It's the same with vehicles around here. We bought a new truck last year, the tires has some debris in the treads, and, it had 23 miles on it! Unbelievable, but we kept it anyway.
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New means NEW .... right?
- Thread starter TheBlueFalcon
- Start date
Hi TheBlueFalcon 
A product that has been returned (for whatever reason) should not be advertised as new!
Maybe not all of them? Most internet retailers (in Europe) will check instruments if they are damaged,
e.g. when the box arrives damaged (or with footprints on it
) after shipping from the manufacturer.
Who would not?
In the EU false advertising is not legal. Returned items have to be sold as B- stock, used, etc.
You can get really good deals on basses that folks sent back not because there is a quality problem,
but just because they don' t like it.
When the retailer is not in Europe laws can be different.
Don' t worry! That will not happen! Because we already pay these fees when we order something online!
Whenever a company loses money in a deal, they will have to rise the price of their product accordingly.
Nothing is for free! It is always the client who pays!
There is a market for B-stock and as long as it exists retailers will sell returned items.
When more and more players demand an untouched bass and retailers can' t sell returned instruments
without losing money?
They will simply destroy every returned bass! (I am pretty sure that this already happens in some cases!)
Amazon (in Germany) destroys returned items for more than 20 000 Euros every day!
Including washing machines, smartphones, TVs and furniture. (maybe also basses?)
Most of them are flawless! Returned only because buyers don' t like them!
greetings
Wise(b)ass
A product that has been returned (for whatever reason) should not be advertised as new!
Maybe not all of them? Most internet retailers (in Europe) will check instruments if they are damaged,
e.g. when the box arrives damaged (or with footprints on it
) after shipping from the manufacturer.Who would not?
In the EU false advertising is not legal. Returned items have to be sold as B- stock, used, etc.
You can get really good deals on basses that folks sent back not because there is a quality problem,
but just because they don' t like it.
When the retailer is not in Europe laws can be different.
Don' t worry! That will not happen! Because we already pay these fees when we order something online!
Whenever a company loses money in a deal, they will have to rise the price of their product accordingly.
Nothing is for free! It is always the client who pays!
There is a market for B-stock and as long as it exists retailers will sell returned items.
When more and more players demand an untouched bass and retailers can' t sell returned instruments
without losing money?
They will simply destroy every returned bass! (I am pretty sure that this already happens in some cases!)
Amazon (in Germany) destroys returned items for more than 20 000 Euros every day!
Including washing machines, smartphones, TVs and furniture. (maybe also basses?)
Most of them are flawless! Returned only because buyers don' t like them!
greetings
Wise(b)ass
Just a different POV, I bought a MIM J "new" off the wall at guitar center when I was 20. Its one of my favorite basses. I'm not all that crazy detail oriented so it might have had flaws.
Guess what? Those clothes you bought "new" off the rack? They've probably been worn by someone else...
New is new even if it has a few miles on it but wear and tear is not acceptable on a New thing unless it is declared and discounted like Sweetwater and a few other fine retailers do . Anything else is shady and unfair to the buyer .
For all the folks that wear out the 'liberal return policy' and buy and return axe after axe . . . . . . well, they gotta go sometime, somewhere.
Welcome to Online Buying ! !
Welcome to Online Buying ! !
If i ordered something new and got something not new, if i liked the way it played i’d call and see about getting a partial refund, just like i do if i was in a store and pulled one down and liked how it played and sounded but might have a scuffed guard or other signs of wear. If the store/mail order house wants to close the deal they’ll work with you, if not, send it back. Or specify when you order you want an unopened box, just be prepared to do a setup. My experience with instruments in factory sealed containers is limited to Fender guitars and basses but i’ve never seen a Fender ready to play out of the box. Basses are not as bad as guitars but IME both needed some degree of setup work before they were ready to play.
Last, if your OCD is as bad as mine, you may just wind up accepting the fact that you are never going to be truly satisfied buying a bass sight unseen.
Last, if your OCD is as bad as mine, you may just wind up accepting the fact that you are never going to be truly satisfied buying a bass sight unseen.
