banjoplayer95 - Posted - 10/16/2013:  14:21:34

I am posting this topic because I want to tell those of you who have ever felt mistreated by a seller of an instrument, you are not alone. I am writing in this topic my thoughts and disagreements about certain people.

 I had saved up some money, and of course I wanted to buy a banjo with it. Bluegrass enthusiasts can easily understand this. What more do you want to do than to get a freshly-made banjo for yourself, and learn it?

Anyway, I started by looking on Craigslist. This is one site you DEFINITELY do NOT want to use when buying ANYTHING. There were two banjos: one in Andover, Kansas, and a Contessa 5-String in Wichita. When I called the person in Andover, I eventually had to get away from thinking about buying his banjo, because he kept saying,"I've got some people coming over to look at it, if they don't buy it I'll call you back." THIS is where the uncooperativeness comes in. He never called me back once, so I dropped the whole thing. On to banjo seller number 2. I called him when he was at work(he said he'd be home at about four and would call me back). Not ONCE did he do that. He appeared to be just as interested in selling his banjo as letting someone set his house on fire. And all the times we tried to reach him later, a message would come, saying,"Leave it," and then a click. I finally went away, completely disgusted with him and his total unwilligness to call back or ANYTHING. These two situations taught me a valuable lesson, and that is not to always trust people, especially when they are unwilling to cooperate or are just lazy.

 And FINALLY, I struck it rich when Dad and I ordered an Oscar Schmidt OB-5 Banjo Package from Instrument Alley, in Logan, Utah. If you are looking for a quality instrument supplier, you will not be disappointed with their service. The banjo took two weeks to get to our house(we ordered it on September 10th; it was on pre-order(Ben Peterson said the OB-5s were due the following week), it shipped on Thursday, September 26, and finally came on October 1st), and it DID come with everything the company had promised in the package. They even upgraded the original gig bag to a Gaurdian CG-020 Hardshell Banjo Case, and it was SO cool when it finally arrived! 

I played my new Oscar Schmidt banjo for two weeks until I noticed I was not getting the bright "banjo" sound coming from it. A simple and easy head tightening took care of this, and now it sounds just BEAUTIFUL! Thank God for places like Instrument Alley who ship quality products in good time. 

Edited by - banjoplayer95 on 10/16/2013 14:22:48

Texasbanjo - Posted - 10/17/2013:  05:46:53

Sorry you had bad dealings with people, but that's about how it goes when you look on Craig's list.  Maybe ther wasn't even a banjo to be had or they just didn't want to mess with someone out of town. 

I'd stick with known dealers or people on the Banjo Hangout that have been there for a while and have a good reputation.  

Even with dealers in instruments, you can get stung.  Many dealers don't know how to set up a banjo and when you get it, it just doesn't sound right -- as you found out.  If you'd got one from a major dealer:  Stelling, Deering, etc., it probably would have been set up correctly.

I recently bought an autoharp and was warned before I bought one to get one from a reputable dealer so it would be set up correctly.  I did so as there's no one around here who even know what an autoharp is.  All it needed was a little tuning from being shipped and it was great. 

banjoplayer95 - Posted - 10/17/2013:  06:58:49

quote:

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Originally posted by Texasbanjo

 

Sorry you had bad dealings with people, but that's about how it goes when you look on Craig's list.  Maybe ther wasn't even a banjo to be had or they just didn't want to mess with someone out of town. 

I'd stick with known dealers or people on the Banjo Hangout that have been there for a while and have a good reputation.  

Even with dealers in instruments, you can get stung.  Many dealers don't know how to set up a banjo and when you get it, it just doesn't sound right -- as you found out.  If you'd got one from a major dealer:  Stelling, Deering, etc., it probably would have been set up correctly.

I recently bought an autoharp and was warned before I bought one to get one from a reputable dealer so it would be set up correctly.  I did so as there's no one around here who even know what an autoharp is.  All it needed was a little tuning from being shipped and it was great. 

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Thanks a lot, Texasbanjo. What you just said does make me feel better.

alubin - Posted - 10/17/2013:  14:26:19

I've had a few bad experiences on CL, but overall I've had mostly good transactions. Not sure I would want to buy anything high-end off CL but I got a Kentucky KM-505 mando in decent condition for a fair price, a Hohner 12-string for a ridiculously low price, and a few other instruments that I've been pretty happy with. I've sold some instruments and furniture recently and had it work out pretty well. I've also had a few good band situations start up from CL ads.

Sure, there's a lot of people flaking out, not answering emails, or just being kind of shady on there, but if you stay courteous, keep a healthy skepticism and are careful there are good deals to be had. I'm sorry your experience didn't turn out so well this time, but there are good people just trying to buy and sell stuff out there.

banjoplayer95 - Posted - 10/17/2013:  15:19:29

Thanks, Alubin. 

DaddyJ - Posted - 10/17/2013:  19:28:57

I just bought some mic stands from a guy on CL. He had four good tripod mic stands (3 booms and 1 straight) for $50. It was a good deal, assuming they all worked, which they did. I met him at a truck stop and we made the exchange out in the parking lot. It was a little weird because of the location, but he was a nice guy and I got a good deal on some mic stands.

I also gave away a dog via Craigslist, and that worked out very well for me and the dog. So I'm two for two.