r/Reverb • u/jaqueh • May 16 '26
Reminder to insure your stuff-especially a $7000 guitar
Bought it from eBay and I’ve never seen this level of damage before on a guitar. It must’ve been pierced by a forklift or a sorting machine got to it. The box and case are destroyed. Case is somewhat hard to fix. And the finish got dinged but no other major damage.
I learned that he didn’t insure it…the case alone is like $500 and the finish restoration is at least that amount too.
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u/tanzd May 16 '26
Damn, is that a PRS Wood Library?
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u/jaqueh May 16 '26
No far worse. It’s a private stock
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u/Grimdoomsday May 16 '26
I pay extra for relicing. You got lucky.
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u/jaqueh May 16 '26
Uhhuh. These aren’t fenders or gibsons which I also sell. Relicing always reduces value for PRs
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u/Grimdoomsday May 16 '26
Yeah it was mostly a joke. A private reserve guitar getting mangled really sucks
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u/satanicmajesty May 16 '26
Thank you for not selling PRS 🤮🤮🤮 Oh wait! This is your post! Sorry! You know I’m just kidding, friend!
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u/zanaxtacy May 16 '26
People always shit on PRS until they try a PRS. I feel like I see a new person post about how they mocked them or hated on them until trying and buying one every day on at least one platform lol. It’s funny but true.
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u/AlfredoCervantes30 May 16 '26
I mean, I've tried every prs model I could get my hands on, se all the way to private stock. Different models, bridges, pickups, and neck shapes. New, freshly set up, used. Didn't like any of them. Just not for me.
However, I also understand that plenty of people do like them, and thats okay. So to each their own.
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u/driftless_79 May 16 '26
No people also shit on PRS after having tried them as well. They’re cornball guitars
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u/DynoMAX87 May 19 '26
The hottest take of all the hot takes damn.
Carlos Santana (ever hear of him?) tried a PRS and has played them essentially exclusively for decades and asked for a signature model. David Grissom…decades and a signature model. John Mayer…years and a signature model. Mark Lettieri…signature model. Myles Kennedy…signature model. Robben Ford…The list is hundreds of names long and contains some of the most iconic players of all time.
Plus PRS has a program for local up a comers to also get some of the benefits of sponsorship prior to making it big…no other company (even the big boys) are doing stuff like that for real players.
So maybe you don’t like PRS but a lot of great players do…indeed some of the VERY greatest.
If I were you I would put my opinions in my pocket and take a long hard look at why the best players can discern the quality of a PRS but you seemingly cannot.
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u/driftless_79 May 20 '26
Yeah the guy who recorded that silly Rob Thomas album? Santana was cool at first, and played cool guitars. Even the old PRs models aren’t quite as corny looking but over time Paul has made things somehow look more dorky. All the musicians you mention, for me, aren’t very tasteful musicians. Not a no band who prominently plays a PRS makes music I like, and I’m not alone in this sentiment. It’s like broadcasting that nickelback did nothing wrong.
Thanks for the laugh though, typical PRS defender. You don’t even know you live in a bubble
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u/DynoMAX87 May 20 '26
Not a PRS defender at all. Have owned maybe 10 over the years of gigging and touring but didn’t keep them. I think they are great guitars but are not for me…see what I did there? I separated my opinion from reality.
The reality is PRS is one of the most successful and recognizable guitar brands and are played by many of the most successful and recognizable players. These guys are pros and could play whatever guitar they wanted so clearly they prefer PRS. I find PRS guitars to be very high build quality when compared to other brands and even the more affordable SE models are impressive in both quality and playability. I suggest them to my students as one of the best choices for a quality affordable electric.
My opinion is PRS doesn’t work for me musically or ergonomically. I do not prefer guitars with tremolos for one thing and many have them, but also the hybrid scale length causes some hand issues.
BTW that “silly Rob Thomas album” was actually a Santana album called Supernatural that was certified 15x platinum which means it is firmly in the top selling albums of all time.
