What if you win an eBay item that's too good to be true?
 

I sniped a guitar on eBay last week, total impulse buy, had no idea I'd win the auction. It was for a Korean-made Peavey EVH Wolfgang guitar. The photos and item description sucked and the seller's rating was only 2. I sent the seller a note, asking for better photos. He stalled a little, told me to enlarge the ones on the listing. But then he emailed me more photos that sold me. I was just about to leave the house for an appt., checked the auction and there were 5 min. left. These guitars normally go for $700+ with the case and shipping is usually $35+. Auction price was at $355, so I entered $500 and waited until the last 10 seconds and won for $364. Free shipping too. I paid when I got home and seller said he'd ship the next day, Saturday. Sat. morning he emailed me and asked my address. I gave it to him and reminded him it was my PayPal confirmed address. It's coming from NY, so it might take a few more days. But he didn't respond to my request for a tracking #. I'm now a little concerned this could be stolen. It was too cheap at $364 delivered. Is there a way to run the serial number without getting busted?

I don't follow the leap of logic that since the sales price was low, it could be stolen. The time to ask questions and follow up on serial number issues has come and gone especially as you have paid. Maybe other guitar shoppers know something about that model that you don't? Or maybe you just got a smokin' hot deal.

I would be more worried about getting stiffed by the the poorly rated Fleabay rat.

If it really bothers you, once you get it, call the seller's local P.D. and have them check out the serial number. At worst, you'll have to ship the guitar back to N.Y. and kiss your money goodbye. But, the police will get the seller on interstate trafficking of stolen property.

Well, I paid with PayPal and it was done through eBay, so I think I would get my money back eventually. I know what these guitars are going for and $500 would have been a smoking deal. $364 delivered is insane. Between eBay, PayPal and shipping fees, this guy won't clear $300 on a guitar that easily cost $1000 new. If he bought it used, he's still eating another $400ish in depreciation.

He could be like me and need $364 for a house payment.

If he's strapped for cash, why not just take it to the local Guitar Center? They'd have given him at least that much for it on the spot with no other fees.

The sad thing is that a lot of auth. dealers are now taking factory new guitars and parting them out on eBay because they can get them wholesale and sell the parts for far more than the complete guitar. I saw a cream-colored Les Paul Classic reissue with the headstock broken off go last week for $500 more than I paid for mine with the headstock repair already done (common problem on those guitars).

There's seven different EVH Wolfgang guitars in the series. Which one was listed?
Jim

Probably other bidders shyed away from it due to the low feedback and poor pictures. Looks like you got lucky.

Because ebay is an auction, and the final sales price is unknown until the end. He was I'm sure hoping to get more.

I sold my $3000 armoire on ebay, no reserve.

I got $90!

That's the way no reserve auctions work. You can get great deals if the timing is right and there isn't a lot of interest on the particular item at the time.

It's the Peavey, not Fender, era. Wolfgang Special EXP is the designation for the Korean models. The only difference is the neck is not birdseye maple, as with the Deluxe models and the quilted top is (probably) a veneer. There's some speculation on whether it was a veneer or what exactly. But the pickups are the same as the USA-made Deluxe models. It's the bottom of the line model, but it's still a killer axe. The one I won has a blue quilt like my Ernie Ball EVH guitar, so Mrs. Lee will never notice a new guitar in the house unless I have them both side by side.

Got a set of wheels in a similar fashion a few years back.

Tossed in a bid that was ~$300 light of where they should have sold, woke up the next morning and crap, I won.

Spoke to seller and he wanted more but was fine with what he got for them.

I doubt that. Ever watch Pawn Stars? They maybe pay 30 cents on the dollar? I can't see a music shop being much different. Maybe he already tried it and was disgusted with what they'd pay...or it hot? ;)

I saw your armoire on here. I even showed it to someone I thought might be interested because I knew it was a good deal. Nothing is selling well these days. I've got a new 911 starter motor that would cost more to ship than I can get out of it.

I sold an early 911 rear deck lid on Ebay at no reserve. I kept waiting for the last minute bids to make the price jump. They never did. Never really figured that one out as others had sold for real money. Mine? 75 cents. It wasn't in bad shape. Worst part was that I always try to have shipping be very reasonable. After paying my part of shipping and fees it cost me $10. Buyer was apologetic as he knew it was worth much more and even put that in his feedback. Oh well.

I have a strong suspicion that people who buy $3k armoires don't go shopping for them on Ebay.

Just sayin'.

I need a starter for an 84.


Damn, and I need a deck lid.

Everyone has different strategies when selling on eBay.

When I sell....

......I enter a starting bid at the price I want. If someone bids - I get what I want. If a bidding war ensues - I get more. If no one bids - I re-list. ;)

Relax RL.

