Selling advice

[BigRedX]

Some people can't be bothered with looking up prices on the internet or selling on Ebay - they just want rid of something. Those are the people you need to be looking for if you want a bargain. A friend of mine saw a Juno 6 at a boot sale for £15 not long ago so bargains still exist.

But £15 is probably all it is worth. Let's face it no one in the early 80s went out and bought a Juno 6 because that's what they really wanted. They bought it because they couldn't afford a Prophet or an Oberheim. Certainly everyone I knew at the time would much rather have had something with a better sound and programmable memories, but they ended up with the Juno 6 because it was the cheapest polyphonic synth available.

Also by now it will probably need a lot of expensive repairs to keep it functioning. Yes £15 is about the right price for one.

[James Perrett]

But £15 is probably all it is worth. Let's face it no one in the early 80s went out and bought a Juno 6 because that's what they really wanted. They bought it because they couldn't afford a Prophet or an Oberheim. Certainly everyone I knew at the time would much rather have had something with a better sound and programmable memories, but they ended up with the Juno 6 because it was the cheapest polyphonic synth available.

Also by now it will probably need a lot of expensive repairs to keep it functioning. Yes £15 is about the right price for one.

Erm - I bought one because it was what I wanted. It was better than my Electro Harmonix mini synth and was great for adding extra textures to the music I was doing. It is still going strong and the only repair I've done has been to fix a cracked connector PCB. Given the comments that I get from various studio users when they see it, I'd guess there are quite a few people who would pay much more than £15 for one.

[TJ1]

Just out of interest - what would stop an unscrupulous dealer selling an item for a price that they then 'under-reported' to the seller?

I'd assume that they might be situations where the dealer needs to be given some flexibilty over price negotiations with the buyer - which is where I would guess the above abuse could occur.

[Arpangel]

Some people can't be bothered with looking up prices on the internet or selling on Ebay - they just want rid of something. Those are the people you need to be looking for if you want a bargain. A friend of mine saw a Juno 6 at a boot sale for £15 not long ago so bargains still exist.

Very strange times we seem to be going through James, I know people that have put very good stuff on the garden wall, for people to take, or as you say, can’t be bothered to sell it, even though they know how much it’s worth.
I’m wondering if the influx of very cheap, but good new gear, has devalued a lot of secondhand stuff, making it not worth bothering with.
I like buying the older stuff, simply because it sounds better than a lot of expensive gear today.
Juno 6? Yes, I swapped a pair of Celestion hi-fi speakers for one, worth about forty quid!

[Hugh Robjohns]

Must be a dull day! You've resurrected an 18-month old post...

[OneWorld]

'A lucky find?'

Some years ago, I was just walking out the door of the post office and there was a £20 note on the ground, being the fine upstanding citizen that I am, I handed it in at the counter. About 200 yards down the road, I found a £10 note and thought "Well, what am I supposed to do with this, my lucky day or what, is someone sending me a message?"

I was across the road from the mini-market so went in and bought some bits and bobs, I had about £2 left so I bought a lottery ticket, and won £100!!!!!

[garrettendi]

I had to sell my Alesis Forge kit the other day on Facebook. Cost £500 roughly new, and at first offered it for £200. Then £150. Then finally I looked it up on eBay, saw some people had managed to buy them for peanuts, and eventually sold it on Facebook for £60.

The buyer got an absolute bargain. Meanwhile I'm feeling disheartened at how little electronic drum kits retain their value. Especially as all the low end kits now have mesh pads!

[Wonks]

Must be a dull day! You've resurrected an 18-month old post...

Well, it's a sticky so should really be kept alive if it's to be kept relevant.

[Drew Stephenson]

I had to sell my Alesis Forge kit the other day on Facebook. Cost £500 roughly new, and at first offered it for £200. Then £150. Then finally I looked it up on eBay, saw some people had managed to buy them for peanuts, and eventually sold it on Facebook for £60.

