The Definition of a Dumb Ebay F!@#

[gemini8026]

Alright gentleman, here's his original listing....

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?View...me=STRK:MEWN:IT

Notice his feedback is great.... Nothign seems like it should be a worry!!!

Anyhow, you should have seen how shocked I was when I received the guitar today (picked it up from the postal depot)

There was NO packaging, NOTHING, just a broken/shitty guitar case with an Ibanez inside.

Here's a read of the email I sent him.. (dont mind the grammar mistakes, I was mad and typed fast)

"I really dotn know what to say, but I just went and picked up the guitar today (Saturday March 12th). When the girl brought it out, I could barely believe my eyes. A tattered old guitar case that had the bottom ripped and exposed the guitar. I was worried from the get go, and I opened the case right there in the outlet to see if it was intact. The tremolo was off on one post, and the only thing that kept it from ripping away was that one of the edges was jammed into the body.

I looked at the back and there was paint chips and 4 large gouges to the finish right through to the bare wood. Checked the knobs and the tone knob is complete loose and has about 1/3 of a centimeter movement up and down on it's pole.

In all my trades I have made (30-40 guitars) I have never seen anyone pack a guitar up like that, let alone a beautiful Ibanez Prestige. The case was/is falling apart, I have pictures of proof, as well as the gouges that I have sent in the Email? Why would you not have put the guitar case in a cardboard box, or put in some packing in the case so it could not move around. I shook the case a little and the guitar was easily thrown around with nothing to support it. Im amazed the neck stayed intact. ANyhow, I just brought it home and there is NO output from the guitar, and I changed the battery to make sure.

I have never had an experience like this before. I have never seen such careless packaging. I was charged 35$ shipping and I never even got any packaging, jsut a guitar thrown into a case without any boxes or protection. So here I am with a case that has fallen apart, a severely dented guitar with a fancy piezo/mag system that does not work.

I want to hear your side of the story and what you are willingto do with this situation before I go to Ebay and Paypal. I wont leave any feedback positive or negative (and hopefully you wont either, we both have 50 feedback with no negatives, so I have a feeling you are a standup person) But I cant understand how you could have done this, and how someone who owned such a nice guitar would send it across Canada without ANY PACKAGING! "



Anyhow, no response yet, and all of our past email transaction were slowly replied to by him. I managed to get the guitar running by soldering in a pulled wire from the Piezo pre-amp that came off. Oddly enough the guitar sounds and plays great now. However, the damage to the body killed a lot of the value, and Im not sure how to go about remedying this, and what to ask for back from the seller.

Any advice is appreciated.

[RacerX]

Re: The Definition of a Dumb Ebay F!@#

Link to auction?

[Number Of The Priest]

Re: The Definition of a Dumb Ebay F!@#

Link to auction is at the top of the topic. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Dude, that blows... I'd wait until he replies before acting. But you mentioned how the seller is slow in replying. I HATE THAT!!! Get his phone number and talk to him CALMLY yet FIRMLY on the phone, and be civil.

[Emthrax]

Re: The Definition of a Dumb Ebay F!@#

He states right in the auction that he will professionally pack and ship the guitar. [img]/images/graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img]
WTF?!!

You are WAY more calm than I would be. I'd already have a burly posse on the way to his house. [img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]
But I think Priest's advice is wiser.
I wish you the best of luck, man.

Em

[442w30]

Re: The Definition of a Dumb Ebay F!@#

All of my guitars look worse than that [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img], but I can only imagine how you feel.

Maybe the case just came apart in shipping? Still, I hate when people just put a shipping label on a case.

The dude at least owes you 20% back or full refund + shipping. That's a good place to start.

[pro-fusion]

Re: The Definition of a Dumb Ebay F!@#

As far as the output from the guitar, are you plugging into the correct output on that guitar? I had the previous version of that guitar (the RG620x), and one of the outputs is a separate output for the piezos that you can ONLY use if you are also using the other output (which then controls the regular pickups only). The output you should use for normal use is the one closest to the floor if you have the guitar strapped on. Maybe you know all this already, but I thought mine was defective when I was trying it out at the store, until the salesman came over and plugged it in correctly.

Whatever the case, that "packing" job is unacceptable--particularly since it caused damage. Those type of chips are very common on Ibanez RGs, but it shouldn't have arrived that way to you.

[gemini8026]

Re: The Definition of a Dumb Ebay F!@#

Gosh, I never even thought about that Emthrax, and I just emailed him that quote off the page!

"Shipping to the lower 48 and Canada is a flat $35.00 - The unit will be proffessional packed and shipped!! "

[lerxstcat]

Re: The Definition of a Dumb Ebay F!@#

"Shipping Insurance: Not Offered"

If he shipped it uninsured I forsee a problem.

