A TB seller told me the bass in their ad was ~9.5lbs. I didn't ask them to weigh it since I am good with anything under 10lbs and they had good reviews. They were great during the sale to address some minor damage during shipping and covered the cost. The bass came, didn't play it much since it was not my thing. Never gigged it. Upon trying to sell it, I discovered the bass was actually 11lbs (per a shipping store's pro scale). I notified the seller of this disparity politely. I would give them full benefit of the doubt. I haven't ask for my money back. But I did tell them I wouldn't have bought the bass if I had known it was 11lbs. Just curious what you all would do in this situation?
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Seller gave wrong weight
- Thread starter acolwe
- Start date
How long have you had it????? Had you complained within 3 days of delivery I'd say you could complain. Yet still.... they said ~9.5 lbs. That sounds like a guess to me and I woulda keyed in on that right away. I ask for weights all the time. If they say anything other than a specific weight, I assume they don't know and I move on. Esp. if you ask them specifically and they say "about".... or "around", immediately hang up. In this case, I think thats your bass.
Smile and chalk it up as a lesson learned for the future.
What was the shipping damage? Sounds like you sent it out for repair? Any chance repair included swapped body part you were unaware of? That could have changed the weight.
Kinda reaching, yeah, but thought I’d mention it.
Kinda reaching, yeah, but thought I’d mention it.
Nothing crazy, just a bent knob. It's all good now and paid for by seller. No issue with seller other than the weight accuracy.
Just notified him earlier today, no response yet. He seemed like an overall god guy, was very helpful with the sale. I think he just didn't due his diligence on the weight, imo. We'll see.
Maybe the bass gained weight while in your care. Did you feed it too much? Ever walk it?
I ask for weight from a postage scale.
A bathroom scale could be off that much at such a small measurement vs. capacity.
I've had one that was at least a 1/2 lb off which would probably never happen with a small 15 lb scale.
A bathroom scale could be off that much at such a small measurement vs. capacity.
I've had one that was at least a 1/2 lb off which would probably never happen with a small 15 lb scale.
You had the bass for a while and couldn't tell it was 11 lbs? I'd think it's be obvious the forst time you picked it up.
I’ve sold several basses. When asked about the weight, I usually say “I don’t know” because I don’t want to get in a 1/2 pound dispute.
I do currently have a vintage instrument for sale at a significant price. For that one my answer is x.x pounds on my bathroom scale.
I do currently have a vintage instrument for sale at a significant price. For that one my answer is x.x pounds on my bathroom scale.
buyer received the bass and apparently didn’t find the weight subjectively objectionable, held on to the bass for some time, all of which seems to me to effectively have ratified the purchase, whatever it ends up weighing… only had an issue when the weight was objectively measured when buyer decided to sell the bass for reasons other than the weight… idk, i think it’s buyer’s bass all the way.
Also, IMHO I think “buyer beware” is the overarching theme with used gear, and buyer assumes the risk of guesstimations being off, if it is obvious that specs given are guesses. IMHO Buyer would have the burden of telling seller the sale is contingent upon seller obtaining accurate weight measurements, if weight was a deciding factor, which then gives seller the option to comply or move on to another buyer who’s ok with the uncertainty (ie ok with assuming the risk). I can see that at some point a margin of error on guesstimating should not go beyond reasonable limits, but without clearer communication up front, you're left to argue what you each think is reasonable… which argument should have taken place immediately upon receipt of the bass by buyer.
Also, IMHO I think “buyer beware” is the overarching theme with used gear, and buyer assumes the risk of guesstimations being off, if it is obvious that specs given are guesses. IMHO Buyer would have the burden of telling seller the sale is contingent upon seller obtaining accurate weight measurements, if weight was a deciding factor, which then gives seller the option to comply or move on to another buyer who’s ok with the uncertainty (ie ok with assuming the risk). I can see that at some point a margin of error on guesstimating should not go beyond reasonable limits, but without clearer communication up front, you're left to argue what you each think is reasonable… which argument should have taken place immediately upon receipt of the bass by buyer.
Do you think that extra 1.5 pounds is going to prevent you from selling it?
If not, I don’t see a particular reason for sweating the original seller about it.
If not, I don’t see a particular reason for sweating the original seller about it.
How long was the instrument in your possession, and did you ever actually handle the instrument?
This sounds like a complete nothing burger.
To the OP: what are you hoping to achieve with your notification to the seller? If you’ve had the bass for a while (still awaiting your answer from previous posts asking how long) and all of a sudden decide it’s not the weight you thought it was now that you want to sell it, seems to me that it’s a non-issue for the seller. I don’t see what you hope to gain? Some money back? That would be ridiculous IMO.
Several months. I am not expecting anything at this point, just curious about other people's experiences and responses to similar issue. "Nothing burger"?
I have two scales. One is a fishing scale that I hang the bass on. The other is a digital kitchen scale. I balance the bass on the strap pin.
Taking readings from both, at various temperatures, relative humidity, and phases of the moon, I then average more readings from various zodiac signs, especially if there’s a pbass rising indicator.
These data points get entered in to a spread sheet and graphed over time.
String changes are noted. Funky old greasy flats weigh more than fresh rounds.
Each year I strain out the denatured alcohol from my string soaking tube and weigh the finger meat and dirt.
If you ask me how much my bass weighs, I can tell you!
Seriously, if a seller can’t be bothered to give me weight in pounds and ounces, I’ll pass. “Around 9, definitely under 10” isn’t going to cut it.
But at this point, there’s not much to be done. List the bass for sale with the accurate weight. Some folks don’t care much about weight. If you don’t have to wear it on a strap for hours at a time, the weight might not count for much. especially if it’s a model and sound you really want.
Taking readings from both, at various temperatures, relative humidity, and phases of the moon, I then average more readings from various zodiac signs, especially if there’s a pbass rising indicator.
These data points get entered in to a spread sheet and graphed over time.
String changes are noted. Funky old greasy flats weigh more than fresh rounds.
Each year I strain out the denatured alcohol from my string soaking tube and weigh the finger meat and dirt.
If you ask me how much my bass weighs, I can tell you!
Seriously, if a seller can’t be bothered to give me weight in pounds and ounces, I’ll pass. “Around 9, definitely under 10” isn’t going to cut it.
But at this point, there’s not much to be done. List the bass for sale with the accurate weight. Some folks don’t care much about weight. If you don’t have to wear it on a strap for hours at a time, the weight might not count for much. especially if it’s a model and sound you really want.
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Hey, I like the sound of that. Can buy your scale? Doc said I need to take off some weight.
I am not expecting anything at this late point except to notify them that they misrepresented the weight, whether intentionally or not.
I didn't "decide" it wasn't the weight I thought. The ad said 9.5lbs but it was actually 11lbs. That's not a decision, that's a misrepresentation. And I am selling cause I don't play it enough, just not my thing. Besides the weight it is a great instrument, as I told the seller, too.
This issue certainly is one for any seller if they are misrepresenting the weight of their instruments, whether intentionally or not. They should know. Hence, my message to them. That's that. The sale is done.
As for the reason for this post, I was very curious to see if other people have experienced this or have any thoughts on this.
