Re: Advise for selling estate guitars
I would debate the term "estate guitars", as they're not so much an investment as collectors seem to think. As well, I think the deceased has to have a certain degree of fame before one can claim the "estate" title. BB King's gear would go in an "estate sale". Izzy Straddlin's won't.
If he left them for the family to sell off, and to get as much as they can, it's probably safe to say the money will be needed to settle his final expenses more than putting their kids through college or funding their swimming pool installation. But I'm not involved with the situation so I can only speculate.
Check the Completed Listings on Ebay, not the Currently Active listings. Any moron can ask $5000 for a PRS, but if they're averaging $2200 in open bidding, that's what they're selling for.
I will say that there are many low-ballers still playing the "bad economy" card, so brace yourself for their b.s. If the economy is so bad for them, direct them towards low-cost imports until they're financially stable enough to spend real money for collector-grade pieces.
Auction houses can take as much as 50% of the final sale in commissions and fees, and there's a Tax Man on-hand if there are big-dollar items. Unca Sam wants what he believes is his fair share.
Ebay is going to be your best bet because of the larger market, not only of players but collectors who don't play but believe guitars are solid investments. However, if none of them are limited-run special editions and there are plenty to be had in similar condition, don't expect John D Rockefeller to drop a suitcase on you.
One man's collectible is another man's "meh, seen it", and value is in the mind of the buyer more than the Kelly Blue Book. Market Demand and Market Saturation influence prices, not speculators.
Having them appraised by a reputable dealer like Gruhn Guitars or Dan Erlewine is one idea to seriously consider, though you will need to provide several detailed photos of nearly every inch of the guitar. The iPhone won't cut it - you need someone that spent a minimum of $500 on a camera that cannot make phone calls or download YouTube videos or play Candy Crush with, and knows how to use it. If someone in the family does wedding photos and gets paid to do it, invite them, but stress these aren't the dreamspace glamour shots. You might even consider taking to the local photography studio, since they've got the equipment and the backdrops and lights to do it right. Sitting it on a stand in the kitchen next to the fern is the incorrect way, and the sure sign of someone who took the local Votec/Community College 2-week photography course. You want nothing in the shot but guitar, light, and generic, bland-yet-contrasting background, and lots of close-ups.
These photos should be sent to an appraiser.
Appraisal photos cannot be "enhanced" or photoshopped with filter effects. They have to look like the real thing. I don't recommend shipping the guitars to an appraiser (aside from the cost), as UPS, F'edEx, and the USPS know which packages are the most expensive and will unleash the Samsonite Apes on them.
Listing them all at once can't hurt, because very few people (3 is a generous estimate) will even be remotely interested in buying the whole collection. That's 3 out of how many billions of people on the planet?
Listing them all at once, however, has the potential to result in all of them selling at once, and thus requiring to be shipped all at once.
I once sold 10 guitars on Ebay in the same week. I shipped them all out over 2 days. 2 people got the wrong items. I reimbursed them to ship to each other, as none of us were willing to risk the extra step of shipping back to me then me shipping them back out. I can only imagine shipping 25 guitars in one week to 25 different people.
Another crucial point to consider is how these will be packed for shipping. I bought a guitar from a friend who went down to a local place that made a carton to his specs. It was tri-wall cardboard with 2" foam padding on the front and back and 3" padding on the top, sides, and bottom. It's the best box I've ever seen in my life. It cost him about $40, IIRC. It cost over $150 to ship due to the size of the box, and yet the case is no bigger than that of a 335.
Expensive guitars require extra consideration when packing and shipping. However, there's a price to pay for the extra security, and that comes out of the sale price (or gets tacked on beforehand).
Collectible guitars also require a lot of details, like the full serial number, and an anal-retentive analysis of the condition, from tip to tail. If they have any Certificates of Authenticity, those should be stated up-front. If they're part of a limited run, and numbered x/xx, state that as well. Collectors want details that earn higher prices. "Sat in a case all its life, owned by a non-player/non-smoker" isn't good enough. "Kept in a climate-controlled vault" is sometimes good, sometimes bad, as they get accustomed to that environment and removing them from it can have detrimental effects, like finish clouding, warpage, fret lifting, expansion/contraction, hardware oxidation, or finish cracking. When the buyer receives it, and discovers these changes in the condition, they will always request a partial refund "to have it restored", even if that "restoration" involves simply letting it acclimate to its new environment or wiping it with a soft cloth.
