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trading a bass in at Guitar Center
- Thread starter USAJO
- Start date
Depending on where you live, there are probably TBers close by you. If turnaround time is a problem, or you don't want to ship, you may still be able to swing something in-person from the site. I've had multiple local deals through TB, and you'll do much better than trade-in.
I've also been able to haggle with GC on items, and get pretty good prices, when I have cash-in-hand.
Good luck.
That's the best way to sum it up. They have to buy at wholesale in order to re-sell the bass at retail prices.
You want to sell at retail to maximize your income.
You're much better off to sell it yourself.
I've done a number of trades and sells at GC and this is exactly how they manage it.
Usually I limit my GC trades to items that I'd value at or around $500. Then when GC offers you $250 to $300 for it and gives you a 10% discount on your purchase you're really maybe only out about $100 or less. Which to me is worth it, as it avoids all the hassle of listing and dealing with window shoppers and other riff raff on craigslist or eBay.
For gear worth more than $500 (like your Stingray) I'd strongly consider listing it on TB. You'll get a fair price and odds are you're dealing with people that value your interests and the overall transaction.
Good luck.
This is how any business that deals in used goods works. A bass at a music store, a stereo at a pawn shop, or trading-in your old car at a dealership...
Time IS money. Convenience costs you money. Making the transaction happen NOW costs you money. Placing an ad and selling the item yourself costs you TIME and EFFORT.
Since Guitar Center has to pay employees, pay rent, pay utilities... just to hang your old gear on the wall, it costs them money. It costs Guitar Center money just to have someone look at ya funny.
Money, time, and effort are all things to be budgeted and balanced. It is not all about money alone. You pay one way or you pay another. Sometimes your time is worth more than your money. So you trade money for the new item. Sometimes you have plenty of time so you spend time selling your old gear yourself.
The only time you get "ripped off" by a dealer is when you don't understand what trade-offs you are agreeing to. Or when a car dealer lies to you that you will have a net savings in reduced sales tax if you trade your old truck in for a $1000 credit instead of selling it yourself for $2500.
If you understand that in trading-in you are buying the item and buying time, then it may be a fair deal to all parties.
That being said, I think a lot of people over value their own time and pay a lot of money to make transactions happen quickly. I have never been able to afford to sell or trade gear at a shop. I have never had a need for the transaction to happen now. I have always sold gear on Craigslist (or an ad in the paper in the old days) because my money has usually been worth more than my time.
One of the things Guitar Center sells is TIME. But you don't have to buy it there and you usually don't have to buy it at all.
Time IS money. Convenience costs you money. Making the transaction happen NOW costs you money. Placing an ad and selling the item yourself costs you TIME and EFFORT.
Since Guitar Center has to pay employees, pay rent, pay utilities... just to hang your old gear on the wall, it costs them money. It costs Guitar Center money just to have someone look at ya funny.
Money, time, and effort are all things to be budgeted and balanced. It is not all about money alone. You pay one way or you pay another. Sometimes your time is worth more than your money. So you trade money for the new item. Sometimes you have plenty of time so you spend time selling your old gear yourself.
The only time you get "ripped off" by a dealer is when you don't understand what trade-offs you are agreeing to. Or when a car dealer lies to you that you will have a net savings in reduced sales tax if you trade your old truck in for a $1000 credit instead of selling it yourself for $2500.
If you understand that in trading-in you are buying the item and buying time, then it may be a fair deal to all parties.
That being said, I think a lot of people over value their own time and pay a lot of money to make transactions happen quickly. I have never been able to afford to sell or trade gear at a shop. I have never had a need for the transaction to happen now. I have always sold gear on Craigslist (or an ad in the paper in the old days) because my money has usually been worth more than my time.
One of the things Guitar Center sells is TIME. But you don't have to buy it there and you usually don't have to buy it at all.
I can not emphasize how much I ****ing hate guitar center, your better off trading it on Craigslist and make real $$$ to buy your Jazz, and I made the mistake your about to make.. Sold my '10 Ray for a fretless American Jazz.. should've sold it on Craigslist
Another advantage to renewing your Supporting Membership would be to post it in the TB Classifieds as a TRADE. Stingrays and passive Fenders are two of the most popular basses on TB, so there's a good chance somebody would be interested in trading their Fender for your 'Ray.
I actually had a good experience trading in a guitar at GC - I guess it depends on the initial value of the guitar and what you would expect. I went in there for a classic vibe prec and of course though it said online it wasn't there- I then browsed the floor and saw an '11 AM Prec listed at 1100. There was a father's day special so I got 200 off and then I had an Epi EB-3 that was gathering dust so I went to the first guy and he said uh probably 65, second guy said 75, I kept silent and then got to the register and the third guy said 100 and I took it. So for an 300 Epi I got 100 towards a new AM Prec. So all in all I walked out paying 950 for the new bass.
I traded a bass at GC straight up for a Warwick I really wanted. Maybe lost out on $100-200 tops, but it was worth it the time saved to me.
Otherwise, Craigslist is a good option. It really depends on your area... you might have a hard time in a small town, but if you're close enough to a bigger city someone will bite!
Try Craigslist first. Just sold a bass there within three days of posting. Didn't want the low $ from GC, or to take the time involved in shipping/packing selling on TB. If it doesn't sell on Craigslist you can always take it to GC anyway.
