[strumminsix]

I've got an amp for sale - Fender Acoustasonic Jr DSP. This is the current model in stock at every GC and Sam Ash in the area of which there are a dozen or more in and around Chicago.

Now I get this dude saying he MIGHT be interested as he plays a classic guitar with nylon strings. Then he needs to "try it out" before he'll buy it.

I reply with try it out to see if it works or try it out to see if you like it? If the latter, they are stocked at GC"

He replies: "Yes, of course I'll need to test it."

So I ask my question again to which the dude says that I'm acting suspicious of his action and to forget about it.


Now, I am reaching out to you here for opinions. Would you want some random stranger in your home to "kick the tires" on an amp they may or may not be interested in buying. ESPECIALLY if it's a current production model and they can do that 5 minutes away? It does seem suspicious or lazy or something. I can see if it's an old amp or out of production model.. Or maybe I'm sick of idiots since a few years back I had a dude come to my house to by my Mesa LSC, 30 minutes late, then wailed on it for 30 minutes with my guitar, not his, then say it's not what he wants and it's more than he can afford.

Let's just say he was escorted out very quickly....

[DeadlyHeptet]

Another "Craigslist Moment." Sure, anyone buying a piece of equipment needs to try it to make sure it works, but people are getting more paranoid about someone showing up and being an annoyance or maybe "casing the joint" or worse. I had called someone about a piece of percussion equipment and they wanted me to meet them at a local park. Screw it! It's all getting a bit crazy to deal with people these days. Between the pain in the ass dealings on EBay and the bad deals I have had go down on the major equipment forum, you just start realizing that whatever you buy is either forever or you take a beating on it selling in on consignment at a local store.

[hogan]

craigslist = one of the outer rings of hell.

Your first mistake was trying to appeal to a craigslister's sense of reason.

[JonnyBoy]

I am not sure if you wrote him a note or called him, but he must be reading your message as something its not. If you talked to him on the phone I am sure you explained yourself, and he is just an ass.

You have every right to set the terms, which to me are not at all strange. If you say its is in good condition and a common production amp, you are right that a trip to guitar center is way easier for both of you. Especially in a big city, that should be understood you don't want strange people casing your pad, especially with expensive equipment around. He's just a sensitive Nimrod. If you price it right then it will sell.

[amyjared]

I just had a crazy Craigslist moment yesterday! My Toshiba DVD player ($40 new) crapped out and it was 2 weeks over warranty, so Toshiba told me to F-off (I only mention this part to let you all know to not buy any of their products) and since I'm low on cash flow these days, I looked on CL and found a brand new one for $15. I call the number the guy emails me and I say, "Hello, I'm calling about the DVD player, I sent you an email..." and the first thing he says to me is, "Are you prepared for the afterlife?"
I'm kinda dumbfounded, so I repeat myself about the DVD player and after a long pause. he finally says I can come by and pick it up and he gives me an address but as I'm driving over there I call this other friend and leave the address on his machine because no one knows where I'm going, it's out in the countryside and this guy is some religious zealot and I'm a NY Jew heathen...but it turned out ok, although he did try to give me some religious material, I just stayed the course and got the heck out of there.

As for you, strummin, you forget that www stands for WORLD wide web and there are some nuts out there who have access to a computer. I live in a smaller town and rarely do I have any CL trouble, but my friends in bigger cities seem to have more difficulty. I would have done the exact same thing as you did. Don't let it bug you too much, you're too smart for that.

[Chuckles]

Disagree with much of the above. There are tons of scammers and folks selling hot merchandise on CL, so I expect to have the right to check out anything for which someone is asking me to cough up some decent $$. The fact that he is willing to come take a look in the first place kinda indicates he's serious. It's all about how you read the guy, obviously, but the argument that it is a current model does nothing to demonstrate your specific unit is in good working condition.