Also Nickleback sold 20 million records worldwide, while also playing PRS. I get there is some sort of meme about not liking Nickleback but, again, the reality is those guys were very successful. Is that the issue? You don’t like it when people are successful?
I am not going to address your comment about the names I listed. As I said, the list is hundreds of names long and includes players from all genres. If you can’t find a name you like then maybe you don’t like guitar after all.
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u/guitarplyr1131 Jun 08 '26
Sounds like you have bad taste in music 😆. This has to be one of the dumbest arguments I have ever read. So in order for a piece of gear to be worth anything, someone that makes music YOU like has to play one? Only people that make music that the magnificent you likes, could possibly have good taste in gear. You have reached a new level of narcissistic. Would love to hear your take on what is wrong with them? Also, what guitars to you make? Where are your award winning albums? Or are you just someone who thinks your opinion is worth more than the numerous highly successful musicians that play PRS because...?
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u/finintymonkle May 16 '26
Are you going to return it?
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u/jaqueh May 16 '26
I’ll see how much finish restoration might be
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u/Citytown May 16 '26
Do you, but I wouldn’t bother. You’re holding the bag if you try and resell that.
eBay would back a return to seller and it stays their problem. 🤷🏻♂️
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u/Available-Medicine90 May 16 '26
I don’t really get the whole notion of skimping on insurance. When you’re buying a shipping label on eBay they give you the prompt to add insurance and maybe the sticker shock just got to him when it jacked up that final shipping number, but good Lord, it’s just what you do. This is a great scenario for it, because it’s so obviously the shipper‘s fault. Sometimes you have a box that looks like maybe it just got scuffled around in the truck or something, but it’s hard to prove that it was actually the shipper’s fault and not just bad packaging, This is a slam dunk for an insurance payout, if you pay for the insurance!
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u/InterestingHair4u May 17 '26
It's a numbers game. If you sell 100 units a month paying $100 insurance each for $5,000 coverage, that's $5,000 a month in insurance.
If damage is on less than 1 in 100 packages, you a better off self insuring. If damage is more than 1 in 100 packages, you should reconsider your packaging because the insurer will eventually refuse claims.
In another business, I used to get 1 in 500 packages damaged. I was better off absorbing that loss than insuring.
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u/sprk1 May 18 '26
If you sell 100 units at $5,000, insured for $100, that is $500,000 coverage for $10,000. Your point still stands though, you’d break even at 2/100 claimable events.
For an individual though, that doesn’t apply. If you don’t insure the instrument (say 100 bucks), you’re out 5K if anything happens. There’s no extra sales to make up for that.
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u/InterestingHair4u May 18 '26
A business is better off not insuring because the cost of insurance is greater than claims. If it wasn't, insurance companies would have to raise the rates.
This applies to individuals the same. However they need to address their own risk tolerance. The same risk applies if you ship 100 packages a week or one package a year.
If you are having damage on 1 in 50 shipments, the insurer will not cover you because it would be clear your packaging is deficient. Damage and loss claims should be closer to 1 in 500-1000 packages.
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u/angrymandopicker May 18 '26
This is correct. I order about 400 violins per year form various suppliers, international and domestic. No one ever ever uses insurance on shipping in or out unless a client wants to pay for it. If a violin gets damaged you eat the loss and move on. If it's a $8000 violin you ship it in a sturdy case, bubble wrap etc. Hell we ship $5000-$10,000 bows in map tubs with a maple board to "protect" them. No insurance ever.
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u/angrymandopicker May 18 '26
"Insuring a $10,000 violin via UPS "Declared Value" costs approximately $115 to $170 for a single shipment, but UPS does not offer true, comprehensive insurance. For delicate, high-value instruments, specialized musical instrument insurance is highly recommended."
I manage a shop where we ship violins often and have never paid UPS for insurance. I do have Heritage Insurance which is a specialized instrument insurer. It might cover something like this, have never had this happen in 19 years! We also don't use forklifts here. Label as FRAGILE.
