The story
The seller, sansamp, had been on eBay since 1998. By 2005 he’d gone from playing guitar to playing bass in a cover band, and the guitar gear he’d collected was mostly sitting in cases and closets. In September 2005 he decided it was time for “thinning the herd” and put a batch of gear up for auction, each item starting at $1 with no reserve. Eight of those listings are preserved here.
Instead of relying on eBay’s own photo hosting, he hosted the photos here, on myauctionhost.com, and built each eBay description around them. That made room for listings that are closer to articles: the 1990 Telecaster page alone has 75 photos and a write-up of about 1,750 words.
The auctions ended long ago — and one item, the Netgear hub, sold to a local buyer before its auction closed. But the listings are still useful: as reference for the gear itself, as a snapshot of prices and tech in 2005, and as an example of how to sell used gear honestly.
The seller’s playbook
Read across the listings and a consistent approach shows up. It still holds up today.
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Photograph everything — flaws first.
The Telecaster listing shows every nick, the strap-pin scarring and the case dent, and even warns that glare in some photos might look like damage.
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Tell the item’s story.
Where it was bought, what it cost, how much it was played and why it’s being sold. Receipts are included where they exist.
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Describe the sound in plain language.
No spec-sheet adjectives: a head-to-head shoot-out against a G&L ASAT, and notes on how the Turbo RAT behaves on bass as well as guitar.
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Admit what you don’t know.
“I do not have a tube tester.” “My understanding is that it will fit a USA Strat… no guarantees.” Honest limits build trust.
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Answer the obvious questions up front.
The Boss GE-7 page lists practical uses; the Monster connector page explains exactly what they will and won’t fit.
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Charge actual shipping and refund the difference.
Shipping was quoted as an estimate, and any overpayment was refunded. If the estimate came in low, the seller covered it.
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Pack like it matters.
For the Tele: in its case, inside a guitar carton, with extra protection around the neck and strings slackened to a minor tension.
What’s changed in the archive
- Every original photo is preserved, now in a responsive gallery with a full-size viewer.
- The seller’s write-ups are kept in his own words, with typos fixed and section headings added for readability.
- Each listing’s original terms, including its shipping quote, are kept in a collapsible section.
- The seller’s email address and long-dead manufacturer links were removed; current reference links were added.
- Prices and dates are left exactly as they were in 2005.