Semantics over gear condition

[KnightBrolaire]

So backstory, I'm trying to sell a bunch of my gear like always and I get some guy messaging me about my schecter avenger 8, wherein he writes verbatim what reverb counts as excellent condition (which I listed the avenger as) and then tries to say that because I took out the neck pickup, it's no longer excellent condition. I'll let the screenshot tell the rest.

here's the reverb link if you want to look at the guitar and give me shit about the condition or the price. The more recent pictures were taken after I wiped the dust off the guitar, and as you can see it's pretty minty.
https://rvrb.io/2014-blackjack-ave-hv2

I have a 100% feedback rate on both ebay/reverb and I always take a bunch of pictures of the guitars/try to be as honest/straight up about my gear as possible, so I just find this whole situation completely hilarious.

 

[Ordacleaphobia]

Yeah I also recently listed a few things on Reverb and was cordially informed of how much people seem to care about what you select under condition. I don't know about you guys, but I have never once checked that field in my life when I was scoping out a guitar I thought about buying. I always checked the photos and read the description.
Of course, when I post something, I'm always super conservative on that selection because I never want to risk misleading anybody.

I'm pretty sure I posted this exchange here before, but this is verbatim what the guy said:

tell me what you want. make an offer. less than 800. a lot of money for just very good .sure there are things here and there wrong ?why you selling ?very good is about $500.00 . I'll buy for 500 now

This last batch of Reverb postings has actually turned me off from the platform a bit, honestly. I don't know if I've just been lucky for the past few years, but prior to this batch, everyone I've even spoken to has been really easygoing and reasonable, but this set of postings has pulled in nothing but a slew of laughable offers, obnoxious messages, and just general irritation.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

Yeah I also recently listed a few things on Reverb and was cordially informed of how much people seem to care about what you select under condition. I don't know about you guys, but I have never once checked that field in my life when I was scoping out a guitar I thought about buying. I always checked the photos and read the description.
Of course, when I post something, I'm always super conservative on that selection because I never want to risk misleading anybody.

I'm pretty sure I posted this exchange here before, but this is verbatim what the guy said:


This last batch of Reverb postings has actually turned me off from the platform a bit, honestly. I don't know if I've just been lucky for the past few years, but prior to this batch, everyone I've even spoken to has been really easygoing and reasonable, but this set of postings has pulled in nothing but a slew of laughable offers, obnoxious messages, and just general irritation.

I've had mostly smooth transactions on reverb barring a few incidents.
This is honestly the first time I've run into someone that thinks i'm trying to lie about the condition of my gear

 

[spudmunkey]

Me: Search "Avenger", sort by condition: "Excellent". See a guitar with a missing pickup.
Seller: "It's not missing. It's gone because i chose to remove it."

From a buyer's perspective, that seams odd.

"Excellent condition Toyota Camry."

"It looks like it's missing the spare and the hood."

"They aren't missing. I chose to remove them. What's left is excellent conditon."

 

[KnightBrolaire]

Me: Search "Avenger", sort by condition: "Excellent". See a guitar with a missing pickup.
Seller: "It's not missing. It's gone because i chose to remove it."

From a buyer's perspective, that seams odd.

"Excellent condition Toyota Camry."

"It looks like it's missing the spare and the hood."

"They aren't missing. I chose to remove them. What's left is excellent conditon."

It's not like it affects the guitar's functionality.. I even say in the ad that I'll install a neck pickup if someone wants one.

 

[wannabguitarist]

I agree with the buyer here . It's not in excellent condition if it's missing a part. Install the neck pickup and update the listing. If a buyer doesn't want the pickup they can remove it themselves.

 

[spudmunkey]

It's not like it affects the guitar's functionality.

Missing more than half the tones? granted, probably not widely used ones...but still... Unless there's something specific about the model I'm not familiar with like that it comes with a dummy neck pickup as a stock feature. *That* wouldn't affect it's functionality then, IMO.

I even say in the ad that I'll install a neck pickup if someone wants one.

Ahh, OK I missed that. My bad. But still...the way my brain works, I would assume most people would want the guitar with the pickup, as it's a part of the guitar's stock spec...so to help myself sell it for as much as possible and as quickly as possible, I'd just install the pickup. Like...you went through the effort of taking a nice clear photo...so clearly that was worth effort. I don't know...it's like so many parts guitars that show the TOM bridge and knobs in a pile with "All it needs is strings, and to attach the knobs". The way my brain works, as a buyer, I'm just thinking, "Then...why didn't you just do that? now every single person who views the ad will see *potentially* something wrong, and have to decide if they want to risk it.

