Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Just wondering if anyone has bought a rick (or other guitar for that matter) from a seller in another city but not an ebay or similar type of deal. Just wondering if there's any great way to protect buyers in such deals. Thanks...

I've made several purchases (Ricks included) from ebay without any problems. I try to be careful who I buy from.
I've also purchased two Rick basses from Pick Of The Ricks in NJ, I'm CA. I'm a very satisfied customer, I'll buy from Pick Of The Ricks again.

Glenn: I have bought four Rickenbackers that way, three from the United States. There is no substitution for getting to know the seller. I did that in both cases and felt comfortable with the transaction. The short answer to your question is, trust.

Great. Thanks, guys. Seems to me there's some sort of business idea here. A company that insures transactions between Rickenbuyers and a Rickensellers? (Seems to me Paypal only insures transactions on ebay.)

It is called "escrow" and it's not done only for real estate deals. These companies are licensed and bonded to act as third parties in such deals. But for a deal of only a grand or two?

You'd have to let your fingers do the walking...

I found my 360v on eBay, and after a number of questions (and a phone call), I got it. Don't be afraid to ask questions.

-a

Hi. No worries about ebay. I've sold three and bought one successfully there (if you can pay by credit card, that's fairly safe.) What I'm talking about is finding someone through the web (but not ebay or similar kind of thing) and just doing a deal between two people (and assuming the seller in some such deal can't take credit cards.) I know in a forum like this people get to know each other, and some parties here probably actually know each other well. That's not what I'm talking about either. I'm talking about a Craigslist or some such deal. A buyer and seller who otherwise don't know each other in the least and have no site of similar interests in common. As far as the escrow thing goes, maybe that is a workable business idea in the webcentric world? A business that could not just handle payments but insure transactions...that might require doing credit and background checks but.....

Glenn, I've done the same thing. I found a 360F in Japan through a google search and many hours of clicking on links all over the place. The guy didn't take credit cards, so I had to wire the money through. Then the same thing to a guy in Germany and then Spain. All great deals that went really smoothly. I exchanged lots of emails and sort of, got to know the sellers, as best I could. But at the end of the day, it is a gamble. Only you would know how comfortable you would feel about sending money to a complete stranger. Try posting here to see if a forum member lives in that city and can check it out for you? Someone might be able to help? Best of luck.

Ahhh, craigslist...now there's a topic!

I have found all sorts of things on craigslist. The last house I lived in, the house I currently live in, my '81 320, and about a dozen odd deals that you wouldn't find anywhere else...

The key here is that they are FREE listings (with a few commercial exceptions).

Hence caveat emptor.

I have a lady friend in Southern California who is determined to find an attractive, wealthy, interesting, monogamous, tall, hirsute, bright, introspective, extroverted, sensitive, straight, tanned, well-travelled, etc., male between 40 and 50 (she's 47), to LHEA with.

She's tried everything from expensive matchmaking services, to speed dating, to Match.com, to musical and art clubs, to...free venues like craigslist.org.

Her take: Anything that people wouldn't pay to advertise, comes with other strings attached. I tend to agree with her. There are a LOT of flakey things going on on craigslist.

Someday I'll tell you my doggy story.

My 320 (UP AT 4 AM) was a happy deal, but only because, unlike my usual Rick-feverish state, I made up my mind that if it was gonna vaporize, it was not meant to be. I wrote the seller IMMEDIATELY, promised him cash, asked him to call me at my office, and then acted friendly, but no-nonsense. He had had a couple of dozen calls--all after mine.

We arranged a time to exchange assets (he was 50 miles away...). I showed up on time, played the guitar, gave him cash, and went on my self-congratulatory, merry way with my booty.

...and left my briefcase with my digital camera, and more cash in an envelope, on his kitchen counter. Hmmm.

I got it back no problems the next day. Twice lucky.

But my last house? A nightmare, and the landlady was a nutcase; an absolute witch who put me through pure hell for 10 months before I bailed. She was sooo nice until the lease was signed!

For a distant deal, I'd get a good feel for the person, and if you have any misgivings, find a third party close by the seller, or check out and move on. It's a **** shoot...

My SoCal friend (who is quite attractive and well-maintained!) is still searching...

I have purchased the entire "C" Series from North Coast Music. I have also purchased a 350V63/12 and a Hofner Deluxe from Gary. He had been one of the best dealers I have worked with. His communication is excellent and customer service is better. Not to mention his pricing is extemly fair. He is great to deal with.

All sounds like good advice. Mainly I'm asking in regards to a prospective situation with someone that is too far away to travel to. The idea of contacting a third party here to help the transaction along certainly is innovative, but that also asks a huge favor of someone. Another idea I had is is that such leap of faith could be taken by either side. If the seller could not easily provide a history of such good faith transactions, but the buyer could (for instance, one could check my ebay history, which is extensive and good) then maybe a seller would be better off taking the risk, or it could be a 50/50 thing. Send half the money before shipping, the other half after receiving.

Glenn, I certainly understand your hesitation in dealing with online buying (especially regarding e-Bay), but I figure there's a difference between dealing with a real store vs. an individual, no matter the source of the ad I see. Just saying that there's a lot of e-Bayers that are "real stores" and I think those might be a better bet to deal with when it comes to e-Bay advertisers anyway. Seems to me that a "store" could easily get a bad rep from just one 'net post from a customer done wrong. We've all seen that kind of thing happen.

Here's my story... I saw my 360/12v64 online at a store in the DC area I wasn't familiar with. But the pics and price looked good to me. This was around the time Andy McRory got his Ric. Anyway, I'm also a longtime member on the Fender Forum and I knew a lot of guys live in that area, so as soon as I saw that ad for my dream Ric I posted a question on the FDP asking if anyone could recommend that store. Literally within minutes I got a few positive replies from members I trust and that's all it took. I got on the phone and I was playing my Ric the next morning. Which, I think, was the day I finally joined this forum too.

Same kind of thing goes on here too. Like Peter said, it comes down to a matter of trust.