Used market dead as a door nail?

[CrimsonGhost]

Too much inventory post COVID?

Changing tastes?

Too many imports flooding the market?

What the heck is going on?
If you look on reverb, ebay shops etc . All prices are still top dollar but even selling at a loss lately has been a nightmare..

Some basses keep going up and up and up.. example try finding a clean white "Rick James" Rick 4001.. who is actually paying $4500+? I get supply and demand but the market is just wild the past few years...

I used to buy sell and trade and sell at very fair prices many times losing money just to get into the next one.. never had many issues moving basses until the past 2 years...

Tire kickers, bad communication,wierdos etc .


Yet alot of instruments out there for crazy prices just sitting. I try to always market my instruments for decent prices and I'm not even in this to make any profit whatsoever! Just to chase tones and try out different basses like I have been since the late 90s ..

Are we looking at a possible big price realignment coming soon?

Seems like prices are still sky high while nothing is moving unless you are litterally giving basses away..

 

[CaptainRuss]

I’m feeling it too. Have had a bunch of stuff out there on craigslist for months with nary a nibble. My stuff is fairly priced with room to negotiate. I’m taking a loss on everything at full price, I’m just trying to minimize that loss. Boy, I could use some sales though, got stuff I wanna buy.

I hear people do well on Facebook marketplace but I don’t have social media so I’m stuck with Craigslist and forums.

 

[CrimsonGhost]

I’m feeling it too. Have had a bunch of stuff out there on craigslist for months with nary a nibble. My stuff is fairly priced with room to negotiate. I’m taking a loss on everything at full price, I’m just trying to minimize that loss. Boy, I could use some sales though, got stuff I wanna buy.

I hear people do well on Facebook marketplace but I don’t have social media so I’m stuck with Craigslist and forums.

Facebook marketplace is like the mad max of markets... It's so many flippers on there trying to sell Walmart first acts for $400, ancient late 60s tulips for $500+... It's usually the dredges or super high end dreamers .. unfortunately nobody is really messing. With craigslist anymore other than. The older generations with insane prices or scammers with no in between.


Reverb dosent move because you have to list as 2-300 more than your sell number to cover the insane fees...

It's looking more and more like this is done as a hobby..

I used to have zero problem taking a hit just to move on to the next bass but that hit now is unsustainable, and again not even for profit, loosing a few bucks to get into something else ..You have $1100 in something you try to sell for $950.. it's like a tire kicker magnet ..
Have another one you have $1800 into and zero bites at $1100... I used to turn over instruments in under 5 days now today it just attracts tire kickers who want to be your best friend for 5 weeks and then ghost..

 

[Slevage]

Shipping costs are having a negative effect
Too.

 

[CrimsonGhost]

Shipping costs are having a negative effect
Too.

Thats never been too much of a concern here but east coast to west coast sure.. it used to be like $45-$50 bucks now we are pushing $100+..

 

[mikeswals]

Yup, the high shipping costs no longer make this any fun to buy and try, then sell to try another.

 

[CrimsonGhost]

Yup, the high shipping costs no longer make this any fun to buy and try, then sell to try another.

East Coast to East Coast $60
Midwest to West Coast now $80-$100+

Anyone remember shipping basses for $40-45 bucks?!

 

[crazycloud]

Yup, been dead for months - I still have a whole bunch of guitars and basses that I'd like to move on, but like many, no bites.

On the other hand, there are some things I'd like to buy and the prices are great. But mostly, I don't need the new gear. A particular bass I've wanted for ages, but isn't real common came up for sale locally this week and I really can't see where it would fit into my collection. Now if I could sell a few of the others, I'd do like I used to and simply buy it, move some other basses / guitars and I'd not be out much. I spent much of the 90s doing this, having probably 500 instruments from then until now.

There is one guitar I'd like, not very expensive and where I would have just bought it before, now I'm gonna see how another couple of expenses I have play out over the next couple of days to see if the 'play money' is still there. If it is, I might get it, if not, then, so what, I have a whole bunch of other great ones.

Living in the sticks doesn't help either.

 

[godofthunder59]

I see vintage prices dropping and have taken advantage of that, so far in the past two months I've bought a 65 Thunderbird and a 74 Precision. I think the market is still suffering the post holiday blahs, I think it will pickup soon. Latley I have been selling on marketplace, ebay and Reverb fees combined with shipping make it difficult to just get what you have in a bass let alone make a little extra.

 

[CrimsonGhost]

I see vintage prices dropping and have taken advantage of that, so far in the past two months I've bought a 65 Thunderbird and a 74 Precision. I think the market is still suffering the post holiday blahs, I think it will pickup soon. Latley I have been selling on marketplace, ebay and Reverb fees combined with shipping make it difficult to just get what you have in a bass let alone make a little extra.

I have been trying to get into a white "Rick James" Rick 4001 for over 20 years now, new, Rick won't do fat horns anymore, and the prices in seeing are in the $4-4.5k range now... Who the hell's is buying this stuff these days for those prices? It's not the Japanese anymore...

The market is just wild ..

Im used to selling at a loss In 3-4 days just for the love of the hobby and can't even move unless I cut another 30-40% off the top of the loss.. I guess it's time to shore up and take a break for a while..