Exactly. Few years ago i was getting rid of my ESP George Lynch Kamikaze. I bought it in '85 for about $900. I took it to a local guitar center. they offered me $275 for it. Almost took it, but decided not to. Put it up on Ebay about a week later. Sold it for $1300

I've never sold anything to GC, so I didn't know they low ball so badly. I bought my latest Marshall head there for $599. They're $1200 new. I've seen a few more at the GC for $799 used. I did sink $130 into it for new power tubes and a volume pot, but they weren't really necessary. They really have some good deals there on used stuff, so I guess it follows that they buy it for a song.

the "2" feedback is what worries me more. Did you look at the feedback to see if he/she was the buyer or seller on the transactions?

I think you answered your own question as to the low price. I've been buying selling on ebay since '98 and crappy pictures, bad communication and bad description=low price every time.

I learned that when I went to sell an intake for my Camry way back in the day. First description was something like "1996 Camry Intake" and it didn't meet my reserve of $35...week later I changed it to "1992-1996 Toyota Camry, K&N Chrome CAI Intake" (or something along those lines) and got $76. More than doubled my money because a few extra words.

He was the buyer for his two feedback ratings and that was in 2006. Not everyone is a wheeler and dealer or maybe he uses multiple accounts. I don't sell on eBay anymore because of the stupid fees. But I buy there all the time. My feedback rating is 307, 100%, so I don't really care about getting more. The last time I got this great a deal was for my Ruf spoiler control module for (IIRC) $150 and sold my stock one for $175.

"Wolfgang Special EXP"

So the quilted maple top?
Blue Book's for $475/90% excellent. That's music store retail pricing.
You offered more than I would even with free shipping (but I have enough guitars already).
Jim

Sorry, that ain't real world pricing. Watch the eBay completed listings (before my purchase brought the average down).

Don't sweat the first time sellers. I purchased a brand new custom built (with skid plate aluminum) Tommy Lift gate for my 12' box truck - won the auction with no reserve for $10! Thats ten dollars... laugh. Found an independent shipper for $185. The first time seller was all legite. I found out later he was an ambulance conversion company. I felt guilty so I also sent him an antique tin friction ambulance toy.

Either your wife wrote this post or you forgot the green

+1

I said guitars, not guns ;)
Jim

dont fret! haha

it could just be that the guy has never shipped a guitar and is suddenly over his head in getting materials and everything if he intends to do it right

i shipped a guitar last week and it took me all morning to source a decent guitar box, go to staples for peanuts etc...ended up costing me $50 in materials alone.....it was a fragile old hollowbody Hofner that I wanted to make sure was very very safe so i did it right but it was a pain in my a*s and took me half the day to do

Well RL, how did this turn out?

Guitar has not showed up and seller hasn't replied to the two requests I sent for a tracking number, one to his person email, one through eBay. I'm not feeling good about this.

Argh. Hopefully, it'll work out, RL.

You should be able to get his phone number and address from eBay. Give him a call & Google him also. Maybe even find a Pelicanite who lives nearby stop by & pick it up for you?

Rick, what's his user ID on ebay?

I've gotten many "too good to be true" deals on Ebay and I've been very very happy with every one. Usually it was due to poor pics and/or poor description of the item and I was at the right place at the right time. Bought a Slingerland and Roland drumkit and my Porsche 911 this way!

Well, still no guitar. Seller said he was shipping on Sat., 03/03. I've emailed twice asking for a tracking #. After a few days he replied that he'd get it to me. That was 03/10. No answer to my latest email asking for a tracking #. How long do I wait before opening up a dispute with eBay and PayPal?

IIRC, you have 30 days after a sale to file a complaint. It's been about two weeks, correct?. Probably a little early for eBay/Paypal to do anything but certainly keep track of all your attempts for shipping information, his failure to respond in a timely manner, his changing of when he will ship, etc. Hopefully, you backed your Paypal payment with a credit card. If so, should the guy not send the guitar and eBay/Paypal flake off as they try to do, you can challenge the sale through the credit card carrier and get a charge back--something Paypal hates! As you've probably read on these forums, eBay/Paypal often drop out if the seller can "prove" he sent the item--even if it's a fake tracking # or an empty box.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1331747513.jpg


Always always always pay with a credit card on evil-bay purchases.
Always! Even though paypal, use a credit card.

That way if anything goes wrong, no matter what, you can get your money back. Even if the guitar is not delivered. Even if it is delivered but stolen. Even if UPS breaks it.

Good advice.....PayPal is not much help. eBay is your best bet, file with them, they will help. Was eBay buyer protection mentioned in the auction? If so you will be okay.

Also communicate with the seller through ebay-not through regular email channels-that way ebay has a record of all correspondence.
I had a guy screw me over a guitar on ebay-who is this seller?

Seller's username is nightfalldarkens and there was eBay Buyer Protection on this one. I'm not worried, just irritated.