How to go about selling expensive gear?

[220_Hz]

Hello, I'm looking for some counsel on a question I have currently regarding my wishes to lighten the load on some of my gear collection. I've attempted selling through craigslist, but I don't wish to sell my instruments for the price of a cheap squire, what ways can I go about selling my gear without shipping it cross country/selling it dirt cheap? It seems as if I can't get anyone to even look at what I have to offer, much less consider purchasing it.

Thanks to anyone that replies, your help is appreciated immensely

 

[charlie monroe]

Some music stores will accept items for sale on consignment.

 

[5544]

People are only willing to pay what they think something is worth.

 

[baileyboy]

Hello, I'm looking for some counsel on a question I have currently regarding my wishes to lighten the load on some of my gear collection. I've attempted selling through craigslist, but I don't wish to sell my instruments for the price of a cheap squire, what ways can I go about selling my gear without shipping it cross country/selling it dirt cheap? It seems as if I can't get anyone to even look at what I have to offer, much less consider purchasing it.

Thanks to anyone that replies, your help is appreciated immensely

I do have some experience selling some high-end gear on CL. It helps that I am in close proximity to a major city because people from a city go on CL to look at gear for sale from surrounding counties... they'd rather take a 2 hour drive and save hundreds, if not more, on a high-end purchase, than pay city prices. I usually wait until Thanksgiving/Black Friday to list any high-end gear on CL. That is when people are in the spending mood and are more willing to justify parting with money.

Also, if you constantly list your items it sends the message that you are desperate and are a motivated seller, so I avoid doing that. That is exactly what a buyer is looking for. Once a price is agreed on and a potential buyer has committed to making a 2 hour drive to check out gear, it is unlikely they are going to try to haggle on price once they've gotten there. Be honest with your listings, show lots of photos, be respectful to all inquiries, and good luck on your sales.

 

[Jazz Ad]

TB classifieds are THE way to go with serious gear.

 

[guy n. cognito]

TB classifieds are THE way to go with serious gear.

Except when you don't want to ship, as was clearly stated above.

Get over your shipping thing, and sell your gear on TB or reverb.

 

[Jazz Ad]

Well yeah if you restrict your customer base from a few millions to a few hundreds, you have less chances to sell.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

Some sellers of high end gear note in the TB classified ad: "Do not post questions below - send all questions via PMs, this ad is not for discussion!" or something to that effect. Maybe they're trying to create a climate of exclusivity? Don't know if that tactic helps them (or not).

I've sold all my high end gear here on TB and it works fine. Shipping costs are just part of the deal - like "rent" for having tried something out.

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

If your gear is really that expensive, be prepared to take some big hits. The market is down all across the board right now so you need to be realistic with your pricing.

Some sellers of high end gear note in the TB classified ad: "Do not post questions below - send all questions via PMs, this ad is not for discussion!" or something to that effect. Maybe they're trying to create a climate of exclusivity? Don't know if that tactic helps them (or not).

I've sold all my high end gear here on TB and it works fine. Shipping costs are just part of the deal - like "rent" for having tried something out.

Nah, "do not post below" is done to prevent clutter. It is also done to try and keep offensive posts from being put in, like a low ball offer or a negative comment.

 

[growlypants]

I suppose I'm lucky to be near a big city. Not only is expensive gear available, but it seems to move fairly quickly. But if I had to, I'd post it on Reverb, rather than CL, specifically to avoid those low-ballers.

 

[5544]

I've been trying out some 2000- and up guitars lately because I have been conditioned to believe more money equals more instrument. I ended up buying a sub 400- guitar that felt and sounded better than all the expensive ones. They were all from the same brand so the argument Brand A is better than Brand B does not apply in this case.

Face up to the facts that "cheap" gear is on par with "expensive" gear and the days of spending more to get more is a thing of the past.

 

[Scarey Larry]

I use TB Classifieds to good affect. I also bought some bass shipping boxes from Uline ($30.00 for 5 delivered to my door). FedEx has worked better than UPS for me. Never had a shipping problem since I have the correct boxes.

 

[Big Hoss]

So you don't want to ship to where the customers with money are, and you don't want to take a hit in your asking price by selling only local pickup do I understand that right?

That reminds me of a neighbor that I see a For Sale sign on his Harley pop up every 6 months or so. His asking price is insanely high, and I never see it listed for sale anywhere other than the sign. It occoured to me what is going on...

The guy seems to get into an argument with his wife about the motorcyle a couple of times a year, she is telling him to sell the thing, and he puts up the sign in a vain attempt to look like he is trying, and pricing it so high that nobody will pay his price.

 

[thetaxmiser]

Not enough buyers locally. Expensive gear is a pretty small market. Shipping is not that difficult. I think it is a necessary evil if you want to get your price. I have had nothing but good dealings in the TB classifieds.

