Horrible E-bay experience. First time that this has happened.

[rpach10115]

Just wanted to post this to see if anyone else has had the same problem. I collect Epi Custom shop guitars. I bought a nice metallic blue flake SG 3 weeks ago. The pictures looked great. I received the guitar and it was a nice looking guitar. I started to do the setup on it. I removed the strings, bridge, tailpiece, etc to polish it up. That's when It happened: I noticed that the headstock has 2 cracks on either side @ the nut. The guitar was packed in a case. There was padding INSIDE the case, and there was no visible damage to the shipping box.

I contact the seller, who now plays dumb. "The guitar was not broken" he claims. So, since I paid for the insurance from UPS, I call UPS. They proceed to tell me that the shipper DID NOT take out the insurance, even though I paid for it. UPS tells me that they are only liable for $ 100.00. I file the claim. They rtell me that they can only send the claim check to the shipper. So I file a claim with Paypal. 2 weeks ago, I get a call from the seller complaining that paypal put a hold on his checking account for the amoutn I paid for the guitar. I proceed to tell him about the damage. He tells me: Close out the claim and I will send you the $ 180.00 that it will cost to fix it. I sent him pictures of the damaged guitar. I e-mail him 5 times with no response. Yesterday I re-filed the claim with paypal. He finally e-mails me back blaming ME for the damage. He made an agreement with me that he would send me the repair money, he is now claiming that I broke the guitar. Yeah, that's what I do, Order guitars from e-bay and break them so I can file claims! He was serious about that claim. I am PISSED. While the guitar can be fixed good as new, I WILL STILL KNOW THAT THIS WAS REPAIRED!. It is kinda like buying a new car, driving it off the lot only to get into a fender-bender. After the car is fixed, it looks good as new, but YOU STILL KNOW that it was damaged in some way. This seller not only has all of my money, he has the $ 100.00 claim check from UPS too!

 

I have bought about 20 guitars from e-bay. I have NEVER had one single problem until now. 99% of the sellers on e-bay are reputible, not jerks like this guy was.

 

Has anybody else had similar bad experiences buying on e-bay?

[brad1]

Dude, so sorry that you're going through this kind of crap. I've been lucky and only had good experiences.

But now you've got me scared to buy anything again.

Good luck on getting your well deserved compensation. Hope it all turns out ok. Let us know.

[iansmitchell]

That mega sucks for you.

 

This is why I like craigslist, try before you buy, all cash, no shipping, and if they give you crap you cna take a swing at 'em.

[JefferySmith]

I have not had good experiences with PayPal. And, like you, I have bought some stuff that was "mint" only to find that it needed $500 worth of work on it (primarily Rolleiflex TLR cameras). So, I now only use ebay if there is something that cannot be had elsewhere.

 

To make matters worse, our local UPS is not particularly sterling. I bought Leica M6 which reached the local UPS terminal and was never heard from again ($2,000 camera). The fact that it was "scanned in" and never delivered tells me that a UPS employee stole it. UPS could not care less.

[charlie brown]

E-bay? Well, so far, so good for me. I've only done a very FEW deals, on E-bay.

But, in all honesty, I've always felt like "You pay your money, and you take your chances!"

Same, with buying anything "used!" Lofty claims of "Mint" or otherwise. True, I think MOST sellers ARE honest. But it only

takes ONE, like you just experienced to ruin it, for you...and others...word of mouth, an all that. Sorry, you had to go through

all that!

 

CB

[JefferySmith]

E-bay? Well' date=' so far, so good for me. I've only done a very FEW deals, on E-bay.

But, in all honesty, I've always felt like "You pay your money, and you take your chances!"

Same, with buying anything "used!" Lofty claims of "Mint" or otherwise. True, I think MOST sellers ARE honest. But it only

takes ONE, like you just experienced to ruin it, for you...and others...word of mouth, an all that. Sorry, you had to go through

all that!

 

CB[/quote']

At least, with my cameras, there was no broken wood! Getting a CLA for a camera is routine maintenance, like an oil change. Getting a cracked head reglued is sort of like setting a broken leg. Hardly routine.

[epinder]

If it's any consolation, I don't think the seller received $100 from UPS. I'm pretty sure that UPS would want the guitar (or at least see it) before they settle a claim. Keep on PP regarding your claim.

 

As an aside: Hey Brad, Killer is one of my all time favorite albums.

[mrjones200x]

I got my fingers burnt once but we're not talking a lot of money.

 

I brought my Krammer striker off of a guy who sold recovered goods from the homes of people who had debts to pay sort of like a baillif.

 

Any way was labelled as old 80's and used but in a playable condition. Well when i got it i was fine with the paint ect because it was for a project and i was gonna paint it it was the fret condition. All dented and some worm little amounts and some loads. Anyway cant really blame him cos he doesnt know about guitars and i should of asked. Also the body is ply wood! I wouldnt of brought it if id of know but again i didnt ask so my faul.

 

I find asking everything is a good help and you can get a general idea if they know what there on about.

 

Sold my yamaha pacifica on the ebay and as i gave it a massive description with loads of pics to show all marks and everything that would help someone decide. Anyway was a 7 day listing and sold it for the buy it now price of £130 after 3 days and had 4 other lower offers.

 

Like you say tho, I sell leather nike rift trainers on ebay and there good priced so people email me to say there gonna report me for selling fakes unless i remove them!! One guy even brought a pair then wanted a refund 5 minutes later and was gonna report me for selling fake goods!

 

Be carefull ask questions and see how they reply as this is a good indicator to what they might be like.

