# Strange guitar market lately



## pspguitar (Jan 21, 2021)

So, my last three transactions for buying guitars all turned sour - in one week. The buying and selling community out there has usually been good to me. I'm not talking about this website. I'm talking about Reverb.com and private seller's websites.

I would say 95% of people are honest in my dealings over the years, but it takes a few bad apples to mess everything up.

One deal on reverb...the seller went quiet. Nothing....5+ days to get a full refund. Waste of time!

The next was a Fender strat American pro...arrived with a very poor re-finish job that was not disclosed...item returned for a full refund. Waste of time!

Latest purchase on reverb...seller went quiet for 5 days...messages me today that he decided to keep the guitar, but has yet to refund my money....Dispute has been opened ...waste of time

So, Im wondering if people have lost their minds, or trying scams, or inflation kicking them in the a$$??? Sign of the times?

Anyways, be careful out there and make sure you are doing deals where you can get your money back if things turn sour. Even if it is paying 3.5% more with PayPal vs etransfer.

Good luck and happy guitar hunting!


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

I bought a custom shop tele at the beginning of the pandemic, ordered from Dave's guitars in the US. The price is about what people seem to be charging for used examples. Got it in a week, absolutely no issues. Bought a used strat a couple months ago from someone from this forum. We met up for me to play it. Those are the only ways I would buy a guitar. I always lean more to new as there isn't much advantage for used anymore.
I never deal with reverb or eBay as a buyer or seller. There is no shortage of stories like this that reaffirm my philosophy.


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## pspguitar (Jan 21, 2021)

guitarman2 said:


> I bought a custom shop tele at the beginning of the pandemic, ordered from Dave's guitars in the US. The price is about what people seem to be charging for used examples. Got it in a week, absolutely no issues. Bought a used strat a couple months ago from someone from this forum. We met up for me to play it. Those are the only ways I would buy a guitar. I always lean more to new as there isn't much advantage for used anymore.
> I never deal with reverb or eBay as a buyer or seller. There is no shortage of stories like this that reaffirm my philosophy.


It's interesting to think that seller feedback used to mean something. All three sellers had several transactions and all highly rated. 

Actually, my best dealings have been on here and with a couple of people on Kijiji.


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## Archeonn (Sep 8, 2021)

Yeap, it's been weird for me too. Had 3 guitars that sat for weeks/months that I finally decided to pull the trigger on, and bought by someone else hours or a day before. Guess it's all the tax returns. The local L&M has, in the last month or so, increased all their used gear prices. It used to be a significant discount and now they're like Reverb prices. Used pedal with scratches all over, 10% off new price anyone?


AND THEN I started a separate thread about this, but I ordered a vintage amp from eBay which has been confiscated due to BS vacuum tube "restrictions". Pretty sad about this one. Might give up on buying stuff for a while.


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## Thunderboy1975 (Sep 12, 2013)

STOP BUYING GITS. Just creating disharmony in your day to day life. 😂 Go play the ones you got for crissake.😁


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Archeonn said:


> Yeap, it's been weird for me too. Had 3 guitars that sat for weeks/months that I finally decided to pull the trigger on, and bought by someone else hours or a day before. Guess it's all the tax returns. The local L&M has, in the last month or so, increased all their used gear prices. It used to be a significant discount and now they're like Reverb prices. Used pedal with scratches all over, 10% off new price anyone?
> 
> 
> AND THEN I started a separate thread about this, but I ordered a vintage amp from eBay which has been confiscated due to BS vacuum tube "restrictions". Pretty sad about this one. Might give up on buying stuff for a while.


L&m doesnt use reverb values at all, they use their prices.


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## Archeonn (Sep 8, 2021)

Budda said:


> L&m doesnt use reverb values at all, they use their prices.


That's what I mean. The prices used to be their own prices. Now this particular store has things at almost Reverb prices.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Archeonn said:


> That's what I mean. The prices used to be their own prices. Now this particular store has things at almost Reverb prices.


Like I said, its based on what the new price is and what they sold the item for used in the past. Everyone probably just did another price hike so used gear from the dealer will go up too. Just do what I do - dont pay reverb prices.


