Preferred way to sell a guitar?
 

If you sell an acoustic guitar, what is the way that is the most efficient or what do most of you do?

1. ebay
2. craigslist
3. guitar forums
4. consignment at guitar store like Elderly

I'd vote for Craigslist ...

I've found local Craigslist a very effective way to buy a guitar. I admit, that so far, I have not tried to sell one. To me, the local nature of Craigslist, in which you interact directly with the buyer/seller, with the ability to actually go and see/touch/examine/play the guitar in person makes for a much more comfortable experience than ordering something through the mail that may or may not live up to your expectations.

For me though, the downside of Craigslist for a seller may be that people shopping Craigslist are looking for the huge bargain and not an item demanding top-dollar.

Consignment might be a legit way to be free of the hassle, but it cvomes at a price since there is a fee associated with the transaction that you the seller will bear. Of course, this is true of E-bay as well.

I have had pretty good luck here and ebay. Have not used Craigslist though.

Local face to face is first choice.

Ed

Craigslist has worked very well for me for selling a vintage Strat, Custom Shop Martin, regular Martin, Dobros as well as lesser musical stuff... But I live in the home of Craigslist - The Bay Area. LOT'S of buyers and sellers of primo instruments around here.

Use common sense and your instincts as to when & where to meet people; usually a well traveled public place, but with decent acoustics if an acoustic instrument is involved.

I just sold my first guitar and used Ebay. Although the best dollar return usually comes with an open auction (human psychology helps you here), I can't handle the stress of that so I did a buy it now or best offer listing. You list your price, but buyers can submit their best offer and you can counter (for a max number of counters between you and any one buyer). Worked great for me. I listed as $50 shipping fee since that seemed to be a good average amount. The BIN/OBO on Ebay seems to be what happens here on a smaller scale on the AGF. Another option, which I think is permitted in the classifieds here, is to list on Ebay but advertise your guitar and Ebay listing in the AGF classifieds.

Good luck with your sale.

As a side note, I'm always amazed at the human auction psychology factor. Just last week I was watching two Larrivee OM-09 sales. One with a reasonable BIN price and one with an open auction starting really low. The BIN listing was never bought but the open auction ended up higher than the BIN price on the other guitar. Go figure.

JD

I start local. Mention it to people you know that play and see if they or their friends might be into it. Then I post to craigslist. If no takers after a while I post on the forums. Finally ebay.

I've only had relatively inexpensive acoustics which is what sell locally (for me) so I've had good luck just talking to people or on craigslist. If it was an expensive or more unknown brand I think the forums are a good starting place.

1. AGF is always my first try.
2. Then EBay.
3. In the past I sold higher custom end stuff on consignment. It took a while and I was paid slowly (read the consignment contract).
4. Craigslist I now avoid. Locally I had too many people more interested in trying the instrument and talking a long time than consummating a sell.

Preferred way to sell a guitar
 

Face to face is my personal choice. That way the interested party can inspect the guitar, play it and choose to purchase or not. No dealing with the shipping, or returns and such. They buy it or don't .

Even though you feel like you're selling low, Craigslist is the best place to sell if you're near a larger metro area. The problem with Ebay is that listing fees, Paypal fees and shipping costs all eat up your bottom line. If you live in a far out rural area, Ebay is probably your best choice. But if you're in a larger metropolitan area, Craigslist is definitely the way to go.

The classified ads here at the AGF are probably the best place if you've got something better than average, like a custom build or high end Martin or Taylor.

Consignment isn't bad, in theory. But you have to worry that someone may drop, dent or scratch your guitar while testing it out, thus, reducing it's value.

My best transactions have been sort of hybrids -- people that I connected with through a forum but who were close enough for a face-to-face meeting. I've bought on eBay but never sold. I've heard stories about endless hassles that would give me pause. Craigslist hasn't worked well for me either as a seller or a buyer. In the first case, I got a lot of inquiries from tire-kickers who really weren't interested. In the latter case, I got no replies from a seller, probably because he thought I was one of those tire-kickers instead of a serious inquiry.

I've also done consignment and it worked out fine but you take a substantial hit on the value. I find that it works best for lower-priced instruments where the percent the dealer takes doesn't translate to that large a dollar amount (although some shops will take a smaller percent for pricier consignment items).

For some reason I've been pretty successful with CL. I've also sold a couple of guitars through eBay in the past (although not in a long long time), and gone through several shops.

I've done some posting on AGF classifieds in the past, but have had absolutely no luck whatsoever. :( I feel the forum here gives the buyers a huge advantage, and many guitars go through weeks or months on end without successful bids.

I've sold on Craigslist and here on the AGF. Advantages to both. Craigslist sells are to local people. I usually meet in a neutral place and take cash only. AGF. Folks are usually more than decent on the forum. Have had many dealings and only an couple that I wasn't happy with. folks on AGF are generally more savvy and will ask more questions. Not a bad thing. I have 4 guitars now and have purchased all from AGF members.

Forums have always been good for me. I have done many dealing through The Gear Page