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 d'cor, household appliances, furniture, 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 dive in recklessly and not carefully consider the possible consequences of buying online. 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. So even if we'd like to think that the guitar you just bought is being carefully handled by everyone it comes in contact with, from the store down to the delivery guys, sometimes it doesn't always happen that way.

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, probably the scariest part of buying a musical instrument online is that you don't even get a chance of playing that 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. 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?

There's always a possibility that when you receive your guitar, you'll 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. What retailers will generally not tell you, however, is that they are usually required, by law, to provide a 30 day return policy.

Hundreds of guitar shops and music stores abound on the Internet. 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. These music retailers, as it is their only means of doing business, are more experienced in buying and selling via the web, so the purchasing procedure will likely be somewhat smoother.