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## Archeonn (Sep 8, 2021)

Budda said:


> Like I said, its based on what the new price is and what they sold the item for used in the past. Everyone probably just did another price hike so used gear from the dealer will go up too. Just do what I do - dont pay reverb prices.


Used gear, as in trade-ins, is generally 70% of their selling price. Rental gear is discounted by percentage for each week that it has been rented out. The same item is selling for $295 new from L&M website. Used $280, and no, the item I looked at was not a previous rental. I know what I saw.


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## Gimli8 (Dec 20, 2019)

I’ve had 5 guitars sell before I got a chance on them in the last couple months as well. A couple from stores in the Toronto area were sold as soon as they went on the websites. A couple on here as well. Now a seller I was going to buy from this weekend is asking for me to send a photo of my drivers licence. Said a friend got burned with counterfeit bills. Never had that request before


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## pspguitar (Jan 21, 2021)

If I am dealing on Kijiji as a seller, being paid with e-transfer, I usually volunteer a pic of my driver's license. I also text or email with the seller to establish a rapport before the deal is done. Sometimes a phone call. As a buyer, I really want to see some ID if they are shipping it to me.

Like I say, most people are awesome to deal with, interesting that trusted sellers on established platforms, with money back guarantees have been the ones playing games.... interesting times.


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## DC23 (Mar 28, 2014)

It has been interesting lately. Had an unusual amount of tire kickers and time wasters. Sometimes feel like people just want to be ******.


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## DrumBob (Aug 17, 2014)

I've put a moratorium on buying guitars, because I'm trying to save money to buy an old car, something I've always wanted. I'm selling guitars, actually, to fund this purchase.


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## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

Been all good here but i dont buy on any other sites except this forum.


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## FatStrat2 (Apr 7, 2021)

^ I recommend this as well. I've had good luck on this site too, some good peeps here.


pspguitar said:


> ...Sign of the times?...


I think you nailed it with this and there's more coming as budgets tighten up for people. There's less certainty in the market, less confidence. You just wait 18 months, then things will really be upside down.


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## tomee2 (Feb 27, 2017)

I would not send out a drivers license picture to a random buyer or seller on kijiji


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

tomee2 said:


> I would not send out a drivers license picture to a random buyer or seller on kijiji


send them this.


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## Jaime (Mar 29, 2020)

DC23 said:


> It has been interesting lately. Had an unusual amount of tire kickers and time wasters. Sometimes feel like people just want to be ******.


I've noticed this as well, for the last 6-8 months especially. 

I have to say, most of which are happening on this very forum. I used to prepare myself when getting messages on Kijiji for my listings, now I'm doing it here. All but two of my last maybe 8-10 bigger ticket (i.e. guitars, amps) deals buying and selling were done via Reverb and Kijiji with considerably less bullshit than here. It was absolutely not like that when I became an active member here.


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## pspguitar (Jan 21, 2021)

Well, the most recent guy from Reverb...that I did a deal privately with - still using paypal for coverage - closed his Reverb account LOL..maybe he is on the run? haha 
Anyways..I'm fully protected by PayPal...it just takes time. My money maybe on hold till April 25...I really don't understand someones motivation behind a tactic like this...thinking they can go silent and keep the money in the PayPal account. The second I open a dispute...the funds are frozen...unfortunately for both of us....It will all work out in the end, for me, but what a waste of time.


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## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

Jaime said:


> I've noticed this as well, for the last 6-8 months especially.
> 
> I have to say, most of which are happening on this very forum. I used to prepare myself when getting messages on Kijiji for my listings, now I'm doing it here. All but two of my last maybe 8-10 bigger ticket (i.e. guitars, amps) deals buying and selling were done via Reverb and Kijiji with considerably less bullshit than here. It was absolutely not like that when I became an active member here.


There's been an influx of new members and that is par for the course. Back to the OP and "sign of the times" question - I think so. I buy new 99% of the time and I've noticed a heightened anxiety even with retailers. During the pandemic, everyone was in buying spree mode and I'm guessing reality has kicked in for many and this is also impacting retailers.


