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trading a bass in at Guitar Center

USAJO

USAJO

Apr 13, 2005
1,138
1,495
#1
Not a regular here lately, I hope this is ok to post. I'm going to Guitar Center to see what they would give me trading in an 89 Stingray on a 62 RI Jazz or a RW Jazz. I don't sell gear very often. I tend to buy what I want and keep it for a long time. I've had the 89 Ray for quite sometime now but a passive Jazz seems to be calling me. If they don't give me much on trade in I'll probably keep it. What do you think the realistic value is of an 89 Stingray trade in? It's not beat to heck. The maple neck is amazing, the body has the wear you would expect on a bass 22 years old that has been gigged.

Hope this is an ok thread and question. I guess I'll find out tomorrow but I'd like a point of reference.
 
#2
I'm not exactly sure what to tell you about specific price but I went in to GC in Sherman Oaks, CA with a friend of mine, who let me do some negotiating for him.

He went in expecting to spend a couple of hundred bucks over the trade-in, but the GC guys came back with a price for the trade-in that would have made him spend about $400. I said, "that's just more than we can spend, thanks anyway" and headed for the door. To make a long story short, they offered him $100 more for the trade-in and then dropped $50 off the price of the bass. So he spent a little more than he was hoping to but not as much as the GC guys wanted him to. So, don't be afraid to walk out the door, especially if what you are looking to buy is readily available.
 
#4
USAJO said:
Not a regular here lately, I hope this is ok to post. I'm going to Guitar Center to see what they would give me trading in an 89 Stingray on a 62 RI Jazz or a RW Jazz. I don't sell gear very often. I tend to buy what I want and keep it for a long time. I've had the 89 Ray for quite sometime now but a passive Jazz seems to be calling me. If they don't give me much on trade in I'll probably keep it. What do you think the realistic value is of an 89 Stingray trade in? It's not beat to heck. The maple neck is amazing, the body has the ware you would expect on a bass 22 years old that has been gigged.

Hope this is an ok thread and question. I guess I'll find out tomorrow but I'd like a point of reference.
Click to expand...

AFAIK, it's ok...but i have some bad news for you

be prepared to be offered about 1/2 of what you think it's worth.

there have been several threads on this subject in recent months, with some claiming, in effect, Guitar Center tried to rip me off, or some such.

actually, they are basing their offer on what they can sell it for. we (my son & I) have bought several used items from guitar center over the last couple years, always at a good price. the most recent item was a fender telecaster FMT guitar for @ 450.00 bucks (including tax).

the only way they can make any money is to be ruthless when they buy used equipment. the guitar in question sells for @ 700.00-800.00 new and we bought ours used for 450.00. that means they could not have given the guy who traded it in more than 250.00 or 300.00 bucks, probably the former.

you would be better off to sell on craigslist or ebay, or here in TB classifieds. I am not really sure of the procedure for selling here, but I am sure some will be glad to direct you how to do it.

good luck

davesignatureII-1.png
 
#5
I tried to trade a bass in at GC that was was roughly $450 new. The bass is mint and only a couple months old. They offered me $85. I walked out.

Edit: I believe the give you 60% of the current used selling price from ebay or other places. At least that's what they say
 
#7
droppedurpocket said:
I tried to trade a bass in at GC that was was roughly $450 new. The bass is mint and only a couple months old. They offered me $85. I walked out.

Edit: I believe the give you 60% of the current used selling price from ebay or other places. At least that's what they say
Click to expand...

This sounds about right. I have a friend that was a manager at GC and this is pretty much what he said. They usually only offer up 50-60% of whatever the going rate is for whatever it is that you're trying to trade.
 
#11
I was a supporting member in the past, years ago. Sounds like the logical place to sell but I gig so much and only have one bass now I was hoping I could just trade it and move on. I'll need to find a gap in my schedule. I don't play bass in my Springsteen Tribute so I'll have to work out the logistics of selling on the forum..The band I play bass in is pretty busy too right now. Ugh.

thanks
 
#17
The guys that said 60% were closest to what GC will give you for a trade. I used to work there in the Guitar/Bass/ Amp dept. The typical trade would work like this:

1. Cust brings in piece to be traded
2. GC guy looks it over for playability/defects/etc.. and determines if its the real deal (not a fake)
3. GC guy looks at EBAY and the GC used site for what a similar piece has actually SOLD for (not necessarily what they're listed for). This info can be found by checking the "Completed Listings" box on EBAY.
4. GC guy will make an offer thats usually 50-65% of what the piece will be listed for at GC. Higher end pieces that are in good shape are gonna have a better chance of fetching the 65% whereas pieces that are in rough shape will get you closer to 50%.

One caveat is if the piece is 20 years old or greater. Pics need to be taken and emailed off to GC's vintage dept and they determine that buy-in and sale price. I've seen this process take as long as a couple of hours.

Anyway, if you decide to sell the piece to GC, you can either get cash (if the item is bought in at $500 or less) or a check.

The other option is their Trade-In/Trade-Up deal. If you use the money from your trade in to buy a NEW item, they take 10% off of the price.
 
#18
I guess I was hoping for a miracle. Drive in and drive out with a different bass. I can't take a beating though. I'll probably do as suggested here and sell it on this forum when I get a break in my schedule.

Thanks

In the meantime I'll watch for used 62 RI's and RW Jazzes here.
 
#19
USAJO said:
Not a regular here lately, I hope this is ok to post. I'm going to Guitar Center to see what they would give me trading in an 89 Stingray on a 62 RI Jazz or a RW Jazz. I don't sell gear very often. I tend to buy what I want and keep it for a long time. I've had the 89 Ray for quite sometime now but a passive Jazz seems to be calling me. If they don't give me much on trade in I'll probably keep it. What do you think the realistic value is of an 89 Stingray trade in? It's not beat to heck. The maple neck is amazing, the body has the wear you would expect on a bass 22 years old that has been gigged.

Hope this is an ok thread and question. I guess I'll find out tomorrow but I'd like a point of reference.
Click to expand...

typically any music store will offer you half of what the instrument is worth. Because they have to resell it and make a profit.

I prefer to sell used instruments on Ebay, CL or talkbass classified ads.
 
#20
My thinking was they would make money selling my bass as well as make money on the bass I bought so maybe they could give me more on the trade in.

They would have two incomes on the deal.
 

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