# Deal Morality: Is Giving Your Word Now Meaningless?



## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

I have discussed this with a friend in the past. There are some sellers and buyers that have a different idea of what giving your word is than I and some others (maybe older guys) do.

As an example my friend had a pedal for sale. He lives about an hour outside of Ottawa. He had made a deal over Kijiji with a buyer, and was driving the 1 hour to deliver the pedal. When he was just arriving in Ottawa the buyer texted him and backed out of the deal, knowing my friend had left and was most likely almost there. My friend said "You gave me your word." The buyer said he did not. He explained to my friend that blah blah blah putting it in writing that they had a deal was not giving someone his word. Now this same friend was trying to buy an expensive piece of recording equipment. He found one, and was having trouble raising the $2K for the purchase. The seller was understanding and kept holding for my friend. After about 2 months my friend told the seller he was sorry and couldn't in good conscience continue to jerk the seller around. My friend apologized and unprompted gave the guy $200 for the inconvenience he had caused.

I made a Kijiji deal a few years ago for some high quality flight cases. I met the guy at a spot that each of us drove 30 minutes to get to. When I saw the cases in the guy's truck, I knew I didn't want them as they were much larger than I had imagined. I smiled, paid the guy, brought them home and then resold them. I could have said no and not do the deal, but that would have sucked for the seller.

IS there a new morality that your word is not a deal and there is nothing wrong with that?


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## Frenchy99 (Oct 15, 2016)

In life , you either have a word or you're a major prick...


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

Frenchy99 said:


> In life , you either have a word or your a major prick...


probably a bit of missed middle ground here


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## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

People can be real assholes. That’s my theory anyways.


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## StevieMac (Mar 4, 2006)

With respect to the OP's example deal, I've done the same and still followed through on purchasing after realizing the item likely wasn't for me. To be fair, that was when BOTH the seller & myself made some effort to meet up though. Which brings me to your friend: The "buyer" in that scenario sounds like a douche, straight up. However, I would not have invested 2 hrs of my time delivering to someone with 0 hrs invested in that process. There's no disincentive for them arbitrarily changing their mind so I avoid that kind of scenario altogether.

To your larger question, the degree of personal responsibility that folks generally take for their actions does seem to be diminishing on the whole. I've seen it take many forms and occur with increasing frequency in recent years, however I don't have a satisfactory explanation for it.


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## MarkM (May 23, 2019)

You seem to have been wronged quite a bit this last while, take a break from trading for awhile 

Will be good for your well being.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

StevieMac said:


> With respect to the OP's example deal, I've done the same and still followed through on purchasing after realizing the item likely wasn't for me. To be fair, that was when BOTH the seller & myself made some effort to meet up though. Which brings me to your friend: The "buyer" in that scenario sounds like a douche, straight up. However, I would not have invested 2 hrs of my time delivering to someone with 0 hrs invested in that process. There's no disincentive for them arbitrarily changing their mind so I avoid that kind of scenario altogether.
> 
> To your larger question, the degree of personal responsibility that folks generally take for their actions does seem to be diminishing on the whole. I've seen it take many forms and occur with increasing frequency in recent years, however I don't have a satisfactory explanation for it.


My friend was and still is a very professional musician. He was recently divorced, and after years of royalties for movies and TV shows being very healthy, the internet had pretty much decimated his income. He was selling is beloved '80's Rat pedal to feed his daughter... I am happy to report he is doing very well and is under contract to a major label writing for/with and producing a successful artist, as well as other projects and ventures on the go.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

MarkM said:


> You seem to have been wronged quite a bit this last while, take a break from trading for awhile
> 
> Will be good for your well being.


No. You seem to be trying to passive agressively gaslite me. I just bought a pedal an hour ago from this board. No issues. Try not to self project onto me. Worry about yourself.


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## morepowder (Apr 30, 2020)

I have long lived by my word is all I have. If I say “I’ll take it”, it’s a done deal. I expect the same from others, but am sometimes disappointed. If I am offered more for an item after the fact and the deal isn’t the best possible for me, it doesn’t matter. It’s done.

A thread earlier today said it’s not a deal until money changes hands. Uhh....no.

As I have been known to tell someone backing out of a deal, “Only you can define what your word is worth.”


