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Many of the normal things that we do in our lives have been changed by the Internet. Most of these changes have had to do with the way we purchase products that we need or want, from home decor, household appliances, medicine, clothes, and food. Of course, musical instruments like drums, pianos, and guitars are not far behind. Several years ago, the thought of buying and paying for a guitar sight unseen would be unheard of for many guitarists.

But times are changing, as I've mentioned. Any nonbelievers would only need to take a peek at E-Bay to see how many guitars and other musical instruments are being sold and bought daily. I'm not suggesting, of course, that guitarists should just go ahead and buy their guitars and not carefully consider the possible consequences of buying online. Buying a guitar that you've never seen and listened to before does have its fair share of risks, especially if you're buying from someone or from a dealer you probably don't know.

Shipping instruments is always a hassle. Musicians are very finicky about the way their instruments are touched and handled. As much as we'd like to think that everyone who touches your new instrument while it's being shipped will handle it with as much care as you would, from the store down to the delivery guys, sometimes it's just not true. There may be times when your newly-bought instrument will arrive with some dings and scratches, due to improper packaging, or rough handling during shipping. So before shipping the guitar, you should consider getting the instrument packaged professionally. There are some online businesses that can offer you these kinds of services, as well as let you contact the store before the instrument is shipped, and confirm the contents of the package.

Aside from the dealer and shipping risks, perhaps the most intimidating concept of buying an instrument online is that you don't get a chance to play the instrument before you've paid for it. Anyone who has sat in a music store and played various models of the same guitar will know that quality varies wildly from instrument to instrument. Any product made largely from something as unpredictable as wood will have varying degrees of quality. Sure, it may look jazzy and shiny, but in the end, looks aren't what you're really looking for in a guitar, are you?

The result of this is you might get your new guitar via the mail and find out that it's not at the level of quality that you were hoping for. You'll be happy to know that most online retailers offer a 24 or 48 hour return policy to protect you and your investment. Moreover, these retailers are usually required by law to grant a 30-day return policy on all products, although some will not readily tell you that.

There are literally hundreds of different guitar retailers on the web. Many operate primarily as a music store in a specific location and also offer mail order via the web. However, there are also several music shops that only operate through the World Wide Web. Many of these retailers, since they solely rely on the Internet for their business, are somewhat more experienced in buying and selling online, so the purchasing procedure will likely be somewhat smoother.