Advice needed for shipping problem

[docmh]

I just sold a Blueridge acoustic guitar on Craigs list. The guitar was 3 mos.
old and in perfect condition. I sent it in the hardshell case with the strings,
loosened in the same shipping box that it came in, and packed the same way it came when I bought it. I sent it by post office for the first time, and had it insured. The buyer said it arrived with a 4 inch crack on the side near the strap button. He wants to keep the guitar, but use the insurance money to repair it.
I'm really surprised and want to do the right thing. I asked him to send me a pic of the crack and offered to buy it back and I'd deal with the insurance. Does this scenario sound right to you? I hate to doubt the buyer, but could this be a scam to keep the guitar and get the insurance. Would I have to have it back to make a claim. Any experience with insurance claims on shipped items?
Thanks

[brlfq]

I would never ever ever ever ever do that. Have him ship the guitar back to you and refund his money. I'll bet the crack disappears!

[edwarddavis]

Get the guitar back , or he can keep it as is. I never had a insurance claim with the USPS but I did with fedex and ups. You can get the insurance money and keep the guitar .

Get the guitar and refund his money once you get the guitar . I was actually made to wait ti get the insurance money from the seller when they got it and it took a while.
But they cant have it fixed wth the insurance money , and keep the guitar period

[niersbach]

You need pictures of the guitar and of the box it was shipped in immediately. I wouldnt say he did anything or is trying to get away with anything. Sometimes stuff just happens and thats the way it is. If he is trying to scam you and you tell him to send the guitar back for a refund....I can PROMISE it will have a crack in it. Just be patient and wait for the pictures and notify the UPSP. They will ask for pictures and will send an inspector out to his house to grab teh guitar if they believe anything is shady.

[Danny F]

+1 for niersbach

This has happened to me (though with ebay and I was the buyer). A custom shop strat arrived with huge finish cracks (not of the tasteful relic sort). These seemed to come from the shipping over a cold, cold weekend (though the seller could have had me on too). Otherwise the guitar was great. In the end I sent pics to the seller to demaonand we pursued a claim through UPS - they compensated up to the cost of a refinish. Long story short, UPS was great and I ended up with a great guitar, if aesthetically imperfect.

For my part, I reckon it's worth not being too hasty in your suspicions. If you can get verification, it might just make sense to help the buyer get his/her insurance coverage. Guitars can get injured, well packed or no. Of course, as others write, it could just be a scam:-)

[panhdlce]

It's his guitar, If the Postal Inspector examines it and offers to repair it's his decsion keep the check, and repair or not repair, his choice, his guitar.....

[straycat113]

No matter what you choose you are going to need proof that the guitar was damaged and he is going to have to send proof, they just dont give away insurance checks. It is just human nature to feel someone is trying to get over, but look at it from his side if it is the truth,if it was me I would not want the guitar and would want a refund, but like I stated he is going to have to produce evidence of damage for the shipper and if he does and is still willing to accept the guitar-let him have it.

[johneeeveee]

The buyer said it arrived with a 4 inch crack on the side near the strap button. He wants to keep the guitar, but use the insurance money to repair it.


Sounds a bit fishy. Asking for a pic is a good idea.
A bit of advice for future shipping... always remove the endpin when shipping acoustic guitars (unless they are glued in). That is a common cause of the kind of crack you describe, if indeed there is a crack. If the guitar takes a shot to the bottom of the case, the endpin can sometimes jam into the wood and cause a crack.

Good luck... I hope it works out for you - jv

[kensmith]

also IF you decide to trust pictures, be sure you can confirm that they are of the guitar you sent him (ie. overall pic of guitar, serial number, etc with same lighting as close ups.)

[dayn]

It's his guitar, If the Postal Inspector examines it and offers to repair it's his decsion keep the check, and repair or not repair, his choice, his guitar.....

Exactly. Why are you worried? YOU have the money, HE has the guitar. Up to him to get it fixed. You should be nice and help him with the claim. Not sure how he can scam you in this scenario unless you used Paypal...then you are hosed. Paypal will ONLY protect sellers when you sell on eBay. Period.

[johneeeveee]

I believe if USPS decides to cover the claim, they keep the guitar. I don't think they pay for repairs, but just cover the insured value and take the instrument.

[stratzrus]

You need pictures of the guitar and of the box it was shipped in immediately. +2

Get pics before committing to anything.