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

I am older. I think perhaps the younger generations that have grown up with the internet, and public figures lying and not only getting away with it but succeeding do not learn ethics and old school honour. I bet to them keeping your word is for chumps.


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## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

[QUOTE="StevieMac, post: 2757169, member: 381”]However, I would not have invested 2 hrs of my time delivering to someone with 0 hrs invested in that process. There's no disincentive for them arbitrarily changing their mind so I avoid that kind of scenario altogether.

[/QUOTE]

Agree and in any situation that allows the buyer more time to explore options or back out, I request a deposit. A small amount to secure the goods and have an agreement in place and then I can also take down my ads on other sites as well.

I sold a high end guitar via Kijiji last week and when I originally requested “Would you like to put a deposit to secure the guitar?”, the buyer responded “I’ll take my chances”. That is fine as well but the buyer understood the risk. We met up the next day and it was a smooth transaction. As long as both parties understand the terms of the sale and they are fully disclosed, it generally avoids issues.


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## Okay Player (May 24, 2020)

morepowder said:


> I have long lived by my word is all I have. If I say “I’ll take it”, it’s a done deal. I expect the same from others, but am sometimes disappointed. If I am offered more for an item after the fact and the deal isn’t the best possible for me, it doesn’t matter. It’s done.
> 
> A thread earlier today said it’s not a deal until money changes hands. Uhh....no.
> 
> As I have been known to tell someone backing out of a deal, “Only you can define what your word is worth.”


Well, sir. You sound like someone who does business on CGN. Most people who regularly do transactions there are only able to do so because they have a fairly strict code of ethics.


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## morepowder (Apr 30, 2020)

RickF on CGN, you? 😁. That’s my other toy addiction.


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## LIX (Jun 10, 2009)

Has happened to me more then a few times on kijiji. Im not old, not young, but i dont think age has anything to do with it. What i do if traveling for a sale is request to be paid via emt. I ask the buyer to send the emt (especially in covid times) with a complicated password before i hit the road, shows that they are serious and have something(time to send emt) invested. Also sometimes financial situations change for people quickly(especially musicians, myself included) i dont think its a question of "their word" but when selling on a non trust based or feedback(haha) based forum you have to look out for your best interest and not be nieve to the fact that you may be dealing with a flake.

Also sometimes a simple phone conversation can give you some insight into the buyer, if they wont call or text and just messege you via kijiji , usually a red flag.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

I would hesitate to say agreeing to meet is a commitment to buy--and I would be clear in that regard as the buyer or the seller.
If the other person is not in agreement--ok--we don't meet then--and one of us keeps looking to buy & the other to sell.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

I have done quite a few deals, mostly for cars and motorcycles....bought and sold, on mine and the sellers/buyers word. The guy that bought the '81 read the ad, phoned me and we talked about the bike for about a half an hr. or so and said he'd meet me the next day. He phoned later to check on the address and showed up about 7 hrs. later, trailer behind the truck and cash in wallet. Paid what I was asking for the bike and then bought a lot of the pare parts I had kicking around the shop. Seems a lot of people, in the motorcycle and car community, still honour their word and a handshake....age doesn't matter. The guy that bought the '77 didn't have all the cash when he showed up but we had talked about that. The first time he was there he got the frame. The second time he showed up with some more money he got enough parts to make it a rolling chassis. The third time with the last of the money he got everything else including the registration. There have been times when I've said, "I'll be out to look at an item.", not buy but just look, driven a couple of hundred miles miles and not bought the item but if the seller says they'll hold it for me, it's always been there. 
I think a lot has to do with how you were brought up. I was brought up that your word and/or a handshake was good enough. Didn't matter what you were buying or selling. I know a lot of kids, including my son, that were brought up that way and same with their kids. I don't think the internet and 'lying public figures' has anything to do with it.


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## Stephenlouis (Jun 24, 2019)

I only read the title, not the flow of this post.... My word given is end of story , only waiting for the confirmation of what I said.. I count on and assume the same from the other side of a deal or even conversation. My word is very meaningful to me.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Probably "old school" now means "old fool".


