Used gear from private sellers is all but extinct.
- Thread starter JMP/HBE
- Start date
treyhaislip
Well-known member
I feel like its hit or miss for local gear where I'm located. What kills me on Craiglist is all of the "tags" people put in...search for a Charvel and you will get pages of non-Charvels with a tags for Charvel along with every guitar brand known to mankind... :chairshot
solspirit
Ultimate Post Liker
Yeah that's frustrating, so are people thinking that they have an $800 Affinity
JB_From_Hell
Jomo's Nimions
I have a very small circle of people I end up swapping stuff with from CL way back when. Every few years we meet up, trade guitars, and complain about all the idiots wanting $700 for their LTD EC1000 that is clearly a bolt on guitar with EC50 on the 12th fret.
JMP/HBE
Well-known member
The FB marketplace algorithm suck bad. Always full of every other type of crap than what im searching:wall: for.
They string you along to keep you "engaged" but all i ever do on FB is look and the same old stream of crap.
NegativeEase
New member
Ive been saying for 4 years that Reverb has matured into a completely informed market of mostly dealers and collectors who inflate the used market and sustain the market price on new, so getting "deals" on Reverb is rare now, that doesnt mean you can't buy for a fair price still, but you won't find steals of the past like on other marketplaces.
Fender_Punk
BerriesAndCreamologist
I think it varies by area and big cities will have more options than in a small town.
GuitarStv
Sock Market Trader
I live in Toronto (reasonably big city) and recently sold a guitar. Listed it locally on both Craigslist/Kijiji and online on Reverb. Ads were up in both places for about a month before the guitar sold.
On Craigslist/Kijiji I fielded more than 20 messages about the listing. Most of them went something like this:
"Hey, is the guitar still for sale?"
"Yep, you can come down and check it out if you want, I live at ..."
"Is there room to negotiate on the price?"
"I suppose so, what did you have in mind?"
"The lowest you will go"
"I'm willing to do [90%] of what I've listed it for"
"Would you take [20%]?"
"No"
"How about [25%]"
"Sure, but you'll need to make four payments of that [25%]"
On the other hand there was Reverb . . . where I had a three or four offers for 85% of the price listed, and eventually sold the guitar for the full price I was asking.
I don't remember running into this number of retarded people locally before, but didn't get a single remotely serious offer this time around. Made me wonder if it is even worth trying to sell locally any more. If the used gear scene is going extinct here, it's because of the folks using it.
On Craigslist/Kijiji I fielded more than 20 messages about the listing. Most of them went something like this:
"Hey, is the guitar still for sale?"
"Yep, you can come down and check it out if you want, I live at ..."
"Is there room to negotiate on the price?"
"I suppose so, what did you have in mind?"
"The lowest you will go"
"I'm willing to do [90%] of what I've listed it for"
"Would you take [20%]?"
"No"
"How about [25%]"
"Sure, but you'll need to make four payments of that [25%]"
On the other hand there was Reverb . . . where I had a three or four offers for 85% of the price listed, and eventually sold the guitar for the full price I was asking.
I don't remember running into this number of retarded people locally before, but didn't get a single remotely serious offer this time around. Made me wonder if it is even worth trying to sell locally any more. If the used gear scene is going extinct here, it's because of the folks using it.
Masta' C
Well-known member
Yup, too many idiots, scammers, and window shoppers to justify selling local these days. Blame the buyers, not the lack of sellers.
I cross-list a lot of what I sell, but haven't found a single local buyer willing to pay a reasonable price on anything aside from an amp in over a year. Even then, the discount he haggled wasn't much different than I would have paid in selling fees online.
Add to that the fact that local listings require more upkeep and items can sit for months and months compared to Reverb/eBay and it just isn't worth the hassle unless it's an item I'd prefer not to ship.
I cross-list a lot of what I sell, but haven't found a single local buyer willing to pay a reasonable price on anything aside from an amp in over a year. Even then, the discount he haggled wasn't much different than I would have paid in selling fees online.
Add to that the fact that local listings require more upkeep and items can sit for months and months compared to Reverb/eBay and it just isn't worth the hassle unless it's an item I'd prefer not to ship.
Securb
One of Jerry's Kids
I think it might depend on the market. There are a lot of good CL deals here locally, and anytime I list something it moves reasonably well. We do have quite a few Mom & Pop music stores, Pawn Shops, and Guitar Center stores in the area. I guess the abundance of choices keeps the prices reasonable and the local market active.
JMP/HBE
Well-known member
Yes to a point but there are 3 million people in my Metro including 3 separate Guitar Centers and ive never seen gear so dried up.
The gear landscape has been re-written.
Whether it stays that way have no idea. :dot:
JMP/HBE
Well-known member
Actually everyone here is selling and not buying but what they're selling is either a $100 Squire for $600 or $6000 prs 10 top and hardly anything in between.
10's of thousands of Corporate layoffs everyone wants money.
We are headed for recession. The great American guitar experiment is pretty much over.
Opposite of feast is famine and we've all been feasting for 15 years.
Time for things to go the other way. Its the natural order of things.:thumbsdow
GuitarStv
Sock Market Trader
Wait until the crazies you've elected force the US to default on their debt. Could well push the entire world into a much more severe recession, which will likely force a lot of sales on higher end stuff for bargain prices.
NegativeEase
New member
Yeah, we were WAY overdue for a market correction -so soon -for those positioned correctly there is great opportunity for buying up guitars at great prices.
JMP/HBE
Well-known member
"We carry the message but are not responsible for outcomes".
