That said, have you ever traded something in at GC? They give you about 25% its value. Its painfully insulting. lol. So, rest assured regardless of what they are selling it for, they are not taking a loss.
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Mislabeled Instruments at Guitar Center (Resolved)
- Thread starter selowitch
- Start date
I don’t think GC rips anyone off on trade ins.
I have a friend who is a senior manager at Walmart in the Palmdale CA area and this is what she told me. If they mistag an item to their disadvantage, they need to sell it to you at that price. And if they tagged it to your disadvantage (meaning priced higher than what it should be) you can report them and they get a big fine by the state. I think there is also a fine for the first scenario and usually they will not argue and just sell it for what they tagged it at. And if the customer is showing agitation, the manager will even give a discount.
I got a Korg MS-20 mini re-issue synth for $99 at GC. The sales guy and I knew silently it was mispriced but he sold it to me anyway (They are 450-500 new and this was an open box return)
I got a Korg MS-20 mini re-issue synth for $99 at GC. The sales guy and I knew silently it was mispriced but he sold it to me anyway (They are 450-500 new and this was an open box return)
I bought (GC)a trace elliot half stack for peanuts.
The real deal and in good condition. Made in UK.
Like an idiot I traded it for a ginormous ampeg cab.
On the flip side I took an American L2K in and they offered me like $150.
I declined. Pretty sure they knew and were purposely trying to get their hands on it personally.
The real deal and in good condition. Made in UK.
Like an idiot I traded it for a ginormous ampeg cab.
On the flip side I took an American L2K in and they offered me like $150.
I declined. Pretty sure they knew and were purposely trying to get their hands on it personally.
Sometimes you buy a used pedal and inside is just a homemade or unknown brand circuit board.
The risk can go both ways at GC
The risk can go both ways at GC
{Zuben starts browsing GC for other mis-marked items}
{GC gets a tip about this thread and starts re-checking all used items}
{GC gets a tip about this thread and starts re-checking all used items}
I'm perfectly happy with the outcome of this particular scenario. Sure, it would have been nice to get a lovely guitar for a killer price but there will be other good deals to be had down the road.
I find it interesting that the concept of karma is popular, even as society becomes more secular. I also quite like the idea that you can't consciously build good karma by going out and trying to get it. If I donate a guitar to a school but then post about it on social media then I hurt whatever karma score I maybe banked by doing the good deed, as my actions weren't pure. Right?
Anyway, I think people use karma to fill a kind of void, again brought about by that secularism. There has to be some sort of system of checks and balances running in the background? If Guitar Center marks a £750 bass as a £200 beginner bass, and don't notice the error, then you've done well as a buyer. You can justify it that you have good karma, perhaps.
I wouldn't try and get away with this sort of 'steal' from a small Mom 'n' Pop guitar store, unless the owners were arrogant, difficult or delusional. If it was a private sale, and the seller was an old widow selling her late husband's pre-CBS Jazz Bass for £300 then I wouldn't try it either. If the seller was somebody who goes around estate sales and ripped off an old woman for £300, then I buy the bass for £500, and try and sell it for £1500... errr, I dunno where karma is flowing in that scenario.
Big retailers should know better, either way. I wouldn't lose any sleep making a good deal on mis-priced item from a big retailer. It is their job to know how much something should cost. May it be a karma neutral transaction.
Anyway, I think people use karma to fill a kind of void, again brought about by that secularism. There has to be some sort of system of checks and balances running in the background? If Guitar Center marks a £750 bass as a £200 beginner bass, and don't notice the error, then you've done well as a buyer. You can justify it that you have good karma, perhaps.
I wouldn't try and get away with this sort of 'steal' from a small Mom 'n' Pop guitar store, unless the owners were arrogant, difficult or delusional. If it was a private sale, and the seller was an old widow selling her late husband's pre-CBS Jazz Bass for £300 then I wouldn't try it either. If the seller was somebody who goes around estate sales and ripped off an old woman for £300, then I buy the bass for £500, and try and sell it for £1500... errr, I dunno where karma is flowing in that scenario.
Big retailers should know better, either way. I wouldn't lose any sleep making a good deal on mis-priced item from a big retailer. It is their job to know how much something should cost. May it be a karma neutral transaction.
This is exactly what I would do. GC regularly offer used instruments for more than their DOTD prices, especially brands like D'Angelico which sometimes get huge discounts, so I'd not feel bad about getting a deal in the opposite direction. If it's generally the same thing, I'd let it ride, figuring that it's priced according to what they paid. I'm not their QA department. But if it's completely wrong, I'd let them know that it's wrong and that I want it IFF they are selling what's pictured at the posted price. Also I have a very good local GC so I'm more solicitous of them than of a random giant corporation.
The urge to wheel and deal for gear you drool over is hard to withstand sometimes. When you factor in a mistake that reduces the price considerably, especially from a despicable retailer, it's extremely hard to resist. You done good.