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## pspguitar (Jan 21, 2021)

...make that 4 transactions now gone sour in 2 weeks. I bought a guitar this morning from reverb, only to realize the reputable seller had copied an ad and pictures from an eBay seller. I wonder if people's accounts have been hacked...this is insane....so another dispute opened....never seen anything like this before.


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## Derek_T (10 mo ago)

DC23 said:


> It has been interesting lately. Had an unusual amount of tire kickers and time wasters. Sometimes feel like people just want to be ******.


Yes similar experience on a guitar I'm selling right now. Couple of months ago I sold a guitar and one of the potential buyers asked a lot of questions about the guitar, we agreed on a price and a place to meet and the day before he decide to back off because "he tends to buy compulsively and is afraid to put himself in trouble".... can't blame the guy for being responsible, but do it before wasting someone else time.

Personally, I only do in person transaction (no shipping) and it always went well.

I have the feeling some people are try to get rid of the overprice gear they bought in last year without loosing money hence the crazy price.


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## BlueRocker (Jan 5, 2020)

I sold two guitars on this forum earlier this week, and both transactions were drama free. Reverb in February (Canadian seller) was great. Bought a 335 earlier this year from @dgreen, awesome seller. I'd rather deal with you guys than a bunch of randos on Kijiji or Reverb.

As an aside, I collected up a bunch of random gear that I thought would be hard to sell or not valuable enough to be worthwhile shipping (including two guitars) and took it to Long & McQuade today. I intended to pick up something new. Anyway, for the majority of it they offered very good trade in value compared to what I paid for it (I sold them back a couple of items for more than I paid THEM for it).

Not often I go there and buy a guitar and an amp, and come home with $300 more than I left with.


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## aj6stringsting1 (9 mo ago)

I've been looking to buy a used Black Epiphone LPC, that's in good condition , for about a year. 
I've noticed that people are selling used guitars, in various conditions, for at new prices.

I seen a Epiphone LPC ( stock) with no case, selling for $ 750.00 U.S. Dollars 😱

Before the Pandemic, the average price for an Epiphone LPC was $ $ 425.00, sometimes with case.


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## wraub (May 21, 2021)

I've bought three guitars in the last 6 months or so, all locally. Saw an online listing, made contact, met in person, deal's done. I'm not sure I'd buy a guitar online these days but local deals are still available.

I am in process with a reverb seller over some pedals though, and they seem to have become very slow in follow up communication. I may keep you posted.


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## wraub (May 21, 2021)

aj6stringsting1 said:


> I've been looking to buy a used Black Epiphone LPC, that's in good condition , for about a year.
> I've noticed that people are selling used guitars, in various conditions, for at new prices.
> 
> I seen a Epiphone LPC ( stock) with no case, selling for $ 750.00 U.S. Dollars 😱
> ...


I used to see most Gibson LP Studios for $700-850 used and now they're closer to the $1,000 mark or above.


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## PTO (12 mo ago)

BlueRocker said:


> I sold two guitars on this forum earlier this week, and both transactions were drama free. Reverb in February (Canadian seller) was great. Bought a 335 earlier this year from @dgreen, awesome seller. I'd rather deal with you guys than a bunch of randos on Kijiji or Reverb.
> 
> As an aside, I collected up a bunch of random gear that I thought would be hard to sell or not valuable enough to be worthwhile shipping (including two guitars) and took it to Long & McQuade today. I intended to pick up something new. Anyway, for the majority of it they offered very good trade in value compared to what I paid for it (I sold them back a couple of items for more than I paid THEM for it).
> 
> Not often I go there and buy a guitar and an amp, and come home with $300 more than I left with.


Nice! Did they give you a price for the lot? For some reason I was under the impression that you could only trade in one item per item purchased. Maybe that’s the policy but there’s leeway. I’d be happy to get a bit less if it meant one trip instead of a bunch of transactions with shipping.


