Burned on eBay!

[Bunnyf]

Thought I was doing everything right. Asked questions, asked for pix, but should have done more. Bought a "1960 mint Harmony tenor"(I wanted to buy solid wood and American and affordable). I'm not new to stringed instruments but new to tenor guitars. My guitar came today and 1) it has a cracked bridge 2) it has a warped and lifted pick guard 3) not impt but stamp inside clearly dates it 1971. Contacted buyer and he says "I disagree but send it back for a refund". Don't know how he can disagree with my statements (see pix). I'm waiting to see $ back in my PayPal acct and I'll still be out shipping charges FL to CA. Never again! Only buying from someone I know or in person.

[Coffee Guy]

That stinks man! I hate it when things like that happen. I think its GREAT that the seller disagrees with you!!! what a bunch of garbage. That is just really disappointing. Especially when you wait to get it and are all excited about your new gear. NGD should not be messed with. Bummer.

[objectsession]

Doesn't eBay have a system for dealing with that sort of situation? It sounds like misrepresentation of the product to me, so eBay might be able to step in and possibly not make you responsible for shipping costs. I don't know for sure, but it's worth checking out.

[Coffee Guy]

I do think they have what is called "buyer protection"

[journeybear]

OS is right. If you open a case with eBay, and can show the seller misrepresented the item (the clearly incorrect date seems inarguable evidence in your favor), they ought to make it so the seller will pay the return shipping. As he should. You could try contacting him one more time - through eBay, so there is a record they can access - and see if he is willing to oblige your request. If not, then proceed. Good luck.

[T.D.Nydn]

And when you send it back,,send it signed receipt,,so you can prove that he got it,,,,

[Jeff Mando]

I know you are disappointed with your purchase, but the other side of the coin is, how much do you like the guitar? Does it play well, is the action nice, does it need a neckset or anything major? Instead of returning it, you may just want to fix it and enjoy it. Both the bridge and the pickguard are small issues, in my opinion. A repairman can make the crack in the bridge go away and be invisible for very little money. I've fixed hundreds of them with super glue and rosewood or ebony dust--usually no one can ever tell once it is repaired. I only charge $25 for something like that. A lifting pickguard--well, you know, squirt some glue in there and put a book on it.....something to think about. If you like the guitar, rather than spend money on return postage, spend it on making it a perfect guitar. (if indeed it is otherwise perfect). Ebay seems to have created, IMHO, a climate of empowering the buyer, which is great, but even if the seller is in the wrong, it really isn't about winning as much as finding a cool old guitar. If you send it back and felt like you got burnt, that is a bitter experience. If you repair a couple minor things, you may end up with a cool vintage tenor and turn it into a great experience.

[MikeEdgerton]

I'm actually going to stop this before we get afoul of the Posting Guidelines. It appears that this sale was not consummated on eBay but took place outside of eBay as the item shows as simply pulled and no longer available. eBay's safety features won't be in effect so we can let that go. If you paid with Paypal their safety features might help. Looking closely at the pictures on the auction you can see both of these problems in the pictures if you look closely. I would have caught the bridge (not a tough fix) and the pick guard is harder to see but it's there. Replacing that pickguard isn't a tough fix either. That's a lot of money to pay for one of these if it went for the asking price and I'm assuming it went for less. Although we sympathize with your problem this is something you need to work out with the seller.