:
I recently did the same thing. I bought a used bass online, saw a pretty obvious issue that wasn't mentioned. Called the store, was told I could get an estimate and they'd cover it or I could return the bass.

I got an estimate, which would admittedly make that part of the bass like new, they countered, I accepted, everybody won.

And the bass absolutely kills. It was maybe $3500-$4000 new and I got it for under a grand before the repair.

Looking forward to my next GC experience.
Click to expand...

For me they had to send the photos to guys at the Hollywood store to confirm the damage and see that my request was reasonable.
 
#270
With all the deals that are found in GC, kinda feel bad that whoever sold or traded it to them got shafted. Not sure what the equation or what margin GC puts on used gear, but the previous owner of that NYC must've gotten less then a $1k I'm assuming :eek:
I actually found a red MIM P bass for $180 that I couldn't resist. All it needed was new strings (which they pleasantly threw in :) since I asked so nicely) a fresh setup, a new bridge, and a couple missing screws on the pickguard (all parts that I already had) :smug:. Sealed deal and I actually just got to finishing... setup done!!! :bassist:
 
#271
I've actually been right next to an employee when a guy was selling a beautiful peavey foundation in a tealish blue color. The employee looked it up on ebay and said "thsee are only going for about 200 at most on ebay, so i can give you fifty for it." :thumbdown::eek:

I would have bought it off of him then and there for 150 if i had the money on me!
 
#272
kulit17 said:
With all the deals that are found in GC, kinda feel bad that whoever sold or traded it to them got shafted. Not sure what the equation or what margin GC puts on used gear, but the previous owner of that NYC must've gotten less then a $1k I'm assuming :eek:
I actually found a red MIM P bass for $180 that I couldn't resist. All it needed was new strings (which they pleasantly threw in :) since I asked so nicely) a fresh setup, a new bridge, and a couple missing screws on the pickguard (all parts that I already had) :smug:. Sealed deal and I actually just got to finishing... setup done!!! :bassist:
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Sorry but last I checked trading in or selling to a store is not mandatory... so how did they get shafted?

I've seen enough people that make bizarre deals, often because they're in a hurry, that IME it makes zero sense to villify who >>>THEY<<< did a transaction with.
:)

What I really like about GC is that if YOU give it away, they typically will too. Fact.
:D
 
#273
ChloroPhil315 said:
I've actually been right next to an employee when a guy was selling a beautiful peavey foundation in a tealish blue color. The employee looked it up on ebay and said "thsee are only going for about 200 at most on ebay, so i can give you fifty for it." :thumbdown::eek:

I would have bought it off of him then and there for 150 if i had the money on me!
Click to expand...


Perfect example. If you were going to resell it... what would you pay? Because despite how nice Foundations are, I've seen them for sale quite often for less than $200... with a long sales cycle.


$50 was fair for a bass they know won't typically bring much in return IMO IME.
 
#274
Brad Johnson said:
Sorry but last I checked trading in or selling to a store is not mandatory... so how did they get shafted?

I've seen enough people that make bizarre deals, often because they're in a hurry, that IME it makes zero sense to villify who >>>THEY<<< did a transaction with.
:)

What I really like about GC is that if YOU give it away, they typically will too. Fact.
:D
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Soooooo I guess YOU OBVIOUSLY KNOW all the stories behind all the used gear that GC acquires, sorry I didn't know. I guess 'little Timmy' who hadn't known any better, since he's not musically knowledgeable and inherited the gear, sold it for half the actual value in the used market.......guess he didn't get the memo that he didn't have to sell it to GC.
Anyways I'd rather not argue, it's all semantics anyways. Bring on the deals!!!! :bassist:
 
#275
kulit17 said:
Soooooo I guess YOU OBVIOUSLY KNOW all the stories behind all the used gear that GC acquires, sorry I didn't know. I guess 'little Timmy' who hadn't known any better, since he's not musically knowledgeable and inherited the gear, sold it for half the actual value in the used market.......guess he didn't get the memo that he didn't have to sell it to GC.
Anyways I'd rather not argue, it's all semantics anyways. Bring on the deals!!!! :bassist:
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Which one of us made a sweeping generalization?
:D

If little Timmy, no matter how he got the gear, can't go online or call around and get an idea of what something is worth AND like many people doesn't understand how RETAIL works, do you really think he's been shafted?

