Disclaimer: I work at Elderly (although not in sales and not with the used instruments). I'm posting this not out of self-interest, but because there was some question about why we would rate certain used instruments highly when they needed repairs.
Our website has this explanation (which I've edited slightly):
The condition ratings primarily represent the general cosmetic description of the instrument. Because these ratings are inexact, sometimes we will combine the ratings in an appropriate manner (such as E-MC or VG-EC).
We also often will give you the cosmetic rating and then qualify it by stating "except . . ." The exceptions may sound as if the rating should be in a lower category. Technically that may be correct, but we find that if, for example, we rate a beautifully clean guitar as "GC" because it has a 1" repaired side crack that is hard to see, it gives the incorrect impression of the guitar. So, we will probably rate it as "EC except small repaired crack in the side". What we are saying is that cosmetically this is a really nice guitar but we want you to know that it is not absolutely perfect. Occasionally we will put some information about some issues later in the description, so we urge you to read the entire description if you are interested in an instrument.
Note that, although we endeavor to mention any cosmetic or other flaws that we are aware of, it is not always possible to do so for every instrument. We think our ratings are fair, but if you are concerned about any specific issues then we urge you to call us toll free for a hands-on description.
Bob Blackman
Former host of "The Folk Tradition," WKAR-FM
East Lansing, MI
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