Resale....why such a hassle??

[EdwardofHuncote]

It's all a matter of degrees. I've yet to have a bad experience closing a deal on TalkBass. There was some twit one time who decided to turn my sale thread into his personal angst depository, but the mods took care of him for me. I sometimes correspond with guys I've bought and traded with on here, in a friendly way.

I hate negotiations... hate 'em. With the white hot passion of seven suns. So when I make somebody an offer on something that's even a nickel less than their asking price, I go waaay out of the way to be respectful. And I somewhat expect the same treatment. When I do get silly offers, I respond politely once. After that, I'll either ignore them or if persistent, I'll send a final "go away" price.

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

When I place a craigslist ad, I write that lowball offers will be ignored, as well as 'do you still have it?'. I think lots of the lowballs are just folks who want you to respond so they can add your email to a spam list. I will also ignore anything that seems odd.

There is a larger issue that has been discussed, whether the overall demand for gits is shrinking. That sort of thing really drives down prices. Personally selling used for 50% off new is not unexpected. The rule of thumb for electronic gear is 60% of used. As with any sales on craigslist, once the price is low enough, there will be buyers--my experience.

Who’s to say what a lowball offer is?
Buyer vs seller may have a different perspective.

 

[creaturegods]

And the opposite. The Feeler.
People don’t need or want to sell something, but if they can get a premium price for it they will part ways.
The fact that they say in the ad that it’s a feeler really baffles me.
You might as well just say, “Hey! If you’re stupid enough to pay this much, then I’m smart enough to sell.”
I pass “Feeler” ads right by without so much as a glance.
Gee, just list the thing at whatever price you want without all the drama.

I mean, I'm sure that "the price they want" is a few bucks above market value. Wouldn't that be nice?

 

[eastcoasteddie]

I think certain cultural perceptions of haggling/negotiating prices are demographic. Some people’s culture see it as rude while others see it as normal business. I think that might be the source of his frustration

What about in the American culture/demographic....?
Buying an instrument in CL (or wherever) is much different than haggling for the price of spices in Mumbai...

 

[Jack Butler]

It's definitely a buyers market and has been for awhile. I'm not really gigging much lately so I'm keeping myself to 1 bass and 1 guitar. There at least 5 basses in the TB classifieds that are really good deals right now, but I just don't have any reason to get them.

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

It's all a matter of degrees. I've yet to have a bad experience closing a deal on TalkBass. There was some twit one time who decided to turn my sale thread into his personal angst depository, but the mods took care of him for me. I sometimes correspond with guys I've bought and traded with on here, in a friendly way.

I hate negotiations... hate 'em. With the white hot passion of seven suns. So when I make somebody an offer on something that's even a nickel less than their asking price, I go waaay out of the way to be respectful. And I somewhat expect the same treatment. When I do get silly offers, I respond politely once. After that, I'll either ignore them or if persistent, I'll send a final "go away" price.

Many people hate negotiations.
It’s why car dealers have gone to no-haggle pricing.
The price on the sticker is the price you pay.
It might make it easier for the buyer, but the car dealer wouldn’t be doing it if it didn’t work to their advantage.

I bought a car at a small used lot a few years back.
I took the car to my mechanic to have it checked over and get a report to see if needed work.
I took the report with me and the dealer said he’d get the stuff fixed.
I said no I’d want my mechanic to do it. (aka, I wanted to be sure it really got fixed properly.)
We talked about repairs for 15 minutes, and I kept the conversation going for over an hour and a half of additional time without discussing the car at all. A half hour past closing time, the dealer offered to take another $500 off and I bought the car.

I sometimes wonder if the no-haggle pricing works, at least in part, due to younger folks who’s main form of communication is texting. They have little or no skill in having a face to face, real time conversation, and would rather avoid them because it’s outside their comfort zone.

 

[40Hz]

This also helps the seller know how to price an item.

Seriously. I’m seeing more and more offers (especially on pedals) that are as little as $10 off the new street prices.

Why would anybody want to save so little money and give up on dealing with an established business, return privileges, and a manufacturer’s warranty?

I recently had someone (not here) offer to sell me something for the same price it goes for new at Sweetwater. And in a further display of cluelessness, wanted me to split the shipping with him on top of that. His justification? “It’s been gently used and is in near mint condition.”

I didn’t bother replying to the email.

 

[Iridescentone]

Anyone else find selling used gear to be a total pain in the patoot? Lots of insane low balls and ridiculous trade offers. It's not 2002 anymore. Or 1987 for that matter. Prices have gone up. Maybe it's just where I live, maybe there's just not much of a market. But boy is it a hassle.

$0.02....from someone who has sold lots of gear in the past, and is about to purge a bunch more soon. Just my own perspective, YMMV etc.

If you're going to sell music gear on CL you should expect all sorts of BS responses, especially from crazy lowballers who aren't necessarily players looking for gear for themselves, but are semi-pro "flippers" looking to make a profit. Nothing wrong with that, just the nature of CL. CL is obviously a local thing, which is why we'll see posts here from folks in different regions having totally different experiences buying/selling on their local CL.

Ebay, or even little Reverb, eliminate any regional selling issues. But selling on those sites requires a skill set that sadly (or fortunately?), most private sellers don't seem to have or are even aware of.

