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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 items that we need or want, from home decor, household appliances, gifts, clothes, and food. Of course, musical instruments like drums, pianos, and guitars are not far behind. In the past, musicians would have quailed at the idea of buying a guitar that they have never seen or touched before.

But times are changing, as I've mentioned. A quick look at the E-bay guitar auction board will illustrate just how many instruments are being bought and sold daily. This isn't to suggest, of course, that guitarists should just go ahead and buy their guitars without first thinking about the pro's and con's. There are still many hazards associated with purchasing a guitar you've never seen, especially if you're buying from someone or from a dealer you probably don't know.

One of the annoyances is the shipping. 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. Before shipping a guitar, you should consider getting the instrument packaged professionally. Some online companies can do that for you. A perk of using a service like this is that it allows the buyer to contact the store before the instrument is shipped.

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. Of course, anything that is made out of an unpredictable material such 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. But fear not, because most online music shops are offering 24-hour or 48-hour return policies to prevent you from being stuck with a lemon. 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 are also offering their products online. 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.