A moral question for the guitar community

[Lucius Paisley]

Reserve prices are for people who think an item is worth more than it really is.

"I read this guitar is worth 1200 retail, so I'm not letting it go for less than 1000" - when in reality 1200 MSRP means 900 actual, which means 400-500 used.

I never deal with reserve price auctions.

I never said they couldn't also be abused e.g. shipping costs on Reverb.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Hey, this is listed on craigslist. You are safe in assuming everything is a lie. But if it is a local sale, meet him somewhere and take a look at it. If it's a legit great deal...buy it. If it's over priced...talk him down. If it's a fake...call the police.

 

[beaubrummels]

Can you guess which were stolen and which were just instruments guys just lost because of their financial problems?

Guitars & Basses:

$64.64 - '74 Fender Jazz Bass
$115 - '90 MIJ Fender '57RI P-Bass
$149 - '98 Yamaha LL-11 Acoustic
$165 - ‘70 Gibson ES-335
$180 - '98 USA Parker Nitefly
$180 - '78 Fender P-Bass
$180 - '78 Hamer Black Bound and Crowned Sunburst
$207 - '96 Larrivee D-05 acoustic
$225 - '94 Fender Jazz V Plus 5-string bass
$270 - '03 Taylor Jumbo Custom
$277 - 03 MIJ Epiphone Elite LP Custom
$315 - '89 Fender Jazz Bass
$325 - '90 Fender Strat Plus
$400 - '07 Fender '57RI AVRI Strat
$400 - '78 Fender P-Bass
$500 - '75 Fender Strat
$600 - ‘00 Gibson SH Supreme
$750 - '77 Gibson LP Deluxe
$756 - '08 Gibson LP Standard Plus
$762 - ‘76 SL Mossman Great Plains
$923 - ‘95 PRS Custom 24 10-Top
$923 - ‘81 Martin 7/28 Dred.
$993 - '89 Gibson LP Standard
$1100 - ‘77 Gibson RD Custom
$1200 - '03 Tom Anderson Hollow T Drop Top

Amps:

$250 - '05 Hughes & Kettner Tri Amp MKII Head
$320 - '07 Vox AC 30 Tube Combo
$400 - '10 Mesa Boogie Roadster Dual Rectifier Combo
$600 - '73 Fender SF Deluxe Reverb
$600 - '83 Mesa Boogie MKIIC loaded head

Everything in bold looks stolen to me. Or the owner was a complete basketcase idiot.

 

[Texsunburst59]

Everything in bold looks stolen to me. Or the owner was a complete basketcase idiot.

Supposedly all pawned guitars get vetted, and are weekly by police against list of reported stolen items in the area.

I’ll say most of them were lost by dumb asses who live beyond their means and don’t know to manage their money.

I guess I’d have to say a few stolen one fell threw the crack and were missed.

As far as I’m concerned, they were all bought legally.

 

[Sirion]

Not quite pertinent to the original scenario, but I wil add that I regard it as a slightly different matter if somebody died and relatives are trying to sell gear. I am a Kramer enthusiast and fairly often see family trying to figure out if something is worth anything. Considering how small the things you have to look for can be, and how many guitarists get it wrong and think that their plywood guitars are US-made because the neck plate says Neptune NJ, I have a lot of sympathy in those cases.

 

[solspirit]

Not quite pertinent to the original scenario, but I wil add that I regard it as a slightly different matter if somebody died and relatives are trying to sell gear. I am a Kramer enthusiast and fairly often see family trying to figure out if something is worth anything. Considering how small the things you have to look for can be, and how many guitarists get it wrong and think that their plywood guitars are US-made because the neck plate says Neptune NJ, I have a lot of sympathy in those cases.

Not only the ones made in Neptune got that neckplate. And many fools put that necplate on them thinking that it increases the value.

 

[beaubrummels]

Supposedly all pawned guitars get vetted, and are weekly by police against list of reported stolen items in the area.

I’ll say most of them were lost by dumb asses who live beyond their means and don’t know to manage their money.

I guess I’d have to say a few stolen one fell threw the crack and were missed.

As far as I’m concerned, they were all bought legally.

Yeah, not saying anything about you. Just as a thought exercise, like you proposed, I would have expected anything sold at <20-25% of it's actual value would be likely hot. And if pawn vets against reported stolen; which, I'd bet, drug users, etc., are stealing from each other and it'll never be reported. At the level, there will never be reliable 'data'.

 

[Sirion]

Not only the ones made in Neptune got that neckplate. And many fools put that necplate on them thinking that it increases the value.

Basically all the late-era overseas one had it. I'm sure there are people trying to scam using it, but for the most part those I come across simply are unaware. When guitarists can't get it right, I have a lot of sympathy for their non-guitarist families being confused.

 

[JMP/HBE]

Buying & selling goods & services is not a moral dilemma.

 

[Lake Placid Blues]

I don't have this problem. Where I live, and the nearest semi urban location, never has any decent used gear listed. Used Duncans or Dimarzio's? Nope. Used Celestions or Emis? Nope. Tube amps? Nope. USA or Japanese: Gibson's, Martins, or Chavels? Are you kidding me. Rarely Epiphones or Squires even.

Lot's of junk asking for more than it's worth? Yup.

 

[JMP/HBE]

I don't have this problem. Where I live, and the nearest semi urban location, never has any decent used gear listed. Used Duncans or Dimarzio's? Nope. Used Celestions or Emis? Nope. Tube amps? Nope. USA or Japanese: Gibson's, Martins, or Chavels? Are you kidding me. Rarely Epiphones or Squires even.

Lot's of junk asking for more than it's worth? Yup.

In the last 10 years, each year has been more & more here just like you're saying to the point where only junk & $1200 epi & squires are for sale and the sellers really think that crap is worth that.
Only decent name brand guitars you'll find is a hand full of shops & reverb & ebay.
Unless you wanna order from UK and Japan and i don't.

 

[Top-L]

Reserve prices are for people who think an item is worth more than it really is.

"I read this guitar is worth 1200 retail, so I'm not letting it go for less than 1000" - when in reality 1200 MSRP means 900 actual, which means 400-500 used.

I never deal with reserve price auctions.

This was an RME interface. Every other used one over the past six months had sold for 1800. I got a little over 1300 for it. It was mint with box, everything, minimal use in home studio. It appeared that people were viewing and bidding, but there may have been some shenanigans that I was not aware of. The winning bidder was microbidding it and it may have scared people away. Or there may have been something else going on, behind the scenes "warnings" or some other BS. I used to sell alot of stuff and everything looked like it would be a good auction.

Reserve scares away bidders, it feels more like a purchase. I thought even if it went on the low side for 1700 I would be ok with it. Don't know what happened. I should have just not sold it and told him to F himself.

This was ten years ago before ebay fees got ridiculous.

 

[GuitarDoc]

In the last 10 years, each year has been more & more here just like you're saying to the point where only junk & $1200 epi & squires are for sale and the sellers really think that crap is worth that.
Only decent name brand guitars you'll find is a hand full of shops & reverb & ebay.
Unless you wanna order from UK and Japan and i don't.

That's not a problem at all. Just buy new.

 

[JMP/HBE]

The price of something is ultimately whatever someone is dumb enough to pay.