Selling instruments online

[thistle3585]

I am curious about how people choose to sell instruments on ebay in regards to what format they use? Why does one prefer auction over buy it now or vice versa? I rarely sell instruments on ebay and have had very little success with it. Other than the cafe classifieds, what other online marketplaces have you tried that you thought were successful? I have not had a positive experience on craigslist for instruments but I have on all other sorts of things.

[Jeff Mando]

Big question, here! IMHO, instruments are selling slowly these days, compared to pre-2008. People just seemed to have had more spending money allotted for their hobbies, back then, again in my experience as a seller. BUT, that was then and this is now. I think eBay is still a great resource for advertising your item worldwide and seeing if there is any interest. BUT, things are not selling off the shelves like they once did. By that I mean I see a lot of nice instruments RELISTED week after week on eBay. That used to mean the price was too high, but I think these days people are just being more cautious with their purchasing/collecting. Again, IMHO.

As far as auction vs buy it now goes, I auction something when I don't know what it is worth OR if I know that it is rare and desirable and others may think so. If it is a common item such as a Made in Mexico Fender Stratocaster, I know there is at least a hundred of them for sale today on eBay, so an attractive Buy It Now might make mine stand out from the field. Also, if you have extras, such as a nice case, strap, etc., that may add to the package in a purchaser's eyes.

On a rare item I will use a 10-day auction starting on Thursday evening and ending on the next Sunday evening. That way it gives potential viewers two weekends to notice your listing (assuming most people look at eBay on weekends and have time to do so)

In addition to eBay, people have used gbase (guitar base) and also Reverb, which are sites for instruments only at set prices, no auctions. Most of the bigger vintage sellers use this sites for selling.

Another option if you are near an established "big name" store, such as Gruhn, Carter's, Elderly, Retrofret, etc., is to consign your item. Even with the consignment fees, sometimes it is worth it because they have established customers looking and that might result in a quicker sale.

I also consign things with local music stores in my area, when I feel they are too big to ship, such as guitar amps, etc.

You're right, Craigslist is a joke for selling anything other than a car or motorcycle. Buncha bargain hunters, IMHO. That being said, it can be great for buying, if you can deal with human psychology and people not keeping appointments or even returning phone calls......

Ebay is still the BEST overall, things just take longer to sell.

[Mark Wilson]

I watch the local CL for instruments. Most that linger are priced "hopefully" and are not much of a deal for the buyer. imo.

If you are honest with your expectations you'll find a buyer. Good to great pictures make all the difference. Buying retail and reselling on CL or eBay is not for those that can't stand to take the required markdown.

My wife could never sell anything on CL. She refuses to price it at a price she would buy it.

[vince f]

A note in support of craigslist:

I have had very good luck as a buyer and seller. (Large metro area) That said, It is not an ideal venue if you are trying to get retail used prices for your instrument. The instruments that I see linger (and get re-listed forever) are just plain overpriced. If I want to pay what Gruhn/Elderly would charge, I will go to Gruhn/Elderly, buy on approval, get a warranty and assurance that the instrument is what it claims to be.

Great example: mexican strats on CL all day long for MORE than guitar center sells them for used.

Craigslist is a venue for people looking for a deal, and for people looking to sell at a price that will move it. In the old days, these people used the newspaper classified. I also used to buy instruments there when I was a teen. The Newspaper was self policing. You paid for the ad, so if you priced high and did not sell, you lost money. This had the effect of forcing fair pricing on the sellers.

If you are looking for more than what the instrument would sell for on ebay (SELL FOR, not all of the listings that fail to sell, actual sale prices with more than one active bidder). You will likely not sell it. The idea that there are buyers out there willing to pay you a premium over ebay is just false.

I do agree that if you want top dollar as a seller, Ebay is better than CL. I usually use Ebay when it is an exotic that needs national exposure to find a buyer, CL if it is large, popular, or the hassle to ship exceeds the difference in what I can sell for. We have a few used dealers here that are super honest about pricing. They pay 60-75% of what they sell it for (depending on need for the item). This is often a better deal than CL. I have auditioned high end instruments that did not suit me, and I would regularly suggest that a sale to the dealer would probably net the seller as much as CL.