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

I just had this experience where we agreed that I was getting the guitar/amp that this guy was selling. I told him I'm not able to pick it up tomorrow and he responded by adding another $75 to the price and asking me if I'm willing to do that. Which I of course didn't. The next day he came back asking me if I was still interested albeit the price we 'agreed' upon. Told him, no. For me, once we agree through email or verbal that you are going to take it or me going to take it and we discuss how the exchange will happen, it is a done deal. And I have gotten stuff that I wanted to back out when I saw what I was getting but didn't because a deal is a deal is a deal. Sometimes I managed to sell it again, most times it ends up somewhere in the basement. LOL


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## StevieMac (Mar 4, 2006)

player99 said:


> My friend was and still is a very professional musician. He was recently divorced, and after years of royalties for movies and TV shows being very healthy, the internet had pretty much decimated his income. He was selling is beloved '80's Rat pedal to feed his daughter... I am happy to report he is doing very well and is under contract to a major label writing for/with and producing a successful artist, as well as other projects and ventures on the go.


Indeed, desperate times call for desperate measures and in that instance I'd say his priorities were the same as mine _under the circumstances_. My qualifier then being "under _normal_ circumstances, I would not...".

Since you've just pointed out the importance of context, I'd ask a simple question: Why do you feel "my word is my bond" is the correct viewpoint and/or only way to approach these situations? Using context, it's likely that others have grown up in environments (or have lived experience) which did not support the same degree of trust in the word of others. Just something to consider... 




Alex said:


> As long as both parties understand the terms of the sale and they are fully disclosed, it generally avoids issues.


That's the key point right there Alex. Unless it's an agreement among friends or family, I don't assume_ anything_ about "having an understanding". If I don't know a person well, why on earth would I assume that their values are perfectly aligned with mine? In all seriousness, that seems egocentric to me and I'd rather just ensure we're both clear on the terms. Disappointment and frustration result from unmet expectations and the drama associated with them is best avoided by simply being explicit about the agreement.


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## polyslax (May 15, 2020)

StevieMac said:


> That's the key point right there Alex. Unless it's an agreement among friends or family, I don't assume_ anything_ about "having an understanding". If I don't know a person well, why on earth would I assume that their values are perfectly aligned with mine? In all seriousness, that seems egocentric to me and I'd rather just ensure we're both clear on the terms. Disappointment and frustration result from unmet expectations and the drama associated with them is best avoided by simply being explicit about the agreement.


Bingo! Clear communication mixed with a little bit of "How to Deal with People 101" to make sure both parties are on the same page and there are no surprises.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Legally there is no contract if there isn't a "meeting of the minds". Both parties have to be on the same page with the deal. There also has to be an offer, and an acceptance. I think when one is proving a contract in court there should be something in it for both parties. But if the minds meet, and then later one goes renegade then it's fucked.


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## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

As my dad always said "Say what you mean and mean what you say".


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## BlueRocker (Jan 5, 2020)

I backed out of two Kijiji deals recently. First one I went to look at a Les Paul Studio with a repaired headstock. Seller advised that the repair was done by L&M, anyway the pictures he posted didn't tell the full story so I declined (after driving an hour to have a look). The second one, the guy wanted to trade an Epiphone DOT with upgraded Seymore Duncan pickups for another guitar I have. He drove to me (an hour) and presented a guitar with a horrible setup, and the push-pull for coil splitting wired backwards. Given the questionable job on the pickup wiring, I wasn't interested. He did drive to me, but we scheduled it for when he was visiting relatives in the area so I figured he wasn't out of pocket.

Anyway, I operate that if I say I'm going to buy something, I buy it unless it is substantially different from what was advertised, somehow broken, etc. Because I live in a rural area I deliver stuff I sell regularly, and have never had an issue despite being Kijiji sales. Lots of idiots when the ad is up, but all but one who made an offer followed through.

I don't think it's fair to young people to say it is a generational thing - it's an integrity thing. Everyone has their own yardstick to measure what their integrity is worth.


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## Sketchy Jeff (Jan 12, 2019)

I dunno that people are more or less honest than they've ever been but even after 25-ish years of online selling we haven't worked out a great way to manage expectations. Somewhere in that range between old school calling a guy up, going to his house, getting invited down into the smoky basement to jam for a while and talk gear before either doing the deal or not and you met somebody cool either way. On the other side there's meet-up locations outside cop shops where people stay in their cars and pass the thing and some cash between without anybody meeting the other one. And everything in between. It's too big an expectation range to manage clearly. 