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## Archeonn (Sep 8, 2021)

Hiding defects and hoping the buyer won't notice is definitely not just a private seller thing. I sold one of my guitars last year which had a cosmetic crack at the set neck joint. As a poly guitar, it's not a super common issue as the rest of the guitar was mint. Several months later, I see it on consignment at a local shop and listed on Reverb. No mention of the crack. This is a pretty reputable shop with not-shitty sales staff. They either hid it or just didn't look very carefully.


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## BlueRocker (Jan 5, 2020)

PTO said:


> Nice! Did they give you a price for the lot? For some reason I was under the impression that you could only trade in one item per item purchased. Maybe that’s the policy but there’s leeway. I’d be happy to get a bit less if it meant one trip instead of a bunch of transactions with shipping.


You get 80% of what they'll sell it for on the first item you buy, and 70% of the next item. I purchased multiple items so got 80% of the two most expensive trades.


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## Shai`tan (Aug 25, 2020)

A month or so ago I lucked into a late 85/early 86 black Hamer Chaparral. Price was fair. Seller was amazing. 2 weeks ago, I went to buy a Momose Korina V from a Japanese Seller. And I want 1 of these in the worst way tbh. Thought I lucked out again. Paid my dough, and then once the Seller had my dough they strung me along. Long story short. They didn`t even have the guitar. So yeah I got my Refund. Never thought a Japanese Seller would do that sorta thing. But apparently this happens alot..... with Japanese Sellers. I`ll definately be alot more careful next time I find a Momose Korina V for sale.


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## pspguitar (Jan 21, 2021)

So the latest in one of my sagas...a guy copied an eBay ad, pictures and all. I discovered this after I purchased the guitar on reverb. 
I requested as refund on reverb, but was told by their team to open a dispute with PayPal. 

I decided to call PayPal to have them open the dispute, so no errors would be made on my part. 

The dispute is an item not received dispute. The seller has a crazy amount of time to upload a tracking number...like 15 days...

I contacted the eBay seller and he verified he owned the guitar and what I purchased was fraudulent. 

To my surprise a tracking number was uploaded yesterday. UPS.

The package is 80 pounds and addressed to my city...not me.

The item may show as delivered. To whom I don't know, and what I don't know. I read that scammers buy authentic tracking numbers on the dark web. 

PayPal said to contact UPS Monday morning and tell them all of this and that I will refuse acceptance on the parcel...it will be interesting to see if they know the actual address of delivery....plus I don't want to pay import taxes and brokerage fees on something... whatever it is .. likely it is a parcel destination to my city 

Tip...if using reverb...pay with a credit card


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## BlueRocker (Jan 5, 2020)

I had six Gibsons left for sale. Listed on Kijiji, my Goldtop sold in literally 2 minutes. and the buyer was at my door in 10. Got an offer on the last four this morning - the buyer wanted all four.


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## Archeonn (Sep 8, 2021)

Shai`tan said:


> Never thought a Japanese Seller would do that sorta thing. But apparently this happens alot..... with Japanese Sellers.


Darn. Which site was that on? Im in the middle of ordering something from Japan. I used eBay as a catalog to browse the guitars from Japanese sellers, then found the actual guitar on other sites and going through a proxy. Fingers crossed it delivers. But the guitar that I bought is still listed by the eBay seller, so no doubt when someone else buys it, the seller will give the same excuses as to why they don't actually have the guitar.


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## pspguitar (Jan 21, 2021)

Archeonn said:


> Darn. Which site was that on? Im in the middle of ordering something from Japan. I used eBay as a catalog to browse the guitars from Japanese sellers, then found the actual guitar on other sites and going through a proxy. Fingers crossed it delivers. But the guitar that I bought is still listed by the eBay seller, so no doubt when someone else buys it, the seller will give the same excuses as to why they don't actually have the guitar.


I purchased on reverb.com I hope it works out for you. I know some Asian sites are clones of actual sites.. with clothing and shoes, etc....I hope you have some protection with your purchase?


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## tomee2 (Feb 27, 2017)

aj6stringsting1 said:


> I've been looking to buy a used Black Epiphone LPC, that's in good condition , for about a year.
> I've noticed that people are selling used guitars, in various conditions, for at new prices.
> 
> I seen a Epiphone LPC ( stock) with no case, selling for $ 750.00 U.S. Dollars 😱
> ...


