Hi VP: if they get no bids at that price then I guess, yes, they're crazy. Perhaps their failed sale will teach them that lesson.

But if they get just one bid at $999 then possibly they aren't crazy after all. Maybe the buyer is.

It's a free market. You're allowed to ask any price you like. And the rest of us are allowed not to buy at a price we don't like.

To your broader point: I entirely agree. New guitars are not a financial investment. Like most things, they go down, not up.

Cheers - C

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Anytime I'm looking on ebay, I'm looking for diamonds in the rough. Stuff in the mid level, guitars that have been discontinued that I can fix up, that kind of thing. But if it can be bought in the store, I usually go to a store at least to see if I like what I'm considering.

If I were to consider a $1,000 guitar, I don't really think I'd be up to buying one off ebay. I don't trust seller descriptions very much, I don't trust that they'll be shipped or packaged properly, and in case of any problems I don't want to eat the shipping cost to ship something back. It still blows me away that it's a common practice on ebay. If someone sends me a guitar with an undescribed problem, I have to pay to ship it back to them. I personally think higher end stuff is better store bought.

I have to thoroughly inspect anything in person that I would consider spending over $500 for. That's my general rule.

As far as people and their ebay pricing. Yea, some people can be that stupid (or sometimes naive). I've seen plenty of cases where I just had to roll my eyes and say "good luck selling that".

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If someone is too lazy to do 5min of homework before they bid on an eBay item then..."a fool and his money". I see guitars sitting on Craigslist for months that are priced well below "buy it now" prices on eBay, so beware, you may think your getting a good deal but these sellers are fishing. My take is that if you buy something, it's yours. Don't expect me to take it off your hands unless it's for at least half of the GC price, including the additional15% you can usually get if your patient. And no, because you screwed it up with $$$ in mods, it's now worth even less to me.

i saw a peavey bandit on ebay the other day. mid-90's model. the business owner selling it does not have a clue. the description is for a newer bandit (says 3 way voicing in the description- the model shown does not have it). i looked up the shop selling it- it is a crossdresser's supply store. she may know crossdressing, but nothing about amps.

the price is now at 175.00, but the reserve is not met. and don't forget shipping charges. i have found several of the same amp on the used page at the guitar center website- most priced in the 119-149 range. plus, you can return it for a refund if you don't like it.

seems like a lot of bidders don't do their research.

I would just NEVER buy new off e-bay........not for anything above a couple of hundred quid anyways and even then I have to be able to go see it, touch it and play it.

A trick I learned a long time ago was to check all mis-spellings of the item.........the search engine on e-bay is one of those that if there is something that is mis-spelled, for instance, 'startocaster' -it will pull up that on the search and not offer spelling alternatives...........
The obvious one is 'squier'....type in 'squier guitar' and you will get a long list and you will also get a long, different list if you type in 'squire guitar'
I picked up a few bargains with this method..........

I got a beat up 'Yahama CPX 8M' for......wait for it........fifty quid........including hard case.......needed a new nut and a machine head and is now my main acoustic for gigging!!!

I also got a 'Fedner Telecaster' copy for less than 20 pounds delivered............I was the only bidder and the guy e-mailed me to ask why I thought it went so cheap. DOn't get me wrong it is not a Fender but it's some eastern copy, easy worth a couple of hundred quid and is now the guitar I try out my tele mods on. I told him about the spelling mistake AFTER I received the guitar.......

here's another common mistake....I think people are starting to realise spelling errors can grab you a bargain as there is a few bidding on this but adding letters that aren't there or missing out letters is quite common on listings and, like I said, these do not show up in the lists if other items have been spelled correctly............
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/guitar-ephiphone-SJ200-ideal-used-guitar-great-and-very-easy-to-play-Bargin-/271000773870?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item3f18e7a4ee

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speak slowly I'm a drummer too!!

And I proudly lack a stick or a kazoo up my arse...........

I have never had to rely on E-Bay to buy any instrument, there are more shops within 2 hours drive than I can visit in a weekend, so it's unnecessary.
Plus if you are going to buy in the $1000.00 on up range, I want to see, play hear this instrument.
Then again some people may also want to shop for a girlfriend or wife on E-Bay.....
Sort of the Ultimate Blind Date....

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "

Your whole post is quotable, I just didn't want to post a wall of text. Your right they are crazy. I don't want to get into it because... it's just a waste of time. The best you can do is tell them it's not worth it and don't buy. There are great deals to be had on the regular websites. You should monitor MF and the others for scratch and dent... many times this will be a very minor flaw and the discount can be added up with other specials. I don't think I would ever buy used from the bay because it is to risky.

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Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder. George Washington
No picture = No equipment
Fender CD-60
Squier Deluxe Stratocaster
Squier VM Tele Thinline

This mystifies me as well, OP. I've bought quite a few used parts on eBay and even a few guitars, as there are deals if you invest some time. But man, some of these sellers seem to be living in a total fantasy world.
I'll often see maybe a dozen auctions of a certain part - say neck plates or pickguards, and two out of that dozen will be priced at like 8x the price of the others, despite being no different in any way.
I just dont get it, you know nobody is gonna buy the item. I see this again & again and wonder what some of these sellers are thinking.