Best way to sell locally?

[JRA]

I never thought about having people come to my place. It makes sense but it also sounds super risky.

re: CL: i've made sales at my home (in or just outside the garage, depending on weather) or in public spaces, e.g., the gas station parking lot --- where i'm familiar to the employees. i'm not typically selling a bass (it's pro audio and recording equipment). in each case i've vetted the buyer: if they really don't know anything about what i'm selling = i don't treat them as a viable buyer and we never go to a private email communication or phone numbers --- i sign off with a "thank you for your interest." sorta like "no soup for you!" but polite.

anyway, i haven't had issues, ever. it's also possible that the buyers i've dealt with were more 'skeptical' of me than i was of them.

 

[HelpImaRock]

When I lived in NYC, I would meet people in a public place, either near where I lived or where I worked. Depending on what you have, you might have success putting it up for consignment at a local shop. I sold a a bunch of amps and basses at 30th Street Guitars.

 

[Kevin Hailey]

I'm looking to offload some gear but I'm a little intimidated by the idea of shipping something so I'm curious what would be the best way to sell gear locally. I live in NYC so I'm theory my odds should be good.

Would you guys recommend FB market place, eBay, talkbass, or reverb?

I've had no problems selling gear on CL but if you are selling bass gear, TalkBass is brilliant. The people seeing your ads are your target market, it seems there are a ton of us in NYC and surrounds. Although you are still dealing with strangers the community aspect of this site does add some assurance. I've had nothing but great experiences buying and selling here and met some really cool people too.

 

[tb-player]

I'm looking to offload some gear but I'm a little intimidated by the idea of shipping something so I'm curious what would be the best way to sell gear locally. I live in NYC so I'm theory my odds should be good.

Would you guys recommend FB market place, eBay, talkbass, or reverb?

Honestly, I'd suggest getting confident at shipping. It opens up the whole country to you. PirateShip.com makes it easy and cheap(er). Just pack tight so that nothing is moving in the box. You might surprise yourself and find out it's kind of fun.

 

[gln1955]

This may sound silly but how to you establish that exactly?

Others have covered that pretty well. Ask them about what basses they have, favorite strings, their rig, if they play in bands, things like that. I would also expect them to have intelligent questions about the bass I'm selling. If they can't converse about these things, I put them off and never return another message. It's not perfect. You can lose a legit buyer, but I've also fended off people I'm pretty sure were not legit.

 

[wango55]

I've sold quite a few instruments locally. FB marketplace and a few FB groups specific to local music gear sales have been good to me. I've met my buyers in public locations. No issues so far!

Since you're in NYC, which isn't too far from me…what ya selling???

 

[Don_Chancho]

Decided to put up a listing on Craigslist. There's a police station close by so I'll stick to that. Thank you everyone!

 

[Don_Chancho]

I've sold quite a few instruments locally. FB marketplace and a few FB groups specific to local music gear sales have been good to me. I've met my buyers in public locations. No issues so far!

Since you're in NYC, which isn't too far from me…what ya selling???

2021 Gibson Non-reverse Thunderbird. Haven't touched it in months and even before then pretty sparingly. Figured it's a lot of money to have tied up for something I barely look at. My ripper I bought earlier this year fits my height a lot better.

 

[DrBnz]

Any bank parking lot will do. Plenty of cameras there.

 

[bigdaddybass12]

Facebook marketplace.

 

[Don_Chancho]

Facebook marketplace.

I think I'll also do that. We'll see how much traction the first post gets.

 

[sylvanbass]

I only sell stuff on FB Marketplace as of late. Generally only post in the Buy/Sell/Trade forums I'm a member of in or around the community I am in. Seems a lot safer and people are more inclined to buy since it's tied to a person's profile (Face with the name accountability thing). I do however have a "not allowed inside my house" policy if someone wants to come pick something I'm selling up at my house. That's very rare though. I usually either set the meet at the big gas station by the interstate near me, or if they want something a little closer to the big city, I will suggest a place called Royal Range 10 mins away that is a gun range usually full of cop cars with cameras everywhere lol.

 

[GretschWretch]

Security cameras are your friend, but any public space that has a power outlet you can use would cover testing about any piece of gear involved.

 

[mikewalker]

For the past three years TB classifieds, and FB Marketplace has been where I have moved the bulk of my surplus gear (large and small)

 

[Michael Stanley 2112]

I never thought about having people come to my place. It makes sense but it also sounds super risky.

I have no issue with having people come here to check out gear (I would never do a personal sale without checking out the equipment before I buy it).

I should say: I'm in a wheelchair and I even had one person willing to bring their gear to me (I covered their fuel, whether or not I made the purchase), but I also live in a state where being able to protect myself (by any and all means) is very legal and very easy.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

I'm looking to offload some gear but I'm a little intimidated by the idea of shipping something so I'm curious what would be the best way to sell gear locally. I live in NYC so I'm theory my odds should be good.

Would you guys recommend FB market place, eBay, talkbass, or reverb?

Craigslist

Talk bass

Offer up

 

[_Tay_]

I'm looking to offload some gear but I'm a little intimidated by the idea of shipping something so I'm curious what would be the best way to sell gear locally. I live in NYC so I'm theory my odds should be good.

Would you guys recommend FB market place, eBay, talkbass, or reverb?

Personally for selling things ebay and reverb are a big NO for me now with all the fees involved. I've had a lot better sales using Facebook marketplace where you keep every penny/cent. Unsure about craigslist having never used it.

 

[Katoosie]

Been using local sales for the most part. Facebook and similar.

Last time I sold a bass it was thru TalkBass and it went very well.

 

[lark_z]

The only issue I've had with Craigslist are the (almost) immediate text messages stating "I want it. Please click on the link below to verify your identity". Of course, NEVER click on an unsolicited link. No telling what havoc that wreaks. I just calmly respond - "Let me know when you'll arrive and that you're bringing cash". Of course, they never respond.

 

[Dana R Gregory]

Make it very clear that you will accept cash only face to face. That will scare off the scammers. CL and Facebook marketplace and good for local sales. Good luck.