[snookelputz]

There have always been cheats and thieves. Recently, though, they've come to realize getting caught and spending 2 years on probation is easier than working for a living.

 

Legalize dueling. Might cost a few good citizens, but it would surely reduce the number of a-holes in the world, too!

[brad1]

As an aside: Hey Brad' date=' Killer is one of my all time favorite albums. [/quote']

Mine too!

I was just listening to it last night. I have always thought Glen Buxton and Michael Bruce were very underated as guitar players who were always overshadowed by Vincent Furnier (Alice).

Love it to Death is a very close second.

[tulsaslim]

Whereas most Ebay sellers are legit, I suppose, the scum of the earth has also discovered it as a good place to do their thing. I bought one guitar on Ebay that was advertised as an Epi elitist, complete with legit pics of an Epi elitist but turned out to be a Chinese fake. Will never do another Ebay transaction again. I got fleeced for $600 on that deal. Of course, neither Ebay or paypal did a damn thing to help me recover my money. Screw 'em.

[Vic Flick]

 

I'm voting for Moe!!!

[Ron G]

eBay is simply a crapshoot. Most sellers are reputable but it seems if you

do enough transactions, you're bound to run into the inevitable bad guy.

I use eBay a lot but will not purchase big ticket items because of the risk.

Because of problems with returns in general, I only buy expensive stuff

from large, reputable firms with well-established return policies but I

understand that as a collector of used guitars, eBay is a huge source for

you. I feel your pain and think you should exhaust every avenue to get

satisfaction.

[brad1]

 

I'm voting for Moe!!!

Mobama

McCurly

Hilarry

 

I wish I didn't have to vote for any of the stooges. I want a better stooge!

[iansmitchell]

There have always been cheats and thieves. Recently' date=' though, they've come to realize getting caught and spending 2 years on probation is easier than working for a living.

 

Legalize dueling. Might cost a few good citizens, but it would surely reduce the number of a-holes in the world, too!

[/quote']

I'm pretty sure they never banned it...

[JefferySmith]

 

I'm voting for Moe!!!

He always was the "leader". And Curly doesn't know how to use a personal computer. Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk!

[neptune2000]

I got burned years ago (2001-ish) on a Sega Dreamcast from ebay. Haven't bought a big ticket item since. The fact that you've gone through so much pain after the initial burn is what really sucks. Did the seller have a good rating?

 

Did the guy put his real return address on the package? Not saying that anyone living near the guy should retaliate or anything (I don't own a sword or flintlock pistol, nor a handkerchief), just curious if he was that bold.

[JefferySmith]

I got burned more by Ukranians than by any other vendor on ebay. The sale would be out of the Ukraine, the "partner" would be in the USA, and nothing would arrive. The standard excuse was that the "partner" was either a drunk, emotionally unstable, or going through a messy breakup with his wife.

[leicester35]

 

I brought my Krammer striker off...a bailiff.

 

Man, what did you expect?

[Muskank Sally]

I got burned years ago (2001-ish) on a Sega Dreamcast from ebay.

(OT)

My last real console. Went PC after that

(then realized that porting was a thing of the past...anyhow)

what was the problem there?

System DOA?

I miss the Dreamcast and its games.

I always thought Sega sold out to Microsoft anyhow, the XBox being basically what the next Sega system woulda been.

The controller sure hinted at it.

[Parabar]

brad wrote:

Mobama

McCurly

Hilarry

 

I wish I didn't have to vote for any of the stooges. I want a better stooge!

 

 

That would most likely be Iggy Pop, wouldn't it?

[snookelputz]

I'm pretty sure they never banned it...

 

Yeah, they did. Right after Hamilton (I think he was Secretary of the Treasury at the time) was killed in a duel.

[neptune2000]

(OT)

My last real console. Went PC after that

(then realized that porting was a thing of the past...anyhow)

what was the problem there?

System DOA?

I miss the Dreamcast and its games.

I always thought Sega sold out to Microsoft anyhow' date=' the XBox being basically what the next Sega system woulda been.

The controller sure hinted at it.[/quote']

 

Dead system. I actually liked the PC/PS2 more than Dreamcast, but really loved and wanted to play Soul Calibur, which the PS2 didn't have. I later bought SC 2 and 3 for PS2 but they just weren't as good. I hear SC IV on the XBox finally gets back the "feel" of the DC version, but I'm married now and "don't have time" to play video games anymore. Fortunately she doesn't mind if I play the guitar a little bit.

 

I actually worked in the same building as Sega in San Francisco in '99-'01, when the DC was discontinued. When the PS2 came out (2000) it just crushed the Dreamcast.

[johnpaulgeorge]

I will always go to collect any guitar that I buy through E-Bay, I'm able to check that the item is as

described, ensure that the sellar actually has the guitar in hand & it's not a dodgy import or fake

& in the Uk, going to pick it up is as cheap or cheaper than the postage rates some sellars charge!

 

I got stung once myself, posted a guitar ( properly or even excessively packaged) & it arrived at it's

destination decapitated ! Luckily i'd payed for insurance, but it left 2 people dissapointed & with a

deep mistrust of our postal service. As a result of this, I'll only post if the buyer excepts responsibility

in writing, but would much prefer collection.

 

 

My Stooge vote goes to Ron Asheton !!!!!!!!!

[rpach10115]

Just to follow up: I PAID FOR THE INSURANCE! He just didn't insure it. Man, you gotta be pretty desperate to want to pocket the extra $ 2.50 that it cost me for this insurance.

 

I have bought MANY items, including many EPI's on e-bay, with 100% satisfaction, until now. Over 300 flawless transactions without one problem.