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Bad treatment?


roceci
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Agh. I've just done a trade for a guitar in a part-ex for cash + an amp on here and it's left me feeling a bit sour.

The deal went like this. The seller told me what he reckoned my amp was worth which was slightly below what I reckoned based on previous sales on here, but not by enough to matter to me. Value of amp according to seller + cash came to just under £50 or so below what the seller was asking so after the usual back & fore I agreed to up the cash to make the whole deal just under the original asking price. Fine, everyone happy, I go home with a nice bass & the seller's got a great amp to keep or flip. Except almost immediately I see the seller trying to flog the amp for WAY more than his reckoned figure.

I know it's up to people what they do with what they've got but it's left me feeling a bit disappointed. It doesn't feel like the regular Basschat way of doing things to wildly & knowingly undervalue gear as leverage in a trade, whether the guy actually gets what he's asking for the amp or not. At the least, don't press me for extra cash if you're already thinking you've got a very sweet deal. Not nice.

I've been stung before & it's all lessons learned etc. but feeling a bit p1$$ed off atm. Probably more so because the guy seemed genuine and it's not the way I'd operate. Tell me I'm right to feel like this or to man up & chalk it up!

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i understand your frustration but if you we're happy with the deal at the time and agreed to it then I don't really see that the other guy has done anything wrong...

I'd be more annoyed at myself for undervaluing the amp and letting GAS get the better of me...

Anyway, as you say, it remains to be seen if it sells for the higher price anyway :)

Edited by CamdenRob
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Yes, GAS did indeed play its part. Based on previous sales it would seem the amp wasn't undervalued & as I say I'll be shocked if he gets anywhere near what he's asking (not to mention p1ssed off). Just doesn't seem like the spirit of Basschat, I could swallow it easier if it was Gumtree or some such but this is a community of people kinda looking out for each other, or so I thought.

Guess there's no fool like an old fool.

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You say yourself "you got a nice Bass" from the deal and maybe that's the thing to focus on? He may have thought he undersold the bass so is trying to claw a bit back on the pxed amp? Like you say, he may not get what he is asking for the amp anyway.
Agree, it feels a bit of a sh*tty thing to do but different strokes.....

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I think if you're happy with what you got out of the deal then you should maybe just leave it there. People buy & sell to make a profit all the time and what happens to something you've sold/traded isn't really any of your concern once your deal has been done. The market balances itself out; if he's overpriced the thing he got off you he won't get what he wants, especially if you put the sold price in your original for sale thread.

I'm also not so sure about this spirit of the forum (I've heard the phrase used on other forums too); in a group of people this large I don't think such a thing exists - as demonstrated by things like this (that happen all the time), people are always over or under pricing things knowingly.

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[quote name='roceci' timestamp='1443609801' post='2876128']
Fine, everyone happy, I go home with a nice bass & the seller's got a great amp to keep or flip. Except almost immediately I see the seller trying to flog the amp for WAY more than his reckoned figure.
[/quote]

If everyone's happy then what's the problem? Once the deal is done the guy can do what the hell he likes with the amp. The sales forums on here are paid for by the people who use them via a subscription so it's a commercial enterprise. The idea of buying something and then selling it at a profit is what western (and increasingly eastern) industrialised civilisation is based on, for better or worse. You don't complain about shops buying stuff and selling it, do you? This is no different.

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1443611972' post='2876168']
Yep... far too many people using this forum to make a quick buck.
[/quote]

Again, the classified forums here are run to make money for the forum owners, so what's wrong with someone buying something here then selling it again? Everyone was happy with the deal initially, so what happens after that is irrelevant, surely? This isn't a bloody hippy commune, it's buying and selling. If you want a certain price for something then hold out for it, don't sell cheap then get sniffy if someone else does different.

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I think you miss the point there Discreet. It's about the principle & a matter of trust within a community. If we ain't got that, we're screwed. Judging by the weight of your reply I guess you'd do/have done exactly the same as the seller. If you're fine with that that's great for you & it's good to know who's up front & who ain't.

I won't name the fella as it'll start a battle I don't intend dedicating days/weeks to. It's a nice guitar & the feeling will wear off soon I'm sure. We're all allowed a rant tho eh? & we've all got the option of ignoring threads that we don't agree with or wind us up.

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[quote name='roceci' timestamp='1443613727' post='2876201']
I think you miss the point there Discreet. It's about the principle & a matter of trust within a community. If we ain't got that, we're screwed. Judging by the weight of your reply I guess you'd do/have done exactly the same as the seller. If you're fine with that that's great for you & it's good to know who's up front & who ain't.
[/quote]

Actually I wouldn't have done exactly the same as the seller, and never have. I generally like to move things quickly on here and if anything I will sell at lower than the market price to do so. But when I do, I don't have any issue whatsoever if the buyer then sells the item at a profit. I sell to him, the item is then his to do with as he sees fit. It's nothing to do with me once the item is no longer in my possession.

