Depends what you're selling. Some things have a good resale value, others not so much, and it's not necessarily based on their price when new. Instruments are one thing, electronic equipment is another—once an item's been out for a short while, unless it's some handmade boutique thing or high-end pro outboard, it's lost a lot of value. With instruments, some eras are more valuable than others—e.g. a 1980s or 90s Fender with the replacement pickups, bridges, etc. fashionable at the time may be worth less than a newer US-made unmodified one, which has nothing to do with quality, just style and trend. Some clever person could probably right now buy up all the metal-band-styled BC Rich, Dean, Schecter, etc. instruments out there for small change, wait a few years and make a fortune when they get trendy again, as 1960s Kent, Baldwin and Harmony have done.
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Resale....why such a hassle??
- Thread starter Jscriv
- Start date
My experiences have been almost unversally positive, with one major exception, a guy who won an auction for an EBMM Stingray fretless I was selling about two weeks before Christmas and then refused to pay. I was very lucky to be able to sell the bass a week later to someone who was thrilled to buy it and paid immediately.
I've been buying and selling online for almost 20 years. Yes, lowball offers are annoying, as are demands for people to ship internationally (customs, etc), or to make off-site sales, to use unconventional or uncommon forms of payment, to end auctions esrly, the possibility of shipping scams whereby the seller is guaranteed to lose, the gradual erosion of sellers' rights on eBay, etc.
Which is why I ignore lowball offers, and stste conditions of sale clearly and explicitly.
I've been buying and selling online for almost 20 years. Yes, lowball offers are annoying, as are demands for people to ship internationally (customs, etc), or to make off-site sales, to use unconventional or uncommon forms of payment, to end auctions esrly, the possibility of shipping scams whereby the seller is guaranteed to lose, the gradual erosion of sellers' rights on eBay, etc.
Which is why I ignore lowball offers, and stste conditions of sale clearly and explicitly.
If you bought a bass on speculation thinking in time you will make a profit selling it then you better hold it for a LONG time. My 1973 P bought new at Manny's was worth what I paid for it for years; ~ $200. I played it and used it... today it's worth ~$1500. However, it is sought after given the color, the model and it's condition. Buying a Musicman today and selling it next year, do not expect to get what you paid, not by a lot. An Alembic? Probably the same! OTOH assuming you bought the bass to play it and use it then you got you value from it... right?
Used an without significant errors or major wear for a mainstream (not collectors) item: price 40-65% of new is my rule of thumb. Age as such doesn't matter but other aspects do, like do I like the buyer (if I sell) or seller (if I buy). Nevermind, I am in the cheap end so I would rather give or trade an instrument away than accept an indecent deal.
Absolutely not. We play in 5 different tunings. I go on stage with 5 of them. My 8 string is for certain applications only, not selling that one. My Sub contra Bass, F#BEA? Only for limited songs. My Steinberger L2 serial number 205 out of over 20,000 made. Would you sell it? My Alembic Exploiter Bass? People are selling them on eBay and Reverb for 3 times what I paid for it. If other people want them that bad why wouldn't I?
Then there's the percieved value of a bass.
"Washburn signed by Victor Wooten!
The very bass played by Stymie of Fisted By Sheep!"
I'm sure that's all very well and good, but it's still a South Korean bass from 1995. $250 shipped...
"Washburn signed by Victor Wooten!
The very bass played by Stymie of Fisted By Sheep!"
I'm sure that's all very well and good, but it's still a South Korean bass from 1995. $250 shipped...
Don't get stressed over silly offers. Ignore them and don't let them cast doubt in your mind as to the true value of your instrument. Some instruments will hold their price well, or even increase substantially. You will know deep down if you paid too much in the first place, so you can't expect to make your losses back... you just have to take it on the chin. On the other hand, there is no reason why you should use your well honed detective skills to discover a wonderful axe and then pass it on to a stranger for a steal. Remember, it's your property until you decide to part with it. So unless the bailiffs are knocking at the door, be patient and maybe even rediscover why you fell in love with your best friend in the first place. There will usually have to be some negotiations... but on a sane level.
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it's like vintage cars, antiques, boats, everyone has gold when they're selling. when they're buying, it's full of flaws, junk. boat owners are the worst. car owner can be haggled. vintage guitars and amps are a category of their own.
"Show up at my house with cash in your fist then we will talk."
Maybe that would be a good reply to the CL lowballers? Maybe soften up the syntax a bit, though?
I mean, we're talking about CL, the epicenter of....."here I am, abuse me".....for sale ads. It's free to advertise there, so some level of aggravation is baked in.
