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So what do you do with basses you can't sell

#61
Everyone is sort of in the same boat with this and one option I don’t think that has been suggested is to post the bass for trade (in addition to or instead of FS) with a wide range of things you would consider and to also to make it offer it in trade to anyone who posts something for trade that you might be interested in. Sometimes with gear “different” alone can be better for your needs and/or inspiring, you can find opportunities to try things out via trade that you would otherwise scraped up the cash for, and you may just red paperclip your way into something awesome. Over the last couple of years I traded a Fender DRRI I got on Reverb for an old MIJ Ibanez RG via Craigslist which then got traded for a 2023 MIJ Fender JV Strat on TGP, which recently got traded for a DW mini pro drum kit on Craigslist with no cash being exchanged in any of the deals.
 
#62
I don't buy and sell a ton of basses, but I've done this more with keyboards, some guitars, etc. It usually comes down to letting it go for next to nothing or just holding on to it. However, a third option I chose more recently was to donate it to a school. It's a neat school, a music school for kids who are homeschooled. This place gives them the opportunity to engage in ensemble music that they'd miss otherwise. I actually found that I was happy donating than selling for damn near nothing, especially since I wasn't that desperate for the money.
 
#64
Nothing is unsalable. Unless it has been in a fire. People often forget that what they pay for an instrument doesn’t equate to what others can buy them for. I remember when you could buy new Ric 4003’s for 1525 new all day long. People wanted to sell them used for 1900 b/c sweet water and GC sold them new for 2100. But that doesn’t mean that they weren’t available new for 1500. So 1200-1300 used was reasonable. The folks who wanted to sell them for 1700 used…. They still sat.

I admire people who want to sell their instruments for what they paid. But like used cars, they depreciate off the lot and whomever sold them made their 10-20-30% right off the top. So used I would expect a 30% hit minimum.

but you also got the use of the instrument. You got to love it and enjoy it. If you lose 10%, no big deal.

If something won’t sell, like everyone else says, it is because of the price.

but nobody likes to chase a ‘price drop’ thread. Dropping 100 every week just tells a buyer that you are holding out for a little more. Price it right from the start and you don’t have to ‘price drop’ it for months.

last piece of advice: people are ‘proud’ of their instruments. They are just goods. And as special as they are to us, they aren’t to the next person. Unless you find a very special someone. Price them fair and they move.

my .02 which will likely cause some controversy…. But hopefully not.
 
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#65
Lower the price.

Part it out. (Sometimes selling piece by piece will net more money than whole.)

Wait several months and try again.

(It's difficult selling stuff/basses.)

upload_2024-3-4_8-46-16.jpeg
 
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#66
Swipter said:
No one seems interested on a few different sites. So what do you do? I just stare at it and mumble you should be goooooooonnnnneeee.

But it continues to sit there.
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If it is a Fender Jazz Bass, then probably the price is too high.

If it is a multiscale fretless 6 string with torzial twist and carbon fiber neck, then it's probably a little bit too niche and too special to move quickly and you can expect it to sit for a bit until someone jumps on it.
 
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#68
Withdraw the ad so the current watchers fall away. Sit on it a couple of months then relist, jack the price up and state negotiable in the wording, if you are........

Had a Sunn Model T and matching 4x15 cab I wanted to sell in the late 80's. $600 and no takers. Pulled the ad, relisted 2 months later for $800 and could have sold a couple of them.

The fact is that ad surfers change in cycles as many drop off when they find what they want or get bored and move on and new buyers jump on board. Sit on it for 2 months, the band scene will become more active by then and the income from same will start to trickle in.
 
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#69
I was consigning pieces a while ago and then this last season of Christmas went by and nothing moved. That was my signal that the market is now stalled. But I had several pieces that I wasn't going to use and I didn't want hanging around my closet so I asked the shop owner if he would like to trade up on something so I traded two items and some cash for a better electric bass than what I was consigning and he went for it and it cost me $500 out of pocket but you know what I got the bass I wanted. Now I'm set, I have a couple of things that I don't particularly care about keeping because I'll never sell them and I don't really play them either so maybe I'll find a gifting opportunity. I've also done that before, given a nice instrument to somebody who was an exceptional player that was didn't have the wherewithal to purchase a decent instrument. They were very grateful which was rewarding in itself.and it brought a smile to my face to watch them minister with a nice piece of gear and one that was out of their reach and is now appreciated and cherished. There is value in that.
 