Exactly. You're taking a hit for not having to deal with your own customers, per say. They're the ones that are taking it off your hands right then and there, just because you brought it in. Now they have to turn it around and sell it. You're paying for the convenience.
People that complain about being "ripped off" are just expecting music stores to buy their used gear for 90% of their market value, or they just like to complain.
I'd definitely agree here if you're trying to sell something very recognizable, like a Fender bass. It's not always the same experience for less recognizable pieces, in my experience.
You guys have it right. When you trade in a used item, you are a wholeseller selling to a retailer. The retailer has to make a profit on every transaction or they won't be a retailer for very long.
When you sell at a lower than retail price to GC, you are essentially paying for the convienience of not having to market your goods yourself. You are paying GC to do it for you and you are paying for the instant gratification of cash in hand now.
Yes. You probably will make more money by selling your goods yourself on CL or wherever, but you have the potential for much more hassle that way.
When you sell at a lower than retail price to GC, you are essentially paying for the convienience of not having to market your goods yourself. You are paying GC to do it for you and you are paying for the instant gratification of cash in hand now.
Yes. You probably will make more money by selling your goods yourself on CL or wherever, but you have the potential for much more hassle that way.
Now see I dont think a MusicMan Stingray Classic with a BirdsEye Maple neck of mine is worth $750... A good price for them to give me or any customer would be about $1000 - $1200 considering retail price is $1700 - $1900.. they'll probably sell it after, at the store, used, for $1300 - $1600.. Now yes, they do need to make profit of course, I wasn't even asking for 90%, hell, maybe the guitar center I go to just sucks, all I'm saying is that 90% of the time rip you off.
Now see I dont think a MusicMan Stingray Classic with a BirdsEye Maple neck of mine is worth $750... A good price for them to give me or any customer would be about $1000 - $1200 considering retail price is $1700 - $1900.. they'll probably sell it after, at the store, used, for $1300 - $1600.. Now yes, they do need to make profit of course, I wasn't even asking for 90%, hell, maybe the guitar center I go to just sucks, all I'm saying is that 90% of the time rip you off.
So, let me see if I understand you correctly. You believe GC should pay you for your used bass roughly what they (as retailers) pay for a brand new one from the OEM?
Please understand, I'm no GC fanboy. I quit there for good reasons. I only made my original post because I'm trying to explain to folks who may not know already how GC does trades and street buys, but what you're saying makes no business sense. Why should they do what you suggest?
As myself and other posters have suggested, you can always do the marketing yourself and eliminate the overhead of selling it to a retail chain.
pablomigraine
Commercial User
Guitar Center pays 60% of whatever they figure they can sell the item for in all cases. You will not get "what it's worth". Otherwise GC would be a charity organization. Most of the "Guitar Center Ripped Me Off!!" Threads stem from a fundamental ignorance of how business works. You paid $80 for your shoes because you felt they were worth $80. The store that sold them to you paid about $10 for them. The manufacturer's aggregate cost per pair is probably less than a dollar. That's business. If you want "what its worth"... sell it on your own.
They do not try to "haggle" down and buy items as cheap as possible, nor do they give Grandma $50 for the vintage Fender she found in the attic. 60% of whatever they can sell it for. What it cost new has absolutely nothing to do with it. Customer demand and recent used prices determine what your trade is worth. If you were silly enough to pay $1800 for a Dean Custom Shop Demonator.... I got news for ya... be prepared to get $100 for it. Doesn't matter what you paid for it... matters if there's any demand for it on the used market.
They arrive at that sale number based on what examples of that same item are selling for at other GC stores in the country, and closed auctions on ebay, and sometimes the forums. The rarer your item used, the wider the margin for error on pricing on account of a lack of sales data to go by. Lasty, condition is king. Bringing in an instrument dirty, and with old strings knocks 20% off the top right away. Be clear, this is your fault... If you can't be bothered to wipe the thing down and have reasonably new strings on it, then you're not going to get what the "retail-ready" ones sell for. The dirtier it is or the further it is from "Very Good" condition, the more latitude the GC guy has to arbitrarily reduce the price. Mistakes can be made, if you're not happy with the number, politely ask to get a second opinion from the manager. Whatever we may think of them, the store managers are highly trained in instrument appraisal. Angrily telling the minimum wage GC guy he's trying to rip you off and getting argumentative will almost always result in the sales guy just ignoring you until you leave. They do not need your trade and, for better or worse, will often behave as though they do not need your business. They know full well Amazon doesn't take trades
pablomigraine
Commercial User
Now see I dont think a MusicMan Stingray Classic with a BirdsEye Maple neck of mine is worth $750... A good price for them to give me or any customer would be about $1000 - $1200 considering retail price is $1700 - $1900.. they'll probably sell it after, at the store, used, for $1300 - $1600.. Now yes, they do need to make profit of course, I wasn't even asking for 90%, hell, maybe the guitar center I go to just sucks, all I'm saying is that 90% of the time rip you off.
He's right.... why would they pay as much for a used bass as they pay for a new one from the factory?
It's not a rip off... its business...... In fact, I cant think of a single thing you could buy with LESS markup than MI gear...
60% of eBay value seems about right. You have to pay GC for the service. If they aren't giving you what you think you can get elsewhere, then sell it elsewhere.
