Are you planning to buy a second hand gears from classified ads, forums, and online shop? Buying a second hand gears can help you to save money. But, this can lead to dissatisfaction and scams. Here are some tips on buying a second hand gears safely without wasting your money or being scammed.
1.Price. Expect that the price of the second hand item is lower than the brand new ones. Search for the original brand new price of the product on Google. Because some of the sellers, sell a second hand item in higher price than the price of the brand new, to a earn revenue. So it's good to know the original brand new price of the item first.
2.Seller's Information. Know the important information of the seller such as full name and exact address.Make sure that the item is really for sale, because some scammers are just getting a photos on the internet then sell it, some of this scammers are only requiring shipping, once you've already pay for it, they will not ship it to you, because there are no item to ship. You should check his/her feedback from other transactions, if you find out that his/her previous clients are not satisfied or being scammed, you should find another seller.
3.Looks. Expect that the item you will get is not good as brand new, because obviously that's a second hand item. If you are perfectionist, you should buy a brand new and don't buy second hand item, because that can't satisfy you.
4.Actual Pictures. Ask for actual pictures of the item, before going to meetups. If possible ask for pictures of the item in all angles. Inspect if there are cracks, scratches, issues etc. If it has scratches or other issues, that should be indicated on the condition of the product.
5.Test. In meetups, set a specific time and place to avoid wasting time. Test the product if it's good for you, inspect the product if it's already repaired. You can use a flashlight or other source of light, if you notice that there are some shiny scratches on the screws, that means the previous owner repaired it or opened it already.
I feel like this skipped over the most important parts of buying a used guitar. I mean, this stuff is common sense, of course you are going to expect to pay less and get a few scratches. The things you want to look out for is the condition the guitar was treated.
ReplyDeleteCheck the condition of the guitar and how the owner kept it. Is it well setup and intonated? Are the springs holding the trem at proper tension? How old are the strings? Is the neck properly aligned, or is it badly bowed?
Is everything functional? Check to make sure all pots twist and feel nice and tight, with no scratching sounds as you turn them. Check the wiring on the access panel in the back to make sure some idiot didn't start soldering stuff in wrong. Check both pickups too, make sure they are what you want.
Are all the needed parts there? (For example, if a trem-bar is missing, why is it missing? Make sure the screw that holds it in place is there)
Inspect scratches on the back from the previous players belt.
Check for general wear and tear, blemishes, nicks and dents, previous repair history, ect..
Thanks for the comment! But this post is not only for guitars, this is also for effects, amps, keyboard, or any gear that is used/second hand. That is the reason why I did not mentioned about checking pickups, trem-bars, strings, neck, pots, etc.. About the price, because some seller sells an used item with a price higher than the brand new ones, I include that for beginners for them to avoid those abusive sellers. And about the scratches, the scratches i am talking about is the scratches on the screws not on the finishes, because most of the used items are being repaired and some sellers are saying that it is not repaired, even if it is. Inspecting if the screws has a scratches can help you to know if the item was not really repaired. You can check my post about the things you mentioned in your comment. http://beingaguitarist.blogspot.com/2013/05/buying-your-first-electric-guitar-tips.html
Delete