2nd hand trouble.

[Newbie]

Ok just to share something, dunno if you guys ever gone through this before. Just say an Aria in luthermusic classifieds, emailed the guy, he told me to give him my number so he can MMS me the picture of the guitar, alright no problem..

After that, asked him where it was made, what wood and condition like, gave me a rather "skimpy" answer, "good condition, can meet u mrt to pass u". So i replied can i try the guitar? Nothing wrong right?

"Er you go the shop beside guitar77 and try lor, then come buy". -Him

"I wanna check the guitar's condition and stuffs man" -Me

"I've bad exerience with buyers who say tis dat try oredi still didn't buy bcos of trying to push e price dwn aft agreeing". -Him

"I need to try out the electronics and stuffs man, nevermind thanks anyway". -Me

"Gdluck 4 ur search. Get e geniuine ones if u reali picky about ur tones etc." -Him


AM I IN LIKE ANY WRONG? I just wanna check the conditions right? Meeting at MRT is nuts? I dont get to try out the sound if the toggle switch any problems and pickups got any probs right? Take home then dont "ring" then come blame i make spoil? PICKY OF TONE? Checking out for condition only right? Irritating.

 

[BlackMoo]

Don't boil over for nothing man. Some people need more skills and basic courtesy to market their stuffs. By the look of it, that person is prolly looking for fast cash. Nt worth your money really. Nothing to be mad about... Just take it as one of those people who need to learn a thing or two about gear selling and business courtesy.

Chill up dude. :smt023

 

[thor666]

for guitars, definitely have to test. even more tricky than pedals.

that's why i rather call or email the person. SMS doesn't do if you want more info etc.

 

[mikemann]

Hi,

After reading the post above, I personally think both parties are overly self-protective. I empathise with both parties concerns, BUT look here, you are dealing in used stuffs HERE.

Especially when you are buying off direct from previous owner. HEY, why did he want to sell it off in the first place??? Likely he does not like the guitar at all, due to various reason, or he has used the guitar till it's giving way. Remember, lame stories like "urgently need cash" are just so, normally is lame excuse to sell off unwanted stuff, seldom is real case.

Also YOU as the buyer, what do you expect??? Likely you are thinking of a really cheap deal to push the price down. Do you think the guitar will be in 100% when you buy it at 30-50% original price ??? My experience is that when I do purchase, the more cheaper, the more likely there is problem/s.

So I say if you feel something fishy or poor communications, just say "thank you for your time". End of story.

Especially if his original asking price is like $500 and your expectation is $250, don't expect him to move $250, maybe $50 most. So it's obvious the outcome is quite predictable. Don't waste people's time just to try your luck. (maybe just a one-off sms to ascertain at the most, sometime I try that myself. Just if reply is not favorable, do not continue)

If you buy used stuffs, expect to find a product which is not 100%, if not go buy new. That's the excitement about buying used, but we must not carry it too far.

Remember, "Buyer beware" always applies, it better not to get into trouble in the first place. The more you "try your luck", the more you will stand to lose.

My personal observation is that normally, sellers try to sell high (75-90%cost), and buyers want low (30-50% cost). These are the deals I normally avoid.

One last thing, there are plently of "dealers" out there. Real dealers will carry a deal properly and is honest in the dealings. Real dealers are not shy to reveal that they are in-fact dealers. Yes, real dealers also offer low and sell high, but in between there is "real service". Where the dealer is NOT fussy in purchase, pay cash on the spot, will not call the seller again after the deal except to buy more things, what we call hassle-free. The dealer will also re-furbish the product before selling to value-add to it, and will provide some form of assurance and 'warranty' to the buyer. Of course "FAKE Dealers" are normally fly-by-night, use alias only when dealing, applies the same earnings without the support or product servicing. These gives real dealers a bad name. Of course the similar class applies to "Wannabe dealers" too.

