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Used bases aren't selling well.
- Thread starter darwin-bass
- Start date
Exactly. And it's not just basses, it's guitars, amps, pedals as well. The vintage guitar market was also very depressed since 2008, although it seems to have picked up lately. As you said, that's all that might sell fairly well: vintage/collectible things.
It's worth noting that $150 buys you a fairly decent, playable instrument. The low end of the market is better than it's ever been. My first bass, a Leonardo Les Paul copy purchased new from a "Mom And Pop" shop in 1974 for $150 ($738.30 in 2015 dollars!) while cool in it's own way, was a piece of junk compared to what you can buy today for 150 2015 dollars.
Too much stuff out there and less people playing = harder to sell any given instrument unless the price is really appealing. Which brings me to another point: in the Information Age, few are willing to sell for less than "market value", so it's often a stalemate...gear just sits.
I've been selling guitars on eBay for a living for the last 15 years. The last 3 years were the worst I've ever had. Fewer buyers, much more competition and it's almost impossible to find anything worthwhile to buy in order to make a fair profit (along with detestable anti-seller eBay policy changes, but that's another story) have resulted in it not being worth the trouble anymore.
Things change. Popular music's not guitar driven anymore and rock is something that a millenial's grandparents listen to. Live music is on a path to extinction. Music is expected to be given away for free. Yet, there are zillions more guitars being pumped out through big box music stores than ever before. Where do they all go? Probably sitting in warehouses somewhere.
But haven't you heard? The Recession is over and the economy has recovered from it.
It is indeed a buyer's market. I just picked up this 2003 MIM Fender Precision, in midnight wine, on Craigslist Los Angeles and I love it. All it needed was a truss rod twist to give it a great (for me) action. The pickup is super punchy, my singer commented on it. The grain and finish on the neck, and the way is aging, remind me of 70's jazz necks I loved. The bass has 'got it.' I'm not changing a thing, not even the strings. Totally gig-worthy and gig-ready axe for $200. If it satisfies this 51 year old guitar fetishist, it is certainly going to suffice for a 23 year old gigging at a club in Hollywood. He's gonna play this thing, save his money for beer, pizza and a medicinal marijuana card, and leave the popcorn and cardboard, trans continental shipping/bass flipping game to the older guys. And a lot of older guys, like myself (51), are scaling back and simplifying these days, both for economic reasons and because simplification of one's rig in later life happens with predictability (e.g., Clapton goes from a house full of guitars to a single Strat -- you get to know what you like).
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Inspired by mention here of the economist, I looked him up and began to watch his Ted Talks lecture, but bailed after a
couple of minutes for lack of a gripping initial premise. Not yet enough coffee for a bland lecture by a pedantic Frenchman.
Speaking of which, how about some love for this guy?
Je suis Alfred!
Numerous rock icons, including one of my favorites, Jim Morrison, were inspired by this magazine, a bastion of U.S. anarchism!
It isn't all about the economy. Of course, if there's less money out there it doesn't help, but I think the soft resale market is mainly due to lack of interest and oversupply.
Another thing is when you buy something new, don't expect to recoup what you paid. Depreciation can be as much as 50% and that's been fairly constant since I've been into guitars, about 40 years! You might get lucky occasionally but that's more the execption than the rule. Buy used for fair market value and you'll never lose money. Might even make a few $.
the trick is to offer incentives. i sold a popular amp in a crowded market by offering 2 sets of brand new un-opened strings to the buyer. gone in no time. 
By the way, I am keen for a compelling distillation of the guy's idea if you're down to offer it up. What is his most provocative assertion?
(and how many basses does he currently own)
I found his arguments in the book substantial and backed by considerable data. I am still looking for a true conservative rebuttal, based on logic and facts, rather than sound bites. In a sincere effort to truly hear 2 sides to the discussion I have asked many (very financially) conservative friends, including several with advanced business degrees, to recommend a rebuttal that makes sense.....but I am still waiting. All I hear is cute sound bites that contribute nothing to the discussion and often cheapen it. Bummer. Anyway, apologies for the derail. Long live Alfred E. Newman!
the trick is to offer incentives. i sold a popular amp in a crowded market by offering 2 sets of brand new un-opened strings to the buyer. gone in no time.
This is a great idea! And a chance to get rid of some unused steel rounds, as I stick with the more fret-friendly nickels these days.
Come to think of it, having bought, sold and traded quite a bit recently - most participants were over 35 years old. No wide-eyed kids with their mom, certainly. So it is not a growth market.
Please do! I'll tell you a story regarding arguing with conservatives that you will find both agreeable and hilarious. It would be a derail posted in this context indeed. For that matter I am sorry to have brought up Alfred E. Newman! But comedy is a great vehicle for truth, and some comedians, such a George Carlin, can actually reach across the aisle and unite.
No, it is not.
When I was in high school during the post Beatles '70s, every kid played an instrument and was in a band. It's never going to be like that again. Guitar/bass/drums/keyboards aren't hip anymore and haven't been for quite a while. There will always be some kids that "get" rock music, just as there will always be some that get classical music or jazz, but it will be along those lines, not like it was in the past. The market will have to adjust to this change or suffer the consequences. I wonder how many of the zillions of new instruments shipped actually get sold to end users. I suspect most sit in warehouses while stores are forced to order more each month to meet the minimum monthly quotas imposed by Gibson, Fender, etc. It's not sustainable...has to implode at some point.
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Interesting observation by the OP.
I was thinking I was just lucky when I bought my second Yamaha RBXJM2 for only $400 off of eBay on Dec 31 when I paid $740 for my first RBXJM2 from here last May. Maybe I was, but the eBay seller did have it listed for $499 and no one bid on it - so he relisted it at $100 off and STILL no one bid on it at $400 - until I bid $401 4 hours before the auction ended (I just KNEW someone would outbid me at the last minute - but no one did).
I should've known better as the only luck I have is bad.
Still, I'm glad I'm buying basses now and not trying to sell any.
I was thinking I was just lucky when I bought my second Yamaha RBXJM2 for only $400 off of eBay on Dec 31 when I paid $740 for my first RBXJM2 from here last May. Maybe I was, but the eBay seller did have it listed for $499 and no one bid on it - so he relisted it at $100 off and STILL no one bid on it at $400 - until I bid $401 4 hours before the auction ended (I just KNEW someone would outbid me at the last minute - but no one did).
I should've known better as the only luck I have is bad.
Still, I'm glad I'm buying basses now and not trying to sell any.
That has been my experience as well. I am also able to sell because I am fortunate enough not to have to milk every last nickel from every sale, so my prices are attractive, and I am usually flexible in terms of trades, etc.
Yup, always just riding from one bubble to the next we are. As far as oilfield work goes, it's one of those things where history might not necessarily repeat itself, but it often rhymes. Media can always be counted on to distort reality in some way. Same as it ever was... same as it ever was...
Interesting. I haven't read all the responses here, but as far as the OP is concerned, I buy and sell used basses constantly...more than I would like to actually, and I never have a problem finding a buyer for used basses. Some stuff goes faster than others, but it eventually finds a new home and I rarely have to eat a loss. I sold three basses in the past few weeks and never had a problem finding interested buyers. I should add that most of what I've been buying and selling are name brands with decent resale value like Fender, Yamaha, Spector, Steinberger. I don't get into really high end boutique stuff. I've even had some luck selling Carvin basses, which have been notorious for having poor resale value (I think that is changing with the new models).
Anyone else NOT having a problem selling used basses?
Anyone else NOT having a problem selling used basses?