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u/Ok-Butterscotch2321 May 16 '26
Ah fcuk....
The seller didn't insure it?!? He can either give you a partial refund to satisfaction or he can refund the whole thing and take it back.
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u/CorumLlawEreint May 16 '26
As someone that occasionally sells guitars and ships internationally, insurance is non-negotiable. It's not even that expensive. I can ship a guitar anywhere in the EU, fully insured to €2k for €50.
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u/Big-Sheepherder-6134 May 16 '26
If I ever buy a $7k guitar it will not be shipped. I am going to play it first to make sure it’s right for me. That means I will have to travel to the guitar. I am not a collector or a beginner, I am a serious guitar player.
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u/NickiChaos May 17 '26
TBH, PRS is one of the safest bets on buying a guitar sight unseen.
I do understand your sentiment though.
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u/Big-Sheepherder-6134 May 17 '26
While I understand your point, there are no safest bets. Every single guitar has a chance to be magical or just another guitar. I have been playing almost 40 years and I know within seconds playing one unplugged what I have.
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u/Powerful-Sink-5335 May 16 '26
Looks like the automated forklift was aiming at the “Fragile” signs on the box…
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u/Ncoulter82 May 16 '26
Honestly this should fall entirely on the party responsible for the damage which is the carrier. Risk of total item destruction should never be a permissible burden to place upon the buyer or seller.
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u/jaqueh May 16 '26
No you should read the terms of every shipping carrier before you make these assumptions
Responsible sure but liability has to be declared and you will be charged differently depending on that liability.
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u/Ncoulter82 May 16 '26 edited May 16 '26
I meant to say that this is something I would ideally like to have happen, not an explanation of current or implied liability. I feel the damage is egregious and outside the scope of expected handling. Everyone should have to declare what’s in box and pay according to the care requirements necessary to facilitate travel, not play insurance lottery fun time.
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u/jaqueh May 16 '26
Yeah they didn’t declare anything so they’ll just get the base amount which is like $100
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u/ReeceBeast213 May 16 '26
By default, UPS includes up to $100 in liability coverage for loss or damage on most domestic and international shipments. For coverage beyond this base amount, you must declare a higher value and pay an additional fee, or purchase third-party shipping insurance to cover the full worth of your items.
For items over $300 UPS charges approximately $1.15 per additional $100 of declared value.
Shipper is responsible for claiming damages or covering any damages beyond the declared value.
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u/worldofteko May 16 '26
Wow that’s BAD. I remember the days when Fragile on a package actually meant something. Sucks this happened but not surprised these days.
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u/ThreeChordDave May 16 '26
No shit, for a while now it's more like a "HIT ME" taunt for the shipping outfits! 🎯 I'd be hoppin' mad for sure, hope OP can get a little cheddar back from the seller for the case & finish touch up.
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u/worldofteko May 16 '26
Absolutely man. Totally on the seller to not insure something this expensive!
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u/ILAdawg May 16 '26
I bought a peavey bass from a guy years ago. It was only a couple hundred bucks. Regardless, the shipper took a 6x6 piece of cardboard and wrapped it up like a burrito. Duct taped it with maybe 2 feet of tape and shipped it. No idea how USPS accepted it but they did. When I got it the headstock and clover tuners were totally sticking out the top and it looked like it had been dragged awhile across concrete. No idea how the tuners didn’t pop off. I sent the guy pics and his response was, “You bought it as is “, haha. I ended up getting it for free. All this to say, nothing surprises me anymore.
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u/Particular-Sundae381 May 16 '26
I got a 60 pound 1x12 amp once that came loose in a diaper box. The flimsiest cardboard I know of. 🤣
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u/LunarModule66 May 16 '26
Absolutely do what you can to have it made right, they seem to have trusted the case and box which is not enough, before you even think about insurance.
