The internet has changed the way we do many things in our lives. Most of these changes have had to do with the way we buy things that we need or want, from household appliances, home d'cor, furniture, fashion apparel, 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. 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.

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 doesn't always happen that way.

In some cases, instruments will arrive damaged, due to a number of possible reasons, such as improper packaging from the store 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.

Dealer and shipping problems aside, 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. If you've ever been 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'd hoped it would be. But fear not, because most online music shops are offering 24-hour or 48-hour return policies 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. There are retailers, however, which exist only in cyberspace. Many of these retailers, as it is their only means of doing business, are somewhat more experienced in buying and selling online, so the purchasing procedure will likely be somewhat smoother.