[JonnyBoy]

I don't think strummin was talking about meeting to look at the unit and decide to buy it quickly due to the buyer's own homework, its the come in, ask for a guitar, make yourself at home, decide at his house if the amp is what he wants and if he likes the tone of the amp for an hour because he's never heard one before, try on your underwear, ask to see some some nude pics of your girl, take a stinky dump in your bathroom, steal your left over pain pills, case the house for a potential score and then say.. "Its not what I thought it was....". As for seeing the item and proof of actual ownership that is a reasonable request. I think the answer lies in the middle, but if the buyer can't take a hint that Strum doesn't want random people in his house playing an amp he's never tried for an hour or so, then the guy is the one being unreasonable.

When I bought my twin on craigs list I brought my guitar and tried it out at a gas station on a random highway in south Mississippi because the buyer wanted me too. I told him I would like to see all paperwork he had, and to meet me a bit closer too. He was cool with that, so was I and I understood I had to know what a twin was for this kind of purchase. The inspection went quickly and I didn't inconvenience the seller.there were old men sitting at a picnic bench under the shade wondering why I was looking for an outside outlet with a 50 ft extention cord. out comes my strat and there goes the beginning of china cat.

[Chuckles]

Nah, I'm not trying to tell S6 otherwise... it's best to go with your instincts. If the guy acted sketchy, he should have been summarily dismissed. Just sayin' that a buyer has every right to inspect the merchandise. JB, your tale of the gas station tryout is hilarious!

What's this world coming to?

[jackr]

I sell a lot on CL. People are notoriously disrespectful for some reason. I cant tell you how many times people tell me they are in their car, on the way to my place and never show up. Because of that I never schedule an appointment where it is inconvenient for me or I have to go out of my way.

That being said, I have met some really nice musician through CL. Got into some great jams and keep in touch with several pros that I met. So there is good and bad.

I know that doesn't help but because I have met some great people and made money, I keep listing.

[RiverRat]

.

[mkaufman]

If you were buying something on CL, wouldn't you want to test it out just to make sure?

mk

[jdsmodulus]

I too have bought and sold on CL. It is sometimes weird. Yes you must inspect the goods before you buy. If in this case Strum, you need to talk with the person on the phone and really make a desicion about character. I would not have anyone to the house I didnt speak to directly.

[strumminsix]

Gents, I did tell the guy to shoot me his number so we can talk. He ignored that as well.

If you were buying something on CL, wouldn't you want to test it out just to make sure?

MK - there is a difference between: testing to ensure functionality which I would oblige and testing to see if you like it on a current production model. As a buyer on CL I've looked at it as my responsibility to decide if I want to own that make & model and therefore only require the seller to agree to a means of testing that the unit works.

Chuckles: He said he MIGHT be interested. He also eluded to concern of it working well for his situation of nylon string piezo mic acoustic. It's not my job to assist him in buying the right amp for his needs. Being a current model is very significant whereby he can drive his ass over to GC and plug in and kick the tires until he decides what acoustic amp he wants.

Once you decide which amp you want then goto CL and find a seller you are comfortable with and can ensure she fires up and sounds like she should.

[tcsned]

I think CL is not a place to go trying stuff out. It's one thing to annoy the guys at a music store for an hour (many of us have been on both ends of this) it's quite another to invade someone's home to test something out other than making sure it works. I'd tell the guy to take a hike.

[Pete B.]

I've had all good luck with CL buy/sell/trades.
I can get a pretty good feel for the CL person/deal from the requiered phone conversation... item description (does the Amp smell like cigarette smoke or cat pee???), arranging to meet, etc....
fwiw, I NEVER meet anyone at my house.
I prefer to go to the buyers house or meet at a nearby music store (Guitar Center is a good place to meet to try out CL guitars).

You pretty much have to try an amp before you buy it.
I think your mistake may have been in the manner you asked about the CL buyers intent.
I try to slam-dunk the buyers intent by saying, "I trust you've already done your research on this item, know what it is and that you want one, and, as with all Craigslist deals, you'll have the cash in hand to close the deal upon verifying funtionality... Is that correct?".