I cannot believe how high prices have gone up in the last few years too. I was buying Les Pauls from about '16 to '18 and getting some pretty decent deals. Doesn't seem to be going on anymore as of late. I couldn't really find anything under 4K, and 4 to 6K seemed to be very common. I'm glad I got my shopping done when I did ..of course some are the ones I should sell and are the inspiration for this thread. I'm at that point in my life too right now and I might be more inspired with a job loss or a long-term layoff or something. It's happened before and the cash started to sound real good then off some gear went. I do list and forget when I do - let it sit and if someone wants it, good; if they don't they don't. I'll have to check out that site. I've got some 4x12's I'd like to move and two hernias would certainly prevent me from doing it myself. Come'on, music store's are your friend, Doc. Lol. I don't think I've traded or sold to a music store since the '80s - when they used jack us kids quite hard. I see the method as being quite deprecated though ..along with them wanting to do a "special order" for you. (...Yea, I'll come back and pick that up in a couple weeks.)
Unfortunately at this point my niece's eyes would pop out when the pawn shop said they'll give her $500 (!!) for my 1 of 25 2007 LP Custom. It would be at that point that I would learn if you can in fact roll over in your own grave.
I've never regretted selling an amp or guitar but there are a few I'd be happy to buy back if it didn't cost me more than I sold them for. My first 2203 was a phenomenal amp. I did sell it at a guitar show, but only because I knew it sounded positively beastly and the guy who begged me to sell it to him convinced me to make him an offer. I said, "I don't have any reason to sell this but if you give me 2500 dollars, not a penny less, I'll sell it to you for that." He played it for a little while longer and agreed It really was all that and a bag of chips! He did in fact come back the next day with the cash. I basically doubled my money on that amp. And I'm hoping to make my current 2203 sound as good as it did. It would not have hurt my feelings if he had not returned with the money. I then took part of the money and bought a Mesa/Boogie Mark III blue stripe long head amp, with road case, for 1000 dollars from a guy who was strapped and didn't play that amp anymore. That amp was PHENOMENAL but in under a month I made a 400 dollar profit on it. I'd do the same thing again but when I have refilled my discretionary amp fund, I'd be hunting for another head just like that one. It was by far the best Mesa I've yet played. So...a 1100 dollar investment (I'd say that's what I had into the 2203 since I bought it with a 1960A cabinet in a package deal) turned itself into an 1800 dollar profit, which marks my best return yet on amps. I'm not focused on flipping amps for a profit but it's nice when a deal comes along that puts money in your pocket.
it's amazing when people think they can get fair market value at a pawn shop. It doesn't work like that.
It would probably be a good idea to put a small write-up in each guitar case with some notes and a value in case of an early and unsuspected dirt nap. I've thought of doing this but have been too lazy about it; which is probably why most of us don't do it. I'm sure some do though. This could be updated every few years too to follow the market.
A very good idea is to make a list of what every piece of your gear is worth, put in footnotes that it may be worth more in the future, along with sources of current market value, and put it somewhere where it can be found if and when ya kick the bucket..There's unscrupulous buyers out there who wouldn't miss a chance to screw over some poor uninformed new widow, or the deceased's kids. That's something I really need to get on myownself, especially considering my age!
The last piece I sold to a music store was my JCM 800 head, and that was to fund another guitar..I actually got a good deal on that, but it was because I knew the store's owner wanted it for himself, and he knew I knew..Still he held out as long as he could with a lowball offer, so when I got a interested buyer on Craigslist I went to him and told him "Look man, he's willing to give me my asking price, if you're not willing to I'm going to sell it to him this afternoon." He bought the head on the spot.
I know a guy who amassed an incredible collection of vintage Gibsons at killer deals by constantly cruising the pawnshops, but that was before the days of the internet. Now the pawnshops also know what the stuff is worth and price it accordingly..They're still going to screw anyone that brings in something for sale though, it's just what they do. I worked in one for a very short time, but I couldn't stomach either the ripoff style the store engaged in, nor a lot of the seedy clientele..Pawnshops feed on the misfortune, bad luck, and addictions of others IMO.
