The seller wanted $25. I talked him down to $20. When I got it home, I also discovered the wiring was a total mess. I decided to sell it on eBay, but how do you sell something that has wiring issues and missing parts? You have two choices. You can either fix it up, or sell it “as is.” So I pointed out all the things I could find wrong with this guitar, but I also made sure to list the good things: the tuners all rotated smoothly, both pickups worked, the neck appeared straight, and the bridge was workable. I listed it as a “Mystery Guitar,” because I had no idea what it was. Then, someone informed me it was a Teisco ET 210 Spectrum, stripped of its original sunburst finish, and that the pickups were probably not original.

I listed the Spectrum in a three-day auction with an opening bid of $99. I received a bid of $99 on the first day, and it stayed that way until the auction’s close, when a second bidder offered $122. I was hoping to get $150, but considering I didn’t have to fix up the guitar, I was happy. I packed up the guitar and shipped it, the buyer received it, and we left each other positive feedback. Another eBay success story, and nobody got hurt.

Visit Will Ray at willray.biz and  myspace.com/willraymusic, or contact him at will@willray.biz.