Selling advice

[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.

[blinddrew]

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??

[blinddrew]

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.