What eBay Has Taught Us

[Macko1968]

1. Any old tat that sold badly & was quickly discontinued is now "rare".
2. All Korean Fenders are "similar to the legendary JV range".
3. Any non-US Fender taken out off production was taken out because "it was stealing sales from the US made range because they were so good".
4. All Japanese made basses were made by Matsumoku.
5. All 70s copies were stopped by a "lawsuit".
6. Any mod adds 50% more than the cost of the mod to the guitar's value.
7. Any bass made in the last 5 years was "hand picked from over 20 in my local shop".
8. No instrument plays well, they play like "butter"
9. Any cheap plywood crap signed by Arctic Monkeys / Kassabian / the Alma Cogan Trio is worth 400% more than an unsigned instrument.
10. A bass can be mint but still have chips, dings & cracks.

[Ian Savage]

Can I add that people will always get rid of 'the best playing/sounding bass they've ever had' when they're 'thinning out the collection'; that's always baffled me

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

Hacking at something with a chisel and hammer makes it a rare custom instument.

[sprocketflup]

"Rare" is the most overused word in teh english language. Amazing how many mass produced items ahve suddenly become 'Rare', usually when theres at least half a dozen other examples on ebay at the same time, wow coincednce

[Jerry_B]

If it's more than 5 years old it's 'vintage'...

[Happy Jack]

"Vintage" = it's so old that I've lost the receipt.

[Ou7shined]

"Found in an uncles loft" means you are buying a lost gem.... oh and coincidentally exonerates the seller from liability once you find out it's really a plank.

[spinynorman]

If you're selling a bass as "rare", always look to see what all the other sellers have started theirs at over the last couple of weeks (and not sold) and price yours at least 15% higher. (I submit as best practice this [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fender-Precision-Slab-Body-1951-Bass-Re-Issue-inc-case-/220701103655"]rare 51 RI P [/url], which has been up previously at £749, and joins 3 others in the last 2 weeks, all priced over £500 and none sold.)

Another tip, if you "know nothing about guitars" it excuses you for being a lying scumbag.

[Cat Burrito]

Not come across 7 personally but then I don't go looking for the recent kit normally. This list is spot on!

[tom1946]

<<<10. A bass can be mint but still have chips, dings & cracks.>>>

I've bought these mint basses and that's so true! One persons opinion etc'

[Jacqueslemac]

And that all the bad 1970s Fenders (i.e. virtually every single one if some experts/sources are to be believed) have vanished and only the very best ones are now offered for sale.

[karlfer]

Beats me that folks buy a bass, keep it one or 2 years then expect to get 95% or more back on it.
Then they get pissed off with watchers but no bids.
4 Explorer basses since August, all around £200/£250 start price, none sold.
They are £239 new from Thomann, with free delivery(I will eventually get one for £150).
Another one has got a P Lyte on at £595
The list goes on, but if you want to sell you need to listen to what the market tells you.
Have to admit the amount of times the word "rare" is used when there are 3 or 4 of the same bass on at the same time causes a look of incredulity.

Karl.

Edited November 29, 2010 by karlfer

[Macko1968]

[quote name='Jacqueslemac' post='1041552' date='Nov 29 2010, 07:49 PM']And that all the bad 1970s Fenders (i.e. virtually every single one if some experts/sources are to be believed) have vanished and only the very best ones are now offered for sale.[/quote]
Yeah, eBay has told us that the 70s were Fender's golden period.

[MB1]

MB1.
"Plays like Butter" has anybody ever tried playing butter?, Not impressive! however Marlon Brando did manage a few bum notes in Last Tango in paris?

[Ou7shined]

[quote name='MB1' post='1041665' date='Nov 29 2010, 09:29 PM']MB1.
"Plays like Butter" has anybody ever tried playing butter?.....[/quote]
I guess it's fine if you want to [b]jam[/b] along. See what I did there? Butter? Jam? .............. ........ Oh feck off then.


edit : oops my "get my coat" smiley didn't work. Fixed.

Edited November 29, 2010 by Ou7shined

[spinynorman]

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='1041701' date='Nov 29 2010, 10:02 PM']I guess it's fine if you want to [b]jam[/b] along. See what I did there? Butter? Jam? .............. ........ Oh feck off then. [/quote]

I think that's funny ...

Another thing that makes me smile is some of the reviews of low end basses on Harmony Central, how they "A-B'd" their crap bass against all the high end stuff in the shop and "bought this one cos it was better". Not because they couldn't afford the others, obviously.

[icastle]

A personal favourite of mine is the concept of a "custom made" bass built from a coffee table offcut, a reclaimed neck with "Encore" rubbed off of it and hardware fixed using assorted woodscrews leftover from an Ikea session is going to be [i]"far better than all of the Wal's, Overwaters and Jaydee's that I've owned as a professional musician".[/i]

[tom1946]

[quote name='Macko1968' post='1041612' date='Nov 29 2010, 08:37 PM'] Yeah, eBay has told us that the 70s were Fender's golden period.[/quote]

Hmm,

Early 70's fender wasn't too bad but the later 70's stuff had a lot of issues with QC. I know this as I've seen them come in my shop over the years.
IMO 70's fenders wern't that 'golden'

I'm a real fan of the new stuff that's out now, quality.

[spinynorman]

Some buyers on eBay are deaf, but if you write your listing ALL IN CAPITALS, [b]PREFERABLY ALSO IN BOLD AND IF YOU ARE REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT ACCESSIBILITY, [size=6]IN A REALLY LARGE FONT AND [color="#FF8C00"]G[/color][color="#006400"]A[/color][color="#00FF00"]R[/color][color="#00FFFF"]I[/color][color="#DDA0DD"]S[/color][color="#0000FF"]H[/color] [color="#FF00FF"]COLOURS, [color="#808000"]THEY [/color][color="#556B2F"]WILL [/color][color="#FF0000"]BE[/color] [color="#FFFF00"]ABLE[/color] TO HEAR YOU[/color].[/size][/b]

Also remember that buyers do like to use their imagination, so take those photos from a distance, in a darkened room, with that old Nokia mobile you keep meaning to put in the bin at the tip.

[icastle]

[quote name='spinynorman' post='1042019' date='Nov 30 2010, 09:48 AM']Also remember that buyers do like to use their imagination, so take those photos from a distance, in a darkened room, with that old Nokia mobile you keep meaning to put in the bin at the tip.[/quote]

No way man!

It's a rare example of a high quality photographic legend that out performs the entire Nikon range...

[Happy Jack]

My camera phone has been used by a professional bass player, and he says it's better than any Hasselblad ...

[icastle]

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='1042233' date='Nov 30 2010, 12:34 PM']My camera phone has been used by a professional bass player, and he says it's better than any Hasselblad ...[/quote]

Am tempted to try selling the one that Neil Armstrong left behind..."Up for sale is my superb Hasselblad - buyer must collect"

[tauzero]

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='1042233' date='Nov 30 2010, 12:34 PM']My camera phone has been used by a professional bass player, and he says it's better than any Hasselblad ...[/quote]
That's quite true, have you ever tried making a phone call with a Hasselblad?

[icastle]

[quote name='tauzero' post='1042370' date='Nov 30 2010, 01:52 PM']That's quite true, have you ever tried making a phone call with a Hasselblad?[/quote]

Nah.
Too much blady hassel !

[Bassassin]

If you really, really want to grab your potential buyer's attention, don't use keywords in your title pertinent to what they might be searching for, and don't make your title a concise description of the item - just go:

[b]L@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@K!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/b]

Jon.