Not a rant; merely an observation.
That said, here's the :
Tom, it's not that I don't like buying from first-time _buyers_ (yeah, I know you meant sellers), but rather that I think it's very strange that a person has had an eBay account since February, and hasn't completed a single transaction that resulted in feedback, either positive OR negative. Then, apparently, embarks on his eBay selling career with an item reasonably worth about a grand.
That's fairly unusual. Of course, I've been monitoring Alembic sales on eBay on virtually a daily basis for nearly a year, and I've never bought or sold one. So the fact that marvin1190 hasn't sold anything before doesn't particularly bother me.
It's really the fact that he's apparently jumped into the deep end of the pool without _ever_ completing a transaction. He's asking a potential buyer to trust _his_ familiarity with how eBay works, without any evidence that he, himself, actually knows what happens after the auction closes. So even if he is legitimate, there's a good possibility that the after-sales process could be botched.
Now, in this particular case, marvin is very specific about a few things:
I will not ship overseas.
I prefer to ship with peanuts not bubble wrap. If shipping is outside the U.S.A the cost may be higher. Buyer can look for other shippers,or methods.
These are statements indicative of someone experienced with selling via mail-order auction. That's not consistant with a zero-feedback account. That raises a flag with me.
I've seen dozens of zero-feedback sellers offering Alembics, and the vast majority of them have turned out to be fraudulent. Of the few that haven't been, the sales have collapsed due to the seller's inexperience and/or arrogance. Only one or two have resulted in what I'd consider clean transactions.
Now, about some of your assumptions:
I seriously doubt a music store employee would ever tell a walk-in customer that they'd be better off trying to sell an Alembic on eBay. Frankly, if it were my store, and an employee made that recommendation to a customer in my hearing, I'd have to take the employee into the back room and remind him explain exactly what we, as a music store, are in business to do. I might have to deliver that explaination at about 140db SPL, but I probably wouldn't fire the schmuck for the first offense.
I have absolutely no reason whatsoever not to buy that particular bass from that particular seller. I also have no reason whatsoever TO buy that particular bass or any other from that particular seller. If I ever need to buy an Epic 5, I know where to find reputable sellers that I don't need to worry about.
But some kid out in the great vastness of the Internet may very well decide that this is THE bass he's been looking for, and that it's worth bidding on. (I notice that the current high bidder has never spent more than $98 on eBay, and has only 5 feedback points himself; I'll be interested to see how this one plays out...) That's fine, and I hope he gets a good deal. But as PT Barnum said...
Oh, and let's get real, here: as nice as it may be, a 2001 Epic 5 doesn't qualify as a fine custom Alembic in my book. Nor is there any basis whatsoever for assuming that marvin is a fine Alembic customer. Or a competent eBay seller. There's zero evidence for any conclusion other than to observe his feedback rating.
As to my comments being not in the spirit of the Seen on eBay thread, that's silly. This thread exists so we can let each other know about possible deals, and so we can warn each other about possible scams. The potential for fraud is MUCH higher with a zero-feedback seller, and pointing that out is hardly out of line.
I'm being perfectly fair to the seller: I'm pointing to a piece of data that directly concerns the transaction. eBay provides a feedback rating system specifically so people can assess the degree of trust they can place in one another.
marvin may be legit, and he may be lurking or posting here. Great. If he is, here's my advice to him: get your feet wet and get a handful of feedback points _before_ trying to sell something expensive. Buy a few things, like guitar picks or magazines or something. Finish a transaction or three, so you know how the system works, and people _know_ that you deal honestly, and are willing to put your own cash at risk for an item you may never see. Show that _you're_ willing to take the honesty of a seller on faith, before expecting anybody to trust you.
As to my collection, I've owned Alembics, and am quite fond of them. I have little interest in anything less than a Series bass, though. Why compromise?
Right now, however, I'm devoting my energy and finances to setting up a shop and designing basses that hopefully will stand up to direct comparison to Alembic, and which will be a credit to everybody I've learned from over the past 30-odd years.
Finally, you're more than welcome to your opinion, and I'll be first in line to defend your right to voice it in any forum you choose to present it. I don't even take much offense at the tone you used. But I reserve the right to disagree, and to get incredibly long-winded about explaining why I hold the opinions I do. I rarely shoot from the hip and make a personal statement about some person or situation (in this case, marvin) without _some_ thought behind it, and I'm delighted to share my reasoning with anybody curious enough to ask for an explanation.
There's about 950 words. THAT'S a rant.
nic