For me it works best to meet wherever the seller wants and do the negotiating in advance. Then if the thing turns out well it's a simple money exchange and if it's not what the buyer expected there's no prior commitment or hold everybody walks away no harm no foul. I probably miss out on some deals either buying or selling but it's clear. 

j


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## HolttChris (Aug 10, 2020)

I’ll save the stories but I’ve been burned more than a few times just like everyone else. You eventually realize it’s on yourself to do your own risk analysis. It still happens every once in a while (deposit issues, meet ups, time wasters, shady people, crappy gear) and most of the time it genuinely makes me laugh when it happens now because I let one slip past me and I should have known better. Anyone can see something cool online, get excited and reply in a couple seconds saying they want it. That has nothing to do with “giving your word” IMO because I know the nature of buying/selling online


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

I usually don't respond to any ads, even to ask questions, unless I'm pretty sure I'm going to buy it. I don't like it when tire kickers waste my time so I'm not about to waste someone else's time. As as a seller I am quite happy to answer a few questions and bargain a little but if I think you are wasting my time I will ignore you. I live an hours drive from Vancouver so most deals involve driving. Because of that I make sure the seller or buyer is serious and we have a deal subject to inspection of the item before I drive anywhere. If I am unsure as a seller and they want me to drive I get $20 non refundable up front to cover my gas.


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## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

HolttChris said:


> I’ll save the stories but I’ve been burned more than a few times just like everyone else. You eventually realize it’s on yourself to do your own risk analysis. It still happens every once in a while (deposit issues, meet ups, time wasters, shady people, crappy gear) and most of the time it genuinely makes me laugh when it happens now because I let one slip past me and I should have known better. Anyone can see something cool online, get excited and reply in a couple seconds saying they want it. That has nothing to do with “giving your word” IMO because I know the nature of buying/selling online


If you are selling/buying used gear online, you need to live with the hassles that this entails. As my lovely wife says, "if you are buying used, you're buying someone else's problem". If you a want a higher degree of comfort or certainty, deal with a dealer or buy new (like I do). There's always going to be an element of risk and you can mitigate it as much as possible but you also need to have a sense of reality that sh*t is going to happen and when it does, to be prepared on how you react/deal with it. 

For me, If dealings are going south, move on as quickly as possible. In my younger days, I made the mistake of getting caught up in situations that I felt I was "wronged". I came to my senses at some point and realized that this is a hobby and I want to minimize the hassles and keep this as much fun as possible. In the end, a chunk of wood and some metal should not cause me (or anyone else) any additional stress.


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## BlueRocker (Jan 5, 2020)

Alex said:


> If you are selling/buying used gear online, you need to live with the hassles that this entails. As my lovely wife says, "if you are buying used, you're buying someone else's problem".


Too true - but they could be someone's "future" problems. I recently traded an amp for an Orange OR15 head. A month later went to turn it on, no sound. Can hardly blame the previous owner though (who I know casually) - it could just as easily have happened to the amp I traded to him, which worked perfectly when I had it.


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## Okay Player (May 24, 2020)

One thing that needs to be added is that sellers aren't without blame either. I say this as someone who doesnt bother contacting a seller unless intend to purchase, but it's very easy to find unwilling sellers.


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## Fred Gifford (Sep 2, 2019)

player99 said:


> I have discussed this with a friend in the past. There are some sellers and buyers that have a different idea of what giving your word is than I and some others (maybe older guys) do.
> 
> As an example my friend had a pedal for sale. He lives about an hour outside of Ottawa. He had made a deal over Kijiji with a buyer, and was driving the 1 hour to deliver the pedal. When he was just arriving in Ottawa the buyer texted him and backed out of the deal, knowing my friend had left and was most likely almost there. My friend said "You gave me your word." The buyer said he did not. He explained to my friend that blah blah blah putting it in writing that they had a deal was not giving someone his word. Now this same friend was trying to buy an expensive piece of recording equipment. He found one, and was having trouble raising the $2K for the purchase. The seller was understanding and kept holding for my friend. After about 2 months my friend told the seller he was sorry and couldn't in good conscience continue to jerk the seller around. My friend apologized and unprompted gave the guy $200 for the inconvenience he had caused.
> 
> ...


