How to do WTT

[crnazz]

Hi:

I am interested in trading my McPherson for a McPherson with different woods. Here's my question:

How do you securely handle the "Trade" transaction? Is there anything beyond an element of trust when the trade occurs - ie, I mail you my guitar and you mail me yours?

Thanks for any input out there...... I've sold things before (via PayPal) but have never done a trade.

[MattJohnPaul]

Originally Posted by crnazz

Hi:

I am interested in trading my McPherson for a McPherson with different woods. Here's my question:

How do you securely handle the "Trade" transaction? Is there anything beyond an element of trust when the trade occurs - ie, I mail you my guitar and you mail me yours?

Thanks for any input out there...... I've sold things before (via PayPal) but have never done a trade.

Not really, I only trade with people in that way if they have a TON of AGF references. If not, then I give them all of mine and insist that they send their guitar first. I have never had a problem with this policy.

[devellis]

I've traded a couple of mandolins for guitars recently. One was a face-to-face transfer, which I always prefer. The other was long distance. We spoke by phone and the person seemed forthright. His reasons for wanting to trade made sense. The trade went off flawlessly, as did the face-to-face. It's definitely a bit nerve-wracking. People on forums like this are generally good folks with a sincere interest in things musical. They value instruments and take their interest in them seriously. Ultimately, though, it is a matter of trust -- in both the other person and in your own ability to determine if someone is honest and sincere.

If someone has a presence on this or some other forum, that's a way of gauging them. Someone who is an active member of a forum community probably buys into the collective norms of that group more than an occasional lurker. It's also possible to do a web search to determine whether someone seems like a responsible sort. These are not guarantees of anything, of course. If someone set out to scam folks like us, we'd probably be pretty easy marks. But a certain amount of trust coupled with some good-faith inquiries seems to work reasonably well.

[jwsamuel]

I have the perfect solution.

Both parties send their guitars to me.

Jim

[crnazz]

Hi and thanks so much for the feedback. Somehow I figured it would amount to needing some element of trust.... and your suggestions make good sense as to how to at least help ensure everyone is above board.
Perhaps I will delve into this endeavor..

You may see a post from me soon - regarding a McPherson trade.
I have a redwood/rosewood but would prefer a spruce/rosewood combo...

Thanks