Music store selling Fender Original P-Bass pickups for almost retail but wait!

I have 2 basses with the Fender original '62 pups. A damaged protective case means very little to me. As long as the pickups are 100%, you mount them in your bass and thats where they'l stay. Keep the packaging and documentation if you should want to unload them down the road. And yes the damaged packaging can be used as a bargaining chip. No one should sell these for the MSR price. Suggest somewhere around a 20% discount. That seems fair. BTW these do sound very good and occasionally show up used with packaging and all for around $50 on ebay. Good luck.

 

If I were you (I'm obviously not), I would worry less about the value of the packaging and more about the music coming out of my fingers.

 

Maybe the dealer opened it to see if it had a brass bottom plate etc.. Or to see if it came with foam or screws etc.

 

Maybe it was previously installed by the store and the buyer changed his mind.

 

I'd consider it used and price it accordingly 20% off sounds reasonable

 

+1
At this point you don't know if they've been used and returned or are defective or what. I'd say 20% off and full warranty or shop somewhere else.

 

I personally wouldn't take it I've been burned before with bad packaging and trying to return something it always seems the person who originally waited on you doesn't work there any longer and they try and blame you for the damage.

 

Get a discount (asking for a new set to be ordered can be a good strategy to make them more flexible if they resist) and make SURE they mark on the receipt that it is a damaged package and you still have standard return privileges. Every music store I've ever seen is either still on hand-written receipts so it's easy to do or modern POS systems (ie computers not cash registers) that allow you to put comments on the receipt for just such a situation. If they say they are un-returnable once installed regardless, ask them to include installation at the discounted price or at the asking price at most - you won't be saving much but you will have saved the effort and have a guaranteed working pickup.

 

This is another reason why many local music shops are going down the tubes.

 

Buy it online? I'm showing $61.88 on Amazon right now... it's your money, but...

 

Id just buy them off amazon if I wanted them that badly. Id say there are much better pickups in your price range...

 

No, my point is - getting it installed means you are sure it's good (still try to get a discount - it's shop worn goods) but, even if you pay the marked price you've gotten the install free - which is in effect a discount - even if you were going to install it yourself, you've saved yourself the trouble and have a guaranteed working unit which you don't have to uninstall if it's bad.

 

Well, that's your call at that point.
I'd leave, you have to be willing to walk away from a deal if you ask for it - otherwise there's no point 'cause they know when you can't live without it. Keep in mind you can get a new (not damaged one) for the regular price and it will be a LOT lower risk.