[quote name='MacDaddy' timestamp='1443614138' post='2876205']
...does detract somewhat from the community spirit.
[/quote]

There is certainly a fantastic community spirit on this forum that has been built up over a period of years - I value it greatly and feel honoured to be a part of it. But for me any feeling of 'community' stops on the threshold of the commercial forums here. It's business, nothing more. I just happen to think it's crazy to get irritated at what someone else does with an item that now belongs to them, regardless of where it came from in the first place and whether it was bought from you, or someone else.

Once you sell something, that something is then disconnected from you and you have no further influence over it. If that bothers you in any way, then obviously you should not have sold that something, or asked for a higher price to offset your perceived value of it. That is my opinion.

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Guest bassman7755

[quote name='roceci' timestamp='1443609801' post='2876128']
I know it's up to people what they do with what they've got but it's left me feeling a bit disappointed. It doesn't feel like the regular Basschat way of doing things to wildly & knowingly undervalue gear as leverage in a trade
[/quote]

TBH you always run a risk of getting a bad deal in a trade because your potential customer base is very limited. If you wanted a good market value then you should have sold for cash. You entered into the deal of your own free will and what the other guy does with is no concern of yours IMO.

Having said that if someone wanted to PX something with me and it was obviously worth a lot more than I was prepared to value it at then Id say so and advise them to sell it for cash.

Edited by bassman7755
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He was selling a bass. You were buying a bass.

He didn't want the amp, he wanted the money.

If you're going to be worried about what happens afterwards then really you should have sold the amp to someone for cash. Which doesn't mean they won't immediately sell it on but makes it less likely.

IMO he could be on a loser if you've already tried to sell the amp at a higher price anyway.

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[quote name='roceci' timestamp='1443613727' post='2876201']
I think you miss the point there Discreet. It's about the principle & a matter of trust within a community. If we ain't got that, we're screwed. Judging by the weight of your reply I guess you'd do/have done exactly the same as the seller. If you're fine with that that's great for you & it's good to know who's up front & who ain't.

I won't name the fella as it'll start a battle I don't intend dedicating days/weeks to. It's a nice guitar & the feeling will wear off soon I'm sure. We're all allowed a rant tho eh? & we've all got the option of ignoring threads that we don't agree with or wind us up.
[/quote]

Each will have their own view but I cannot see the issue here, you agreed to px the amp at a price you deemed correct. I do not see it as being the buyer's problem. If the buyer sells the item for a good return, I would suggest you undervalued it during the deal because GAS took over.

Re Discreet, I recently sold him an item of which he was honest about flipping immediately should if not work for him. In reality he could have tried it and not done the deal if it did not work out. Nevertheless he decently did deal, did not get on with the item and so put it on sale: at less than he paid me for it. I do not see him as fitting in with your thought.

Edited by Bobthedog
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I understand why the OP might be peeved at what happened.

[size=6]BUT[/size]... [i][that's a big but][/i]... trading online is always a case of Caveat Emptor / "buyer beware".

It's ultimately your own responsibility to negotiate terms that you're happy with. And walk away from the deal if you're not. Once a deal is done each party can do what the heck they like with the goods, in my opinion.

Being 'vague with the truth', concealing faults or being fraudulent are of course different matters entirely - dishonesty is never welcome. But pretty much everything else is 'fair game' to be judged by those involved.

That's how I've always approached it personally.

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I understand the feelings - but deals can get complicated and values are all relative... Chalk it up as another experience and reflect on where else you could find such a variety of kit, without paying dealer premiums on everything. Remember the terrible part exchange deals we used to accept from local shops? I've learned to avoid a few sellers who must get every penny back in their deals, but there aren't many....

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Nice to have a healthy thread going on here, I usually kill em stone dead.

I get the buyer beware/market economics thing, I really do. Christ knows I'm old enough. Again, my basic point was the obvious deviousness involved at the outset which I didn't expect from a Basschatter.

Whilst I respect everyone's opinions, it's nice to see the odd contributor who agrees on the community spirit angle. Like I say, with that gone we're knackered. On here, in everyday life.

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If I buy anything on here and decide to then sell, in the spirit of the Basschat Community I look to move it on for the same amount. Ok, may add a bit in to factor for couriers and like to include shipping in the deal. But if anyone buys something from me and sells it for more, well it`s their property, they can do what they want, and their buyer could have bought it from me for less.

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When I first joined BC I was maybe wrongly, under the impression the market place would be like mates buying and selling things and you would sell things on here a bit cheaper than elsewhere as it was to fellow bass players. I quickly realised this wasn't the case and although I've bought one or two things on here, I still buy most SH gear from eBay or Facebook groups as they seem cheaper. I sympathise with the OP but think whilst there is good banter on most topics the market place is very much business.

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I don't do a lot of trading at all but it does smack of a bit 'off' to me on a forum. I think if I really wanted to make a mark up the least I'd do is put it up somewhere else like eBay even though the result is the same. A lot of the marketplace forum seems, to me at least, people trying to get top dollar as sellers but every buyer looking for a bargain (its human nature). Then we moan because there 'doesn't seem to be much gear shifting' ;)

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