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Would anyone be willing to share any advice or experience on these options.
(Keep in mind that my entire collection is in mint condition.....including 1987 J-200). Never sold anything before because I did not like risk of damage/scratching from people handling my instruments. Never sold online because I didn't want to fool with returns, or the same kind of damage as above. I know...I know.....but just always been particular with my guitars. What do you guys think?
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09-07-2018 09:01 AM
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I would try the free places first, here, tgp, etc.
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List the jazz guitars here. Register on the acoustic guitar forum for any flattops and do the same. Put all of it on The Gear Page.
Simultaneously, list all of it on Reverb.
If you have no luck for a couple of months, then think about the consignment route, which means having a dealer show them and usually a 20% cut from the sale out of your pocket. Also, it's somewhat inconvenient if a private buyer approaches you via one of your earlier listings - you'll have to reclaim the instrument and hope it's still unscathed.
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I agree, start here, it would be difficult to find a nicer group of guitar loving individuals with GAS!
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Forums or Reverb.com. I've done it a lot and these are best. Stay away from Ebay and Craig's List. Acoustic Guitar Forum (AGF) would be good for the J200 - you have to become a member and I think it costs $10 to sell stuff for a month. I've had good luck there. Music stores usually take a much bigger cut than other places. To, me, forums with interest in a particular type instrument are the absolute best place.
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?What the boys have said is pretty accurate. List the jazz guitars here, the acoustics on The Acoustic Guitar Forum (you do have to pay a nominal fee) and Reverb... You collected these over time so don't rush trying to sell them. Our guys here are really sharp and won't go for any nosebleed high prices, they'll want to dicker with you on the price, it's the nature of the group.
Before I was much connected here if I needed money fast I went to a local vintage guitar store in Jersey, and sold to the owner directly. I'd call him and say I'm coming over with this one and I'd text him a couple photos. I had interesting gear (not the crazy good stuff I have now) and by letting him know what I was interested in selling it'd give him time to research the guitar and figure out what was reasonable. I knew what I had yet I also knew the guy had to make money to stay in business, so I'd set my price with enough padding that he wouldn't turn it down and I could take $100.00 to $150.00 less and walk out with his check right then and feel like I didn't lose my ass...
I'm in a similar quandary as you - I acquired a LOT of gear the last couple years and want to downsize some, I'm handicapped and can't drive so it means I need to get neighbors to take me to FedEx to ship or get a ride to a place like Chicago Music Exchange and trying dealing direct with them... They'll give me wholesale or slightly less. But it's a done deal and I don't have to worry about Reverb fees and guys wanting to dicker after they have my gear in hand over some imagined "Flaw" in the piece... I've had guys try to slick me like that too many times...
Good luck... ya know I gotta say when you first posted about wanting to order an L5 I enquired if you had something to play while you were waiting, I never got a response from you. I was planning on loaning you a nice archtop I have to hold you over. BUT then I decided to look at other posts you made and saw you were more than set for guitars to play (LOL !!!!) so I let it go... We're a good group of people and it's fucked up when one of our people (meaning you) starts having medical issues... You hang in there my friend.
Big
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Like some of the guys above, I used to wholesale to a vintage dealer to avoid the dickering/slickering of eBay/Reverb.
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Typical Mikey..
Originally Posted by BigMikeinNJ
Mickey, you are obviously in good hands here. ^^^^...
List your stuff here. Include pictures and prices. No promises but there are a lot of great people here who wont bend you over.
Good luck to you, in many ways.
Joe D
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+1 to Big Mike & Greentone's suggestion of working with a local dealer. I have sold gear to two "local" music stores in my area that deal in new and vintage gear. The transactions were fair to all involved. I've never listed gear for sale on the internet, I don't have the patience for it.
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I have sold gear through Craigslist, EBay, Reverb, the forums and by consigning to a dealer. All have their place. Here are my thoughts:
Craigslist: The buyer comes to you, there are no fees and it is a cash deal are the upsides. Lots of flakes and limited local exposure. The fact that the guitar changes hands in person is a big plus. There are no surprises or disappointments.
EBay: The buyers are looking for a deal, so unless what you have is pretty rare, expect to discount by around 10 percent off retail. Shipping is expensive (and risky) these days. Paypal cannot be depended on. Sometimes they will side with the buyer in a dispute, sometimes with the seller. If you do not have a sterling reputation (over 100 positive sales), many buyers will not do business with you for a high end purchase due to the risk. Still, you do get the benefit of worldwide exposure and will often do better than the 20 percent consignment fee that the best dealers charge. EBay charges 3.5 % of the total realized price including shipping charges you place on your item. And Paypal charges about 3%
Reverb: Pretty much the same as EBay. It is worth using EBay and Reverb at the same time for maximum exposure (might as well use Craigslist and the Forums while you are at it)
The forums (including this one). No fees and a collegial bunch of guys (at least that has been my experience so far) and no fees unless you use paypal . A limited exposure, but well worth trying before resorting to EBay, Reverb or the consignment route.
Consigning: These dealers (choose wisely) get top retail and charge you a 20 percent fee. Beware of extra fees like set up work or other repairs (Get your stuff in tip top condition on your own before sending it to them). You will have to also pay to ship it to them. This method has the least hassle but in my experience, takes the longest and results in the lowest gain to you.
Good luck!
This forum is worth trying for any archtops for sure!
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I prefer to sell local.
Guitar Center buys some gear, a couple of other shops will sell on consignment, and I've had good luck on Craigslist.
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I'm in a similar situation and by the way Sound Pure charges a 25% consignment fee which you can reduce by 5% if you decide to order a guitar through them. The trade in prices they offered me for a few of my guitars were about average for a trade in. That said, I have purchased two guitars via Sound Pure and I find them to be a reputable dealer with a fair pricing structure.
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I have bought and sold gear on Craig's List and have never had a problem.
I require local pickup and cash in hand -- and give the same as buyer.
I'm scared of consignment because of the possibility of damage in the store.
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OOh what are selling? I have disposable income and bad impulse control!
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I think it really depends on what you've got and how much time you've got. Some things sell easily, others not so much. Starting here for jazz guitars is low risk.
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If you sell on Reverb check out their shipping options. You print out the label right from their site. Someone on TGP gave me that tip and the savings were substantial when I compared costs for shipping from my own UPS account.
We have some really nice folks here. I feel lucky to have found this site. Never mind the great gear advice etc.
For the op I'd say the advice of listing stuff here and on Reverb etc was spot on. And good luck to the op.
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Hard to add much to what was said but if I had very collectible guitars I would go the consignment route with a reputable shop or Reverb.
I don't mind selling generic guitars through Ebay or Craigslist. I sold some somewhat unusual guitars on CL that I thought would be hard sells but which sold with a week or 2 - 1 refurbished Electra bass I sold to Conor Oberst's guitar tech and business partner. I would be concerned that the more you are asking the more likely you are to get a scammer or a criminal.
As far as Ebay, yeah, sometimes the hassles outweigh the benefits of a dependable sale. I don't know if the situation is different now than it was 8 or so years ago when I last sold there, but I only shipped through UPS and insured generously. Must remember to factor that in to the price you're asking. (I lowballed the shipping cost once to my great discomfort.) I would never sell overseas, which greatly increases the hassle factor.
Anyway, yes post here and good luck!
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