Suspended from reverb.com

[johnzias]

I've done 18 successful transactions through reverb. Saves you a lot over ebay.

[Herbie]

I purchased a guitar years ago on feebay, before the PayPal "Protection" even though the pics were very grainy because the write up gave a very detailed description of the guitar and the seller said it was in "Superlative" condition.

I received the guitar which was really a players guitar and not worth the asking price.
I contacted the seller who refused a refund saying I purchased it "as is". I agreed, "As Is" in the stated condition and told him that he was committing fraud over the internet and UPS, FedEx, DHL, and all the rest were all covered under the USPS codes for fraud which carried up to, I believe, a $10K fine and 5 yrs in jail.

The seller replied that I shouldn't make threats I couldn't keep and I should look at the bottom of this new response. It showed the law firm he worked for.

I responded "Great, I'm going to take this guitar to two independent shops and have a written appraisal done. Then when their evaluations don't agree with your write up, which I know they won't, I'm going to send copies of all three to your local Bar Association and ask them what they think of "one of their own" committing fraud over the internet and across state lines."

I received my refund the next morning and returned the guitar.

What?!? A dishonest lawyer?!?! Where is this world going to!

[rlrhett]

I purchased a guitar years ago on feebay, before the PayPal "Protection" even though the pics were very grainy because the write up gave a very detailed description of the guitar and the seller said it was in "Superlative" condition.

I received the guitar which was really a players guitar and not worth the asking price.
I contacted the seller who refused a refund saying I purchased it "as is". I agreed, "As Is" in the stated condition and told him that he was committing fraud over the internet and UPS, FedEx, DHL, and all the rest were all covered under the USPS codes for fraud which carried up to, I believe, a $10K fine and 5 yrs in jail.

The seller replied that I shouldn't make threats I couldn't keep and I should look at the bottom of this new response. It showed the law firm he worked for.

I responded "Great, I'm going to take this guitar to two independent shops and have a written appraisal done. Then when their evaluations don't agree with your write up, which I know they won't, I'm going to send copies of all three to your local Bar Association and ask them what they think of "one of their own" committing fraud over the internet and across state lines."

I received my refund the next morning and returned the guitar.

What amazes me is not the dishonest lawyer, but that threatening to go to the bar did anything. I practice in California, where the only thing the bar seems to do is take a GIANT fee from us every year. Otherwise, a useless money suck.

[whiskey02]

Probably not the right place to ask but: what ever happened to the OP of this thread Jack Zucker?

[rio]

He is still here under a different forum name.


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[Marty Grass]

Private sales through the Internet are a gamble. I've had my heartaches buying and selling, and I've got friends who have had worse.

A few years ago I talked with one of the Heritage factory owners about managing their transactions. This owner, who is no longer with Heritage, had the highest business acumen of the group.

They factor in their price a certain breakage loss with shipment. He added that they have never received compensation from any shipper due to breakage. They also expect that there will be some returns. The oddest thing was intentional breakage, which is rare but outrageous. This is when a dealer receives an instrument and snaps the neck or bashes the top, claiming it arrived in that condition. The guitar is a return and the deposit refunded. It is sort of a buyer's remorse response.

One example is a D'Angelico made at Heritage. The guy who did the binding on it told me the story. It took hours for him to complete the binding due to the many layers and the complexities of the headstock. When it came back to Heritage, he opened the box and inspected the guitar. There was an unmistakable shoe imprint on the back of the neck. It appeared that someone stepped on the neck and lifted the body until the joint cracked.

So the point of this is that without an in person transaction, you take a chance. The best way to reduce that risk is to have a relationship with the other guy.

[medblues]

One example is a D'Angelico made at Heritage. The guy who did the binding on it told me the story. It took hours for him to complete the binding due to the many layers and the complexities of the headstock. When it came back to Heritage, he opened the box and inspected the guitar. There was an unmistakable shoe imprint on the back of the neck. It appeared that someone stepped on the neck and lifted the body until the joint cracked..

Almost made me cry :-((((

[rio]

There should be laws in place, like anti cruelty laws for animals, to prevent this and punish those who do it.


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[lammie200]

...One example is a D'Angelico made at Heritage. The guy who did the binding on it told me the story. It took hours for him to complete the binding due to the many layers and the complexities of the headstock. When it came back to Heritage, he opened the box and inspected the guitar. There was an unmistakable shoe imprint on the back of the neck. It appeared that someone stepped on the neck and lifted the body until the joint cracked...

Private buyers have been known to do that as well. Or they will return something that wasn't actually shipped to them claiming that that is what the seller sent them with a fraudulent description. Of course places like ebay and reverb will side with the buyer and seller gets swindled.

I have gotten lucky and never have had a dispute with a guitar sale or trade. I just traded a guitar for another with someone on this forum. They were great and we both are happy with the transaction. I took a lot of pics before I shipped though - just in case.