Have you ever sold to Guitar Center?

[ahbradot]

I went to Guitar Center close to my home and sold them 2 basses, 1 guitar and an amplifier.


Rewind; This week I sold several basses locally online with success.

But some gear not sell even though I kept lowering the price.

Finally, I realized I was now selling the gear for what Guitar Center it would pay me anyway.

So I decided just to bring what I had left to Guitar Center and have them buy it from me.

Easy Peezy and I was done with it.

Yes, I could've gotten more if I waited locally, or perhaps sell by shipping it to someone.

But these items were too cheap and I didn't want to deal with any shipping hassles.


Do you TBer's ever sell your items for a discount to your local music store?


Thank you for your input!

 

[TronChaser]

I have thought about it but after getting crappy offers from other shops, I figured GC would be even more crappy. I have a guitar for sale on reverb with an offer for asking price if I ship it but I don't want to ship due to shippers being jerks. I'm at a loss as to what to do myself.

 

[buldog5151bass]

Selling to GC can work if:

1. Your gear is common (think black MIM precision), and a well known brand.
2. It isn't that expensive.
3. You don't need top dollar.

A better choice, if you have the options, is consigning if there is a decent store near you.

 

[ajkula66]

I've actually gotten offers above my intended asking price from GC on a couple of occasions. A few ridiculous offers along the way as well. Vintage gear - which is pretty much all I own - can be tricky at times.

Just before I moved back to Europe I dumped a *ton* of gear + some $$$ at my local GC and picked up an almost unplayed '72 Gibson SG. Worked well for both sides.

So yes, been there and done that.

 

[Lesfunk]

I have sold and/or traded with guitar center.
It's basically exactly the same as selling to a pawn shop.
In fact, I remember a year or two ago, guitar center couldn't do any used buy/sell transacaxtions for about a month because they had not renewed their pawn broker paperwork on time

 

[Sub41]

I have a couple of times. I live quite rural so my local Craigslist isn't very busy for music related gear. I could sell one of my tractor implements far faster than an amplifier. If I don't feel like dealing with shipping I'll consider selling to GC. The nearest music store is a 2-hour round trip and is a small mom & pop shop that would most likely need to order an item as inventory is limited. The nearest GC is a 3-hour round trip. I've sold on eBay and will become a supporting member here to try the classifieds next time around.

 

[Black_In_Mind]

I did it quite a bit because a lot of the gear I had acquired would have been a hassle to sell online. Most of the time the offers I got were acceptable as I was more concerned with freeing up space than getting the most money.

Currently they are not an option after I was informed that most of the Guitar Centers in my area are no longer buying gear and only doing trades because they can't get rid of their inventory. The store I was at had such strict requirements for trades that I'd be shocked if they can clear the floor for more used gear if people aren't buying like they used to.

 

[Odinbass]

Ive sold amps to them. I hate meeting randos off Craigslist and shipping amps is too expensive.

 

[Lowendchamp]

My local GC gives me fair prices when the manager is there but otherwise it's exactly like a pawn shop. I can't believe how many of their employees don't know gear, especially bass gear. These guys a lot of time can't even tell the difference between a MIM or a MIA Fender or care. If you are selling that is a couple hundred doll hair difference and I don't appreciate that GC doesn't train their employees better.

 

[Jeremy Crockett]

Sold them a set of cheap Meinl brass cymbals that were not worth the hassle of dealing with FB Marketplace cheapskates.

 

[johnnynitro]

I have sold to them many times. Their a little low on most. But they do pay well on The Good Stuff. They only buy on their buying events now. And are much more selective on what they'll buy/trade. An easy way to unload your unused gear.

 

[chadhargis]

I sold some cabs to GC and ended up getting decent money for the versus having to box and ship them.

 

[thisonegoestoeleven]

Got wickedly lowballed there once. Was a joke. But recently was very surprised at their offer on some gear. Took a "trade"... A good bundle of cash and they threw in a set of strings and a bag of picks. Guess it depends on who's doing the evaluation.

 

[Marko 1]

I've had good luck locally with CL, so never used GC.

I have a buddy who'd be trading stuff regularly with GC, and he's pretty frugal,

so maybe he has a system.

 

[DrThumpenstein]

I've had better luck with Music Go Round. Better offers and they usually have good stuff for trades, which get higher offers than cash.

Ironically, I was referred there by a solid dude from GC. I had an ABG that needed some work; GC declined to offer so the guy suggested MGR. They were able to handle the work, and offered me $50 less (in trade) than I had paid for it 8 years earlier, so I was thrilled. Walked out with a sweet Lakland J!

 

[socialleper]

I've done some trades. They used to give slightly better prices if you were buying something with the credit they were giving you. It's a win-win for the salesman.