Scamacasters on Craigslist
Hello people. Today has been like many other days in the past, I have experienced something that is very common. People on craigslist posting misleading or ripp off ads for musical instruments!
Check this next posting out:
This is a squire! I am getting so tired of people listing squires as fenders. The amp is a beginner amp made by crate, it is 10 watts. I highly doubt that this guitar/amp combo could have even cost 300 brand new, let alone 475 dollars used! I hate it when people try to list used gear as the same price as new gear, that is bad enough, but trying to get more is just plain old retarded. It is very common to see people put new prices on old gear, because they took care of it or didn't play it. Well, if you ARE NOT going to sell it for significantly cheaper, I might as well go to guitar center, and view their selection of used guitars and choose the best one--- instead of meeting a stranger from the internet and hoping the guitar they have plays good.
Here is an example of what I consider an intentionally misleading ad.
mexican strat- $175 (Detroit)
When you click on the add, it has the small description, "with case", no pictures or further description. So I said to myself, this sounds like a good deal.... If it isn't one of those mexican squires from the early 90's that people try to get high prices for! (I have been doing this for a long time)
So I wrote the guy, and at least he wrote me back and said. "Yes it is a mexican squire". Why not put that in the ad? I bet some inexperienced people would probably drive all the way there, thinking they were getting a great deal, then realize it was still just a squire... or some people would be inexperienced enough to not know any better and buy it anyways. My readers should know that I have seen squires sell for as little as 25 dollars on craigslist. It is true that not all squires are created equal, some are better than others, but when someone is trying to mislead people, I have a problem with it.
Now you might be thinking, "Matt, you should know better than to expect a great deal. You are a real CHEAPSKATE for ragging on these people". Well you know, you are probably half right, but I am not exactly made of money, and I don't think it is that far fetched to get a good deal once in a while, if you are diligent, and have cash. If you were smart enough not to blow it at some bar, or some stupid dvd that just came out! Check out this ad:
Made in Mexico fender stratocaster serial number is MN9327029 if you want official info... Comes with freedom skb hard shell case I'm only asking 175 if interested email me or text me at 734652****
Now when I saw this, I knew I imediatley wanted to buy it. There was a problem though, the ad was about 2 weeks old. I didn't see it when it first came out becasue it was under a different city, Monroe that I rarely check. I wrote the guy a text from my sisters phone to see if he still had the guitar, of course he didn't. :(
It caused me a lot of mental anguish. First I got my heart set on the guitar, but then it wasn't available. Now everytime I see someone trying to sell an over priced guitar for twice what this guy was selling the one above for, I think of this incident.
I now check this city and other cities close by routinely. Most of the time I find more ads like the first two ads I outlined-- people are either really dumb, or they think that I am dumb. I usually can find a good deal if I look. Anybody can save for a long time and buy a nice guitar, but the feeling you get from buying something for a really good deal, that is a feeling you are reminded of whenever you look at the guitar. I like buying instruments used becasue they are a good investment. If you are smart, you can always get pretty close to what you paid for it if you need to sell it one day. I never buy guitars new. They are just like new cars, a terrible investment!
Check this next posting out:
Fender Stratocaster with Amp, Case, and Strap - $475 (Carleton)
475 dollars. Now there really isn't anyway this could be that great of deal, even if it was what it said it was. A used Fender strat made in mexico will usually cost between 200-300 dollars used, but that doesn't mean that people don't try to get more for them, which I will elaborate on later! So its not taking it for granted that you can usually find a great amp in the 175 dollar price range. Here is a picture of what the guy is selling:
This is a squire! I am getting so tired of people listing squires as fenders. The amp is a beginner amp made by crate, it is 10 watts. I highly doubt that this guitar/amp combo could have even cost 300 brand new, let alone 475 dollars used! I hate it when people try to list used gear as the same price as new gear, that is bad enough, but trying to get more is just plain old retarded. It is very common to see people put new prices on old gear, because they took care of it or didn't play it. Well, if you ARE NOT going to sell it for significantly cheaper, I might as well go to guitar center, and view their selection of used guitars and choose the best one--- instead of meeting a stranger from the internet and hoping the guitar they have plays good.
Here is an example of what I consider an intentionally misleading ad.
mexican strat- $175 (Detroit)
When you click on the add, it has the small description, "with case", no pictures or further description. So I said to myself, this sounds like a good deal.... If it isn't one of those mexican squires from the early 90's that people try to get high prices for! (I have been doing this for a long time)
So I wrote the guy, and at least he wrote me back and said. "Yes it is a mexican squire". Why not put that in the ad? I bet some inexperienced people would probably drive all the way there, thinking they were getting a great deal, then realize it was still just a squire... or some people would be inexperienced enough to not know any better and buy it anyways. My readers should know that I have seen squires sell for as little as 25 dollars on craigslist. It is true that not all squires are created equal, some are better than others, but when someone is trying to mislead people, I have a problem with it.
Now you might be thinking, "Matt, you should know better than to expect a great deal. You are a real CHEAPSKATE for ragging on these people". Well you know, you are probably half right, but I am not exactly made of money, and I don't think it is that far fetched to get a good deal once in a while, if you are diligent, and have cash. If you were smart enough not to blow it at some bar, or some stupid dvd that just came out! Check out this ad:
fender stratocaster guitar - $175 (Newport )
Made in Mexico fender stratocaster serial number is MN9327029 if you want official info... Comes with freedom skb hard shell case I'm only asking 175 if interested email me or text me at 734652****
Now when I saw this, I knew I imediatley wanted to buy it. There was a problem though, the ad was about 2 weeks old. I didn't see it when it first came out becasue it was under a different city, Monroe that I rarely check. I wrote the guy a text from my sisters phone to see if he still had the guitar, of course he didn't. :(
It caused me a lot of mental anguish. First I got my heart set on the guitar, but then it wasn't available. Now everytime I see someone trying to sell an over priced guitar for twice what this guy was selling the one above for, I think of this incident.
I now check this city and other cities close by routinely. Most of the time I find more ads like the first two ads I outlined-- people are either really dumb, or they think that I am dumb. I usually can find a good deal if I look. Anybody can save for a long time and buy a nice guitar, but the feeling you get from buying something for a really good deal, that is a feeling you are reminded of whenever you look at the guitar. I like buying instruments used becasue they are a good investment. If you are smart, you can always get pretty close to what you paid for it if you need to sell it one day. I never buy guitars new. They are just like new cars, a terrible investment!
Comments
Post a Comment