P.S. So glad this was resolved. It was like listening to twenty bars of a Sus4 chord with no end in sight.
P.S. So glad this was resolved. It was like listening to twenty bars of a Sus4 chord with no end in sight.
Last edited:
- Oct 18, 2012
- 6,683
- 5,538
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Fender, Spector, Ampeg, Curt Mangan, Nordstrand Pickups, Korg , Conquest Sound
About 10 years ago, I was in a GC and saw a new Musicman Stingray HH with a price tag of $750. They honored it. A few months later, I saw a used Alembic Epic also priced at $750. They honored that price as well.
That's GC's business model IME.
Every single item that I've returned as defective - notifying staff why I'm doing so as well as exactly what the defect was - went right back up for sale with the same price, pictures and description. Some of them were re-sold several times since, returned and the circle goes on...
Dunno. A D’Angelico is a lovely guitar. And getting one for $850 is a pretty sweet deal in my book. So I’d say you alteady had one.
Sure, but I could have gotten a new one for $799.Dunno. A D’Angelico is a lovely guitar. And getting one for $850 is a pretty sweet deal in my book. So I’d say you alteady had one.
BTW, showing up in person usually grants you a bit more leverage in getting GC to honor the price if it's right there on the tag.
Fun story from 3 weeks ago;
I ordered a 7 string guitar from a GC in Ohio. Was listed as fair condition. I didn't mind taking the chance because it was meant to be a studio beater and the price was right. $200 for a guitar that retails new for close to 600.
I go to pick it up and the GM of my local GC pulls it out of the shipping box. He looks it up and down and is happy with the condition. Checks the receipt and does a triple take.
He tells me if it were in his store it would have been sold as excellent condition. Says congratulations on the killer deal and tells me to enjoy it. Even cracked a joke about me being able to sell it on reverb and buy a cheaper condition one for a profit.
Sure enough, I check it over and even compare to 2 new ones hanging on the wall. It's flawless.
I took it home, the strings were fresh as was the 9v battery. The intonation was dead on and there isn't a scratch on it. The plastic is still on the cavity covers.
Moral of the story. Buy what they list, return if it sucks, enjoy if you get that once in a lifetime lucky break.
Play on, brother.
I ordered a 7 string guitar from a GC in Ohio. Was listed as fair condition. I didn't mind taking the chance because it was meant to be a studio beater and the price was right. $200 for a guitar that retails new for close to 600.
I go to pick it up and the GM of my local GC pulls it out of the shipping box. He looks it up and down and is happy with the condition. Checks the receipt and does a triple take.
He tells me if it were in his store it would have been sold as excellent condition. Says congratulations on the killer deal and tells me to enjoy it. Even cracked a joke about me being able to sell it on reverb and buy a cheaper condition one for a profit.
Sure enough, I check it over and even compare to 2 new ones hanging on the wall. It's flawless.
I took it home, the strings were fresh as was the 9v battery. The intonation was dead on and there isn't a scratch on it. The plastic is still on the cavity covers.
Moral of the story. Buy what they list, return if it sucks, enjoy if you get that once in a lifetime lucky break.
Play on, brother.
I hope you've learned your lesson.
This is what happens when you try to buy a...GUITAR!
But I enjoyed following your post.
So , selowitch, you still haven’t received anything yet, correct? If you get the D, I’m assuming returning , possibly getting a Rick, refund or re-ordering a new D. Keep us posted.
I was one of the buyers in the "Great Fender 70s Classic P Bass Debacle" of 2011. Essentially, GC listed the MIJ Fender 70s Classic P on their website a price that was likely their cost. The price on the site was $549 and the bass should have had a price of $899 on it. The first few TBers who ordered it got lucky and got it for the lower price. A few others like me were able to order it online only to have the order rejected a day later. I called the 800 number and was able to get them to come down to $749 - still a pretty good deal on a bass that was worth every penny of $899 (IMO). Most of the others who tried were not able to secure such a deal, and a few days later GC rectified the price and it was listed at $899. (Tangent- production was then moved to Mexico and the price dropped to $799 until the end of its run).
I was happy to take advantage of the gaff, however, I believe there are some disclaimers in the fine print of the terms of service of GC's website that state that they are not obligated to honor items that have been mispriced on the website.
I feel like in my case, I got a pretty fat discount. The GC rep I dealt with on the phone was basically like, "dude, I can't possibly give you that bass for $549. It's a misprint on the website." I was very polite and patient and stated my case and he was willing to meet me halfway. GC still made a profit and I left as a satisfied customer. ymmv.
I was happy to take advantage of the gaff, however, I believe there are some disclaimers in the fine print of the terms of service of GC's website that state that they are not obligated to honor items that have been mispriced on the website.
I feel like in my case, I got a pretty fat discount. The GC rep I dealt with on the phone was basically like, "dude, I can't possibly give you that bass for $549. It's a misprint on the website." I was very polite and patient and stated my case and he was willing to meet me halfway. GC still made a profit and I left as a satisfied customer. ymmv.