 

[mikeswals]

East Coast to East Coast $60
Midwest to West Coast now $80-$100+

Anyone remember shipping bassed for $40-45 bucks?!

My workplace had a UPS account, and 10-12 years ago I used to ship across country (Sea - Fla) for $30-$35 bucks.
The last bass I sold 1.5yrs ago, from here (Seattle) to SF Bay Area was $120 bucks, was a $1300-ish bass.
Sold a class d Mesa head also to Bay Area, was about $85 a few months ago.

I bought an empty vintage tolex Ric case from TX, I provided the shipping label to the seller, that was still $109 bucks.
I just dont find it worth it anymore, I had my fun, got plenty. I have not bought a bass in 3 years now.

 

[CrimsonGhost]

My workplace had a UPS account, and 10-12 years ago I used to ship across country (Sea - Fla) for $30-$35 bucks.
The last bass I sold 1.5yrs ago, from here (Seattle) to SF Bay Area was $120 bucks, was a $1300-ish bass.
Sold a class d Mesa head also to Bay Area, was about $85 a few months ago.

I bought an empty vintage tolex Ric case from TX, I provided the shipping label to the seller, that was still $109 bucks.
I just dont find it worth it anymore, I had my fun, got plenty. I have not bought a bass in 3 years now.

It's just not fun anymore indeed,... And again. Never trying to make a profit, always willing to take a loss but this is just nuts.

Then you have folks expressing interest, they communication issues,problems with technology or kick the tires trying to be your best friend 500 messages deep but are never seriously going to buy ...

 

[tekhna]

Now I pretty much only buy things that I know I’m going to keep. It’s just worth faffing about with flipping anymore.

 

[BGroovy]

The problem when the market is soft is the buying is too good to pass up. I'm running out of closets and beds to put cases under.

I always post on Facebook Marketplace first, that's my best chance to get cash and the right things move if you're in a major metro area. TalkBass I only ever trade. My willpower is too soft to hold out for a sale and something interesting usually comes through my DMs. If I post on TalkBass I'm admitting to myself it's up for trade, and I have a few spaces in my rack that are a revolving door of fun TalkBass trades.

Reverb is the only place I can ever move higher priced things for money. The fees kills you, but that's their business model. They bring the audience and take a cut. Hard to argue with when it could take a year to sell what you can on there in a month.

If anyone is sitting on a Muckelroy or S Martyn they're having trouble moving I'm your endless GAS buyer

 

[dangomez66]

I think it's the overall economy. People are wary about spending right now.

I see people complaining about shipping. I usually pay ~$100 with insurance through pirateship. It's not a bad rate, nothing compared to reverb fees.

Instruments are moving, just at a much slower pace and sometimes requiring a hefty discount.

Too much inventory post COVID?

Changing tastes?

Too many imports flooding the market?

What the heck is going on?
If you look on reverb, ebay shops etc . All prices are still top dollar but even selling at a loss lately has been a nightmare..

Some basses keep going up and up and up.. example try finding a clean white "Rick James" Rick 4001.. who is actually paying $4500+? I get supply and demand but the market is just wild the past few years...

I used to buy sell and trade and sell at very fair prices many times losing money just to get into the next one.. never had many issues moving basses until the past 2 years...

Tire kickers, bad communication,wierdos etc .


Yet alot of instruments out there for crazy prices just sitting. I try to always market my instruments for decent prices and I'm not even in this to make any profit whatsoever! Just to chase tones and try out different basses like I have been since the late 90s ..

Are we looking at a possible big price realignment coming soon?

Seems like prices are still sky high while nothing is moving unless you are litterally giving basses away..

 

[HelpImaRock]

It's February. You're not buying anything and neither is anyone else. Happens every year.

 

[pbass2]

I think it's the overall economy. People are wary about spending right now.

Yep, that's how it feels out there, with everything, no just used gear. The tariffs pushed the US economy over a cliff.

 

[TDR1138]

On my local Craigslist, one seller accounts for probably half the Fender basses. All are overpriced (significantly, IMO), and the seller won’t budge. I made a fair offer for something a couple of years ago. It’s still there.

I’ll post things for sale periodically to just have some churn with my stuff. I don’t want to ship. Too expensive and too much hassle. I list locally on CL or FB. I sold a few pedals recently, but for the most part, with instruments I seem to get lowball trade offers. Like their $600 Schecter for a US-made G&L. Sorry, but no.

 

[illusmcbillus]

I just sold my 2024 blonde ric for 1285 bucks, trying to raise enough for this '59 LP custom shop. For some reason nobody likes my Firefly Frankenbacker with 4003 pickup in front and EB-0 pickup in the bridge.

 

[BrianVengeance]

I don't think its just shipping - most people I know are tightening their belts all around. Most of the people who were able scooped up a ton of gear during COVID and shortly after. Big box music stores have been strangled by private equity and online storefronts. There has been (IMO) an oversaturation of middling gear (Fender.... bruh... sort out your product line... and don't make G&L DEAD dead), and the advent of high quality modeling has really made it hard to move physical items. Why buy a heavy amp / cab when a Tonex One sounds pretty rad for cheap?