I read a bit of the first paragraph and stopped ... first mistake was "driving one hour to deliver a pedal" to someone he had never met, didn't know, could/could not trust ? a complete and total stranger etc. etc. if the guy seriously wants the pedal he will come to you or send shipping money with payment ASAP ...anything else ... don't waste my time


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Fred Gifford said:


> I read a bit of the first paragraph and stopped ... first mistake was "driving one hour to deliver a pedal" to someone he had never met, didn't know, could/could not trust ? a complete and total stranger etc. etc. if the guy seriously wants the pedal he will come to you or send shipping money with payment ASAP ...anything else ... don't waste my time


He is a trusting guy. He lives his life looking for the good. Not what bad might happen. This is a number of years ago too. But not my philosophy...


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## mturk (Nov 27, 2013)

I learned early on not to ever take an item to a buyer after I wasted my time once. Hopefully the pain or aggravation of this will clue your friend in.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

mturk said:


> I learned early on not to ever take an item to a buyer after I wasted my time once. Hopefully the pain or aggravation of this will clue your friend in.


He is actually pretty clued in. Has bought and sold hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of studio gear and instruments. Just doesn't want to live his life looking for bad things all the time. Of course if you fuck him around you don't talk to him anymore. It's his philosophy. Sometimes, very rarely, he gets a jerk. But we all do.


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## Sketchy Jeff (Jan 12, 2019)

we had a kids' book where the Mom character's stock line was, "You get what you get and you don't get upset." 

Which is the way it goes with buying used stuff online. I have sold too low and bought too high a few times. Maybe the other person was happy to take advantage of me but it was me who chose to do it nobody has ever threatened to break my fingers if I didn't take their offer. I used to sometimes agree to hold things for people if I was selling but a few no--shows while I turned away other offers cured me of that. 

j


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

Only time I was really burned was when I drove 1/2 hour to Peterborough to pick up a Shure microphone he was selling. When I got their, the guy didn't have the microphone. He said his room mate had already sold it. No problem, at least he had the balls to tell me face to face. Some people would have just not answered the door.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

Kerry Brown said:


> I usually don't respond to any ads, even to ask questions, unless I'm pretty sure I'm going to buy it. I don't like it when tire kickers waste my time so I'm not about to waste someone else's time. As as a seller I am quite happy to answer a few questions and bargain a little but if I think you are wasting my time I will ignore you. I live an hours drive from Vancouver so most deals involve driving. Because of that I make sure the seller or buyer is serious and we have a deal subject to inspection of the item before I drive anywhere. If I am unsure as a seller and they want me to drive I get $20 non refundable up front to cover my gas.


I would never think of asking someone to front me money for gas, doesn't matter how far I had to drive to buy or deliver something. Furthest I've had to ride to buy a guitar was a bit more than 2.5 hrs, one way and I delivered one that was 1.5 hrs away. I've gone a lot further just to look at a bike and rode from Vernon to Van. once to pick up a ammo and a few other things via the Hope Princeton. Ask for gas money? Never done. 


Fred Gifford said:


> "first mistake was "driving one hour to deliver a pedal" to someone he had never met, didn't know, could/could not trust ? a complete and total stranger etc. etc."


I once drove quite a distance, Vernon to P.G. to deliver a frame, parts and paper on a Friday night so the guy could have a bike up and running by Monday. Didn't know the guy tho I do know people in P.G., trusted him because he was a biker using the old school term and didn't want to waste time waiting for a money order or any other kind of payment to reach me. It never crossed my mind that it would be a wasted trip or that the guy/money wouldn't be there. When I got there he thanked me, bought me a burger and a few beers and we worked on the bike for a while together before I left and spent Saturday fishing. Saturday night I spent in 100 mile drinking with friends. Extra bonuses on the trip.


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

@KapnKrunch and I did a deal a while ago. We traded Fury guitars, straight across. The deal was, we were going to meet in Saskatoon, which was dead center between KapnK's house and mine. I was having trouble scheduling a time to get away however, and Terry was anxious to make the deal and get on with his summer plans. He ended up driving all the way here, about 6 hours more than he bargained for. We had a great time and we are both very happy with the trade we made.