On the bright side, the economy has been steadily improving, which means eventually people will have more disposable income for luxuries like more music gear. "Eventually" because there is a lag time between people's actual rising disposable income levels, and their perception that it's "okay to spend again".

With the ever-rising prices of new gear, there is an inevitable corresponding rise in used gear prices. It follows then, that at some point used gear should command more money in the future. Still, with the high saturation levels throughout the marketplace, competition to sell probably won't become any easier for some time.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

Musical gear just doesn't sell in my area. I'm looking at CL once in awhile & the same stuff is on there.
Only the ridiculously low-priced stuff moves fast.
Basses are the worst, far more difficult to sell than a guitar, IME.

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

Seriously. I’m seeing more and more offers (especially on pedals) that are as little as $10 off the new street prices.

Why would anybody want to save so little money and give up on dealing with an established business, return privileges, and a manufacturer’s warranty?

I recently had someone (not here) offer to sell me something for the same price it goes for new at Sweetwater. And in a further display of cluelessness, wanted me to split the shipping with him on top of that. His justification? “It’s been gently used and is in near mint condition.”

I didn’t bother replying to the email.

Well some folks just don’t live in the real world.
Some may even think that their breaking it in for you adds value.

 

[maplenecked]

What about in the American culture/demographic....?
Buying an instrument in CL (or wherever) is much different than haggling for the price of spices in Mumbai...

Exactly, a melting pot

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

Exactly, a melting pot

For spice traders, that’s usually their day job. They are skilled at it on both sides of the deal.
Buying and selling music gear is usually just an occasional thing for most of us.
The only pot that’s melting around here is the one you tried to replace using a 200 watt soldering iron.

 

[Dominic D]

My problem is very few understand the concept of haggling anymore. Sellers should always expect a haggle and set the starting price higher than what they'd expect to sell, with the expectation being it'll get haggled down to a price they're happy with. The first offer is a throw away to gauge how much the seller is willing to move. If a guy asks $500 for a bass, I'll offer $250. If he counters with $490 then I'll know he's not willing to move much. If he responds $400, then I'll know there's some wiggle room. I've gotten many great deals this way in the past, especially on eBay. More recently I've noticed more and more sellers walk away after one offer, not even willing to haggle. It's strange to me because the whole point of the Make An Offer feature is to make offers and counter offers. If you're not willing to haggle, don't let people make offers.

 

[baileyboy]

I've sold 5 basses in the last 4-5 years and only lost money on one of them because it was very heavy. It helps if you only buy quality/name brands (such as U.S.A. Fender) to begin with, as those basses are that much more desirable to a wider market.

From a selling standpoint, I think it's important to know how to maximize your profits... if you selling a Fender, you should do it on CL, since there is already an existing market, and so potential buyers will seek you out. That way, you will make 100% of the profit. If it is a boutique or little known brand name, no matter how awesome, chances of getting someone to buy it on CL, eBay, reverb is not good... best to consign it so someone can put it in their hands and see how well it plays. If it's a truly amazing bass, you can always ask more than what you paid to cover the consignment percentage (usually 10-20%) to the music store.

Unless it's very heavy or in awful shape, I don't see why you shouldn't be able to at least break even, maybe even make some money. One last thing, it helps to be patient. If you are not a motivated seller, and are not in a hurry to sell, you can wait until you get an offer you like.

 

[maplenecked]

For spice traders, that’s usually their day job. They are skilled at it on both sides of the deal.
Buying and selling music gear is usually just an occasional thing for most of us.
The only pot that’s melting around here is the one you tried to replace using a 200 watt soldering iron.

Interesting to assume that the frequency of participation in selling used basses impacts their cultural perceptions of bartering

 

[40Hz]

If a guy asks $500 for a bass, I'll offer $250.

Guess it’s all a matter of perception. If someone were to come in 50% below the asking price as their opening bid I’d be more inclined to think that either the buyer (or the seller) has no idea what the item should be selling for in the current market.

I generally don’t waste time talking to people who come across as either being clueless, or who fancy themselves as real “wheeler dealers.”

But that’s me.

 

[Acoop]

Maybe less players picking it up because there's no money in it? ... I've stated the case of 'buy quality' but, cheap regiens supreme. Hence, too many low ballers. ... When I advertize a bass for sale I add a "Low-balls save your money and don't waste your time." ... But, still they do, so, I guess they've got no money and time to waste.

 

[57pbass]

Used market is the place to shop. Tremendous value most of the time.
I’ve sold many items in a reasonable amount of time at very close to my asking price..

As mentioned.. you have to be reasonable and respectful when making offers..

 

[Basshappi]

Over saturation of the market both used and new.
Availability of low priced, quality instruments.
Death of the popularity of guitar/bass/drum format in popular music.
Generational shift in expectations (instant gratification). It takes too long to become proficient with traditional instruments (and no pay off).
Generational shift in interpersonal interaction, i.e band vs "producer" mentality.

 

[toprekoms]

I've sold over 60 basses with only one complaint, and I sent the buyer's money back when I got the bass back. I always use the Buy It Now on all the 'bay, and a solid price on CL (very rarely used). If there's a hassle selling, you can also leave it on consignment, although there will be a percentage of the sale the consignment store will take after the sale.