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).
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Bob DeVellis
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