Any Tips on Long-Distance Craigslist Buying (Albany, OR)?

[David Carter]

The idea behind Craigslist is to match up local buyers and sellers for face-to-face transactions. They actively discourage sellers from responding to requests for long-distance deals. But what do you do if you live in Tennessee, and there is a sweet deal on the bass you've been wanting for years, and it's listed on Craigslist in Albany, Oregon? I've emailed the seller, but I'm not hopeful that I'll get a reply. I never have before when attempting to contact a CL seller who lives far away.

Any thoughts on how to get my hands on this bass? Anyone near Albany that wouldn't mind helping out a BFM brother?

[jcmbowman]

The idea behind Craigslist is to match up local buyers and sellers for face-to-face transactions. They actively discourage sellers from responding to requests for long-distance deals. But what do you do if you live in Tennessee, and there is a sweet deal on the bass you've been wanting for years, and it's listed on Craigslist in Albany, Oregon? I've emailed the seller, but I'm not hopeful that I'll get a reply. I never have before when attempting to contact a CL seller who lives far away.

Any thoughts on how to get my hands on this bass? Anyone near Albany that wouldn't mind helping out a BFM brother?

My best advice would be to write an email (or call) and do your best to sound like a true bass player, and not somebody out for a fast buck. Most people are hesitant to deal with some unknown person from halfway across the country, until they make a personal connection.

[Gregory East]

Yeah, you're for real, hopefully the seller is likewise. I've bought stuff and had it shipped all the way to NZ no probs. Just be careful not to get ripped off yourself!

[David Carter]

My best advice would be to write an email (or call) and do your best to sound like a true bass player, and not somebody out for a fast buck. Most people are hesitant to deal with some unknown person from halfway across the country, until they make a personal connection.

I wish I could call, but there was no phone number on the listing. I've emailed already, but I'm not too hopeful about the odds of getting a reply. If I could take back the email I sent last night, I'd probably email him with several questions about the bass and not even discuss the subject of my location until he replied, but it's too late for that.

[David Carter]

I've bought stuff and had it shipped all the way to NZ no probs.

Wow! That's cool!

What would be sweet is if one of my BFM brothers lived nearby and would handle the deal for me. I'd even kick in a small amount for their trouble. Oh well, a guy can dream, can't he?

[DJPhatman]

My best advice, David, is to e-mail the seller your name and phone #. Tell him you are for real, and you are willing to compensate him for the extra trouble of shipping. The seller may or may not be willing to deal with you. Sound sincere, use spell-check (dead give-away of scammers is mis-spelled words and poor grammar) and the phone # should let the seller know you are legit.

[David Carter]

My best advice, David, is to e-mail the seller your name and phone #. Tell him you are for real, and you are willing to compensate him for the extra trouble of shipping. The seller may or may not be willing to deal with you. Sound sincere, use spell-check (dead give-away of scammers is mis-spelled words and poor grammar) and the phone # should let the seller know you are legit.

Thanks. I covered all that in my email. Now I'll just cross my fingers and see what happens.

[mpm32]

I've bought a couple of things long distance from CL.

A barefoot boom.

and my GK800RB supposedly owned by Jerry Only. I didn't buy it because of that, I bought it because my first 800RB that I had for 20 years blew up.

I sent emails back and forth, asked for different pictures (in case they just grabbed the pics off the web) looking for the same type of backgrounds.

Once I was mostly convinced that they were legit, I sent off my paypal. Then I waited and hoped the items would arrive.

One thing you should insist on is the tracking number very soon after you send your cash. Won't do much but alleviate any anxiety when you see the ship status online.

[AntonZ]

Yeah, you're for real, hopefully the seller is likewise. I've bought stuff and had it shipped all the way to NZ no probs. Just be careful not to get ripped off yourself!

Same here, I have had BFM cabs shipped to me from Sweden and the UK, another one expected to arrive in the near future from the US . Power amp from the UK, bass guitar from the US, guitar parts and other small gear through ebay. Always more than just a few emails back and forth, possibly phone calls and/or Skype. Mostly people on smaller forums like this one, that helps since you can track the sellers history and get a sense of their personality in a small online community. And I always ask for full address details before parting with my money through either bank or paypal. I am aware that there are scammers out there, so have always had quite a conversation on the objects, have trusted my gut feeling and so far have never been to the point of loosing money. <Knock on wood>

[David Carter]

I've also had lots of stuff shipped to me from all over when it was purchased through eBay or even TalkBass.com. The issue here is that the item is listed on Craigslist which actively promotes itself as a facilitator of local transactions and strongly discourages sellers from entertaining long distance offers. I've tried to contact a few people in the past who have listed their items on Craigslist in places far away from me, but so far, I've never gotten a single reply except in one case where I had relatives living in that city, and I told the seller they could meet face-to-face with him to close the deal.

[AntonZ]

OK, thanks for explaining. We don't have such a thing over here, I understand it is a big thing in the US. Kind of logical, with distances from one end of the country to the other quite a bit different from this tiny place which is a few hours one end to the other. Unless you try to get accross in rush hour that is. By your standards, any dutch seller would be local to me.

[David Carter]

UPDATE: There was thread about this ad on the Dingwall forum, and apparently a couple of other members there had contacted the seller before I did. They got an initial response, but the seller has been silent for about a week now. I've since backed off, but I actually found another Craigslist listing for a similar Dingwall Afterburner I 5-string near where my parents live. I've exchanged several emails with the seller and spoke to him on the phone two days ago. As soon as I can get the money to my parents, they are going to go buy it and ship it to me.
All's well that ends well!

[mpm32]

Fanned frets huh. Been reading about those. Let us know how you like it when you get it.

[David Carter]

Fanned frets huh. Been reading about those. Let us know how you like it when you get it.

I will. I've never played one before, but I've been wanting one for a couple of years now. The 37" scale B-string is said to be awesome. Can't wait to find out!

[mpm32]

I did read it described as "the voice of god b-string"

Pretty cool although I think I'll always be a 4 player.