How far would you drive to pick up a bass?

pica · #1 02-02-2012, 01:38 PM

I'm selling one of my basses. I got an email from someone who lives like 5 hours from me. He was interested in my bass. So I asked him were I should ship the bass to and he said he wanted to come to my house and pick it up. But he wanted me to take $100 off the asking price to compensate him for making the drive.

So how far would you drive or have driven to pick up a bass?

funkingroovin · #2 02-02-2012, 01:42 PM

I've driven to Detroit from the tip of the mitt for gear on several occasions,and would do so again if it offset the cost of shipping..

hdracer · #3 02-02-2012, 01:43 PM

I have driven over 200 miles for a cab, it was still cheaper then shipping it. As far as a bass about 50 is the most.

MatticusMania · #4 02-02-2012, 01:43 PM

To pick up a bass? It'd have to be a pretty special bass for me to drive 5 hours for.
Id maybe drive 30 minutes if it were a bass I was interested in.

If I were you, Id not take any money off the bass because he wants to drive. If shipping was factored into the price, Id be nice and take off that amount, should the guy purchase the bass.
Id assume he'd want to drive 5 hours to test the bass out before buying, so I wouldnt take down your ad until you have cash in hand.

IMO.

hdracer · #5 02-02-2012, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MatticusMania

To pick up a bass? It'd have to be a pretty special bass for me to drive 5 hours for.
Id maybe drive 30 minutes if it were a bass I was interested in.

30 minutes in LA traffic? Whats that 10-15 miles? LOL

fjb62 · #6 02-02-2012, 01:46 PM

I would drive an hour, if it was a good deal, but I sure wouldn't expect the seller to take off money from the price, because I am driving to go pick it up.

kraigo · #7 02-02-2012, 01:47 PM

I'd do five hours for the right bass. As to whether you should give him $100 off, that's your call but if you can sell it to someone for full price why should you bother?

KO

pica · #8 02-02-2012, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MatticusMania

Id assume he'd want to drive 5 hours to test the bass out before buying.

Yea, that was his exact reason. And you know, I don't blame him for wanting to play it first.

MatticusMania · #9 02-02-2012, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hdracer

30 minutes in LA traffic? Whats that 10-15 miles? LOL

LA traffic is a myth! Ok, not really, but it all depends on which freeways one has to take. 30 minutes is about 30-40 miles depending on time of day. There are a few freeways that actually move at the speed limit. Forget it if its through downtown during rush hour or while an event is taking place at the Staples Center.

SolarMan · #10 02-02-2012, 01:54 PM

I drove 45 minutes to pick up a bass that I bought with shipping included. I didn't even ask for any money off because I would rather pick it up in person than risk it through the mail.

MatticusMania · #11 02-02-2012, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pica

Yea, that was his exact reason. And you know, I don't blame him for wanting to play it first.

No, I wouldnt either. Like I said though, dont take down your ad or turn down other offers until you have cash in hand.
Also, make sure to exchange phone numbers, so that you two can keep in touch should something come up while he is travelling.

Corey Y · #12 02-02-2012, 01:57 PM

I'm used to driving about an hour to buy anything worth having. I might drive 2 hours if it was something I really wanted and the price was right, but that would be a stretch.

Personally I'd rather not sell something to someone who has to drive 5 hours to pick it up, unless we really explicitly agreed on a price and the buyer was fully aware of the exact nature and condition of what they were buying. I mean down to saying "If you show up with less than we agreed upon, it's going to be a long drive home empty handed". I've been as explicit with people driving and hour or 2 to buy something. No surprises, no last minute haggling.

If you're desperate to sell the bass and don't have any local offers it could be worth it, that's your call. I would cover yourself and be very direct in your communication though.

JehuJava · #13 02-02-2012, 01:58 PM

I drove from Baltimore to Hoboken, NJ once for a Elrick Fretless.

I would take off the shipping costs (what ever that would be), but not a dime more.

Tampabass · #14 02-02-2012, 01:58 PM

Well, the "asking" price is the asking price for a reason, and most folks tend to take offers, and accept a little less than the "asking" price, particularly as so many basses take so long to sell these days.

So his offer of $100 less than asking might be a good deal for you, particularly considering you're going to save time and $$ finding and/or paying for a box, shipping materials, and shipping costs (not to mention taking it to the place to be shipped).

If you sell it "full price" to someone else and you're eating the shipping costs, there goes $40-$50 or more off the price anyway. And if you were going to be willing to drop by $50 or so ... there's your $100.

hdracer · #15 02-02-2012, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MatticusMania

LA traffic is a myth! Ok, not really, but it all depends on which freeways one has to take. 30 minutes is about 30-40 miles depending on time of day. There are a few freeways that actually move at the speed limit. Forget it if its through downtown during rush hour or while an event is taking place at the Staples Center.

Must be getting better. When I lived there it took about 1 1/2 for me to get to & from work. Huntington Beach to Santa Fe Springs on a motorcycle splitting lanes. It was about 26 miles.

matti777 · #16 02-02-2012, 02:08 PM

I've got the opportunity to get a hard to find bass right now but I'd have to drive 6 hours one way to get it. The guy won't ship it. I'm not sure I want it that bad but it would cost me $250 to get one shipped from other seller anyway so its' probably a wash although I'm not sure I want to burn a day making the trip. Like others said, everybody wants to haggle so how much room do you have? Its a 2 way street so if you're willing to knock off $50 counter with that. If you live in a small center or if the bass isn't highly desirable you might want to consider seriously consider the offer.

Passinwind · #17 02-02-2012, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pica

So how far would you drive or have driven to pick up a bass?

4 hours round trip to try it, then the same to buy a week later.

Seattle would be 8 hours RT from here and I'd do that in a heartbeat. I'm considering driving as far as LA if I decide to buy a nice upright. In my case, the better question would be "what would it take to make you buy a bass unseen?" I did buy one custom build that way, but only after trying a nearly identical model first.

100 bucks off sounds very reasonable to me in your case.

pica · #18 02-02-2012, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Passinwind

100 bucks off sounds very reasonable to me in your case.

Well I don't want to loose money selling the bass. I don't care if I break even.

matti777 · #19 02-02-2012, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pica

Well I don't want to loose money selling the bass. I don't care if I break even.

What you paid for the bass has no bearing it's current value unfortunately. If they are all selling for $100 less or more than what you paid then that is what they it is worth. You can always stick to your guns or hold out for more but sometimes it can be a long wait for the next offer.

Passinwind · #20 02-02-2012, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pica

Well I don't want to loose money selling the bass. I don't care if I break even.

I hear ya, and I've been there. If 100 bucks swings things that hard I'd just tell the guy that. I'd at least cut him the actual shipping cost you were going to be on the hook for in any case, assuming that was included in your asking price.