There's never a good time to sell. Is there?

[Ben Mitchell]

I have a squire affinity jazz V that I bought new at guitar center for a complete rip-off price, 230 bones. Of course, this was before I knew about TB, and before I had any knowledge what so ever about bass guitar (I had only played upright for a long time).

Alas, after a while I figured out the B string is not for me.

Should I sell this bass to fund a 4, or keep it and just save up (this will take me awhile because I'm 15 and have no job). I was thinking about selling, but the going sell price is almost 40 dollars below what I bought it for, which just seems rediculous.

Any advice you can offer?

 

[thisSNsucks]

I can tell you're new at this, but taking a $40 loss on selling a bass you bought new is pretty normal.

Offer it up for trade on here (which requires a supporting membership) or try craigslist if you don't want to risk taking the financial loss.

 

[Longhair]

$40 loss is nothing compared to what you would lose if you traded it in.

You should keep it because even if you went to a 4 string from an upright, there is still going to be that learning curve for coordination and muscle memory.

 

[stflbn]

Expect 50%, 60% or 70% of new price in many instances. THe more boutique in nature the gear... often the more more hit you take.

A 'custom' bass that's made specifically for you preferences often takes the hardest hit.

 

[Kwesi]

If you are a new player (1~2 years under your belt) I'd keep it around for a bit just in case. In my first two years I went from 4 to 6 and then finally settled of 5 which I'm still playing now. If you've been playing for a while and are pretty clear on what you want and like then, yeah, sell it and get something else.

 

[nutdog]

Advertise it as vintage and tell everyone it has mojo.

Seriously, if you only lose $40 that's pretty reasonable. I generally won't pay more than 60% new price unless it's hard to find and like new. Otherwise might as well buy new and get warranty.

 

[bolophonic]

Just sell it.

 

[Ben Mitchell]

Thanks for the advice, y'all. This is why I love this forum.

 

[Korladis]

Buying new and then selling almost always means you'll take a loss.

One of the advantages of buying used is that you can often resell for the same amount you got the instrument for.

 

[BassAsAHobby]

Sell the V and get a Squier 4 string for about 200.

 

[Farfetched]

See if someone will trade u a 4 for your 5 on craigslist. Seriously if it's your only bass and you aren't digging it, get rid of it. If you don't like it, you're probably going to lose interest in playing it.

 

[dangerouscello]

The more expensive instruments I buy, the less worried I am about the $40 here or there. I lost $50 on a Warwick Rockbass I resold, and I was disappointed, but now it's like water under the bridge. The $40 you might lose is the price you pay for the knowledge you now have.

 

[danomite64]

This is a MUCH better time to sell a used bass than when I was starting out in the mid-80's. Back then I had to take the offer from the local music store (+/- 20% of the instrument's value), or post it in your newspaper's classifieds, trying to hunt down a local player. Which was very difficult, me being a lefty and all. Nowadays you have Ebay, Craigslist, & TB. Even so, you cannot expect your used Squier to be worth as much as when it was new, unless it's a popular, rare and discontinued model. Furthermore, if you can't bear to lose $40 on a bass, you're probably not going to like being a musician......

 

[mattpnolan]

$40 loss on a bass you bought new is definitely not bad. Recently, I've been buying different pedals to try, and even when I sell them for the same price, I obviously lose about $10 due to shipping and PP fees.

 

[T-MOST]

The amount of money you lose often depends on how badly you want to sell. Someone mentioned you take a bigger hit if you have a "boutique". Well, lets put that into the proper perspective. I'm talking about selling a $2000 bass for $1600 (for example). If you owned the bass for a year it's the equivalent of renting for $33 a month then getting a $1600 refund. Thats a good deal IMHO. If you don't need the money "yesterday" hold out for your price.

 

[Ben Mitchell]

I think I'm going to put this up in the classifieds for trade along with some cash for a bass with a value of 350-400. I'll have to donate some money first, of course. Know anybody who's looking for a squire V?

 

[cheapbasslovin]

That's some wonky math T-MOST. I get where you are going, but that is a net profit of $1200, which is a helluva deal indeed .

 

[Brad Johnson]

Best time to sell a bass is when you don't have to. Because then you don't have to. Get it?