Opinion from people that buy gutars on Ebay

[coaltrain]

I found a TAG that I would like to buy on Ebay but the person has only sold one thing on Ebay before and I am worried about buying from someone with no feedback, should I be?

Thanks
Jeff

[ckofahl]

Every person that sells on ebay had to start at 0. Get as much information as you possibly can. Email the seller and and see if you can personally contact him or her and talk to them. If you still feel uncomfortable then I would not go through with it. There are some safeguards that are set up with ebay, but they all have a certain amount of hassels. There may be others on this board that have other suggestions, hopefully they'll chime in.

[dannopelli]

Unless you feel this is the EXACT guitar you need, I'd pass. Wait till he sells a few FX pedals and such and builds a rep. One just like it or VERY similar will show up in due time.

I JUST got one that was "mint, perfect just like it came out of the box, less than three hours play yadda yadda..." Seller was new and had 9 positive reviews. Well the guitar needed a set up so bad there is NO WAY it came out like this from TAG. More importantly, it has 11 small dimples on the back just below the electronics plate. I have only had this experience twice, and both times it was with new sellers.

My point in telling you that is that new sellers sometimes do not know how to properly describe their items. I talked with the seller on this deal BEFORE it went down. Nicest guy in the world, and I gave him positive. The guitar is probably going to get some bruises anyway. And it is now set up perfectly. But some others folks might have burned him. In other words, the seller could be a good and reputable guy, just not experienced at Ebay. Or he could be something worse.

If it is one you just have to have, get the seller to offer a return policy IN THE LISTING. This becomes a binding component of the deal, and ebay can and will help you hold the seller to it if the deal goes south.

Hope my $.02 helps!

[hdhoo73]

The above advice is good and should be considered. Having purchased multiple guitars and amps off the bay I always contact the seller and expect a timely response. If I get no response or the seller obviously did not read my question and sent me a generic response I will always pass on big ticket items. Additionally always always always use Paypal if you are a buyer! You will always have the benefit of the doubt when it comes to conflict resolution (ie the item never arrived, etc). Finally always go with your gut feeling...if it just don't feel right it probably aint! :cool:

Jim

[pipedwho]

+1 on everything said so far. But, the most important thing to do is to get the seller on the phone and talk to him.

I've bought things from experienced sellers (500+ feedback), one of which didn't really know anything about guitars. On the other hand, I've bought from a zero feedback seller too, and after talking to the guy, it was pretty obvious that he knew a LOT about guitars. All three times I spoke to the other party and asked all the niggly questions that you wouldn't normally put in an Ebay write-up (like how well the guitar was setup, pickup adjustment, pot scratchiness, blemishes in specific places, hard to see buckle rash, subtle surface corrosion, type of strings, truss rod relief, where they play out, do they put it back in the case after playing it at each session, etc.

The way to ask the questions isn't to go for yes/no, but to get them to do something and describe what they see. You can even lead them down the garden path. I spent about 20 minutes on the phone with one guy, asking heaps of questions including getting him to hold it at an angle to light and describe the sheen on the top/back/etc. I even had them strum an open E chord. One time the guy even plugged in - not that music type sound over the phone is any good, but you can get a ballpark idea, and more importantly an insight into the sellers treatment of the item.

The truth is that most Tags are owned by people that take very good care of their stuff. If you were buying an Epi or a Squire then you'd almost expect it to be beaten to death. Whereas with a Tag, it's probably been well cared for.

[strat56]

I've also bought several guitars and amps on eBay and only had "bad" experience. It was with an amp and it was mostly due to the store that packed it and shipped it, not the fault of the seller. He went above and beyond in helping to make the situation right.

All the advice above is good, especially about the high end gear. Most people who own high end gear take care of it. Ask the guy for more pictures, detailed pictures, calling him and talking to him is good, but he can tell you anything over the phone and you won't know for sure if it's right until you have the instrument, not because the guy is dishonest but maybe because he just doesn't know any better.

And remember everything is negotiable. You can ask for free or reduced shipping, if it's a store you can ask them to throw in a couple sets of strings or a strap.

[Harry]

Well I have only sold one thing on EBAy; a Dr. Z StingRay #14. Because I did not have any history most folks treated me like I had some sort of alien virus. As it turned out I sold it to a great guy "Blue Hugh" and he got the benefit of a good deal and super service. The transaction went perfectly. I have heard of many horror stories as well but thought I would throw that in. I agree with everything mentioned here when it comes to the sale of high end gear.

[coaltrain]

Thanks for all the good information everyone.

Jeff