All this was done on word. We'd never met before. Reading the posts in this thread made me realize that it was a big leap of faith on his part. At the time, I never though about it that way. Our word was our word, we had a deal, and one way or another, it was going to happen.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

Lincoln said:


> @KapnKrunch and I did a deal a while ago. We traded Fury guitars, straight across. The deal was, we were going to meet in Saskatoon, which was dead center between KapnK's house and mine. I was having trouble scheduling a time to get away however, and Terry was anxious to make the deal and get on with his summer plans. He ended up driving all the way here, about 6 hours more than he bargained for. We had a great time and we are both very happy with the trade we made.
> 
> All this was done on word. We'd never met before. Reading the posts in this thread made me realize that it was a big leap of faith on his part. At the time, I never though about it that way. Our word was our word, we had a deal, and one way or another, it was going to happen.


Dave is downplaying his own character. He already gave me so much help on my Motsumoku re-build. Thanks again.









Interesting old pickups. Neck replaced.


Just know that if you put in a 25.5È neck, the tone will change, partly because the pickups wont sit at harmonic points (if they ever did). For example, the neck pickup on a Strat sits where the 24th fret would go.




www.guitarscanada.com





And oh yeah, it's official... you will NEVER get the Fury 12-string back again. Love that thing!


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

Electraglide said:


> Ask for gas money? Never done.


Every ad that I respond to, I ask 'is your asking price flexible?'.
So far, they've always dropped the price for me stating 'since you're coming to pick up, I'll cover your gas'.


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## Ronan Crozier (Aug 20, 2019)

Whenever I buy or sell anything used whether it’s a guitar or a pair of shoes I believe that transparency is key. If I am selling something I always make sure that my pictures cover every inch of the instrument, particularly the flaws and I try to answer questions to the best of my ability. As a buyer I hope transparency is key, especially with guitars. Usually I am able to figure out if a seller is being honest about what they are selling or not pretty quickly. I generally only give people my word in terms of the purchasing their item when I am certain that they are being honest about their item because as a student and a 20 year old I don’t have a ton of money to throw into something that isn’t as described. I steer clear of sellers or items that I’m not certain about because when I give people my word about purchasing something I intend to keep it. I believe that a sellers word is just as important as a buyers, not just in terms of committing to sell you the item, but their word on whether or not what they have advertised is what I am being sold. As well as their honesty about condition and any issues with said item.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

laristotle said:


> Every ad that I respond to, I ask 'is your asking price flexible?'.
> So far, they've always dropped the price for me stating 'since you're coming to pick up, I'll cover your gas'.


I do ask if their price is set but once a price is agreed on.....over the phone, that's it. I've never had anyone ask me to cover their gas and I've never asked anyone to cover mine. If you live in say Calgary and have to drive to Edmonton to buy something from a store you don't expect the store to cover your gas. Same thing works if it's word of mouth at an event. The '84 custom was sold that way and I bought my '69 Norton that way. If you're not coming to pick it up and want it shipped it you say how you want it shipped and send me the money to cover the price of the item and shipping. The Dog used to be good for shipping things C.O.D. but they're not around much anymore.


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

Electraglide said:


> I would never think of asking someone to front me money for gas, doesn't matter how far I had to drive to buy or deliver something. Furthest I've had to ride to buy a guitar was a bit more than 2.5 hrs, one way and I delivered one that was 1.5 hrs away. I've gone a lot further just to look at a bike and rode from Vernon to Van. once to pick up a ammo and a few other things via the Hope Princeton. Ask for gas money? Never done.
> /QUOTE]
> As a buyer I’d never ask for gas money. As a seller what is the cifefference between covering your shipping cost and covering your delivery cost?


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

If they want it shipped, they state that, how they want it shipped, where and when they want it shipped and they pay for it. It's not my cost. I'm not a store with free shipping. If it's to be delivered and I decide to deliver it there's usually no charge. If I decide to deliver it. If I have to say rent a trailer then delivery becomes shipping and they pay for that. A lot of it depends on how I feel I guess and what I have for a vehicle. If I'm going to deliver then there is enough of a margine in what I sell to make it worth while or I might just want to take a road trip, especially if what I've sold is small and will fit in a saddle bag or strapped on the back of a bike. In all my ads I say shipping is extra but I never say I'll deliver. That gets figured out when we talk, either over the phone or face to face.


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