Peace Bro.
8)

 

[Mobius]

Testing out the things u buy is nothing wrong IMO....even when u buy stuff from cash coneverters they oso let u try....So no matter how cheap or whether its second hand everyone has the right to try it out...No one wants to buy something that is spoilt 8)

 

[ChanMin]

well ... i think newbie should have just called the guy to find out about the guitar... as opposed to smsing which takes up alot of time. if he insist not to let you check. you just tell him , that upon inspection of guitar.. only if you happy then buy lor.. then if hes not interested then let him find some other sucker...

 

[5stringedsoul]

personally, i haven been in a situation like yours but i'll share mine with you(itz somethin positive), i saw an ad bout a yamaha bass fitted with EMGs, so i smsed the seller, inquiring about the bass etc, i was planning to get his bass after sellin away my bass however, the buyer of my bass backed out at da last minute, so i told the seller that i would hav to cancel the deal, i apologized politely,

the reply frm him was shocking, even tho i wanted to cancel, he still asked me if i still would like to try it out, i agreed to it, so after tryin out da bass at his church, he asked me if i like it, in fact, i was in love with it, bass was 8/10 even after 3 yrs( took his word for it ), he said, he'll hold onto the bass 4 me till i hav enough to buy frm him, i was ok wif it! i'm still savin up now,

if both buyer n seller are polite to each other, the deal will go well, who knows, u could even be friends after it?

 

[mikemann]

For cash converters, I believe that they have a fixed system that they follows closely. I had a chance to speak to a purchaser one day, what he told me is that their policy is to buy products in "Good Working Condition". And all items bought are tested by their staffs to be working fine.

They actually provides a good service, as they are the actual dealer, where they do things by the book. It means that both the dealer and the buyer/seller are proctected. Of course disputes still occurs as that's the human nature of things, especially in this field.

Funny thing is that for guitars and amps, I practically do not see any 'good deals' at all. Maybe it's becuase I have walked into these shops less than 10 times only. Could be if you stay nearby, and you pop by every day, there is a high chance of you landing a "Good Catch" sooner or later.

So such is the example of actual Dealer in the 2nd hand world. Other than that, there are small businesses and shops who often deals in 2nd hand products. Esp in the music instrument field. This is because, although a model may be distcontuined, there is still a demand for that particular model, thus the market for it.

 

[stars]

For cash converters, I believe that they have a fixed system that they follows closely. I had a chance to speak to a purchaser one day, what he told me is that their policy is to buy products in "Good Working Condition". And all items bought are tested by their staffs to be working fine.

They actually provides a good service, as they are the actual dealer, where they do things by the book. It means that both the dealer and the buyer/seller are proctected. Of course disputes still occurs as that's the human nature of things, especially in this field.

Funny thing is that for guitars and amps, I practically do not see any 'good deals' at all. Maybe it's becuase I have walked into these shops less than 10 times only. Could be if you stay nearby, and you pop by every day, there is a high chance of you landing a "Good Catch" sooner or later.

So such is the example of actual Dealer in the 2nd hand world. Other than that, there are small businesses and shops who often deals in 2nd hand products. Esp in the music instrument field. This is because, although a model may be distcontuined, there is still a demand for that particular model, thus the market for it.

seriouslly no chance brother mikemann

cash converters may have good business practices. but they have defintely poor business information and poor customers

case in point : cash converters tampines ( my keyboardist saw this happen)

samick flying V at davis(brand new) : 250
2nd hand , near mint samcik V at tampines cash converter : 300
sold within a week

 

[Vaiyen]

to the original poster of the thread:
you are not wrong because it's natural to be concerned over whether you're getting what you pay for.
But the guy is also not wrong because he is not a staff in a music shop, and hence not expected to cater to your whims and demands.

These are the terms of a perfectly balanced transaction. Move on, instead of complaining.

 

[mikemann]

samick flying V at davis(brand new) : 250
2nd hand , near mint samcik V at tampines cash converter : 300
sold within a week

What you said is true, that's why I said I did not find any "good deal" while I was there browsing. Yes, most of the pricing is pretty unrealistic. But on the other hand, I believe that you can also bargain on the price when making a purchase at CC. Keep in mind, they are not a local company, so they do not have in depth knowledge of the actual value on a particular item which is to us obvious where the source comes from. Like what you say make a wild guess. Also they are a general store, not a specialist store.