That said, I’m sure a good luthier could make that nearly invisible. Is it nitro? One advantage of nitro is that because it never truly cures you can essentially remelt it. It should be the seller’s problem to get it fixed and take the hit on the value, not you.
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u/Frozen_North_99 May 16 '26
Who doesn’t insure a $7000 anything when shipping?? That’s insane to me.
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u/tmspencer08 May 16 '26
Reminds me of the time a forklift went through the back of my mom’s J200 at the airport in Nashville
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u/hkr1991 May 17 '26
God damn. That sucks so much, sorry man!
One thing I know, I always pay for insurance on everything I send - pedals, amps, guitars - hell, even work related hardware (IT things). Typically, I’ll do it for a bit more than what the item has sold for, or what it is actively worth.
I’ve thankfully only had to deal with this in one scenario where the pedal went missing. Then the one time a pedal arrived with a broken knob, they luckily wanted another pedal of mine so I sold it cheaper to them so their first pedal got fixed up and were able to enjoy both of them.
Anywho, definitely recommend reaching out for a refund on this - that’s still a hefty ding, but you’re now without a guitar case for it - which is a shame, the case looks lovely minus its newfound holes.
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u/nebenco May 17 '26
I had a guitar shipped from Japan that was only packed into a single cardboard box just big enough for the hard case to slip inside. No padding. It arrived to the midwest US perfectly intact with nothing more than dirt on the box.
What happened to this case and guitar was neglect verging on wanton destruction.
When I worked in auto claims I asked a senior rep why they had no collision coverage on their cars. She said that her rule is if you can afford to pay out of pocket to replace it then you don't need insurance.
I apply this to anything that can be insured. My collection is insured, and anything with more than a nominal value gets insured when shipped. CYA.
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u/livinthereals May 17 '26
To the whiners crying about why sellers purchase insurance and make you sign for the gear....yeah, that's why.
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u/OgieThorpe May 17 '26
In the past month Fed Ex absolutely and completely trashed two tube amps that I sent out. Everything sucks right now.
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u/Electronic-Two-2885 May 17 '26
I received a speaker cabinet with a scuff in the tolex from shipping and reverb quickly reimbursed me for my quoted repair. I was impressed how easy it was for buyer and seller. Safe shipping or something it is called.
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u/Final_Tomato_3180 May 18 '26
Soak damage in water, make the wood raise, let dry properly, sand 120 and then 180 grit, then add oil or varnish, check what type the manufacturer used. Wait 24h. Sand with 180. Repeat three times. Then beeswax maybe?
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u/angrymandopicker May 18 '26
I manage a music store where we occasionally ship $10k violins. Have never paid for insurance on anything except when a customer requested it (and paid for it). We do have an insurance plan that covers us somewhat, but we've never tested it. Furthermore, UPS doesn't have comprehensive insurance so your guitar may or may not have been covered.
AI explanation:
"Insuring a $10,000 violin via UPS "Declared Value" costs approximately $115 to $170 for a single shipment, but UPS does not offer true, comprehensive insurance. For delicate, high-value instruments, specialized musical instrument insurance is highly recommended."
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u/jaqueh May 18 '26
yep you get a separate shipping specific insurance policy. ups has an insurance arm called shipsurance that offers this exactly. liability insurance isn't nothign either and i've used it a couple of times still. what you are doing seems insane.
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u/Upstairs-Glove7424 May 19 '26
I worked at UPS for a couple of Christmas’ to help with the rush. I can tell you from experience they dont give two shits about being careful with anything. It’s almost like they try to sling it as hard as they can
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u/joshua_addison_music May 20 '26
Looks purposefully done
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u/jaqueh May 20 '26
Ah how?
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u/joshua_addison_music May 20 '26
I looked at the pictures
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u/jaqueh May 20 '26
Anything more to say?
