Guitar Center no longer takes X,Y, and Z in Trades

Standalone · #1 07-24-2007, 12:06 AM

Dropped in to play thru some gear at the Orange, CT (New Haven area) GC and mentioned trading in my 210 xlt and the sales guy said that GC doesn't take in Eden stuff anymore.

I posted here in basses because they guy brought over the paper that delineated what they could take in-- it was in the form of what they'd accept, not things that were exclucded. I didn't memorize it or anything, but the list of guitar manufacturers was definitely longer than the amp manufacturers.

The guy said that he could put in for exceptions with the regional office or something... it just seemed odd. I guess this is an early sign of changes afoot with the new investment oriented ownership.

I have to say that there seemed to be a new manager there, and the bass section was much more nicely stocked than I've seen it in a while, with new Markbass stuff front and canter. (combo and LMii) The Fenders there were playably set up, in particular. Played an ash MIM P (hey wow loved it, but still had a little bit of that cheaper feel in the neck) and a 51 P CIJ.

nico_80 · #2 07-24-2007, 12:12 AM

I had the same experience recently. The manger explained to me that they have a list of brands they will accept because a lot of the other things that they bought used weren't leaving the store. Basically they bought something used, fixed it up and weren't able to get any return on their investment. That was the explanation I was given. The particular brands I don't remember, but the way he explained it to me it was all about moving the product out of the store as quickly as possible to get some return on the investment they initially made. It makes sense to me, but then again who says they won't be able to sell an avatar cab or eden stuff, or even some not so well known gear for that matter, if it were put out there used?

Then again, the person selling their gear used to GC might be given a break because GC will undercut to make a profit. They have to make money too.

PocketGroove82 · #3 07-24-2007, 12:18 AM

Guitar Center was just sold to new management, so I assume they are trying to eliminate the hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt the company has accrued.

The BurgerMeister · #4 07-24-2007, 01:46 AM

GC, as far as i know, is actually still "up for grabs." the buy won't be finalized until the 4th quarter.

nico_80's got it right about the used stuff not leaving. GC will still buy the other brands if said buy is deemed a good investment (ie, the gear's gotta be very clean and well-researched).

metron · #5 07-24-2007, 04:08 PM

With used gear they buy low and sell high. Its obvious why the stuff collects dust. Besides I would never take anything to GC to trade in. Use craigslist. Once I took a mint condition QSC 2402, 4 space rack, and Furman power dealie in to see what they would give me: $250 - $275. Sold it on craigslist for $500 in one day.

Spector_Ray · #6 07-24-2007, 06:10 PM

I just got this email...

http://view.exacttarget.com/?j=fe5f1...7870167674&jb=

Standalone · #7 07-25-2007, 11:57 AM

Craigslist is definitely a good answer, but I just got $300 for an eden cab in trade at Daddy's. Private sale, I'd probably get what, $350-$375? They'll tag it for more and all, but some shops do still give you decent money for decent stuff.

On top of that, I sold off some huge six foot tall equipment racks (dumpster dive specials), one working pedal, two broken (I told them), and flipped an SWR amp for what I paid for it of the classifieds here.

And I took home a mesa boogie m 2000 with a pedal on the spot, one year warranty. I'm definitely a fan of that chain, and more power to them to turn the profit on what I sold them. Heck, they even advised me to take a few things that they didn't want to give me much for and put them on c'list. Kinda like santa sending people to Macy's or Bloomingdale's in that old movie...

RWP · #8 07-25-2007, 12:05 PM

Why would you trade-in stuff there anyway? From my experience they will only give you about 1/2 what it's worth. In a fit of stupidity I took my mint SR5 there and they offered me $500 for it. Actually I am glad they didn't offer me what it was worth, I'd never sell it now.

i_got_a_mohawk · #9 07-25-2007, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RWP

Why would you trade-in stuff there anyway? From my experience they will only give you about 1/2 what it's worth. In a fit of stupidity I took my mint SR5 there and they offered me $500 for it. Actually I am glad they didn't offer me what it was worth, I'd never sell it now.

I think alot of it comes down to the ease of trading stuff in, instead of the hassle of trying to sell something yourself.

Standalone · #10 07-26-2007, 09:32 AM

time is money, I guess, and for a lot of stuff, it's worth avoiding the hassle. Especially if you're unloading a bunch of unrelated stuff at once to purchase something, as I just did. No Shipping, no lowballers, no random people at your house or in my case, walking around in my studio to peep all the fancy stuff in there... there's a lot to be said for it.

choo5 · #11 07-28-2007, 12:32 AM

my money would be on them having contracts with specific suppliers not to stock certain brands.

check the place out: are they selling any eden stuff new?

Snarf · #12 07-28-2007, 08:39 AM

Most GC stores can't spare the floor space for used amps. Guitars and basses are easier cause you can just hang up a new hook somewhere, but amps are tougher to deal with. Also, Eden is harder to sell than GK or Ampeg. Though I did sell a Schroeder cab yesterday, I'm glad someone is going to put it to use.