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Thinking of selling my Jazz ...

Batmensch

Batmensch

Jul 4, 2010
7,247
1,204
72
Media, PA.
#1
I have an '08 MIA Jazz (this one):

MyJazzBass.jpg

And I have one or two questions about selling it here on TB -
First, a quick description:
As I said it's an '08, it's in excellent shape, hardly played at all, I'll probably give it a close inspection first, but as of now, I only know of one little dink in the finish by the bridge. The only mod I made was the pickguard, the rest is dead stock. Oh, and I will be doing a full setup before I sell it.
As to my queries ...
First, the inevitable "What's it worth?"
I won't be including the original hardshell case, I kinda need it, I was thinking maybe $800?
Are there any other kind of pics I could take that would help, other than just the one above? Any other tips about doing an effective ad?
Also, I was wondering if it'd be OK to request that it be a local sale for pickup (I wouldn't be able to ship it), and that it be for cash only. What do y'all think?
 
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#2
Some buyers will ask how much it weighs because many with the disposable income are older guys ( younger guys see the wisdom too) that are beginning to get uncomfortable with heavier basses. Decent postal scales only cost about $20.00 on Amazon and can be used for other stuff like mailing stuff and food recipes etc. some Post Offices have a scale you could stop in and use.

A good MIA Fender Jazz is a great backup bass even if you play something else. :thumbsup:

Having some old shipping boxes on hand before the ad will help because at that price it may go fast.

* You might want to provide some monetary incentive for a local pickup? It will certainly limit your responses.

Hope it goes well for you.
 
#3
Last I checked the classifieds, used American Standards were asking about $800-900 with OHSC, with outliers (possibly delusional) as high as $1000. That's your competition. Whether they are actually selling at that price, I don't know. Since you're hanging on to case, I'd expect to discount. If I were looking, I would not be interested unless the price began with the number 6. That's based on the color (subjective preference), the lack of a case, and the fact that recent model Fenders have a better reputation.

Throw it up there and see what happens. A big consideration is your own patience level. Do you need a quick sale or can you afford to wait?

PS. I bought my 2011 American Standard Jazz new from GC in 2013. I paid $970.
 
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#4
Batmensch said:
I have an '08 MIA Jazz (this one):

MyJazzBass.jpg

And I have one or two questions about selling it here on TB -
First, a quick description:
As I said it's an '08, it's in excellent shape, hardly played at all, I'll probably give it a close inspection first, but as of now, I only know of one little dink in the finish by the bridge. The only mod I made was the pickguard, the rest is dead stock. Oh, and I will be doing a full setup before I sell it.
As to my queries ...
First, the inevitable "What's it worth?"
I won't be including the original hardshell case, I kinda need it, I was thinking maybe $800?
Are there any other kind of pics I could take that would help, other than just the one above? Any other tips about doing an effective ad?
Also, I was wondering if it'd be OK to request that it be a local sale for pickup (I wouldn't be able to ship it), and that it be for cash only. What do y'all think?
Click to expand...

800 might work. 850 seems to be the sweet spot for Jazz basses with cases, that is if you want to sell it quick. I've seen them go for 950ish at the high end.

If you price it at 850 without a case expect to wait awhile, but someone will probably buy it eventually if they dig the color and fretboard.
 
#5
$800 is a reasonable price. Not great, not terrible. I'd price it lower if you want to move it faster. Take a lot of pictures in much better lighting. Aside from every single itty bitty blemish, take pics from every angle. I usually take at least 10 or so when I'm selling.

$800 plus shipping or $800 for local pickup seems about right.

And get an exact weight for it. Many people seem to want to know exactly what it weighs.
 
#7
The case would definitely help it move faster and make it less of a hassle to ship, though it's gonna cost more to ship.

The first step is taking a lot of good pictures. I like taking pictures outside out of direct sunlight.

If you wanna keep it local, you could specify that you're willing to travel X number of miles to meet a buyer in the middle.
 
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#8
Batmensch said:
Are there any other kind of pics I could take that would help, other than just the one above? Any other tips about doing an effective ad?
Also, I was wondering if it'd be OK to request that it be a local sale for pickup (I wouldn't be able to ship it), and that it be for cash only. What do y'all think?
Click to expand...

Gorn said:
The case would definitely help it move faster and make it less of a hassle to ship, though it's gonna cost more to ship.

The first step is taking a lot of good pictures. I like taking pictures outside out of direct sunlight.

If you wanna keep it local, you could specify that you're willing to travel X number of miles to meet a buyer in the middle.
Click to expand...

Taking decent pics will be a big help. It's all a part of making your "product" look attractive. If you're wondering, it's not about deception. It's about letting it's natural beauty "shine". This can be achieved with even a halfway-decent camera phone and a half-hour of work.

If you don't mind some not-quite-pro tips, check out the shots I took for an NBD-thread I started earlier this year.
  • Try to avoid showing up in reflective surfaces on and around the instrument. With a satin finish, that'll eliminate half the possible reflections.
  • Don't let your street name or house number get caught in the pic. No need to advertise where you live.
  • Sunlight is your friend, but so is being able to adjust your exposure. Too much can wash-out the colors you want to "pop".
  • Be sure to rest it in/on something that will keep the finish safe. No need to add dings just for the sake of some glamour shots.
  • Take multiple, redundant shots from each angle. You may think you have a great shot, but it can end up blurred by subtle, jerky motions which ruin it. No need to worry about wasting film.
If I think of anything else, I'll be sure to add it to the list, but these should cover the important bases.
 
#9
Gorn said:
The case would definitely help it move faster and make it less of a hassle to ship, though it's gonna cost more to ship.

The first step is taking a lot of good pictures. I like taking pictures outside out of direct sunlight.

If you wanna keep it local, you could specify that you're willing to travel X number of miles to meet a buyer in the middle.
Click to expand...
For various reasons I won't go into, I can't do that. They'll have to come to my abode. No way out of that, unfortunately.
 
#11
Killed_by_Death said:
You might as well just list it on Craig's List & forget about TB then.
Click to expand...

No reason not to. If nothing else, Chester, PA isn't too far from Philadelphia and a fair handful of TB'ers live in the general region. I, myself, have done three local, and one not-so-local, deals thanks to this website. Plus, I can see the chance of scoring a good-or-better condition MIA bass, with the added bonus of actually being able to inspect it first-hand, persuading someone to pick up their car keys. It's definitely worth it! What's it gonna cost him? A little bit of time to type it out and post some pics? So-not a big deal. ;)

@Batmensch; If you're only doing a local pick-up sale, the lack of a case should balance out the "not paying a penny for shipping" thing. Just be sure to mention that in any ad you post.
 
#13
Batmensch said:
For various reasons I won't go into, I can't do that. They'll have to come to my abode. No way out of that, unfortunately.
Click to expand...

If you want to ship the bass, you can buy hard shell cases from Guitar Fetish with a 5% discount right now. They're cheap and decent. It's like 75 bucks after the discount. If you can find one in their clearance section you can use both the 5% and 15% coupons. They stack.

Welcome to Guitarfetish

I use their pickups and tuners for various projects. I've also owned one of their cases for a time. It was a totally decent case, well put together.

I don't have any affiliation.
 
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#17
PortlandBass77 said:
For local pickup you might as well use craigslist, there is a much bigger market.
Click to expand...

As I said before, nothing wrong with placing an ad that a local TB'er might wanna check out. Certainly, Craigslist is an option, but if Batmensch does decide to put it up for sale, I'm glad to hear he's giving the TalkBass community first crack at it.
 

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