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What is the Sweetwater Trading Post?

The SWEETWATER Trading Post is offered as a free service for our visitors to sell music gear user to user. While we are happy to provide this service absolutely free for the sole benefit of our customers and friends, it is not a place to advertise auctions, sales at other sites, nor is it available to dealers, or parties selling non-music gear. Sweetwater does not make any guarantees about products for sale, or control any part of the selling and buying process on the Trading Post. Our only involvement is offering this free forum to help those who want to sell or buy personally owned equipment. Sweetwater reserves the right to remove any post which we deem inappropriate, for any reason. We hope you find it useful and we encourage you to email us with any suggestions and comments at here.

Help on Selling and Buying.

Hundreds of musicians and recording enthusiasts use Sweetwater s Trading Post to sell their old gear or to find a great value on used items. The majority of Trading Post users have had no problems conducting business. Like any classified selling over the internet, taking a few reasonable precautions when using the Trading Post will help avoid any misunderstandings and ensure that both buyers and sellers get what they want.

Selling Tips

  1. The Trading Post service is NOT available for use for Dealers. A Dealer is anyone who buys & sells music gear for a profit.
  2. The Trading Post service is NOT available for use by parties selling non-music gear.
  3. Give as complete and accurate description of the item you re selling as possible. Include any nicks, scratches, chips on the item. Point out if something is missing that a buyer might naturally expect to receive with the item i.e. manuals, accessories etc. Make sure you know the exact model number or version if applicable.
  4. Make sure you and your buyer are clear about exactly how much money is changing hands. Decide who is paying the shipping charge or any additional fees.
  5. Insure what you are shipping for loss and damage with the shipping carrier. Make sure the insured amount is appropriate.
  6. Pack the item safely and securely.
  7. Method of payment should be agreed upon by both parties. One of the surest ways to avoid payment hassles is to ship CERTIFIED BANK CHECK or CASH ON DELIVERY (COD). Another popular means of payment among on-line classified buyers is services like escrow.com, which holds the buyer s money until the item is delivered, then releases the money to the seller.
  8. Confirm the purchase before shipping. Send an email to the buyer specifying who, what, where and when. Get a confirmation back before you actually ship the buyer anything
  9. Let the buyer know immediately if there is going to be a delay in shipping.
  10. Follow up with the buyer, make sure everything arrived on time and satisfactorily, etc. Also, see if you can get permission to use the buyer as a reference on future transactions. It will make future sales flow much easier.

Buying Tips

  1. If you have friends or family that are local to the seller (or maybe you can get there yourself without too much trouble), arrange for them to physically transact the purchase. True, it takes some of the convenience out of on-line buying, and it may not even be an option, but when it s possible it can do wonders for your peace of mind.
  2. Verify the home address, business address, and phone numbers of the seller.
  3. Ask the seller for references of people they have sold items to previously. Most people buy and sell many times, so this is not an unreasonable request.
  4. Obviously, you shouldn t just send the seller a check. Use your best judgement. If you ve done business with the person before, know he or she is trustworthy, and know you re going to get a piece of good, workable equipment, then maybe you would feel comfortable just sending them your money. However, first time users might prefer other payment options. COD takes a lot of hassle out of the entire buying process. Another option is services like escrow.com, which (for a small fee) will hold your money until you get the goods, and then deliver the money to the seller.
  5. Don't agree to buy something unless you are absolutely certain that you want it. Sellers who use Sweetwater s Trading Post are people, not businesses. Changing your mind after purchase will at best be a huge hassle and at worst impossible to undo. Once the transaction is complete, once you ve paid for and received the item, the seller is under no obligation to take it back if you change your mind.
  6. Finally, read the Selling tips above. Having a good idea of what both buyer and seller expect from each other can help transactions go smoothly.

Note: we are not responsible for ads posted on the Trading Post. Our only involvement is as a public bulletin board.