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i've never seen such a thing other than from guitar center
order from a reputable dealer - sweetwater, musicians friend, etc. even lots of ebay sellers with good feedback i'd trust without question
order from a reputable dealer - sweetwater, musicians friend, etc. even lots of ebay sellers with good feedback i'd trust without question
“New” now basically means - full factory warranty applies.
If a customer comes into my shop and insists on a $99.00 beginner guitar that's not on the floor, still "new in the box,"and then asks, "Oh, will you tune it before we go?"I go to the back, get a box, and put a floor model (which is already tuned, neck adjusted, etc.) in the box. If that's not okay with Mr. Customer, I don't need $99.00 that bad...
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
It always did. Same way when you buy a new car. You probably are not the first person to have driven it.
NOS is used when a product has been discontinued/no longer available from the manufacturer. Vintage tubes are often sold with that type of listing. IE, someone buys an old timer's shop that was chock full of parts inventory purchased over the years.
So if you walk into your local mom-n-pop music shop, who have all their guitars out on display and want to buy one of them do you consider that new or open box? Obviously any scratch or dent should be factored into the price, especially on a returned instrument, but if an instrument is in mint condition and still warrantied as new I think it's a bit much to insist that just because someone played it a few times it is not new.
When you buy a new car, it has probably been test driven by a few other people.
When you buy a new car, it has probably been test driven by a few other people.
Stores don't do that anymore. If the customer returns the instrument because they didn't like it, they get docked for shipping both ways.
Maybe shop elsewhere...like in person, in a brick and mortar store.
Some interesting replies, thanks. Just to add a few details, in response to some of the posts.
3 of the basses were from the UK and 1 was from Europe. Although prices in the USA are initially tempting, it soon mounts up when shipping, tax and import fees are added.
When I stated "so each of the has been returned" I meant that I have returned them because of the condition of them. If the Dealers had been honest upfront, I may have been willing to negotiate on 2 of them.
While I admit that I'm probably also being a little bit picky, the condition of the basses were all beyond what I would expect from a simple check of the setup. In particular 2 of them were not even in the right box.
I'm comfortable with a Dealer taking a bass out of the box, checking the condition, the setup and that it works, then putting it back in the original box to be sold as new, I think that is to be expected. If anything, doing so should prevent most legitimate returns providing any issues during the check are dealt with properly.
When a bass is advertised and sold as new, I don't think it is too much to ask that it is supplied in the original box, with everything that is supposed to be in there, without any marks or scratches and not be plastered with fingerprints, especially those that require more than just a wipe to remove.
3 of the basses were from the UK and 1 was from Europe. Although prices in the USA are initially tempting, it soon mounts up when shipping, tax and import fees are added.
When I stated "so each of the has been returned" I meant that I have returned them because of the condition of them. If the Dealers had been honest upfront, I may have been willing to negotiate on 2 of them.
While I admit that I'm probably also being a little bit picky, the condition of the basses were all beyond what I would expect from a simple check of the setup. In particular 2 of them were not even in the right box.
I'm comfortable with a Dealer taking a bass out of the box, checking the condition, the setup and that it works, then putting it back in the original box to be sold as new, I think that is to be expected. If anything, doing so should prevent most legitimate returns providing any issues during the check are dealt with properly.
When a bass is advertised and sold as new, I don't think it is too much to ask that it is supplied in the original box, with everything that is supposed to be in there, without any marks or scratches and not be plastered with fingerprints, especially those that require more than just a wipe to remove.
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
But you used to buy most instruments stores, not on the internet. It could have been hanging on the rack for months. As long as it was the same year model, had a new warranty, and wasn't damaged, it was a new instrument. In fact, it was MORE likely to have been played by multiple persons. About the only way you could have gotten something "new in the box" was if you bought it the day it arrived from the manufacturer (or was a special order).
I don't care about the original box. But yeah, if the instruments were returned because of condition (I assume you mean some sort of defect), then it should not have been sold as a new instrument - should be repaired (if it was something like a bridge, then I still consider it new), or sold as a B stock.
Ewww yeah. I definitely demand they be in perfect condition to be sold as new. I don't think a fingerprint disqualifies new as long as it isn't something that mars the finish, but I think sending it out without taking the time to clean it up is bad business practice. Also, the plastic etc should still be on it.
