I'm afraid the buyer, Whiney Pooh, is talking self-serving nonsense. Strings are not part of a used instrument. If you get a decent set, that's a bonus. The claim of buying off eBay "to save the seller fees" is rubbish, too. Buyers benefit, too - they can negotiate a lower price from a seller if the seller isn't paying Ebay fees (I've had people contact me plenty of times when selling on the 'Bay asking what I'd accept to sell direct to them - they always want to pay less). No doubt you did the same. Oh and if you did buy outside eBay, you can't ask them to recover your money. Was Whiney P buying the bass in the hope of re-selling it at a profit, I wonder? I can see no other reason for being reluctant to treat it to a new set of strings. That's the first thing I do when I buy a used instrument (or a new one, for that matter - I use flats, so had to buy a set for my P Bass Special that I bought new). Caveat emptor (and don't take the piss).