Should I be concerned?

japetus said:
Cancel the order and ask for your money back if you have concerns. I would never even dream of having a guitar shipped overseas right now, much less an acoustic guitar.
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^^^^^^^^^^^^ THIS!

If this purchase is of a considerable sum and the sellers will not respond to your questions of whether or not this guitar is 100% brand new and unplayed and not a returned item in a timely fashion... then obviously your business is not that appreciated.

I would halt the transaction until they can provide you proof the guitar is 100% new with a written guarantee and pictures prior to proceeding. Even after that I would have to question doing business with behaviors that you described...Big Business or Small business especially for expensive luxury items a certain level of customer service is expected...:unsure::yes:

I would also have concerns with the international shipping issues going on as of late but if you really want the guitar you understand the current shipping environment the world is in. I hope it goes well for you... choose well...
 
harddriver said:
^^^^^^^^^^^^ THIS!

If this purchase is of a considerable sum and the sellers will not respond to your questions of whether or not this guitar is 100% brand new and unplayed and not a returned item in a timely fashion... then obviously your business is not that appreciated.

I would halt the transaction until they can provide you proof the guitar is 100% new with a written guarantee and pictures prior to proceeding. Even after that I would have to question doing business with behaviors that you described...Big Business or Small business especially for expensive luxury items a certain level of customer service is expected...:unsure::yes:

I would also have concerns with the international shipping issues going on as of late but if you really want the guitar you understand the current shipping environment the world is in. I hope it goes well for you... choose well...
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Oh I hadn't even thought about whether it had been previously sold and returned. I'm gonna see what happens I suppose. Screw it.
 
When buying a guitar I ALWAYS ask if it has ever been repaired. New guitars can have finish repairs.

I’d cancel. Return shipping will cost a lot.

Either way, good luck.
 
psychodave said:
When buying a guitar I ALWAYS ask if it has ever been repaired. New guitars can have finish repairs.

I’d cancel. Return shipping will cost a lot.

Either way, good luck.
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Does that even matter these days? They’ll still send you whatever’s on hand
 
LP Freak said:
Does that even matter these days? They’ll still send you whatever’s on hand
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True, but not disclosing a repair is easily ground for a return…possibly after the return period or over. Either way it will never affect me. I’m done buying guitars.
 
the few times I've ordered acoustics online they have sucked. I have to pick it up and have that AHAAA moment when I strum some chords or it's not coming home.
 
I absolutely HATE going into most music stores for just about anything.
When I was young of course I did, but the online purchase wasn’t even an option.
As long as there is a return option if you get a turd, I don’t see the problem?
 
lol more BS from DHL. Now they want the guitar manufacturer's address and contact info. Like... couldn't all of this stuff be conveyed from day 1? It takes 24 hours to go to Customs. Then 24 hours to go back to DHL. Then to me. Then back to DHL, then another 24 hours, etc.

Fedex is so much easier to deal with.
 
I would have tried to get them on the phone after the initial short e-mail response. There could have been a valid reason why an international shipment took more than a day or two, or maybe the person who responded to your email didn't have enough information to give you a more thorough answer.

Usually in situations like that, speaking with someone for a few minutes will either offer some clarification, or make me certain I want to cancel my order.
 
cobrahead1030 said:
I would have tried to get them on the phone after the initial short e-mail response. There could have been a valid reason why an international shipment took more than a day or two, or maybe the person who responded to your email didn't have enough information to give you a more thorough answer.

Usually in situations like that, speaking with someone for a few minutes will either offer some clarification, or make me certain I want to cancel my order.
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Oh yeah, I called after the very first message.

They sent an initial email saying their internal DHL Clearance Team needed more information. No detail about what information was included. So I called. They told me they needed Lacey Act form. I told them that form was already on the box, along with the shipping label. They told me they didn't care and that Customs isn't going to look for it on the box. So Customs didn't even have the package yet.

I provided that form.

I got maybe 3 more requests to fill out that form. Even though it had been provided twice already.

Then after the confirmed submission of that form, they told me it was submitted to Customs.

Then the next day, they told me Customs kicked it back, claiming I needed to grant DHL power of attorney because the guitar value was over some arbitrary dollar amount. So I filled out those forms.

Then they told me it was good to go. Went back to Customs.

Then today, got another email and 4 text messages that I needed to submit Lacey Act form again lol. And then they needed the guitar manufacturer's address.

I spoke to three people on the phone. None of them were of any real help. And in fact, one of them let slip the guitar has never actually gone to Customs. They (DHL) are just assuming they need all this paperwork before it goes to Customs for the first time. And they don't tell you what info/forms are needed all at once. They go step-by-step, waiting 24 hours between telling customers what info is needed. Day 1 = you need Lacey Act. Day 2 = you need POA. Day 3 = you need manufacturer's contact info. Day 4 = you need XYZ. Day 5 = you need to pay duties before we submit to Customs.

I told this person that all of this information was ALREADY ON THE BOX, included with the commercial shipping invoice and it could have cleared customs on day 1 if they had bothered to just look at the paperwork. Their response was they didn't care. They don't look at that paperwork lol.

After arguing with the woman on the phone, who was crazy rude, I got a call from someone else who apologized and told me they "might" comp me any duties/taxes.

Then I got another email from someone new, telling me they will get around to submitting to customs in 3-5 days.

So none of this is on Customs. It's DHL being morons.


I've bought guitars overseas before and had them shipped here via FexEx. It was much smoother. No BS. No drama. Guitars showed up at my door without issue. DHL is just a crappy company.
 
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Ok well the duty/tax thing was BS. The guy who called me from DHL was from the Lead Qualification department. Basically, a salesman trying to get me to sign up for a DHL Business account. So he was just saying anything to get on my good side and him telling me he would wave my fees was a sales tactic and not actually binding.

Guitar made it through customs and is now on its way to me lol
 
Told you to just cancel the order from the start. You got bad vibes early on and this proves you were right. You bette pray it gets to you in one piece. I can only imagine the headache to deal with damages with DHL.
 
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