buying on eBay

lincolnblue

There's obviously loads of guitars for sale on eBay,  but how safe is it to buy from there? I know there's PayPal protection but is it best avoided?

Sassafras

A safe as any situation where you're buying sight unseen.
As a buyer you get far more protection than a seller.
I've bought pedals off ebay but I wouldn't sell anything on there.

gary_mac

Just tread carefully and use your judgement. I've actually bought quite a few, only had one real problem and that was with a recent Strat purchase. I felt that it wasn't as described and EBay agreed and found in my favour.

JezWynd

It's a mixed bag ime. There's a lot of rubbish on there; it's handy for some sellers who don't have to look the buyer in the eye while passing on stuff with obvious defects. There's also a lot of excellent guitars for sale, I've bought a couple that I've been very happy with. Do your research, check a sellers feedback and history, look for sellers who accept returns (they have to anyway if it's not as advertised but a willingness to take back goods instills confidence). Good luck.

Jack_

I know it's not 100% foolproof, but generally common sense prevails. I think you can learn a lot about a seller via the quality of their advert, the quality of your communications with them, their feedback etc.

I'm yet to have a bad experience (touch wood), I know it is inevitable that eventually I will, but if I look at holistically, overall my experience has been good - both as a buyer and a seller.

You have to be much more careful as a seller than a buyer, as a buyer you're very well protected.

mellowsun

As a buyer, there's little risk, eBay will always side with you in any dispute. The risk is all with the seller.

Alegree

mellowsun said:

As a buyer, there's little risk, eBay will always side with you in any dispute. The risk is all with the seller.

As a professional seller on ebay, I 100% agree with this.

xpia98jf

Buying is fine, very few problems in years of buying and eBay always resolved quickly. Selling, that's another matter! 

Philly_Q

I've bought and sold dozens of guitars on eBay and I've only, touch wood, had a few problems, all ultimately resolved.

But it's been a couple of years since I've sold anything and I've read so many horror stories on here I'm now a bit nervous about selling again.  As a buyer, I wouldn't worry but of course you should check the seller's feedback and consider their adverts carefully.

Legionreturns

I've recently sold a bass, multi effect pedal and amp on there. The games people play now are really nasty. I lived on eggshells for the return period to be over but I had no luck selling elsewhere. The fees are also very tough to swallow on guitars as they haven't reduced them here like they have on .com. 

Buying? Piece of piss, and you can take a punt on anything and eBay will give you all the protection. 

richardhomer

I'm in touch with a tFB member who's having a torrid time with something he's selling at the minute - the daily PMs keeping me informed put me off the entire caper, I must say....

robgilmo

Ive had one or two difficult buyers but EBay has always backed me up.

Corvus

I've bought & sold cars, guitars & gear etc on ebay since about 2004, almost no problem and when those happened it was as a seller. Couple of non-paying winners.

When buying don't trust short descriptions, 3-photo items. Ask for more pics and ask any specific questions. If the response leaves you at all uncertain walk away, like general elections there'll be another one along shortly.

bgmartinsbridge

I once sold a vintage telecaster on ebay (years ago). The buyer demanded a refund saying it wasn't original - which it was. 
Ebay held his payment and wanted me to refund him, then he could return it to me (so down the guitar and the refund money!). 
Turns out he took it to pieces to check the Tele over and broke the neck join under the scratchplate so not visible - before returning it.... 
I still use ebay but 99% of guitars go face to face. 
Be careful out there folks!! 

lincolnblue

Just sold a guitar on eBay and had great feedback fortunately. 

ellwood

Have done hundreds of sales over the years...but am gradually stopped by using it. Way too many issues. And eBay/PayPal seem to immediately side with a buyer, no matter how much fabrication. And they can reverse a transaction up to a month later.

In addition PayPal now holds on to money for some transactions for a period until delivery is confirmed. I recently bought a goldtop off a relatively new seller. I paid, and PayPal put a 21 day hold on releasing the money to him. I wanted to collect a guitar that I had paid for, and he didn't want to let it go as he hadn't got the cash. Complete mess. I cancelled the purchase in the end.

On the flip side I have had some great experiences on Reverb. I'm relatively new to it, but it seems to work well, is well presented and the transactions I have taken part in have been flawless.

That said, the analogue experience I had yesterday at Music Pro, and buying off here, are my preferred purchase channels now.

Philly_Q

ellwood said:

On the flip side I have had some great experiences on Reverb. I'm relatively new to it, but it seems to work well, is well presented and the transactions I have taken part in have been flawless.

@ellwood that's interesting, I know nothing about Reverb or how it works, I assumed it didn't have any seller/buyer protections and that it might be a lot of hassle.

Like you I've sold a lot on eBay over the years but haven't sold anything for a while and in the meantime I've heard so many stories of people being ripped off in many ways that I'm now almost afraid to use it.  

I really want to clear out some guitars but I just don't know how to approach it any more.  I think I'd feel most comfortable getting a reputable shop to sell on commission - that might even yield a better price, given the current state of eBay - but even though I live in London there are no obvious contenders which are easily accessible.