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Guitar Show Tips?

#21
elderdawg said:
I have lots of gig bags and HS cases but wondering if I should include them with the pricing or make them add-ons, especially the hard-shell cases.

I need more stands. But instead of spending $60-90 for half dozen, I might buy a 9 guitar stand for $40 on Amz. I would put my '81 Daion 12 string in the middle spot facing out, and then place 2 on either side skipping slots and have them angled out to display them better. Would also be harder to knock off the stand than the individuals.
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Can you borrow any stands? A guitar boat doesn’t work as well as the instruments don’t face out. Do you have any friends/family to help you? Any acquaintances doing the same thing? You could pool spaces and resources
 
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#22
ashtray said:
Last guitar show I went to MANY years ago, everything was priced 2-3x higher than market. And thusly, no one was really buying anything. No one was really walking around holding a guitar.

I’m not sure if I’d have the patience to deal with manning a booth at a guitar show trying to sell my gear.
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Have you ever worked retail or held yard/garage/rummage sales? That’s a good training exercise.
 
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#23
elderdawg said:
I have lots of gig bags and HS cases but wondering if I should include them with the pricing or make them add-ons, especially the hard-shell cases.

I need more stands. But instead of spending $60-90 for half dozen, I might buy a 9 guitar stand for $40 on Amz. I would put my '81 Daion 12 string in the middle spot facing out, and then place 2 on either side skipping slots and have them angled out to display them better. Would also be harder to knock off the stand than the individuals.
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If you've got specific cases that go with guitars, include them on the sale. Otherwise you're going to be stuck trying to sell empty cases.

With the gig bags, match them up with instruments. It increases the convenience for someone buying one of your guitars and taking it home with some level of protection. (I dunno, do people show up to these shows with empty gig bags anticipating a purchase?)
 
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#25
Michedelic said:
Have you ever worked retail or held yard/garage/rummage sales? That’s a good training exercise.
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Yeah - I actually worked retail at a guitar shop for a few years during college. As much as I enjoyed swinging by and hanging out there before getting hired, as an employee, getting up early to open the shop on a Saturday morning, dusting, cleaning, tuning the instruments, and just waiting for a customer to come in. (Some days were slow, and other days we’d have a full shop - Friday nights we’d typically be renting out PA equipment to the local bands, as well as selling lots of strings, picks, cables, etc.)

As for garage sales - did one, never again. Spent a solid day gathering, cleaning, labeling, and displaying the items to sell. Got up early the next day and just had people low-balling the heck out of me for stuff I had bought for $30 and was selling for $3. Ended up not selling a bunch of stuff, and just donating the lot to a charity. Heck, some neighbors saw we had a garage sale and DROPPED OFF stuff! We ended up with a treadmill we had no idea where it came from! :roflmao:
 
#26
I have gone to many shows and here is some information..

As already mentioned..good informative signage for each instrument so you don't have to answer the same questions over and over.

Get ready to haggle and know as much about each instrument as possible..

Think about your return policy..final sale etc.. Make sure you have a receipt booklet

Make sure they are all set up and ready to play and in tune..

If’s possible make them nice and shiny..

Have a good small combo, cord and chair for those interested to plug in..watch the volume levels or your neighbors will hate you.

Bring a big bowl and fill it with candy..life savers..it will double the amount of visitors ..
trust me I was one of those mooches LOL

Sunday afternoons are usually a good time for sellers since some of them don’t want to bring their stuff back and will be open to deeper discounts..seasoned buyers know this .. be prepared to do this.

If you have any small high value items ..pickups, straps etc… keep close eye on them since there are folks with bad intentions at the shows.

For yourself bring food and drink..

The night before opening day of the show is usually a dealer only event and a lot of action takes place during this time.. have pricing ready for these guys if you’re interested in selling to them at wholesale pricing..

Get ready to get your feelings hurt with low ballers and insults..
 
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#28
Put your salesman hat on..
Being personable and starting conversation will go along way.
Think of the very rock bottom price you'd take for each item and work your way down.
Theres no such thing as a looky-loo!
Your not selling a product...you selling yourself!
Always close!
Things I heard at Stereo salesman seminars in the 70s... ;)
 
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#30
Michedelic said:
Twice a year, Larry Briggs from Tulsa, and associates, roll into the Orange County fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, and I’m always there. Here’s a few pix from over the years to show how they do it…
View attachment 5352012 View attachment 5352013 View attachment 5352014

Here are some videos by others…





You’ll find that there’s often horsetrading between dealers. Yes, everything is overpriced, to cover “wiggle room”.
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The Hagstrom 2 string is amazing.
 
