Selling a mandolin on eBay

[sandcastlefaith]

Hi, I have a Dean Bluegrass FE mandolin that I'd really like to sell. #It's really nice and all, but I recently received a new Gibson F9 and I can't afford to keep three mandolins (I also have a cheap Epiphone MM-20 that isn't worth selling.) #I really like the instrument and it is beautiful, and since I worked really hard to afford it, it has some sentimental value as well. #I advertised it on the mandolin cafe message boards, but haven't got any bites, so my next option is to turn to ebay. Does anyone have any experience with selling mandos on ebay? #I want my Dean to have a nice home, but I also want to get a good price for it. #Can I do both or either of these things on ebay? #I've sold things before, but never anything this expensive, and I'm really reluctant to take any risks. #Maybe I just need some convincing in either direction. #Thanks in advance for any help. #

P.S. If you want to see the ad in the Cafe Classifieds, it's ad number 9663.

[ourgang]

You can't really determine if it is going to a good home or not, but, if it is expensive, it will probably be taken care of. As far as getting your expected price from it, set your reserve at what you want to get. Remember that only the buyer is in any jeopardy in that you don't ship until you receive the money

[mrbook]

I've sold several instruments on ebay the last couple years, generally with satisfactory results. The big names - Gibson, Martin, etc. - get a lot of attention, while the second level ones - Washburn, Kentucky, etc. - were a bit tougher to sell, because there are quite a few out there. I have received better prices than I would have elsewhere, so it has worked for me. Shipping is something to consider - I ship a lot of fragile items in my business, so it's no problem for me, but consider that you have to get it to the buyer in good shape.

[August Watters]

The problem with selling a smaller-name Pac-Rim import on eBay is the competition -- there are lots of new mandolins at low prices there, so the chances of finding someone to pay top dollar for a used instrument, sight unseen, are pretty remote, I think. But it's cheap to experiment, as long as you don't use a reserve auction, and be sure to list only in one category.

There are LOTS of people who won't buy any mandolin sight-unseen -- so you may be better off with advertising locally. But if you go with eBay, be sure to specify a shipping price -- unfortunately there have been so many people increasing their profit margin by charging extra for shipping, buyers are now slow to buy anything that doesn't have a specific (and moderate) shipping price specified.

August W

[mad dawg]

I've sold three mandolins on eBay, and found a responsible and appreciative buyer each time. I also got an average or above average price each time; I feel the key is a well formatted, clear, concise, bulleted decription, and several quality photos. (If you don't know how to format in HTML, you can format your text in MSWord, save it as HTML, and then view its source code via Internet Explorer in order to copy and paste your HTML code into your eBay listing.) Also, "freebees" such as straps, picks, gog bags, etc., help get potential buyers' attention.

I have never been burned by a mandolin buyer, but one thing I just started doing on eBay is restricting payment method to PayPal only: if someone has second thoughts and bails on their buying committment to you, it will be apparent to you within a day or two if you don't receive a PayPal payment by then. (Plus, it does away the whole anxiety period of waiting for someone to mail you a cashiers check or money order.)

[Jaded]

I've had much better results selling on ebay or the cafe than trying to sell locally and it's a lot cheaper. A classified ad runs about $30 here.

So far I've only had one winning bidder back out and one really bad experience with a buyer.

If you to avoid having to ship, you can run local pickup only auctions, you will tend to get less money that way, but i've had some success selling things like that. If you're nervous about shipping, you might try consulting a local music store who sells over the internet.