buying from ebay

[spiritedflame]

hi guys,

anyone out there have any experience buying guitars off ebay?
like what to look out for and more importantly, the shipping details and all?

pls help!!
hahaha thanks!

 

[tyzjames]

most impt is check sellers rating/credibility.. even if the seller rating is 99.9% good, do read the bad comments with the seller and then judge for yourself if you want to take the risk. oh, and pay thru paypal just in case there is a dispute over the item, they might be able to help you.

 

[spiritedflame]

most impt is check sellers rating/credibility.. even if the seller rating is 99.9% good, do read the bad comments with the seller and then judge for yourself if you want to take the risk. oh, and pay thru paypal just in case there is a dispute over the item, they might be able to help you.

hi thanks for the info. im pretty confident about the seller so i think i will go ahead with the sale. but what im concerned about right now, is the shipping back of the guitar, the packaging and stuff, will there be any complications as the guitar passes through the different countries customs. pls advice!

thanks

 

[Geek]

Hello friend,

I've recently got my les paul from Ebay which was shipped to me from UK and yes what james said make sure the seller has high ratings and comments. also for the shipping part it depends on what means the seller is using. for me it was shipped by fedex so no problems. it's good to actually ask the seller himself and yea the customs side are usually settled by the shipping companies themselves. you might also need to pay GST for the singapore side if the value exceeds a certain amount..

 

[mail4kev]

Oh ya... GST payable if declared value is >SGD$400.

2 edge sword here... if you under declare to save on GST which may add up to hundreds for a high end instrument and something happens, you would not be able to claim the full amount from insurance because declared value is low.

So please also remember to factor in GST if applicable in your consideration.

After add shipping, add GST if it still makes sense, then go ahead and buy well aware of the risk.

-K

 

[mail4kev]

Another few items to add....

Buying from ebay could lead to savings and let you buy guitars that are not available locally. It typically only makes sense to buy mid/high end models which have more savings because you have to consider your shipping cost and GST.

But there are risk such as:-
1. Item not not as described - there is a blem but seller did not mention coz he felt not important and did not notice but it bugs the hell out of you. You are after all buying based on photos, descriptions only.
2. Item lost or broke in transit. Insurance helps but add to cost and claims take time.
3. You thought you bought your 'ideal' guitar based on photos, good reviews etc having never tried it before since not available locally. It arrives in perfect condition but you don't like it because neck too thick, too thin, too fat, too heavy, color look different etc etc.
4. You bought a fake! This is getting more rampant. You see such things even on soft. So buyer beware and do research. If its too good to be true, it probably is.

-K

 

[Keitake]

Tell the seller to double box it. It's safer that way

 

[spiritedflame]

thanks everyone for your input!

erm, the seller doesnt ship internationally, only within US, but i have a friend in US who can ship it to me, so anyone got any ideas what to tell my friend to do? and is it alright to go with USPS as the courier service?

 

[Geek]

thanks everyone for your input!

erm, the seller doesnt ship internationally, only within US, but i have a friend in US who can ship it to me, so anyone got any ideas what to tell my friend to do? and is it alright to go with USPS as the courier service?

You can request seller to Ship item to SG that's what i did when the ebay option didn't have singapore in it. just send seller a PM if he can use fedex or something to ship it to you in sg