Apparently yes. Don't they have Craigslist where little Jimmy lives? Or eBay? Or telephones? Or libraries?

Information has never been more accessible. I seriously doubt that little Timmys make up anywhere near the majority of folks who trade stuff in. But if it makes someone feel better to hold someone other than lil T responsible go for it. And by all means don't patronize GC because by supporting their evil ways they too would be part of the shafting. That just leaves more for people like me.

Am I saying they've never taken advantage of someone's ignorance? Of course not. But I am saying that someone's ignorance can most certainly cloud their perception of how business is done.

Heck, sometimes you can even come out better donating an item to charity.

For grins I've asked about trade-in values at GCs before. They've never been close to what I could get if I sold the item myself and since I KNEW THAT I don't take the deal that's offered. How come I can't get shafted?

Because I made an effort to be informed. So... IT'S ENTIRELY AVOIDABLE. At least for people like me.
:D

And most of all I know that whatever they offer me, they'll need to RESELL the item for more to cover their expenses. That's how business works, even evil ones;). There are so many people that still, in 2013, believe they should get close to street value for an item it's not funny. Despite the fact that a business that did that on a large scale probably couldn't stay in business for long.

BTW It's far from semantics.

hth
 
#276
It's like trading a car in at a dealer as opposed to selling it out right. Most people who trade a car in do it because they don't eant to deal with the hassle of selling it on their own. And if you trade it in you wont get retail price for it unless maybe you are willing to pay retail for whatever you are buying. A store that may buy it from you will have to put it back in their inventory and resell it. They are in business to make money so they can't pay you the retail price on a trade.

Sounds obvious, but there appear to be a few here who dont get the concept.
 
#277
Brad Johnson said:
For grins I've asked about trade-in values at GCs before. They've never been close to what I could get if I sold the item myself and since I KNEW THAT I don't take the deal that's offered. How come I can't get shafted?
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Ummm well exactly!!! I have done the same thing for giggles and it was actually quite amusing. Had you or I came to terms with it and sold it to GC..... Well a fellow TB brethren or whoever would've gotten the 'hot deal'. Like what was mentioned, it is retail. I by all means made no implication that these practices are evil and merely looked at it from "outside the box". Not everyone knows an instruments worth..... a fellow TB member not too long ago passed away and had lots of great gear. his family didn't have any use of the gear nor did they know the value? luckily he had friends that educated the family what fair market value were.....repeat.... "Fair"..... So how much do u think GC payed for the $1200 NYC? I'm not arguing the system just stating a different perspective.

Call it or see it as you may I'm done with this off topic.
 
#279
kulit17 said:
Ummm well exactly!!! I have done the same thing for giggles and it was actually quite amusing. Had you or I came to terms with it and sold it to GC..... Well a fellow TB brethren or whoever would've gotten the 'hot deal'. Like what was mentioned, it is retail. I by all means made no implication that these practices are evil and merely looked at it from "outside the box". Not everyone knows an instruments worth..... a fellow TB member not too long ago passed away and had lots of great gear. his family didn't have any use of the gear nor did they know the value? luckily he had friends that educated the family what fair market value were.....repeat.... "Fair"..... So how much do u think GC payed for the $1200

NYC? I'm not arguing the system just stating a different perspective.

Call it or see it as you may I'm done with this off topic.
Click to expand...

Shafted speaks for itself.
:)

They might have given them $600 or $700. Remember... they only sold it for $1200. They gave it away TOO. If they were really shafting people they'd likely resell for closer to market value.

The first weird deal I got was a Surine Protocol 7 string. Easily worth $3500 used. They said someone traded it in for some pedals. They sold it to me for a grand.

Since then I've almost lost track of how many crazy deals I've gotten because people let stuff go cheap for whatever reason AND GC only wanted the margin on what they have in it. Mainly high end boutique stuff. Again, if you're informed the deals are easy to find. If not it's probably all Greek...
:cool:
 

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