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Gear-Whore
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« on: February 06, 2008, 12:22:42 AM » |
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Hi,
I'd like to write a topic on why gearvault was created and where we're located.
Gear-Vault.com is located in Michigan, United States. Gear-Vault was created due to eBay fees rapidly increasing while eBay’s trust and safety rapidly decreasing.
I was a seller on eBay since 2002. It was exciting to buy and/or sell on eBay, I always looked forward to checking my email and I love new Guitar day or new amp day! Hearing the UPS or FedEx truck drive up the driveway was like Christmas for a 7 year old child. Pure excitement!
Opening the box to my new (used) guitar or amp was like a Christmas present... pulling the gear out of the box, making a mess with bubble wrap and popcorn spilling all over the house didn't matter to me.... I just got a new (used) guitar or amp!!! I'll clean up later... For now lets play =P
Ah, the highlight of the day playing my new instrument that I had recently won off eBay. Winning music gear off an online auction site is addictive! Leaving positive feedback was rewarding. Knowing that there are good people out there that truly care about making sure you receive your item in a timely manner and it arrives safely.
Shopping is fun! But there is a downside to it... which was I couldn't afford everything that I wanted. How could I fund new stuff? How could I feed my addiction? Simple!!! Just sell music gear online. After it sells, I can buy something different. I can feed my addiction more! =)
It didn't take long for me to realize that I am more of a gear whore than I am a guitar player... I like to play with different stuff, write reviews, and help others who may be thinking about purchasing a similar item that I had once owned. It's rewarding to help fellow musician's! We're all brothers!
That's when another problem occurred, It was a no brainer to watch eBay and paypal getting rich off my addiction. But I'm a realist, I know if you want to play, you gotta pay. Of course paying for their service is acceptable... after all, eBay did protect me, right? Wrong! It was becoming apparent that eBay wasn't screening their members like they should. They were getting enough money from musical instruments category alone to hire man power. Yet they don't.
What is eBay doing with all these high fees they charge? Statistic fact: Every one minute $80,000 dollars of items sell on eBay. Yes, $80,000 a minute! eBay gets about 3%-4% of that. EBay Profit $192,000 every hour. Why can't they hire a better team for better trust and safety? Why do they need to make $192,000 per hour?
Then it dawned on me, if I sell one Mesa Boogie guitar amp, eBay is taking as much money as the average blue collar worker's full days wage. Well this doesn't seem fair, does it?
Then add the fact that paypal is taking another 3.5% on top of that. (eBay and paypal are owned by the same organization)
Okay, so I sell one Mesa Boogie guitar amp and between eBay and PayPal, I pay almost as much as the average blue collar worker does in two full days of hard work.
Sounds like monopoly to me--
After losing my ass a few times on eBay scams, I decided enough is enough! I'm going to find an alternative to eBay. I was on a mission! There has to be something out there... and there was, a few places that didn't have any music gear... that was no good, My interest is musical instruments!
Well then, I had to take matters in my own hands.. that's when I decided to make an alternative source to eBay.
But I wanted something more ‘real’. Something more special…. Something that isn’t going to bring the riff-raff… that’s it.. An all exclusive music gear auction site! Just for musicians. Interactive with a message board, a way to promote your band, a way to meet friends, a tight niche community.
And most importantly cheap to use and ultimate trust and safety. As a powerseller on eBay, I learned a lot of the scams out there.. I know how to dissolve these scams and build a safe community. First things first, 0 (zero) tolerance to any bullshit.
I want the site to grow and become prosperous.. But I’m not afraid to perma ban users for any type of petty scams. Non paying bidders will get a ban. Sellers who don’t disclose important information or try to use trickery will be gone! Sellers who overcharge on shipping,, gone!
When a complaint is made, a full investigation will be performed. If we get multiple complaints about a certain member or if the community decides that someone is a troll, gone! I believe democracy is the best way.
If someone from another site joins us who pulled some kind of garbage and they are exposed…. Gone!
That’s how my team intends on keeping eBay better. Cheaper rates and better trust and safety.
And that folks, is how gear-vault was born. It was born because I am a gear-whore who loves to buy new toys, sell the toy to fund another new toy. It’s a cycle and a hobby that I love to do! And I hope you enjoy this site as much as I do! This is our community and with your help, we’ll save many good hard working class of people cold hard cash! This is a place to unite with people alike; musician’s!
Thanks for reading this long post ; ]
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