 

[Nephilymbass]

I've sold most of my expensive basses on eBay to customers overseas. prime example. This thumb nt5 went to Dubai

Ive also shipped to Germany, France, even did one where I shipped it to a location in the states and the buyer paid to have it shipped from there to Japan. For inexpensive gear I try to sell more locally (I don't typically ship anything that cost less than a grand out of the country) but for high dollar items like German warwicks and the custom/made to order musicman I sold, it can be worth it to sell to a bigger customer pool because people are only gonna pay what's it's worth to them. As others have said it's a tough time selling gear right now. And if you're putting stuff for sale online and it's not moving it's either not being seen by enough people or it's priced too high. If it's priced too high then maybe you need to reevaluate your decision to sell it and would you be happy selling for less or not selling at all.

Its definitely not a good time to be a seller. That thumb nt5 pictured above I sold a few years back for like $2600. I paid $2,800 for it new at guitar center when they were clearing out all their high end warwicks and played it for a decade and it cost me $200 in the long run. In comparison, I just bought a thumb NT6 in great shape for $1500. Some of that is Warwick has lost some popularity with high end buyers drooling over Fodera and Ritter and so on. But even selling Fender basses for example. Fenders sold a crap ton of basses and just over saturated the market. Right now I wouldn't pay more than 50% of new cost for any used Fender bass.

 

[PaulReside]

I've been trying out some 2000- and up guitars lately because I have been conditioned to believe more money equals more instrument. I ended up buying a sub 400- guitar that felt and sounded better than all the expensive ones. They were all from the same brand so the argument Brand A is better than Brand B does not apply in this case.

Face up to the facts that "cheap" gear is on par with "expensive" gear and the days of spending more to get more is a thing of the past.

This answers the question of why people ask that you not comment on their sale post right here. It's the old Squier VS Fender argument.

 

[singlemalt]

I just cleaned house, mostly of basses in the 2k range.

Right here on TB is where you want to be. Maybe Reverb or EBay. TB, once you pony up the membership, puts you in front of your target audience. No more fees, other than PayPal.

Look, you need to make it easy for a guy who's cruising the classifieds. Accept Paypal, and offer free, insured, shipping.
Throw in some goodies, like extra strings.

Post lots of good pictures. Price your stuff in the range of similar used items or a bit lower. Do some research on various sites.

Get supplies to pack and ship promptly. It'll cost $75-100 to do a good packing job, ship and insure a bass. Be ready to ship and provide tracking in 24 hours, or same day.

I usually take the conversation to email or the phone once contact is made. It's easier to send large file photos, and answer questions.

Don't give up on craigslist and local ads, but expect lots of flakes, tire kickers and low balls. Balance that against the hassle of packing and shipping and risks of a long distance deal.

My experience with TB members has been overwhelmingly positive. Craigslist has also worked for local deals and hard to ship items like cabinets.

It's a lot of work. My clearance sale ran almost six months, but I sold everything I wanted to move, met some nice people, and had no problems.

There's somebody out there that wants your stuff!

 

[superheavyfunk]

MusicMan basses do not sell well in my local market at all, no matter the price, unless it stupid low. The market ebbs and flows all the time. Patience might be the key for you, OP.

I've been trying out some 2000- and up guitars lately because I have been conditioned to believe more money equals more instrument. I ended up buying a sub 400- guitar that felt and sounded better than all the expensive ones. They were all from the same brand so the argument Brand A is better than Brand B does not apply in this case.

Face up to the facts that "cheap" gear is on par with "expensive" gear and the days of spending more to get more is a thing of the past.

While I agree with the sentiment, I don't see how this is at all helpful to the OP, who is looking to sell an expensive piece of kit they already own and not trying to buy something new, or sell the bass for the price of a Squier.

 

[telecopy]

Hello, I'm looking for some counsel on a question I have currently regarding my wishes to lighten the load on some of my gear collection. I've attempted selling through craigslist, but I don't wish to sell my instruments for the price of a cheap squire, what ways can I go about selling my gear without shipping it cross country/selling it dirt cheap? It seems as if I can't get anyone to even look at what I have to offer, much less consider purchasing it.

Thanks to anyone that replies, your help is appreciated immensely

I just use Craigslist. I leave stuff there until it sells. May take a while but stuff always sells. If people low ball then say no thanks. Simple as that.

 

[40Hz]

Some sellers of high end gear note in the TB classified ad: "Do not post questions below - send all questions via PMs, this ad is not for discussion!" or something to that effect. Maybe they're trying to create a climate of exclusivity? Don't know if that tactic helps them (or not).

According to TB rules for classifieds, members are not supposed to be turning add listing comments into discussions. So the request is half right.

But why a seller wouldn't want to answer a sales related question about what they're selling is anybody's guess. I tend to ignore sellers who come across as being pissy or come on a little strong about the "serious inquires only" routine when listing at TB. With CL ads it's easier to justify being a little short with people right up front. In a community setting like the one here, it's harder to make a case for it.

Or so I think anyway.

There's been a few things for sale here I might have bought except the wording of the ad (or the seller's response to somebody's comment) rubbed me the wrong way. I figure if somebody is being a douche to a potential buyer, you'd better hope there isn't a problem with something down the road. Because if they're that rude before they get your money, they'll have small incentive to be any politer to you once they do have it.