The buyer got an absolute bargain. Meanwhile I'm feeling disheartened at how little electronic drum kits retain their value. Especially as all the low end kits now have mesh pads!

I find that's the wrong way to look at things. I rationalise it by saying to myself, "I considered item Y to be worth amount X at the time I bought it." (otherwise I wouldn't have). "I have now used Y as much as want to / need to / can. Therefore it no longer has value to me. If it is valueless, then any cash I can get for it is a bonus."
The world moves on, what something was worth a few years ago is not just different to what it is now, it's irrelevant. Therefore any comparison is also irrelevant.

[garrettendi]

I find that's the wrong way to look at things. I rationalise it by saying to myself, "I considered item Y to be worth amount X at the time I bought it." (otherwise I wouldn't have). "I have now used Y as much as want to / need to / can. Therefore it no longer has value to me. If it is valueless, then any cash I can get for it is a bonus."
The world moves on, what something was worth a few years ago is not just different to what it is now, it's irrelevant. Therefore any comparison is also irrelevant.

Wise words! Thank you kindly!

[DonMilan]

The tips are intelligent for marketing. i just would like to add that in selling, give value to customer service. That's one way of keeping and attracting customers or buyers on your side.

Totally spot on here. I'm curious though as I've struggled to sell some of my old (bought them new) Deadbeat, and other off brand beginner pedals and haven't gotten any hits on them. FB marketplace and a few other places listed. Helpful thread otherwise! I have half a mind to go to Guitar Center and take the pennies I may get back on them, but I'd love to sell and keep whatever $$ I can get for my own gear on whatever platform it needs to be sold on. I always find selling to friends in person is the best, despite the obligatory price knock. Any further tips??

[Drew Stephenson]

Every time I've sold anything on FB marketplace I've initially had zero interest. Then, after a few weeks, I've had a flurry of contacts. It's almost like stuff gets circled round the loop to the top again.
This may be nothing more than coincidence, but unless you need the cash in a hurry, I'd say patience was your friend.

[Sam Spoons]

I had similar with a car I was selling, several weeks with no interest then a dozen or more enquiries in a day. I'm pretty sure it was because FB randomly pick a few items to 'feature' every day an I was lucky enough to be picked.

Ebay is variable and expensive but it's still probably the most efficient way of selling after word of mouth.

[Wonks]

I find the search feature on FB Marketplace totally dire and if you search for say Vox AC30 you’ll get one, then probably a couple of Fenders, then a sponsored listing, then a Vox pedal and then an AC30 then something else, with what you are interested in scattered all over the page.

So you have to be prepared to sift through the dross. And if you’ve put up a listing, then you just have to hope that it appears near the top of someone’s search.

Of course, gear searches can be prompted by mentions in magazine articles or popular YouTube channel reviews, which then give rise to multiple searches and enquiries.

[Music Wolf]

For guitar related stuff I'm a poster on 'The Fretboard', a guitar related forum.

There's a lot of buying and selling there (some people are passing guitars around like library books). Bedroom dealers are frowned upon and there’s an unwritten rule that, if you buy a guitar via the forum, then you sell it on at the same price (less wear and tear or plus upgrades). I sold a guitar on there because somebody was inquiring about a particular model and I had one gathering dust, I hadn’t thought to sell until then. When I wanted a PRS Silver Sky I found one in as-new condition in the colour I wanted at a fair price within a couple of weeks of looking. When, on New Years eve, I posted on a thread about ‘guitars you were thinking about for 2022’ I was contacted within hours by a local guy and on New Year’s Day I acquired a lovely PRS SE Hollowbody II which had already been sold between members a couple of times (I love it and it isn’t going anywhere soon). Last purchase was a Helix HX Effects on behalf of my friend.

[tea for two]

Must be a dull day! You've resurrected an 18-month old post...

Well, it's a sticky so should really be kept alive if it's to be kept relevant.