Fyi... L&M in Stratford ON have a demo 2021 Epiphone LPC at $899.


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## Archeonn (Sep 8, 2021)

pspguitar said:


> I purchased on reverb.com I hope it works out for you. I know some Asian sites are clones of actual sites.. with clothing and shoes, etc....I hope you have some protection with your purchase?


Just credit card and Paypal protection. I'm not too worried about being scammed, more worried about getting lost or damaged in shipping since only Fedex and DHL are running limited service from Japan.


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## Parabola (Oct 22, 2021)

Archeonn said:


> Used gear, as in trade-ins, is generally 70% of their selling price. Rental gear is discounted by percentage for each week that it has been rented out. The same item is selling for $295 new from L&M website. Used $280, and no, the item I looked at was not a previous rental. I know what I saw.


I thought that was the policy too, However last Fall I was looking to sell a Mint 2013 SG Standard with the original Gibson case, was passing by a LM and thought I’d see what they would offer. They looked it over and offered me $530 for it, saying they would be lucky to get $800 for it. I was negotiating with someone on a guitar on Kijiji and for some reason he traded in that guitar (that I was willing to pay $1800 for) on a new guitar at the same LM, and they told him they were going to list it for much less than that. 

I find them fairly reasonable when I’m dealing on pedals, but on guitars, forget it.


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## pspguitar (Jan 21, 2021)

So, the most recent scam I am dealing with.

Purchased a guitar from reverb. The listing was fake and was a copied ad from eBay I discovered. Reverb said to open a dispute with PayPal as that was the form of payment. I opened an item not received dispute. The fake seller likely purchased a legit UPS tracking number. The number shows that an item was shipped and is heading to my city but not to my home address. I have read dozens of reports of this UPS scam. Apparently people can purchase UPS tracking numbers and PayPal will side in their favor because the item will show as delivered even though it was not delivered to the actual buyer in this case me.

I spent 45 minutes on the phone this morning trying to get UPS to verify that I am not the receiver of the package. They told me they cannot give the information of who is the receiver but they said that I was not. PayPal is requiring something in writing to this effect. UPS says they will not provide something in writing. I have escalated this to the fraud department at UPS and I hope they will be able to provide proof that I am in fact not the receiver of the 85 lb package.


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## Parabola (Oct 22, 2021)

There is the RCMP fraud reporting centre. Might be a long shot to help you, but I’m guessing they have relationships with various agencies and might be able to help you get the info you need for PayPal.





__





Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre







www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca


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## pspguitar (Jan 21, 2021)

Yes, I may need to go that route... we will see. Everything will be wrapped up later this week with the dispute process. 
You would think that PayPal would be aware of such scams. Why do I need to do all the leg work? Crazy.


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## Derek_T (10 mo ago)

Shai`tan said:


> A month or so ago I lucked into a late 85/early 86 black Hamer Chaparral. Price was fair. Seller was amazing. 2 weeks ago, I went to buy a Momose Korina V from a Japanese Seller. And I want 1 of these in the worst way tbh. Thought I lucked out again. Paid my dough, and then once the Seller had my dough they strung me along. Long story short. They didn`t even have the guitar. So yeah I got my Refund. Never thought a Japanese Seller would do that sorta thing. But apparently this happens alot..... with Japanese Sellers. I`ll definately be alot more careful next time I find a Momose Korina V for sale.


On Reverb most Japanese Sellers I've seen always mention their guitars are also sold in store and that you have chance the guitar has already been sold by the time you buy it.


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## Parabola (Oct 22, 2021)

If I had to guess, I’d say PayPal probably has some pretty good fraud insurance and set the burden of proof to meet whatever they are required to prove a claim.

If you can’t prove a scam happens, you take the hit and they don’t loose money. If you do meet the standard and prove fraud, they refund your money and pursue a criminal claim against the fraudster and a financial claim against their insurance.


