The $150 TB303 seller speaks. Yes, he's got more old gear to sell!

I just got this email from the Patrick, AKA 'jett7470', who last week sold a new-in-box TB303 worth at least $1,000 for $150:
"I am the Ebay seller that has egg on his face for selling a pristine, mint condition TB-303 for $150. I acquired this unit in the late 1980's working in a music store selling keyboards. At that time the unit was so complicated it was unsellable. At that time it retailed for $395. The Dealer Cost was $197.50. After not being able to sell the unit, the store gave it to me for $100. I have kept it in the original package with all the paperwork since then.
"Last week I took it out of the closet, snapped a couple of pictures of it and listed it on Ebay for $150 buy it now. It sold in 10 minutes! This week I have received numerous emails from the United States and the UK informing me what an idiot I am! I guess I should feel worse than I do, but I did make $50 on my original investment. I guess you win some and you lose some. It's all a matter of karma. I can't tell you how many times good ole boys have brought 1957 - 1959 Les Paul Gold Tops, Flame Tops into the store and traded them for next to nothing!!!
"I still have plenty of incredible vintage electronic units that I have no idea what they are worth. For instance, vintage 1970's Electro Harmonix Deluxe Electric Mistress still in the original box, looks brand new, still have the original Rolling Stone pages that the New York company used as packing in the box!
I have about 8 or 9 EH Units, the deluxe guitar cables still in the original burlap, Ibanez Units from the original late 1970's, capos, tuners, Hohner Harmonicas, just about everything you would have found in a music store in the 1970's, including guitars. In closing, I will certainly research my vintage products before determining a price."
Thanks for getting in touch, Patrick, and I'm sure every MT reader sends you a hug for being so nice about it all. Unfortunately, the market for vintage EH gear has recently crashed. I guess I could take them off your hands for $20 apiece... ... [CONTINUE READING]

Posted by Tom Whitwell.

Comments:

i like how he uses 'i have no idea what they are worth' as a selling point to get people to watch his auctions

# posted by

Anonymous : 12:54 am

He should back out and refund the money! He'll get a negative feedback, but he'll be able to resell it for much, much more.

# posted by

Anonymous : 2:13 am

If he does that, it will taint ebay. People will no longer trust their services! Then the cost of vintage electronic gear will SKYROCKET! Scams will begin!!

# posted by

Anonymous : 2:18 am

Scams? On ebay? It'll never happen.

# posted by

Anonymous : 5:14 am

" i like how he uses 'i have no idea what they are worth' as a selling point to get people to watch his auctions"

Don't you love the relentless grinding cynicism of blog comment posters? What a joyful life it must be...

# posted by

Tom Whitwell : 7:37 am

(obvious tb303 comment number 12)

$150 is far too much for a machine that makes such awful blippy noises.

# posted by

Anonymous : 10:04 am

good on him. dare i say it, and i think i dare, that $150 is almost about the right price for this. it's only because idiots keep buying this rubbish that the price has remained high.
remember back in the day (as the seller mentioned) that you couldn't give these things away...it's only because 1 or 2 people took advantage of 'cheap' gear that suddenly everyone wanted one.

i doubt very much whether the seller will fall into the same trap again, although i'd wager he puts a more 'realistic' price on anything he sells.
s.e.

# posted by

Anonymous : 11:23 am

er sorry, what's wrong with 303s?

can you name another piece of gear that has a sound so unique that it spawned a genre?

foolish humans

# posted by

Anonymous : 11:50 am

"can you name another piece of gear that has a sound so unique that it spawned a genre?"

there's loads:

korg z1 polkacore
moog marching music
rustic emulator 2
sk5 ska
behringer breaks
vialtone viletones
simmons sd1 fun
hammond harmonies
TG1 - double garage

# posted by

Anonymous : 12:37 pm

...and the Korg M1 whose Piano preset gave birth to thousands of piano house tracks in the early nineties :-)

# posted by

Anonymous : 12:47 pm

This item, like any item is worth what any well knowing consumer (or fool) will pay for it. The seller should abolutely get as much as he can for it, but shorting an e-bay auction because you didn't do your reasearch or change your mind is not only illegal, it's bad business.

# posted by

Anonymous : 1:05 pm

"but shorting an e-bay auction because you didn't do your reasearch or change your mind is not only illegal, it's bad business"....I'm not sure how it is Illegal...it may be bad business....but who cares ? He could have another $1500.-$2000. out of the deal...I call that GOOD business. Hell, I would back out in a second and re-list.....reply to the negative feedback with the truth...99% of people would understand that.....

# posted by

Anonymous : 2:33 pm

Well I think there is an inherent nobility in admitting that you could have made a ton of money, but chose to honour the deal you set. It is ethics like this that the human race needs more of right now. Detractors need not respond, go volunteer at a soup kitchen, or make music, or something. I will now climb back into my time capsule ...

# posted by

Anonymous : 2:44 pm

I think his karma argument is great: He bought old Les Pauls worth $$$$ from guys coming into his shop for cheap. Now he's been stiched up the same way!

# posted by

Anonymous : 2:50 pm

I don't even like that genre, and I still get giddy when I see that thing under the plastic, all new and pretty. I guess there is a lot of other gear you could trade it for, something that you really like. he is being a really great big person about it all, and not some whiny kid who wants a second chance cause he was stupid.

# posted by

Anonymous : 3:38 pm

What a joyful lot you all are. I can see why you're in darkened rooms fiddling with gear instead of outside playing with the other children.

# posted by

Anonymous : 4:51 pm

That would suck if it got damaged in shipping.

# posted by

Anonymous : 7:20 pm

Jesus H. Chrystler, there's some negativity in here.

Someone is very happy, he made some money, I'd say it's a pretty good day.

He's dumb, they are overpriced, so are LV bags. Woop.

# posted by

Anonymous : 8:00 pm

Ask him if he has a mint-condition 808. *drool*

# posted by

Anonymous : 8:57 am

if you can't get all weird and cynical and assholio about gear here, then where?

# posted by

Anonymous : 4:48 pm

Ethics? What about the guy/gal that bought it off him wihout making mention of what it's worth. Then again, buying vintage guitars off of unsuspecting folk ain't a great habit either. Estate sales, garage/rummage sales, and the like. Yes, to an extent, I understand that buying on the cheap is the whole point, but a music shop that buys directly from a customer and informs them, nonesoever, of the value? Rather irking, in the least.

# posted by

Anonymous : 9:09 am

Why didn't he just type "Roland 303" into Ebay's search engine before he listed it, you know to get an idea of what it was worth? A monkey could figure soemthing us up when those things are up to 800 dollars and there are days to go.....

# posted by

Anonymous : 3:34 am

well, my pet monkey sold his 303 last week on ebay for $200....

I told him to do a search first but he wasn't having any of it...

# posted by

Anonymous : 9:28 pm

"Well I think there is an inherent nobility in admitting that you could have made a ton of money, but chose to honour the deal you set. It is ethics like this that the human race needs more of right now."

shuttt upppp, god..

# posted by

Anonymous : 10:04 pm

Don't think the guy is hurting too bad, considering how many people have paid him $100+ for his "handmade" guitar straps.

# posted by

Sam L. Parity : 3:28 am