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I always avoided selling to Guitar Center....

scuzzy

scuzzy

Feb 15, 2006
6,140
1
15,147
Troy, MO
#1
And that trend will continue.

I saw the following on their site and decided to take my Magnum III with ohsc in for an estimate. Grey burst, great shape.

Screenshot_2025-12-11-14-50-17-690.jpeg


The guy assessing it (their tech in the corner) was blown away, played it for about 20 minutes. The guy at the counter gathering data for the price evaluation was gushing over it too. I went and played some acoustics while he consulted their "vintage gear experts" via text and email.

After about 15 minutes I returned and asked if they had an offer. He says "They said $600. That seems like quite a low-ball to me."

I simply said "thanks for your time", grabbed it and started to walk out. He stopped me and said "I'm really sorry to see that one leave. That's the coolest vintage piece I have seen in a while.". I said with their current Magnum prices online I expected more, but no big deal.

I expected about 60% of what they would list for. Not a total loss, got some whisky nearby and tried a few really nice yamaha acoustics.

I doubt I'll pack an instrument in for an eval again, though. 🤣
 
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#2
Your 60% guess is how they price newer gear (at least at my local one). They have mentioned that vintage is its own separate thing, but I have never fallen into their vintage category for the few times I have done trade in.
 
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#4
Any brick & mortar retailer isn't going to be very generous as they ALL evaluate any used gear across their whole world of expense and stocking. GC in particular has a policy and they're sticking to it. Some know-nothings will say "cool" & cash in, others with knowledge won't usually be pleasantly surprised by any corporate generosity. It simply doesn't happen.

While visiting a GC near me about 2 years ago (coincidentally, the last time I was in a GC), some dunce had traded in a very new Mod Shop P-J-Bass and a EBMM Natural Stingray. Idiocy if you ask me. I'd be surprised if he got maybe 30% of its actual retail-resell CL or Marketplace value.

It's astounding what some people will do when they want a change.
 
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#6
buldog5151bass said:
I see threads like this, and I see threads with people b!tching about how difficult it is to sell gear, especially expensive/unusual gear.
Click to expand...

This is basically what has caused me to use GC trade in a few times. Not expensive/unusual, but large/hard to sell is a similar thing.

Could I have privately sold my SWR Henry the 8x8 with Workingman's 4004 head? I am sure I could have. It would have taken time and I would have had to deal with coordinating delivery or having someone pick it up. Took it to GC, got cash without the hassle. The cash difference in private sale and GC was worth the saved effort for me.

I think there is the idea that people only go there when they are desperate for cash. Probably true for some. I go there when I do not want to deal with selling elsewhere. Sometimes my time is more valuable than what I lose in sales price difference.

Noting high value items never go to GC for me, but in those cases the difference between 60% of sale price and 100% is often worth my time.
 
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#7
It's not just GC. Pretty much any brick and mortar or online reseller is going to offer 50 or 60% of recent sale prices on Reverb and/or eBay...or Musicians Friend or Sweetwater. That markup is how they make their living, and taking that offer is the price you pay for not having to mess with selling and shipping it.

Having said that, a $600 offer on something they'll flip for $2000 or 2200 IS pretty bad.
 
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#10
GC is all over the place for pricing. I picked up a used Kiesel tele style guitar for about $1200 and saw the exact same guitar on the GC site selling for $2100. I went to see about a trade in and even pointed them to the other one they were selling… "oh yeah, some stores have no idea how to price things" and they offered me $900. I walked away and ended up trading it for another Kiesel locally.
 
#11
Core Creek said:
GC is all over the place for pricing. I picked up a used Kiesel tele style guitar for about $1200 and saw the exact same guitar on the GC site selling for $2100. I went to see about a trade in and even pointed them to the other one they were selling… "oh yeah, some stores have no idea how to price things" and they offered me $900. I walked away and ended up trading it for another Kiesel locally.
Click to expand...

TBH $900 is about what I would have expected in your shoes. I live in a metro area with 4 Guitar Centers. I'm sort of temped to drive between all 4 before trading in something to get quotes. The variation is wild, like you said.
 
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#12
Michedelic said:
Two words: convenience tax. You don't have to list, wait, deal with a tire kicker, wait, deal with a freakazoid, wait, deal with hem'n'haw Hank, wait, deal with "hey, I'm in the next county, could you bring it to me"(ankle bracelet?), wait….
Click to expand...

Seriously. I have a local synth shop that buys used gear and I have a modular habit. I buy stuff from them knowing I'll probably sell it right back at some point. They are quick to evaluate and pay out, and you get a better price for store credit, and you sometimes get a 15% off code when you trade in. I could list and ship these items myself and get a few extra dollars, but the convenience of moving several items at once is worth it.

Obviously guitars, basses, and amps are different animals in the used market. Shipping a $200 module will cost you a small fraction of the sale price. Shipping a $200 bass might cost you more than half the sale price.
 
#14
scuzzy said:
And that trend will continue.

I saw the following on their site and decided to take my Magnum III with ohsc in for an estimate. Grey burst, great shape.

View attachment 7386868

The guy assessing it (their tech in the corner) was blown away, played it for about 20 minutes. The guy at the counter gathering data for the price evaluation was gushing over it too. I went and played some acoustics while he consulted their "vintage gear experts" via text and email.

After about 15 minutes I returned and asked if they had an offer. He says "They said $600. That seems like quite a low-ball to me."

I simply said "thanks for your time", grabbed it and started to walk out. He stopped me and said "I'm really sorry to see that one leave. That's the coolest vintage piece I have seen in a while.". I said with their current Magnum prices online I expected more, but no big deal.

I expected about 60% of what they would list for. Not a total loss, got some whisky nearby and tried a few really nice yamaha acoustics.

I doubt I'll pack an instrument in for an eval again, though. 🤣
Click to expand...
One of the reasons I donated my '72 Rick to a music school. I would rather see a good bass get put to worthwhile use and do some good, get no money back, than get kicked in the teeth by some scamming retailer on a lowball trade-in valuation.
 
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#17
scuzzy said:
And that trend will continue.

I saw the following on their site and decided to take my Magnum III with ohsc in for an estimate. Grey burst, great shape.

View attachment 7386868

The guy assessing it (their tech in the corner) was blown away, played it for about 20 minutes. The guy at the counter gathering data for the price evaluation was gushing over it too. I went and played some acoustics while he consulted their "vintage gear experts" via text and email.

After about 15 minutes I returned and asked if they had an offer. He says "They said $600. That seems like quite a low-ball to me."

I simply said "thanks for your time", grabbed it and started to walk out. He stopped me and said "I'm really sorry to see that one leave. That's the coolest vintage piece I have seen in a while.". I said with their current Magnum prices online I expected more, but no big deal.

I expected about 60% of what they would list for. Not a total loss, got some whisky nearby and tried a few really nice yamaha acoustics.

I doubt I'll pack an instrument in for an eval again, though. 🤣
Click to expand...
Man, based on retail that's like a pawn shop level offer. You're correct. Twice that might have been a fair offer.
 
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#19
Used gear pricing strategy is basically a) determine the lowest price you'd want to sell it for used then b) offer halft that because you will will still have to store it, pay staff to deal with the window shoppers, and still get haggled down when you sell it. If the market is soft or it isn't likely to move quickly, then it takes longer to do all of that so the offer tends to be lower.
 

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