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## pspguitar (Jan 21, 2021)

Parabola said:


> If I had to guess, I’d say PayPal probably has some pretty good fraud insurance and set the burden of proof to meet whatever they are required to prove a claim.
> 
> If you can’t prove a scam happens, you take the hit and they don’t loose money. If you do meet the standard and prove fraud, they refund your money and pursue a criminal claim against the fraudster and a financial claim against their insurance.


Apparently, a seller only needs to provide a tracking number and show an item is delivered. It appears people are able to purchase authentic tracking numbers to peoples cities Hack? Inside job? on the internet. Many buyers have been unable to win disputes based on this. One seller I read had to conduct a three way call between UPS and PayPal to have UPS state that the buyer was not the recipient of the package. UPS will not disclose the actual recipients details of course. 

This scam has been going on for a few years. I'm surprised PayPal has not added a layer of protection for the buyers. For example, the seller should be able to provide proof that the shipment was sent to the address on the buyers PayPal account - not just the city.


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## Parabola (Oct 22, 2021)

That’s crazy, it would be so easy to require proof that it was shipped to your verified address. I think that’s what eBay does.


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## pspguitar (Jan 21, 2021)

Well, a PayPal agent phoned UPS on my behalf. They were able to confirm I was not the recipient. Thank goodness. A full refund is being issued. What a waste of time. If you find yourself in this situation ... now you know a possible way to resolve it. I was able to catch the delivery before it arrived at another location. Likely, it would take more more convincing if the item showed as delivered in my city.


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## Archeonn (Sep 8, 2021)

pspguitar said:


> You would think that PayPal would be aware of such scams.


Oh they're aware. I bought some non-guitar items about 4 years ago and paid through PayPal. The seller sent me half the order, charged me for priority shipping and used the cheapest shipping. Wouldn't respond for partial refunds or anything, but never denied that he didn't send the full order. PayPal sided with the seller because he provided a tracking number. Go through your credit card company. PayPal is useless. It's probably robots, "oh there's a tracking number, must be legit".


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## GraceToo (11 mo ago)

aj6stringsting1 said:


> I've been looking to buy a used Black Epiphone LPC, that's in good condition , for about a year.
> I've noticed that people are selling used guitars, in various conditions, for at new prices.
> 
> I seen a Epiphone LPC ( stock) with no case, selling for $ 750.00 U.S. Dollars 😱
> ...


I get the sense that a lot of the folks selling Epiphones for almost new prices are either new to playing guitar, or are greedily still trying to capitalize on the pandemic-related wave of new players. Those of us who know better know that Epiphones, even newer Epiphones, take a substantial hit on the used market. I’ve seen a lot of ridiculous ads for used Epiphones locally in the $700+ range, and just shake my head at them. They all go unsold, with frequent bumps from the sellers. I recently listed my practically new Inspired by Gibson LP for $450, and it sold the same day. Guy probably thought it was a steal, but it was just the already established value of a used higher end Epiphone…


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

I was browsing Reverb for Strat Plus's the other day to see how crazy this is getting. When I bought mine, the reverb numbers were 17-2100 now it looks like folks are asking 22-2600. Crazy.
I am still under the impression I over paid at 1800. This is of course, my only comparable of pricing as I have been out of the game for oh, you know.... 20 years or so.


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## Derek_T (10 mo ago)

Yesterday on Reverb looking at Gibson 335 (don't remember which model exactly sorry) :
" 5 used starting at : 4900$ - 2 New Starting at 4200$ "

Then on a Custom shop model:
" 3 used starting at : 6750$ - 2 New Starting at 6200$"

And some people get offended when you politely point out that their stuff is overpriced....


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## pspguitar (Jan 21, 2021)

I was always taught the market determines the price...supply and demand.... perceived value means nothing. 

No different than equities. What are people willing to pay per share for Tesla?

Take a look at Les Paul prices...more vintage equipment.


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## Derek_T (10 mo ago)

pspguitar said:


> I was always taught the market determines the price...supply and demand.... perceived value means nothing.
> 
> No different than equities. What are people willing to pay per share for Tesla?


Can't argue with that I agree. Used Tesla, though, do not sell for more than brand new ones.


