Quick reference - Advice for Buyers and Sellers v2 £50122

[Kiwi]

Use of the Marketplace is offered on the understanding that both buyers and sellers agree to act in good faith towards one another.  Good faith requires both parties to act honestly and to keep promises without taking unfair advantage of others or holding others to an impossible standard.  On Basschat it also includes communicating with the other party in a timely manner.  Evidence of bad faith dealings or a pattern of bad faith behaviour will put a members access to the forum at risk. 

 

Finally - and very importantly - BASSCHAT HOLDS NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ITEMS SOLD OR TRADED ON THIS FORUM.  While we're happy to help mediate in disputes as a courtesy, transactions are a private matter between two individuals.  Basschat does not offer any guarantees about the trustworthiness of members or the likelihood of a successful transaction.

 

The following quick reference guide includes general advice for buyers and sellers on how to make the most of your use of the market place.  Also, have a look at the following references for more detail on specific listing related topics:

 

Packing for couriers

Avoiding rip offs

Paypal gift payments

 

Advice for potential SELLERS

Visibility:

Make sure you post the item in the correct location.  It'll help ensure the right people see your listing and avoid the need for a moderator to move it to the correct location. 

Visual aids:  

It's a good idea to include photographs with your listing but it's a fantastic idea to include video though.  All smartphones can upload video these days and hearing an item being used (if relevant) it makes a huge difference to the decision making process of potential buyers.

Value errors:

Mistakes in the valuation of an ad are not editable and will require a new ad to correct. If you have made a mistake, speak to one of the administrators as soon as possible.

Fair use:

There is a fair use limit in place of 10 listings per month.  If you want to list more than that, please drop us a line for other options.

Zombie listings:

Don't forget to bump your listing at least every 12 weeks if you want it to stay active.  Otherwise it'll be automatically locked by the forum software.  The autolock function also works when you edit the title of your listing to include the words SOLD or WITHDRAWN.

 

Sharing:

If you've put the effort into optimising your listing on Basschat, you have the convenience of sharing it on social media.  To help with this there are 'share on Facebook/twitter etc' buttons at the bottom of your listing.  Alternatively you can cut and paste a link from your browser.  If you are writing a full listing for your item elsewhere, a mention that it's available shows you've established a credible reputation amongst a long standing community of other bass players.  Ebay tends to delete third party links but even a casual mention in the listing is better than nothing.

 

Completed sales: 

In January 2022 we added an auto lock feature to the Marketplace.  If you are successful in your sale, simply add 'sold' or ' withdrawn' to the title and the listing will automatically lock.  This means other users will see that the item is no longer available.  If the sale falls through for any reason and the item becomes available, please contact a mod to have the listing unlocked.

 

Feedback:

In the follow up to any sale, make sure you leave and receive feedback. It'll help you build up a good reputation which can be shared on Basschat or anywhere else. 

 

Listing advice: 
Here are some tips to optimise your listing experience on Basschat.

 

When sharing your item on social media, a link to a Basschat advert also shows you're a serious seller.  The tips below relate mainly to selling a bass, but also effects or amplifiers.

 

Title:
Using the full name of the instrument, including model number, age, asking price, colour, provenance or condition helps buyers find your listing efficiently.  A good example would be 'Fender Precision bass, 1972, sunburst £1500' rather than 'Fender P bass, vintage'

 

Tags:

Think of tags as the same as those attention grabbing, fluorescent spiky shaped stickers on sales items in a shop that say things like 'brand new', 'vintage', '15% off'.  There's a box for adding tags on the add new listing page and you can use them for adding single words containing specific information such as number of strings, brand, trades.  For a 1972 Fender Precision you could use the tags 'Fender' 'Precision' 'Maple' 'Vintage' 'Trades' 'London' 'Collect' '4 string'.

 

Price:

If your price is negotiable or you are interested in trades, be specific about what you are interested in.  One thing to note, once the price has been entered and the advert submitted, you can only drop the price by changing the title or mentioning it in the post itself.

 

Weight:
'How much does it weigh' is an increasingly common question these days as gear moves towards being lighter in weight and a rough indication of weight is better than nothing, especially for basses and cabs.  For basses, some like to hang them from the hook of luggage scales or bathroom scales for basses. Kitchen scales are an option for items less than 5kg.  One technique for bathroom scales is to weigh yourself with the item and subtract your weight from the total.

 

Delivery:

Normally this is something to be negotiated by PM.  Meeting up is the best idea and allows the item to be inspected prior to acceptance.  Indicating in the listing that you are willing to meet up within a certain radius of where you live is always helpful.  We also suggest the following:

   a) Ship your item with full insurance cover. 

   b) Always use a hard case, even if you have to buy one - and pack that in a box such as a bicycle box from your local bicycle shop or use lots of bubble wrap and sturdy, plastic garden waste bags.

 

Content:

Sellers is responsible for the accuracy, completeness and honesty of the listing.  High quality, comprehensive photos are essential but video is even better.  Make sure to include back and front plus any angles that show off key features of the item, player wear or damage. Video will also help you demonstrate what the instrument sounds like.  Try and use a neutral background and use diffused light to avoid dark shadows (natural light on a cloudy day is ideal).  Don't forget to mention the function of the electronics, straightness of the neck and truss rod function, fret wear or any other limitations on setting up for low action.  If there's a Basschatter local to you, it may be worth asking if they could help you give it a detailed once over and endorse your description.

 

Payment:

If you're unable to meet in person, it's a good idea to use a payment method that has the option of appeal if something unexpected happens.  Paypal is popular but using the gift option to send/receive money means you won't have access to their appeal process.

 

Advice for potential BUYERS

Contact information:

Make sure the seller supplies you with their phone number, home or work address, email and full name prior to any payment. It gives you more options if things go wrong for any reason. Be wary of any members not offering any details other than their username.

Establishing seller credibility: It's a good idea to search and check the 'feedback forum' to see if a seller has sold before. Do not accept evidence of eBay feedback as there is no way of proving this is the same person. View the seller's forum profile to find out how often they are on the forum, how many posts they have made and how long they have been a member. Be extra careful of brand new members with few posts.

Concerns about provenance: 

In the public interest, questions about provenance or other claims made in the listing, that may affect market value or desirability, are permitted on the condition that the questions are asked in a respectful manner.

 

Concerns about value:  

If you believe the price of the item is too cheap/expensive, then please PM the seller as to why. Posts that ridicule or undermine the seller, or comment on much you think it's worth, or where it  can be obtained elsewhere for less will be removed.

Due Diligence:  

As mentioned in the advice to sellers above, view the item in person prior to payment if possible. If that isn't possible, ask for high quality, clear photos or (preferably) video and use a payment method that has an appeal or recourse option if the item isn't as described.  Ask for a full description of the item if one hasn't been provided including defects, issues, limitations of function or any other matters that would affect resale value or playability.  Ask the seller to confirm that the instrument is capable of meeting your requirements regarding string height above fretboard, string spacing and neck relief.  Also, ask the seller for confirmation of the delivery order, showing tracking number, and check the description of goods is accurate. We are aware of one scammer on Facebook Marketplace who used tracking numbers for packages they had addressed to themselves.  They had also been sending one tracking number to multiple buyers as "proof" goods were in transit.

 

That's as much as we can think of to cover at the moment but we do regularly review and update the advice as new insights or thoughts occur.  We hope you enjoy the site and if you have any further questions just get in touch with us.