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Used bass pricing same as new - explanations?

#41
Supply and demand. Call it what you like we are experiencing inflation across the board. With new items being sold out, it creates the demand and drives up the cost. Not to mention new prices went up recently. Therefore you get people asking higher than normal prices. People can ask whatever they like for price for their property IMO. I just scroll past the item that are priced more than I’m willing to pay.

I’m an active reverb seller. I price my items competitively with the current market. No issues with moving gear at those prices either. I get lowball offers and just move on.
im also own a brick and mortar business. We raised our prices there also.
inflation sucks, but you can’t stop it.
 
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#42
Bald-N-Bassy said:
Supply and demand. Call it what you like we are experiencing inflation across the board. With new items being sold out, it creates the demand and drives up the cost. Not to mention new prices went up recently. Therefore you get people asking higher than normal prices. People can ask whatever they like for price for their property IMO. I just scroll past the item that are priced more than I’m willing to pay.

I’m an active reverb seller. I price my items competitively with the current market. No issues with moving gear at those prices either. I get lowball offers and just move on.
im also own a brick and mortar business. We raised our prices there also.
inflation sucks, but you can’t stop it.
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I totally get the concept of supply/demand, but I'm specifically talking about basses that aren't in high demand and can easily be found new. It's not even a case of a few isolated sellers overpricing. It's all of them. Are there really people out there that will pay new pricing for a used bass when they could buy it NIB with a warranty for the same price?
 
#43
lowphatbass said:
With entry level basses I see silly prices everyday. I equate lots of this to the lack of understanding between “list” and “street”. Mom and dad buys kid a Squier bass/amp/chord/strap bundle for $399 that has a list price of $589…they think they got a steal and try to sell it for $500…I see this daily.
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buldog5151bass said:
Cheap stuff often is being sold by non-musicians - photographers who used something on a shoot, or people cleaning out the house of a family member,etc. They are just guessing. Many non-musicians have no idea ther is such a difference between an MIA Fender and a "Squier by Fender".
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You’d think they would at least know how to look up used prices on the internet.

Does anyone still think that list price is the actual selling price? List price and MSRP are always inflated.
 
#44
Shortages, lack of new product out there, it stinks. I was really interested in a used Sadowsky, but the asking price was basically the same as new. It doesn't matter how "mint" it is, it's still a used bass. I am willing to pay a "fair" price, but I can only go so far.
 
#48
Yeah I'm kicking myself for not buying a Dingwall a little over a year ago. Both here amd on Reverb people are asking literally new, or MORE than new, prices for them. And it's across the board from higher end stuff to NG models. $2200+ for a used NG? I don't think so.

I'm going to he patient. I just can't see myself paying these ridiculous prices at the moment.
 
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#49
friskinator said:
I totally get the concept of supply/demand, but I'm specifically talking about basses that aren't in high demand and can easily be found new. It's not even a case of a few isolated sellers overpricing. It's all of them. Are there really people out there that will pay new pricing for a used bass when they could buy it NIB with a warranty for the same price?
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The truth is, Yes there are people willing to pay more than new or close to new prices for items, I am one of those people. As much as it may not make sense to you folks. For me its simply a convenience factor.
I live an hour from the closest real guitar shop and 2 hrs from the closest Guitar Center/Sam Ash stores. So sometimes I factor in what its going to cost me in fuel and time to go guitar shopping. Sometimes its just easier to pay a little more, than spend $50 in fuel and 2-4 hrs of driving. I run a business, getting out of town is a task. Im willing to pay more to get an item I really want. If I can buy it new for less, then I just buy it new.
 
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#50
Bass Viking said:
It’s not that hard to do but maybe they just can’t be bothered for whatever reason.
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No, they just don't understand the market. You and I know to go to Sweetwater, GC, or another site to get the "real" price. They probably go to the Fender site, see price there. If I were looking to sell a Timex watch, I probably would go to the Timex site to get the price first.
 
#51
buldog5151bass said:
No, they just don't understand the market. You and I know to go to Sweetwater, GC, or another site to get the "real" price. They probably go to the Fender site, see price there. If I were looking to sell a Timex watch, I probably would go to the Timex site to get the price first.
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If I was selling a used item I new nothing about my first stop would probably be Ebay. But again, maybe they may not be motivated to do the research.
 
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#52
Leonid Nidis said:
Inexperienced sellers mostly that dont know how much a price drops when the bass is out of the shop.
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^^^^ THIS ^^^^

Sometimes you can explain to the seller exactly how much their item is truly worth on the market and possibly they will sell it at that price. Sometimes not. I always leave the seller my contact info and my offer telling them to contact me when it doesn't sell but also letting them know that my offer is subject to change if a long period of time has passed. If meeting in person the sight of cash will often convince them to sell right then and there. The old "bird in the hand" thing.
 
#53
Smooth_bass88 said:
Have a look at this website's classifieds section. It's freaking ridiculous! Peoples' asking prices for decades old unpopular and undesirable models are way, WAAAAYYYY off. Time to come back down to Earth bro!
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The question is: Are those particular listings selling?

A seller can ask whatever they want for any item, it is the buyer who (ultimately) says "yes" and determines the market value.
 
#54
el murdoque said:
In Germany, it is quite easy:

When you offer something used at a price higher than MSRP, you need to explain why you do that right there in the ad. Otherwise you will be flooded by messages telling you that your item is priced too high with links attached, pointing to shops where you get that new at a lower price.
People who are not even interested in buying (at any price) will feel compelled to tell you that your price is too high.
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It is not just in Germany that this happens. There are Market Groups on FB where sellers are constantly being "educated" by those looking at the item for sale. ;)
 
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#56
The old, new prices that you remember might not be the same new price today. Inflation. Everything across the board is up!

I had to buy a new stereo hi fi amp for my home system. The price was $2,500. By the time I decide to buy it, the price jumped up $500 to $3,000.

Fortunately, the hi fi speakers I bought them just a few weeks before they went up in price $600.

(My favorite frozen pizza is up 20% in price!)

Even here on TalkBass, I'm seeing used bass parts and stuff going for higher prices and rightly so. Even shipping with UPS, USPS and FedEx Ground are way up in price.

Hey man! It's the new normal! Don't you love it?
 
#57
I see no greed, nothing wrong with somebody wanting to make a profit from a sale. It’s just how the current market is, but good deals can still be occasionally found, especially in what I call the “used boutique “ market. Used Roscoe, Modulus etc.. basses can still be bought sometimes, for around 1/2 price of a brand new one.
Edit: I will agree though, even the used boutiques are higher than they were just a couple years ago.
 
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#59
I have an old high school acquaintance who just got into the building business. He's sold 6 or 8 basses in the last couple months and he says two or three of them appeared on Reverb a week after he sold them at 30% higher than his price.

Secondary market is all jacked up right now.
 
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#60
friskinator said:
Some sellers are asking more than retail on used ones, when you can buy them all day long new for less. What's weird to me is that they turn down fair offers with no counter. It's frustrating.
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Bass Viking said:
As I mentioned before, greed and ignorance. They're hoping for a sucker or they don't know how to use the internet. It really is laughable, especially when they try to sell you on how special and unique their Squier is. :laugh:
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All they need is one buyer who will pay the asking price.
 

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