re: Electric guitar wormhole?

Not from my experience. I've been buying used gear from thegearpage for years, even ebay and reverb.com with no issues. It's not like a used car where eventually the wear and tear of everyday use takes a huge toll. Also a lot of the "boutique" gear is much easier repairable.

Youtube reviews don't replace being able to actually try the gear before you buy, but use them as a resource to see what you might like, and what will work best with your rig, buy used, if you don't like it, sell it to the next guy who might like it.