My ratings

I've been selling things away recently & people are wondering what makes me label my item 8/10 for instance, because when they see what I have in store for them, it could've easily been a 10/10. So here's what I have to say:

Despite being the initial owner, I won't rate my stuff 10/10 for a simple reason; my item bears a pre-owned status. Suppose I have tested it at the store but have kept it aside & unplayed even at home, then I decided to sell it away for some reason, it gets a 9.5/10 rating at most. I have handled the product & it's downright disrespectful to tag it as a 10/10.

If I have treated an item in terms of maintenance & parts replacement, I'd move into an 8/10 or 8.5/10 rating. Along the way, these instruments received much handling, there might be scratches/ dents which are undiscovered despite due diligence. I don't believe the fact that just because some well-known or reputable parts made their way into my instruments, it would alleviate my item into a 'better' status- no. Parts swapping or 'upgrading' as it's referred to loosely, do not imply an upward value of the instrument. The final value of it belongs to the buyer. He/ she might not like what I have done to my instrument, maybe he/ she prefers it in an all-original condition instead so that's how I see things. This is true with names like Fender/ Gibson because the after market prefers untouched Strats/ Les Pauls- dirt, grime, dings & all. 

Finally, a 7 or 7.5/10 rating means the item has an anomaly: Dysfunctional pots, missing pickups, cracked pickguard, dents, stuff like that. In any case, it won't render the instrument defective, it just needs some attention & involves some spending on your part- just like a car sold with worn tires or seasoned upholstery. I won't rate anything below the above-mentioned conditions. I personally feel that such items should be considered/ viewed on a personal, case-by-case basis. It usually involves many pictures exchange over e-mail/ text messages over conditional agreements.

I keep all buy-sell e-mails in tact, I screen capture stuff as well. Maybe one of these days, I should list them all down, especially all the low-ball, below the belt offers which are downright juvenile & disrespectful. It's utterly rotten to appraise myself as being too kind to others because that's what I become once a deal goes through, I respect the buyer's decision to part with his/her cash for my items. More often than not, I would offer an alternative meeting point to the buyers' convenience (less those monstrous items like amps for instance)- it's my way of seeing the deal through pleasantly, my indirect way of saying thanks to the buyers. I have ever travelled to Sengkang to deliver a $30 pickup before & it took me at least an hour to get there- all for $30, you think it's worth the sweat, crowd & untimely buyer arrival?

In any case, my ratings are my personal references. It's not marked against any other standards of evaluation but my own. I hope I have put smiles on you faces after you bought stuff from me, otherwise, please let me know :-)