#31
Two Suggestions:
1. Make sure you have any necessary reference material with you if pertinent.
2. Bring a camera if you're old school and don't have one on your phone. You never know when you're going to need it.

Why?
Reposted from the 2008 thread "Jamerson Bass Identifiers":
nixdad said:
In 1993, I had a booth at a Vintage Guitar Show at the Fairplex in Pomona, California. Besides some of my own vintage gear that I was selling at the time, I had brought with me Serial #001 of both the Jamerson & Jaco Basses from The Bass Centre. On the 2nd day of the show, a guy in his early 20's came by and noticed the Jamerson bass. He said "hey, you want to see somethin'?," and proceeded to pull a mid-60's sunburst P-Bass from a newer plastic Fender case. He tells me that this is the "Funk Machine." I checked the bass out for a moment, and immediately looked at the heel expecting to see the word "Funk" carved into the heel, and filled with blue ink. A word was carved in the heel and filled with blue ink, but it was not "Funk" (I no longer recall the actual word.) At this point I just assumed this guy was pulling my leg, so I did not take him too seriously. He then pointed out the wear marks on the "bell," which was the pickup cover that Jamerson had always kept on his bass. He stated that the marks perfectly matched the photos of Jamerson's bass in the Standing in the Shadows of Motown book. Unfortunately, I did not have the book with me that weekend for reference, and although I was very familiar with the book, I did not recall seeing the wear marks that he had mentioned in the photos. This was well before cell phones (with instant picture taking capability,) and I did not have a camera with me. After a few minutes, he packed up the bass and went on his way. I did not think much of it at the time.

When I returned home from the show, I immediately scoured my copy of "SITSOM" and noticed the photos on page 75 & 96. They both clearly showed the unusual rusty wear marks on the bell that were very similar to what I had seen the day before…my heart sank. If I had the book with me at the show, I could have easily compared the dings, wear marks on the bell, as well as the pattern of the tortoise shell pick guard which are different on every instrument. Having the book with me would have decided the validity of this claim on the spot.

Was it the Funk Machine? Maybe! There's a chance this was the real deal.
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#32
Maybe you should have at least one other person go with you.
They can help setup/take down displays
and watch the area while you are on break.
Also, they can keep an eye out for people (and children) who might not be too careful while looking at your items.
Bring an amp so people can test the instrument and a long power extension cord just in case you are not near an outlet.
Also, How are you going to handle the monetary exchanges?
Good Luck!
 
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#34
logdrum said:
The ability to take electronic payment is a must. That could make a difference how much you are going to schlep back home. Have change also, about 200 in small bills. Some people are weird, They will change their mind if you cannot give them exact change. Tune and retune throughout the day, bring an amp.
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Venmo and PayPal Friends & Family or do people try to pay Goods and Services? I would be afraid of a buyer trying to file a dispute after leaving with the guitar and also trying to get their money back.
 
#35
lesclaypoolsob said:
Venmo and PayPal Friends & Family or do people try to pay Goods and Services? I would be afraid of a buyer trying to file a dispute after leaving with the guitar and also trying to get their money back.
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We still have square and that seems to work. Venmo or ApplePay is pretty popular in these guitar shows. PayPal as well. I just go G&S. I am a vendor and trying to avoid the taxman publicly can get back to me. Just say as is sales. In person and possibly do a paper receipt as well. They can only con the system so far, those remorseful buyers
 
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#36
Well I got thru the show. Was hoping for $4000 min for my 23 instruments, but only sold 10 for $2400. Surprisingly sold no electric guitars, and only 1 electric bass of the 3 in the booth. The vultures (dealers) swept in and bought most of my "Bluegrass" instruments early on the 2nd day before the public got in.

Since this was my 1st and last show, I was quickly accepting my low price. And most sales were cash. Only $500 was PayPal. As you can tell, I am a budget instrument guy. Guess I will go on Reverb or Craigs List for what didn't sell.

Here is a pic of this old guy trying to clear out my man cave.
 

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#37
Michedelic said:
Can you borrow any stands? A guitar boat doesn’t work as well as the instruments don’t face out. Do you have any friends/family to help you? Any acquaintances doing the same thing? You could pool spaces and resources
Click to expand...
Check my pic out. I bought a 9 guitar stand for $35 hoping to get every other space filled by running diagonal duct tape between the 2 bars the gtuitars sit on so to angle the guitar, making the fronts visible. I could only manage 4, but it came out cheaper than buying 4 stands. Was going to sell it once I sold enough to not need it.. Forgot, and now I am stuck with a 9 gtr stand I don't need. Guess it goes on CL now.
 
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