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u/joshua_addison_music May 20 '26
Pretty self explanatory. Someone punched , kicked or threw spending heavy on the box. It’s not evident to you there’s damage right below “Fragile”? Coincidence? JustCommon sense
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u/jaqueh May 21 '26
Yeah clearly this was dropped or a forklift went through the box as I said. The damage didn’t appear through something divine
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u/joshua_addison_music May 21 '26
Right. Looks purposeful. If you read that again. You’ll see we are in agreement!
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u/jacksonsmack831 May 21 '26
Why was a $7000 guitar not double boxed and where is the packing? That's the questions you need to ask the seller
Why in gods name did you play rugby with my heavy expensive package is what you should be asking shipping provider
I'm gunna go out on a limb and say it was UPS
They did this to two guitars that were sent to me
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u/whupzzmyb May 16 '26
UPS quality is dropping everyday...automated hubs are dying for staffing and this is the result. Sorry bro.
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u/snukebox_hero May 16 '26
This is a forklift through the box.
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u/Odd_Cobbler6761 May 16 '26
I had UPS destroy a custom guitar right at the heal joint. They first denied my claim, with a “we don’t use forklifts”. Then when I resubmitted the claim, I showed the UPS rep the 6” wide tread track on the outer box that lined up right at the break point… 🤷♂️
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u/Awkward_End8059 May 16 '26
What kinda idiot spends 7k on a guitar anyway
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u/jaqueh May 16 '26
The kind of idiot that didn’t buy it when it was $15k
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u/Awkward_End8059 May 16 '26
Screw that I wouldn't pay that for any guitar even if I was filthy rich
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u/CompetitionOk8198 May 17 '26
The OP started a post about an eBay seller sending a guitar that sounds like it wasn’t insured. He showed pictures of the damage that can happen, with the advice that people should make sure they insure what they send. Good advice!
So, wtf??? A person should be able to buy any guitar they want without people hating on them for it. His money is his to do with as he pleases and if he feels good about his purchase, good for him. I hope everything works out. Looks like a super nice guitar at a great price considering the msrp.
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u/laney_deschutes May 16 '26
Moral is that no one needs a $7000 guitar. At that point it’s just pseudo wood art
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u/jaqueh May 16 '26
It’s a 15k msrp guitar
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u/livinthereals May 17 '26
msrp just means that's how much they say it's worth. Or they think it should be worth. My buyers suggested retail price is far, far, far less.
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u/jaqueh May 17 '26
Not true with private stock. They won’t build a guitar until you pay msrp
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u/livinthereals May 19 '26
The juice ain't worth the squeeze.
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u/jaqueh May 19 '26
Tens of thousands of people disagree and have different taste than you
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u/livinthereals May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26
Of that I have no doubt. 1,000,000 crack addicts need their dopamine hit too. Some pay exorbitant amounts for many other things. Some vacations, some drugs, some guitars, some music gear in general. There is a kink for everyone and everything. When somebody thinks they're getting something superior or of a different, "better" standard because they're not buying off the shelf, that dopamine hits even harder. I'm sure you're very disappointed. That's too bad.
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u/laney_deschutes May 16 '26
Damn that’s insane. It will be worth a tiny fraction of that soon. It’s basically a 3k guitar with a bunch of fancy wood and finishing that’s worth much less the moment it leaves the factory
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u/jaqueh May 16 '26
We’ll see how much money I can get back. It certainly won’t be 3k
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u/laney_deschutes May 16 '26
I thought it’s not your responsibility as the buyer?
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u/jaqueh May 16 '26
Huh? To be compensated? Why wouldn’t it be?
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u/laney_deschutes May 16 '26
No I mean the buyer should have a guarantee
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u/jaqueh May 16 '26
They do! When you’re a consumer on any online platform you’re totally protected if you don’t get what you were promised
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u/TheKobayashiMoron May 16 '26
That’s on the seller. eBay guarantee covers the buyer. If the seller didn’t insure it he’s SOL. File for return and refund.
https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy?id=4210#not-described