Members Roald Posted March 9, 2007 Members Share Posted March 9, 2007 maybe it's just me naive european but I had fun selling (and buying) synths. I've only met friendly people so far, in most of the cases enthusiasts like myself, we had a cup of coffee, did the deal and spent some qualitity nerdy time discussing synths and music and stuff. In my experience, the people already knew what they were going to buy and just needed to check that everything worked correctly. When I bought the Kawai EP608 electric piano, the guy almost got tears in his eyes when we carried the piano down the stairs. Or his back just hurt hahaha, and he commented he liked that the piano went to some who "could -really- play" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mate_stubb Posted March 9, 2007 Members Share Posted March 9, 2007 I avoid Craigslist and Ebay like the plague infested sewer that they are. I advertise on lists that I belong to already, and thus have no qualms about letting somebody in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members triton76 Posted March 9, 2007 Members Share Posted March 9, 2007 I showed my setup to a guy once. I lived alone and everything was set up in the front room so I couldn't hide anything. I was robbed a week later. Took my guitar stuff though so no biggie. Not like was going to walk out with my SY99. I told the cops to check out the guy who had come by. After that my car was vandalized. Sweet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fozzie Posted March 9, 2007 Members Share Posted March 9, 2007 maybe it's just me naive european but I had fun selling (and buying) synths. I've only met friendly people so far, in most of the cases enthusiasts like myself, we had a cup of coffee, did the deal and spent some qualitity nerdy time discussing synths and music and stuff. Same here, but I believe we're from the same "little frog-country" (Dutchism). I usually pay attention to their knowledge of the subject/item when we have email or phone contact. I only get cautious if the buyer or seller appears to know nothing of the item or sends obvious 'nigeria-scam' emails. Overall, I've had many a pleasant encounter with a fellow synth or guitar geek. Have a cup of coffee, a casual chat, make the deal and be happy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MarkShovel2 Posted March 9, 2007 Members Share Posted March 9, 2007 It's kind of like a game of Russian Roulette. As a buyer, you take cash to somebody's house and hope they don't decide to kill you for the money. For a large purchase (like Oasys) you need arrange a first test of the keyboard and then come back a second time with the cash. You never know if you are dealing with a serial killer..... I banned garage sales from my house over 15 years ago. Scary people attend garage sales. I think that's the benefit of selling on consignment. You use a store to isolate your home from the buyers. Maybe a paid rehearsal space/studio is another option. I always take the approach of speaking with the person several times before meeting with them. Get pictures and addresses and phone numbers. You should leave a copy of all this info with somebody at home in case you don't return. The buddy system sounds wise. It is also a huge risk in meeting new potential band members. I no longer host band rehearsal at my home. My family is too important. OK, maybe I've talked myself out of the used synth market. I'll buy a V-Synth GT next..... Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cl516 Posted March 9, 2007 Members Share Posted March 9, 2007 come to think of it, markshovel2 is right. there have been too many times where i just drive up some place, alone,to some other part of town, cash in hand. buddy system sounds good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members stikygum Posted March 9, 2007 Members Share Posted March 9, 2007 I avoid Craigslist and Ebay like the plague infested sewer that they are. I advertise on lists that I belong to already, and thus have no qualms about letting somebody in. What's wrong with Craiglist? The don't know who you're going to meet thing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Umbra Posted March 9, 2007 Members Share Posted March 9, 2007 It's usually pretty obvious if the seller is on the up and up or is a scammer simply by asking them what other synths they have and a few basic questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Karma1 Posted March 9, 2007 Members Share Posted March 9, 2007 I really relate to this thread. I buy and sell a lot of gear on Craig's List and it's always been a concern about letting strangers into my place. The problem is that I only have one entrance to my apartment and when you walk in, you are in my studio with tons of gear sitting there - too much to try to hide. I wish I had another room or garage to use but I don't. The saving grace of this place is that there are a LOT of steep steps to get from the street to my apartment, which is a pain when I have to load equipment for a gig, but it's a definite preventative from someone coming in and cleaning the place out. But it's still a concern. Actually, most of my interactions with buyers have been fine, and some have turned out to be good connections, but it would it would be nice to have a more neutral place to be able to sell gear without the worry. However, there have been some good suggestions in this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members HuskerDude Posted March 10, 2007 Members Share Posted March 10, 2007 Same here, but I believe we're from the same "little frog-country" (Dutchism). I usually pay attention to their knowledge of the subject/item when we have email or phone contact. I only get cautious if the buyer or seller appears to know nothing of the item or sends obvious 'nigeria-scam' emails. Overall, I've had many a pleasant encounter with a fellow synth or guitar geek. Have a cup of coffee, a casual chat, make the deal and be happy This has been my experience as well, even over here in the states. There seems to be a lot of paranoia in this thread. I've bought and sold dozens of things on ebay and craigslist without a single problem. You need to use a little common sense with regard to who you're willing to deal with, but I've never felt surveillance photos or weapons were even close to necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mate_stubb Posted March 10, 2007 Members Share Posted March 10, 2007 What's wrong with Craiglist? The don't know who you're going to meet thing? I dunno - I recently liquidated my collection of old Roland synths. I don't do Ebay, so I advertised in the keyboard and synth forums I frequent and on Craigslist. Within 10 minutes of my Craigslist post, I had an inbox full of bogus inquiries. Illiterate, misspelled, etc. One guy sent a separate identically worded email for each and every item. Of the few people left over after I weeded the obvious charlatans, 90% of them never responded back to me after I asked a simple question. I ended up selling 1 piece to a Craigslist contact, and the other 8 or 9 thru my regular mailing lists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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