"selling for a friend"

Wolfetone

I've seen many adverts over the years that state they are "selling for a friend". What (apart from the obvious) could this mean? Is the guitar so rubbish that he would not want to admit owning it?? Could it be stolen?

I cannot see how anyone would be incapable of posting an advert for themselves. 

Ideas on a postcard. 

Grumpyrocker

I'd always read that as "I stole this".

Maynehead

The more cynical may suspect that there are faults with the guitar that the seller does not want to admit, and therefore uses the term as an excuse for not knowing about them...

But I tend to think that they’re actually just selling for a friend. I know lots of people who just couldn’t be bothered with listing stuff on internet sites, especially if they don’t already have an account.

In any case, in the eyes of the law it makes no difference, they’re still the seller.

Whitecat

I do actually have a couple musical co-conspirators who are not on eBay/barely online at all and if they asked me to I probably would list something for them in return for some beer (with hundreds of positive feedback vs zero it kinda just makes sense). 

But it could just as easily mean they don’t want to admit knowledge/faults/take responsibility/whatever so just suss it out...

jdgm

I am selling a bass for a friend on this forum. He is about to go and work abroad for some time - I just suggested I'd try it on here for him, no guarantees.  I'm not getting a cut if it does sell. 

He's never really played the bass, he is a drummer and I think he got one to see how it all works.

I told him to put it up on Fbk and whatever other forums he's on as well. 

GoldenEraGuitars

I have an amp to sell for a friend who helped to do some work in my workshop. He has virtually no online presence at all and part of me is jealous of him. So, it’ll be listed as “selling for a friend”.

I couldn’t be arsed being as cynical as some of you appear to be. Not everything is a bloody conspiracy.

Strat54

I have a couple of elderly friends who have no ebay/paypal accounts nor are they members of guitar forums. They are very old school yet between them own over four hundred high end guitars. I have in the past sold and indeed purchased for them when asked.
I also sold about ten years back a collection of sixty guitar and amps for a friend who was dying of cancer. He had limited time left and wanted to free up capital to get his bucket list completed before that awful end. It was an honour to do this and I know my efforts allowed him to enjoy his precious time and ease the burden for his widow when he passed.I did attract a few cynics but I always feel that ads, pics and feedback speak for themselves.There will be the odd rotten apple but you should be able to sniff them out. 

mgaw

I have just sold an amp for a friend on here...yesterday in fact.:)

skunkwerx

I always thought it was an easy way out of being haggled with. 

'Ah sorry bud, my mate will only take £xx' 

Roland

Forum sales are based on trust. The only recourse in the event of deceit are PayPal refund (which is often not available because most use PPG), or naming and shaming.

We get a lot of people who join purely to sell. I know this because I read every new For Sale thread, and check the member’s details if I don’t recognise the user name. Most or their ads get no response because nobody knows them.

So if my bass player wanted to sell thin out his herd of basses then I’d be advertising them for him.

CMW335

I often sell on behalf of a couple of friends as well as have a friend sell for me on Facebook because I refuse to have my own account. Nothing sinister in me helping my friends out at all not everyone is confident enough to articulate a for sale description and/or responses to the various questions and negotiating tactics or able spot scams. To assume anyone selling on behalf of a friend must be dodgy seems a shame and I echo @Strat54 who has had to assist under more unfortunate circumstances.

Be cautious with all sellers, I have found out first hand you are just as likely to have a bad experience  with a London dealer as you are on the private market but don’t miss out on perfectly good deals based on cynical assumptions

Sassafras

I'm selling a Chibson as a Gibson because I know nothing about guitars, honest guv. 

matone

I always view it as absolving themselves from comebacks that they know will happen.
A red flag for me .

John_A

lonestar said:

I have an amp to sell for a friend who helped to do some work in my workshop. He has virtually no online presence at all and part of me is jealous of him. So, it’ll be listed as “selling for a friend”.

I couldn’t be arsed being as cynical as some of you appear to be. Not everything is a bloody conspiracy.

+1

VimFuego

I sold a friend once, for spare parts. Does that count?

Dominic

I have bought and sold for friends......mainly because they travel with work frequently and one lives more in Italy than here 
.........I've quite enjoyed doing it and there is nothing clandestine or untoward involved

sgosden

I've sold things on behalf of mates who are fed up of the ebay & facebook ballache, but don't wanna sign up to a forum they'll never read or check.

Have also had stuff sold for me by people who've had it on long term loaners but live a distance away.

equalsql

Sassafras said:

I'm selling a Chibson as a Gibson because I know nothing about guitars, honest guv. 

I hope it's a genuine Chibson as I've heard that Gibson are counterfeiting them.

Snags

On balance I always assume it means they're selling for a friend. It certainly does on the rare occasions I've ever said it.

Obviously if everything else about them screams "dodgy git" then that's different, but in the absence of other indicators the simplest explanation usually applies.

Octafish

I'm usually pretty cynical, but I don't automatically consider 'selling for a friend' to be a euphemism for 'it's stolen', not as though it's going absolve the seller for fencing dodgy goods. 'Selling for a friend' does put me off a bit though as I'd rather deal directly with the person whoes goods they are in case things go wrong.

imalrightjack

I’ve sold for several friends who are totally tech shy. Nothing sinister. Helping a friend. I also helped a widow I didn’t know to move a very big collection.