I just sold my Electric Violin on Gumtree.
I sell only locally : pick up in person or delivered in person by me.
I don't post.
After I got a text I sent a whatsapp video showing the Electric Violin fully working putting it through my amp also plugging in headphone into the Electric Violin.
When they said they were happy I delivered in person.

I decline any buyer that cannot collect in person or I can't deliver to in person. Likewise I purchase solely in person locally alongside upto 75mile train if I can carry the purchase.
Sold my Travel Saxophone, Trumpet on gumtree last year.

It's worthwhile being careful on gumtree from scammers both buyers and sellers.
"Better safe than sorry."
Getting an idea of the person via phonecall video call is worthwhile.

Also there's Bot texts sent claiming to be a buyer.
There's been some people getting mugged when they went to deliver, purchase an expensive item.

I arrange to meet in a pub, cafe, coffee house. I am cautious of any situation I might find myself in even though stuff I've sold is usually £20-£100, a few upto £200.
I did sell for £700 my MacPro 5,1 12Core cheesegrater on gumtree quite a few years ago that was the most expensive.
My gumtree profile says I've been selling stuff (orff the back of a lorry lol) for a decade.

[Arpangel]

Never sell a guitar at the pawnshop!

Why??

The price they pay will be well below market value.

That goes for any dealer, when I was buying and selling hi-fi, we all worked on buying in at a third retail, and selling for two thirds, but that’s a very flexible way if working plus, when I was doing it, I was getting stuff for £10/15 at boot sales and jumble sales, so my profit margin was sky high, that won’t happen today.
Never sell to a dealer unless you really have to, you’ll always loose out compared to selling privately, bottom line is don’t sell anything unless you’re on the bread line, it’s better to have the gear sitting there these days, rather than dwindle away the cash.

[tea for two]

I sold another of my lockdown purchases thru gumtree, my profile says over a decade I been on or selling on gumtree. Haven't used auction site to sell since 2016.
Buyer outside of London, wanted that I post the travel Saxophone. I said I would far rather buyer sees in person is happy with it thereafter purchase.
I sent buyer a close up video of the travel Saxophone this also for my protection.
Buyer said a family member would meet me in London. I said I would fully refund if buyer wasn't happy after receiving from family member.
Met family member in a fairly busy place next to a coffee shop, took a video showing only hands of family member holding travel Saxophone showing it fully working with family member saying happy with it, this also for my protection.
Sent video to buyer saying text me after receiving I will fully refund if not happy.
Buyer texted saying very happy after receiving travel Saxophone from family member.

[ajay_m]

I sold my 49 key hydrasynth on Reverb to a buyer who would pickup and it went smoothly. You need to make sure that your purchaser logs on while they are with you and confirms pickup, just to be on the safe side.
Reverb will also want you to upload some form of ID - they were ok with my UK driver's license - and I had payment within a couple of days of the transaction. Their total costs amounted to about 10% of the selling price which isn't dissimilar to other platforms like eBay.
I have purchased - but not sold - an item for pickup on eBay (in this case an Akai Force) and that went smoothly as well. But as with everything, ideally having a little back and forth chat via the platform's messaging before you proceed is always a good idea. You pretty quickly get an idea as to whether the other person is genuine or not.

Conversely I've not had any luck - with one exception - putting things on SOS's reader ads. Just too small an audience I guess. Except that I listed an old Kawai K5M module recently at a very low price and things went a bit crazy with a pile of calls. I had no idea anyone would even want it, but there you are. In this case I completed the transaction via PayPal, confirmed payment then sent the item through parcel post and that was uneventful. Obviously the reader ads are very cost-effective since nobody's taking a cut.

[Sam Spoons]

ebay fees are currently 12.8% of the final sale value but that includes anything the buyer pays like postage, taxes etc. plus 30p transaction fee so it can end up nearer 20% of the actual sale price for low value items.