OTOH, you can play the same game. Tell the lowballers "yeah maybe". When/if they show up at your house, start renegotiating. Since they've invested their travel time to come over, and now can see and test the item in person, you have the advantage. If they don't bite, no skin off your nose. "Thanks for coming by....'next'."
1. We all want a deal.
2. I can't exactly tell how good of shape the item is from the pictures.
3. The seller might not know what they have.
4. They might need to get rid of it badly enough that they just take the offer.
We're going to haggle I offer low, you talk me up and we find a happy middle ground. I've also seen plenty of people charging retail price for used gear. At that point I'd just buy it new.
2. I can't exactly tell how good of shape the item is from the pictures.
3. The seller might not know what they have.
4. They might need to get rid of it badly enough that they just take the offer.
We're going to haggle I offer low, you talk me up and we find a happy middle ground. I've also seen plenty of people charging retail price for used gear. At that point I'd just buy it new.
I totally forgot about this guy! Him and the Carvel guy used to be on all the time! Please buy our Fudgey the whale...
Yeah, basically if you don't like the offer, say no. If someone responds to "for sale" with just "hey, would you accept ____" or "how much are you willing to come down". And that's the first and [often] only thing they ask, I just ignore them. I'm willing to negotiate (especially on site, once you've seen the instrument...in case it isn't quite what you expected or...something), but not right off the bat before anything else is discussed.
Umm, I think you mean the "internet in general" has squeezed local music stores? Along with virtually every brick 'n mortar business?
Ebay is simply a reflection of the marketplace, not the "driver". Ebay does not "set prices" like Musicians Friend does, or like Amazon does for a zillion items for sale there.
As far as the "gone are the days of paying top dollar at local music stores". "Gone"? How far back in time are we talking about? Was that a regional phenom? I have never paid anything more than deep discounts from music stores for any items. Never, and I go back to the 70's as a certified gear whore. Pretty sure the internet and evil ebay weren't around then.
I agree 100%. It seems so fundamentally obvious that it boggles the mind as to why it isn't universally understood.
Or maybe it is understood, but not everyone has the time or interest to devote to pursuing it? Yeah I'm going with that, as the alternative reasons are too disturbing to contemplate.
I think the trick is to buy wisely and make sure when buying the instrument to keep resaleability in mind (desirable? price, condition, even color etc). That sets you up for a smooth sale later. Doesn't stop the lowballers of course but it's no hassle to just ignore them.
Do you buy used gear? Do you happily pay what the seller was asking? If you didn't answer YES to both of those questions, then you have your answer.
1987 : no Internet, local market, limited offer = high prices
2018 : Internet, WWWmarket, exploding offer = low prices
To make it worse, keep in mind probably more basses are produced every day than bass players are born.
So save you a financial heartbreak and consider this : unless you own some rare, valuable, precious Grail, used basses are like used cars : selling = loosing money. It helps.
Worked for me before .... since my nego$iation skills are close to 0
The time we spend playing bass is valuable for reasons that are personnal to us : studying bass just for fun , playing with friends or for our community, or being a studio shark.
Golden, enjoyable experiences will never be taken away from us, whatever the resale price.
2018 : Internet, WWWmarket, exploding offer = low prices
To make it worse, keep in mind probably more basses are produced every day than bass players are born.
So save you a financial heartbreak and consider this : unless you own some rare, valuable, precious Grail, used basses are like used cars : selling = loosing money. It helps.
Worked for me before .... since my nego$iation skills are close to 0
The time we spend playing bass is valuable for reasons that are personnal to us : studying bass just for fun , playing with friends or for our community, or being a studio shark.
Golden, enjoyable experiences will never be taken away from us, whatever the resale price.
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LOL! How do they find out what you paid?I do occasionally get buyers who want to pay what I paid, which I find amusing.
I think people would be happier if they didn’t think of an instrument as a place where equity is stored, or as something that holds value.
When I own it, it’s just a bass. It’s not a stock and it doesn’t file a quarterly report or pay a dividend.
If I choose to sell it at some point, it is only worth whatever it is worth at that exact moment. Past money spent means nothing, and therefore anything I get from selling a bass is found money.
Happiness.
When I own it, it’s just a bass. It’s not a stock and it doesn’t file a quarterly report or pay a dividend.
If I choose to sell it at some point, it is only worth whatever it is worth at that exact moment. Past money spent means nothing, and therefore anything I get from selling a bass is found money.
Happiness.