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## Archeonn (Sep 8, 2021)

Used sellers are misrepresenting stuff in addition to the price hikes. I've seen Gibson Memphis hollowbodies been called Custom Shop, and priced as such. For a number of years the certificate had the word "custom" on it. But normal serials and no CS logo. 

I saw Gretsch 2xxx series listed for 5xxx prices, 5xxx listed for 6xxxx prices and the seller claiming it's a deal. Funny enough, the 6 series made in Japan are only listing for about half their new price.


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## pspguitar (Jan 21, 2021)

UPS fraud department was able to email me the receivers info after all...I don't think they were to share this info...I believe someone on their team sympathized with my situation and just send an address....no other information in the email...

The shipment went to Home Depot in my city.

So, who knows how the fraudsters get these authentic tracking numbers... interesting scam

Either way, I got my refund
[email protected] was the email that helped me. 

I hope this info helps someone out there.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Glad the resolution concluded!


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## pspguitar (Jan 21, 2021)

Budda said:


> Glad the resolution concluded!


Me too. I have another dispute closing at 11 am PST today...it's been a wild ride last couple of weeks


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## Parabola (Oct 22, 2021)

For giggles, I wonder what they sent to Home Depot that weighed 85 pounds lol


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## pspguitar (Jan 21, 2021)

Parabola said:


> For giggles, I wonder what they sent to Home Depot that weighed 85 pounds lol


I think it was a legit shipment to Home Depot from a manufacturer in the USA. I believe the fraudsters purchased an authentic tracking number online to give the illusion that something was sent to me in my city. I was able to catch this before the item was even delivered as the information only had my city, not my actual home address.

If the tracking showed as delivered an initial dispute would be settled in the fake sellers favour. It takes a lot of info to undo the initial settlement.... And time.... I guess most people give up on lower value items.

Let's say 20% of people give up trying to fight it or just get money back from their credit card...it's worth someone's while to scam people. Sad state of affairs.

Reports of this scam, from as recent as 1-2 years ago, were settled in the sellers favour. Even after the case was disputed. 

I believe UPS and PayPal are very aware of this, but it takes a great deal of resolve on your part to keep fighting to get the information to prove your case.

I did 99% of the ground work in my situation and served it on a silver plate for PayPal to resolve this matter in my favour.


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## Parabola (Oct 22, 2021)

Oh….ok that’s crazy then.

I had an interesting UPS issue a couple of years ago. I returned a recalled product to a manufacture, they arranged prepaid UPS shipping , I had to take the package to the local depot, they do their thing, gave a receipt, and off I go. The next day I check tracking and it doesn’t exist. I check for a few days, same thing. I contact UPS, they assign a lost package investigator to the case, she does her thing. A week or so later, I get an email from the manufacturer saying they received the package and are processing the refund.

I call the UPS investigator so she can shut down the case. Apparently the depot staff didn’t enter the package as received, when I dropped it off, but it somehow managed to transit the UPS system and customs, without any issue, despite the fact it must have been scanned dozens of times in transit. Obviously in their system if it’s not properly Ingested into the system at the start of the shipping process, it stil transits to its destination no problem.

Made me wonder how many crooked people on the front end are leveraging that bug to perhaps make illegal/smuggling shipments, because its essentially a ghost package at that point. It does not exist anywhere in the system.


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## ShipNerd (9 mo ago)

That is really odd, as the package would have received multiple scans while transiting through the UPS network. Even if the initial "Drop-off" or "receiving" scan was missed, there would be multiple others. 

Steve


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## Parabola (Oct 22, 2021)

ShipNerd said:


> That is really odd, as the package would have received multiple scans while transiting through the UPS network. Even if the initial "Drop-off" or "receiving" scan was missed, there would be multiple others.
> 
> Steve


My guess is that there’s a customer database that includes customer and address info, and that is separate, but linked to the transportation database. until the package ID/barcode is ingested into the system (transportation database) a record specific to that package is not created, so as it is scanned as it transits, the info is tossed into the database, but not associated with anything. It’s probably seen as junk data or a misread ID/barcode. As the system is designed to move stuff quickly, they don’t stop the process to check, they just assume the next scan point will read it in terms of where it is in the world. The address info is valid, so the system just routes the package to its destination, but the scanning is not tracking it. I would assume a human at some point would stop the package as it doesn’t scan, however they probably assume it’s in the process so belongs there, and they probably get so many failed scans in a day that they just say screw it, and let it pass to the next waypoint.