I agree the days of those absurd deals are few and far between now, but there are still a few. I buy a lot of stuff used from guitar center because of staff error, I’ve gotten some really incredible guitars 30-50% cheaper than I can sell them for online. But a lot of things need to line up for that to happen. The gear owner has to not bother to research what they have, they also must be unwilling to sell it themselves, the staff must enter in the item incorrectly, and it has to sit in the store for 30 days before it shows online for me to buy, and I have to be the first person to add it to cart and pay for it when there are thousands of others looking at the listings. There have been hundreds of times I saw an insane deal and added it to cart only to find that someone else beat me to it and the item is marked out of stock. now the real deal catchers would go to their local stores every day or at least once a week. You’ll get the best deals but also waste the most time and not find what you’re looking for. I collect a lot of 80s era Kramer’s and there is like a .001% chance of finding one that is worthwhile in my local store to I just shop online only. I also notice it is much harder to get a good deal on an amp. I think it’s easier when entering into a system to just type the model “1987” or “jcm800” and get a reasonable estimate on value. Some of my guitars don’t even have a model name on them anywhere so if you didn’t know exactly what it was already you’d be completely guessing. I also agree with some of the posts above, I have a spreadsheet with all my gear in it, serial numbers etc, plus how much I paid, how much I think it’s worth, and how much someone should set the starting price at. Hopefully that means if something bad happens my family members won’t get ripped off if they sell off the collection.
it doesn't even need to be a note in each case. an on-going list would do. item/serial number/value. this would also be good for insurance purposes..........(and photos)
I don't sell gear often, but if I do, it's because I got a better piece of gear in its place. For example, I sold my Schecter Gryphons (had two) because I got my C-1 30th Anniversary model. That's about it, though.
Don't need the money, don't need more space, don't want to deal with the BS involved with selling to the general public. If I have something that I really want to unload I'll just take it down to GC and take a slight beating on the price just to make it go away, but that rarely happens.
I really am not looking forward to sell anything even though I've parted with some cool gear. It seems that I've gone out of my way to amass some unique pieces and it's an insult to hear some of what people say about values. Buy low sell high is the idea.......but selling high is not realistic. I look at some of my guitars and think, "these are going with me to my grave"...........really? I want to be happy. I was at a farmer's market today and the music was being played by some kid with an import Strat. He was good and sounded good. Should I struggle to acquire some cool unique gear?
I guess if youre not motivated to sell you dont need the money or the space, so hold onto it until you do. And if you have gear you really dont want its not a big deal to throw it on craigslist and meet the buyer at the local music store to do the transaction.
At this point in time you're probably right. Like I said earlier, there have been jobless times and a guitar or two went. The odd thing about "things" is that when you have the money you can lust over buying a guitar with it; when you don't have the money, you can lust over "Holy $hit, that guitar will get me X bucks!". Oddly, the excitement seems to be the same. Motivation helps when there is a fire under your @ss bringing it on.
I've kept a few things, mostly for nostalgia. The stuff I have sold, I always made profit. The stuff I bought can usually bargain price. Facebook marketplace is great.
I've lived with utter regret selling gear in the past and haven't parted with anything in probably over 12 years now. I guess im just different and sentimental lol Deeply regret selling a Peavey Envoy 110 40w Transtube to one friend when i was a teen and then a Peavey 5150 head to another friend for next to nothing. He ended up pawning it despite me offering to buy it back.
As most of you know, I have a lot more guitars than I have fingers. I do have three that I have been "going to sell" since before my cancer surgery and move back in September, 2019. Epiphone Wildkat-I have no good reason to keep this guitar. I bought it from a college kid who used it for his jazz band class for embarrassingly cheap. I complain about the overwound P90s and the pita to string Bigsby. Three times I have posted the ad, got the guitar out to polish it up and change strings and then I play a couple of blues riffs or some jazz chords and the ad comes down. Les Paul Custom- I bought this one used because at the time I worked with a Latin singer who kind of insisted on a black guitar to match our costumes' Plays and sounds great, weighs over 9 lb.s. Pre covid the only looker said, " I was looking for something a little more f---ed up." 2003 SG Special ebony fretboard. Emotionally attached, but I need to get over it.
Most of the stuff I want to get rid of is obsolete recording stuff which is literally of no use as there is no software for it anymore unless you still have XP lol. My machine that had the software went up in smoke. I have a partscaster experiment that didnt turn out how i wanted. Will probably just gift it on someone in need of an axe as partscasters dont really sell. I have some pedals and amps I should sell just to declutter but havent just because I dont want to ebay because F them and Im scared of reverb and screw sales where people come to your house. Maybe I should haul it down to GC once the covid hoaxes are over and just trade it in on store credit for shit I will use.