I'm not saying you are "wrong"...it's just from a perspective that doesn't click with me, from the buyers' perspective.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

Missing more than half the tones? granted, probably not widely used ones...but still... Unless there's something specific about the model I'm not familiar with like that it comes with a dummy neck pickup as a stock feature. *That* wouldn't affect it's functionality then, IMO.



Ahh, OK I missed that. My bad. But still...the way my brain works, most people would want the guitar with the pickup...so to help myself sell it for as much as possible and as quickly as possible, I'd just install the pickup. Like...you went through the effort of taking a nice clear photo...so clearly that was worth effort. I don't know...it's like so many parts guitars that show the TOM bridge and knobs in a pile with "All it needs is strings, and to attach the knobs". The way my brain works, as a buyer, I'm just thinking, "Then...why didn't you just do that? now every single person who views the ad will see *potentially* something wrong, and have to decide if they want to risk it.

I'm not saying you are "wrong"...it's just from a perspective that doesn't click with me, from the buyers' perspective.

Even when I had a neck pickup in this guitar, people didn't seem to want it, so it's pretty much a moot point to me.

 

[Konfyouzd]

What? Just change the condition (because you really should) and be done with it...

 

[MaxOfMetal]

If I didn't know you were a seasoned pickup swapper, that missing pickup would be a big red flag.

I can't tell you how popular of a "mod" that is amongst absolute basketcase used guitars. Heck, I used to keep a box of various OEM pickups on hand to install when taking in used gear.

 

[Ordacleaphobia]

I think the point isn't whether or not the guy is technically right or not, it's more of a "what kind of busybody f**k would respond to this posting like that?"
Sure he's got a point but his attitude straight out of the gate is enough to make me immediately never want to deal with him.

 

[budda]

It's going to be an easier sell with a neck pickup.

Find your nearest stock ibby neck pickup and away you go IMO.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

Just to spite people in here telling me to install a neck pickup, I'm going to take out the bridge pickup and sell that

 

[spudmunkey]

For sale: guitar
Condition: Excellent. Smoke/pet free home.
Not included: Body, neck, electronics, hardware, nut, paint, strings. They aren't "missing". I chose to remove them.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

For sale: guitar
Condition: Excellent. Smoke/pet free home.
Not included: Body, neck, electronics, hardware, nut, paint, strings. They aren't "missing". I chose to remove them.

I approve

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Just to spite people in here telling me to install a neck pickup, I'm going to take out the bridge pickup and sell that

 

[xzacx]

Dude is being a pain the the ass, but he’s not really wrong. It’s not something I’d waste my time emailing someone about but I think you kinda need all the parts to consider something excellent, considering “excellent but incomplete” isn’t an option.

 

[narad]

I totally agree with you. If we start down the road of not using the actual condition (of what's there) then say... I have a mint used prestige that I swapped to BKPs. I guess it's in excellent condition because it has better pickups?

And what if I swap in, as some suggest, just a random old other pickup. Now it sounds worse than stock, but is mint again?

Condition should just describe condition IMO. The effect on functionality that not having a neck pickup has is obvious, and buyers should immediately recognize if that's a dealbreaker for them.

Sad thing is a jerk like that is probably going to flag your listing. And yet meanwhile I can't seem to get them to remove all the ads for slip covers for amps when people are saying the actual _brand_ is Mesa/Diezel/Engl, etc., when they are made by some generic slip cover brand. And now all my searches need to have a price floor so these things don't pollute my amp searching.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

I totally agree with you. If we start down the road of not using the actual condition (of what's there) then say... I have a mint used prestige that I swapped to BKPs. I guess it's in excellent condition because it has better pickups?

And what if I swap in, as some suggest, just a random old other pickup. Now it sounds worse than stock, but is mint again?

Condition should just describe condition IMO. The effect on functionality that not having a neck pickup has is obvious, and buyers should immediately recognize if that's a dealbreaker for them.

Sad thing is a jerk like that is probably going to flag your listing. And yet meanwhile I can't seem to get them to remove all the ads for slip covers for amps when people are saying the actual _brand_ is Mesa/Diezel/Engl, etc., when they are made by some generic slip cover brand. And now all my searches need to have a price floor so these things don't pollute my amp searching.

yeah, if you go and look at reverb's condition descriptions, it's pretty vague and mostly references visual issues for most tiers. The guitar is in excellent shape in that regard.

It's just a slippery slope if changing suff around is detrimental to the overall condition.
Does swapping a pickguard and covering up the neck pickup cavity on a strat/jazzmaster/whatever change the condition? where does it end ?

 

[Smoked Porter]

As an occasional seller, I probably wouldn't list it in excellent condition, just to cut down on interactions with shitheads like that guy, but I totally get your annoyance. If I was looking to buy, the condition you listed it as wouldn't bother me.

God bless