I assume they get alerts if an address is not readable or routeable, that probably sets off a series of actions to take the package out of the flow and figure out where it goes, but they probably could care less if it shows it passed through Cleveland at 2pm on Sunday lol.

That they have lost package investigators tells me this probably happens fairly often.


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## Parabola (Oct 22, 2021)

I should mention, I think my database theory checks out, as the investigator could see all my customer info, and that the labels for the package etc were created at the time and place I was (the depot), but the trail went cold there. She felt it was somewhere in the depot and had not been shipped, there was no record of it being ingested into the shipping process.


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## Vally (Aug 18, 2016)

I was shopping on Reverb yesterday, looking at Ibanez AZ2204, noticed two Canadian music stores selling this model, one in Quebec and one Ontario. The Quebec guitar was a $1000 cheaper


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## GAB1980 (9 mo ago)

pspguitar said:


> So, my last three transactions for buying guitars all turned sour - in one week. The buying and selling community out there has usually been good to me. I'm not talking about this website. I'm talking about Reverb.com and private seller's websites.
> 
> I would say 95% of people are honest in my dealings over the years, but it takes a few bad apples to mess everything up.
> 
> ...


What is the best way to sell high end gear without using Reverb? I find the buyers are terrible, so many watchers that never make offers.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

GAB1980 said:


> What is the best way to sell high end gear without using Reverb? I find the buyers are terrible, so many watchers that never make offers.


Guitarscanada.com


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## pspguitar (Jan 21, 2021)

We have a split market right now. We have people that are flipping instruments to try to make money and we have people selling instruments for a value that will actually sell.and those are gone within hours. 

You want a sale? As hard as it may be, list your instrument for 10% lower than what your think it's value is. Be willing to negotiate from there. Maybe you don't change your price, but small gestures seem to close the deals I find. So take another $30 off shipping or whatever...Everyone wants a deal right? Or at least feel like they got a deal.


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## wraub (May 21, 2021)

I just sold a neck locally even though I have a reverb account, too many time wasters there imo. Quick and easy, too.


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## FatStrat2 (Apr 7, 2021)

I wish there were more necks available on CL & Kijiji. Sometimes I don't want a new neck, I want one that's been broken in, still strong, straight & true with minimal to average fret wear. So I usually end up buying the guitar just for the neck (or pickups).

Also end up w/ too many duplicate parts though...


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## wraub (May 21, 2021)

FatStrat2 said:


> I wish there were more necks available on CL & Kijiji. Sometimes I don't want a new neck, I want one that's been broken in, still strong, straight & true with minimal to average fret wear. So I usually end up buying the guitar just for the neck (or pickups).
> 
> Also end up w/ too many duplicate parts though...


This was a Jackson neck from the Ontario days, the frets needed some attention but it was a really nicely made and strong solid thing, definitely broken in. I got it on a parts guitar at a thrift store.
Went on CL, was gone in 10 hours.
I do have a de-fretted Strat neck and a fully functioning Tele neck atm also. I don't have a lot of duplicate parts, but there sure are a lot of parts around here.


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## FatStrat2 (Apr 7, 2021)

Speaking of CL, just saw this local ad:

Replica Electric Guitar,

Guitar in excellent condition (Looks Authentic).15Watt Peavey Rage 158 Amp.Separate Shoulder Strap.Nylon carry case with knapsack type carry arms (GoodCond.)


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## Accept2 (Jan 1, 2006)

All a sign of the end times. The tribes of the past spoke of the shit, the modern world ignored it.....


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## 2manyGuitars (Jul 6, 2009)

FatStrat2 said:


> Speaking of CL, just saw this local ad:
> 
> Replica Electric Guitar,
> 
> ...


Salvador Dali signature model?


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