The moral? Never buy a guitar from Fabio!

I hope he deals honestly with you, that really does suck.

[Inearthed]

Re: The Definition of a Dumb Ebay F!@#

Wow... That is really, really bad...

[Deneb]

Re: The Definition of a Dumb Ebay F!@#

I've had guitars come to me in just a regular Jackson SKB style hardshell. No problems, that case doesn't look like it offers much protection at all.

If it makes you feel better, if the dipshit just stuffed it into a case, then into a box, it wouldn't have gotten any better. If it can move around in the case, and there's no protection there, then the box isn't going to do squat.

I've actually been told before (if it's true is up to speculation) is, when a guitar is shipped, and they put a box on the case (and that lame ass one piece of bubble wrap at the bottom) that it's to protect the case, not the guitar.

I'd would want a FULL refund on shipping, or he could offer to give you ALL of your money back (you actually have that right since it's misdescribed.)

I'd say
40$ bench charge (had to pay someone to fix the wires)
35$ shipping charge (you paid him to professionally pack and ship this. He failed to.)
40$ case charge (you're going to want a new case).

You could even go for more if you wanted, I've had to PAY someone because they couldn't see nicks in the pictures, and they went apeshit on me.

My figures seem harsh, but if you're going to take the risk on shipping something, without protection, you risk having it broke. Like sex with strange women, vd can come about.

I'm shipping a strat tomorrow. Bubble wrap around everything, then put in it's little case pocket. Then putting a piece behind the head (the body doesn't move, so nothing is needed there). The case is getting bubble wrap around the feet (they are broken, but to prevent it further.)

That case is being put in a box, with wadded up newspaper, to keep it from moving. And that box is getting put into another box. Overkill? Yeah, but it's going to get there, and I don't have to worry about it.

[lerxstcat]

Re: The Definition of a Dumb Ebay F!@#

Good point, a little extra effort is worth the peace of mind. UPS will still deny a claim if they break it though, even if they packed it themselves! You have to appeal the first denial. UPS would want styrofoam peanuts between the two boxes BTW.

[guitarsjb]

Re: The Definition of a Dumb Ebay F!@#

Really Lerx? Seems like if they pack it, and you can prove it, they wouldn't be able to deny a claim. Wow, learn something everyday.

[VulfgangPfuck]

Re: The Definition of a Dumb Ebay F!@#

This is why I <font color="red"> OVERPACK </font> ANY guitar I ship....
Whatta Douche!!

[lerxstcat]

Re: The Definition of a Dumb Ebay F!@#

[ QUOTE ]
Really Lerx? Seems like if they pack it, and you can prove it, they wouldn't be able to deny a claim. Wow, learn something everyday.

[/ QUOTE ]You wouldn't think UPS could wholly own their own insurance company either due to conflict of interest, yet they do. I've read on other shipping-related threads right here that their insurance has denied claims due to insufficient packing that were packed by the UPS Store, though when reminded that they packed it, then they pay the claim. The point is that they seem to deny any claim as a matter of course. I have read of them coming out to inspect a package, then saying they needed to take the package in for inspection, then losing the evidence. Allthese things I've read in the past couple of years right here at the JCF.You just have to make sure you pack very well both internal to the case and in the shipping box, so the guitar and case can't move on the inside. You also have to be ready to fight and expect it to take awhile to get your money back if the item's lost or damaged.

[charvelguy]

Re: The Definition of a Dumb Ebay F!@#

In home inspection with retention of item is the best. Have a supervisor or someone from UPS come out and do a claim.

I'm sure that would have fared better had it been packed in a box with some padding at the very least on the ends.
Shame, looks like a nice guitar.
I would never send a guitar shipped as such....not unless I was hand carrying myself it to be delivered.

I packed an extended length case for my ESP/LTD neck thru I sold a while back. That was a HS retangular case within a box with reinforced foam shields on the sides and ends and cardboard caps to hold the case centered in the box. I packed the case so the guitar had no place to shift to, and there was room at both the reverse pointy and the butt for additional padding around the guitar inside the case.
I wrapped the headstock and the neck in fine foam with bubble wrap around the headstock and above the spaces where the horns were. It was well packed and it only cost 23.00 to ship to Florida via Fed Ex ground. This guy skimped on doing it right-which I never would have guessed give the feedback he has, but sometimes someones word isn't enough. I have been known to flat out tell sellers, this is how I want it packed more often than not and I have not had any problems. It certaily is not your responsibility to babysit anyones packing job, but sometimes it doesn't hurt to give hints as to what you want. Sorry you had to experience this.

This seller packed it inadequately..he didn't 'pack' it all.

Nice kitchen btw,... [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]