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#71
bassist4dalord said:
I’m in the same boat. I’ve got a bass on Reverb and TB Classifieds with not a single reply. I can see some people on Reverb are “watching” it, but no action yet. Now, it’s a fairly common bass (SBMM Ray5) and it has a couple of minor imperfections. But I want it gone. So we’ll see.

May just have to reorient my standards for the price I’m willing to set.
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Does it come with a pick and instruction booklet?
 
#72
el murdoque said:
If it is a Fender Jazz Bass, then probably the price is too high.

If it is a multiscale fretless 6 string with torzial twist and carbon fiber neck, then it's probably a little bit too niche and too special to move quickly and you can expect it to sit for a bit until someone jumps on it.
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I didn't think 325 was too high for a CV or even 300. Maybe it is. I have trouble letting a CV go for Sonic prices. Guess I'm stubborn.
 
#74
Swipter said:
No one seems interested on a few different sites. So what do you do? I just stare at it and mumble you should be goooooooonnnnneeee.

But it continues to sit there.
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Depends on the bass and why i'm selling it, if i need the money or not, or if i'm looking for a different bass or not.

If you go to any jams regularly enough that people there know you, start going to the jams with the bass you're selling and let everyone else play it, and let them know it's for sale/trade. Don't push the hard sale. Just let other people play it and let them know it's available. Even if they don't want it, musicians always know other musicians who are looking for new gear. If you're not already going to jams and don't know anyone at the jams, it might be weird if you just show up and start trying to sell your bass to them, though.

If i don't need the money and it's not some sort of "precious" bass, i'll start experimenting with it. Make a Frankenbass with it. Pull it apart, sand and paint it some fun colors with rattle-cans. Start swapping out the hardware to see how it changes things. Different pickup and string combinations. Experiment with different circuits, most likely bypassing the pots and going directly from the pickups to the output. Put a diode distortion circuit in the cavity. Experiment with putting fun little Arduino projects on the bass, like maybe LED light show on the bass. Disco-ball bass?????? (Omg now i want to do this to a bass.) Make it a fretless. Get different fret wire gauge and re-fret the bass. Practice doing all sorts of repair jobs until you become a halfway-decent tech for yourself.

You can take it to Guitar Center. You might take a major hit on price, but they'll probably buy it from you right then and there. And you might be surprised with how much they actually give you for it. I had a friend who took a Fender 5 string J bass to GC, and they had a Fender P on the wall he liked, and they basically gave him a straight-trade for it, which worked out because the money never was the issue. He got rid of the bass he didn't want and got the bass he wanted.

Or you could just keep lowering the price until it sells.
 
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#75
If it's a cheaper instrument that won't sell, sometimes I attempt to mod them. Swap out pickups or electronics, practice routing, etc. That only applies if it otherwise feels fine to play, of course. It's a good way to get a firmer grasp on those skills and can let you try some strange mods that you wouldn't dare try in something more expensive. The danger there is it can be a bit of a money sink in and of itself, depending on the mods. You also will likely not recover any excess money spent on the mod parts, so beware of that.
 
#77
Good advice about rewriting the text and making sure the pictures are good.

Also marketing is not JUST about price, but timing and other things. If the market is saturated for a particular type of instrument, it won't sell unless your buyer is motivated as to why your instrument is special. In a tough market you have to work harder to connect with the buyer.

But really it is about a seller connecting with a buyer!

If you go to G.C. or other shops, you are paying them to make the connection.

Effort expended relative to return.
 
#80
superheavyfunk said:
No shade meant here at all but to be fair, your listing is for a $300 Squier P bass and you state that you’ll only do a face to face deal. That’s not the best price ever for what it is and no shipping cuts off a good 98% of possible buyers.
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I realize that. What price would you suggest?

Shipping a bass at such a low sale price is really a no win. And I know they won't pay shipping for a used CV. Mine is in new condition but that does not matter.
 

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