[darrylicshon]

I have sold a bought lots of items. When i don't care what it sells for i like to start my auctions at $0.01 and let them go. When I'm in need of money fast I list lots of items most a fair buy it now and i always offer best offer. Some times when i need money and don't really want to sell it i list it for a really high buy it now and best offer, i have sold some items i didn't want to but was offered such a good price i had to except. Strange how some people will pay a extremely high price sometimes

[acousticphd]

You're right, Craigslist is a joke for selling anything other than a car or motorcycle. Buncha bargain hunters, IMHO. That being said, it can be great for buying, if you can deal with human psychology and people not keeping appointments or even returning phone calls......


Not necessarily so, at all. I have sold a number of guitars and mandolins on craigslist, and also bought a few (I'm in Metro Nashville, TN). These have been instruments in the $700-$1000 range (ie, not garage sale clearouts). There are a number of pros and cons, which would take a lengthy post to discuss. Yes, one has to be prepared for and filter out lowball offers (often from music stores and dealers) and screwball trade offers, and you frankly have to be very patient, often revising and reposting several times. But there are regular people looking for good instruments and willing to pay a fair price, and regular people with nice instruments who understand what a reasonable price is.

My main advice about selling instruments is to make your description knowledgeable and complete, include good photos, and price it so that it stands out as an exceptional deal. There are enough people asking for unrealistically high/close to new prices; compete by make your asking price a great deal in comparison. Think about what attracts your attention and interest as a potential buyer, and try to be that kind of seller.

[vince f]

I do agree that instruments are selling poorly these days (and for less money). In 2005/6 it was easy for casual players to convince themselves they needed 4 or 5 mandos/banjos/guitars. That economy is gone for now.

[allenhopkins]

... In 2005/6 it was easy for casual players to convince themselves they needed 4 or 5 mandos/banjos/guitars. That economy is gone for now.

Only 4 or 5? The economy hasn't deterred all of us, especially those of us living in retirement (and with some discretionary income, earned by playing dozens of seniors' facilities every month). In 2013 I commissioned a luthier-built mandolin/mandola; in 2014 I picked up a new English-system concertina and a c. 1900 Waldo bowl-back mandocello; this year it's been a Weber Gallatin soprano mandolin (new), and an Apollonio 12-string guitar (used).

IMHO there's always a market for upper-level quality instruments, and for the rare and unusual among used/vintage. "Made in Mexico Stratocasters" are in ample supply, on-line and at dealers, and also -- as a rule -- are sold to less discerning buyers. The musician who wants a generally-available mid-range instrument may bargain hunt on the internet, or just go to a local store, which will probably have what he/she wants. And, if money's relatively tight, may "pass" for now -- knowing that when his/her personal finances improve, those Strats will still be there for purchase.

The guy who, for some strange reason, has been searching for a decade for an antique bowl-back mandocello, will realize that such items come along very infrequently, and will (and did) seize the first opportunity to acquire one. Some of the top-notch individual builders have orders backed up for years, and while those orders may not be coming in quite as fast as they did before the "Panic of '08," betcha they're still coming in.

As someone who never sells, but only trades in on new purchases, my transactions are fewer, and they're carefully thought out and negotiated locally, well before I get out the checkbook. Don't go on eBay much any more, since the little collection gaps and oddities I filled in through auctions are largely in the past now. And the on-line market can sure seem impersonal and arbitrary, compared to sitting down with a dealer I've known for years and dickering over something hanging on his wall, or sending and answering e-mails with a private seller I really feel I get to know.

So, best wishes to all who sell -- or buy -- in the big national/international market. When it's time for me to unload my 40+ year collection, I plan to broker it through one of the local dealers with whom I've dealt over the years. As good as they've been to me, seems only fair to give them some business, when the day comes for me to part with my stuff.

[vince f]

I think it id great to support local dealers, and In fact send everyone I know to my 2 favorites. I was simply pointing to the overpriced pedestrian stuff on CL most of the time. Also, the OP was asking about online selling, and commenting on CL.

[Bill Snyder]

Andrew is this for your new builds or for used instruments?

[ollaimh]

i've found great stuff on craigslist and kijiji as well. and sold a few, including a mandocello to allen hopkins. (i decided to collect only things i play and i don't like the range of the mandocello.)

like ebay there are great deals out there if you do research and look hard.