Sold my collings yesterday. Hate to be moribid but I'm in a rock in a hard place - Page 2

lt20dbl · #16 07-17-2017, 04:19 AM

As you have said, you know what is the right thing to do here. Golden Rule applies. Besides, the market is so soft right now on high end guitars, You were lucky to find a buyer. New opportunites to buy will most certainly arise.

BrunoBlack · #17 07-17-2017, 05:31 AM

Nobody knows what the future holds. However, I'll bet that there will be many great Collings guitars made in the short term as long as his legacy team stays in place. Perhaps some of Bill's magic has left the building, but the foundation remains. My opinion about selling vs not selling depends on a couple of things. If you need the money to make your life work properly, then you should sell the guitar. There will be other good ones available in the used market when you get your financial bases covered. On the other hand, if you have serious regret about offering this guitar for sale, you can discuss this with the buyer in an open manner and see how they feel. You might be surprised. There are many understanding and open-minded people out there. Good luck.

Gasworker · #18 07-17-2017, 05:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kalani

He wants to hold onto it because he's afraid he won't be able to afford another one (if prices go up), not to get rich or profit here.

Thanks I missed that it the OP.

The Bard Rocks · #19 07-17-2017, 05:47 AM

If it were me, I'd sell it as agreed. that's ho I am. But I might first explain the situation to the buyer and give him the opportunity to back out if he wants.

But before I even did that, I'd think long and hard about the future of Collings instruments. Consider:
1) There still are a lot of them out there, new and used. They are not going away.
2) There are ones in the pipeline, in transit, still being finished and these will no doubt get to the market, regardless. So short term, there should be no change in price.
3) Bill had lots of competition and it's very possible that if forced to look, you will discover another maker you like as well.
4) The family may continue production themselves or they may sell to someone equally talented. I don't see it as likely that it will just fold up and everybody go home. It is too valuable an asset to allow that to happen.

SunnyDee · #20 07-17-2017, 06:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gitarro

You made a deal and the buyer has fully paid. Its not even a moral question anymore - you dont hv a choice anynore but to cary out your part under the contract and ship the guitar to the buyer unless the buyer agrees to release you from the contract.

I don't agree with this idea. Even ebay allows 30 days for a seller to cancel a sale and refund the money. You have the choice and you don't need to feel guilty about it. Even if you did the obviously less savory thing and profited by selling it at a higher price, it's still a choice. Think about your motivation for selling, how much stress this is causing you now, and how you will feel about this in the long run, then act accordingly.

Zissou Intern · #21 07-17-2017, 06:26 AM

My guess is that Collings is squared away for the long haul, as Steve and the rest of the crew will stay on course. And I highly doubt that prices for Collings are going to suddenly increase.

The OP doesn't know if he can afford another Collings, and in light of Bill's passing, he wants to hang onto his guitar. So, just explain that to the buyer, and it should all work out. - If you were the buyer, would you not understand that? Is he really being dishonorable in wanting to back out of the deal considering the changing situation? - As mentioned previously, there are boatloads of used high end guitars on the market right now, including Collings.

Goat Mick · #22 07-17-2017, 06:28 AM

I'm old school in the way I look at things. If we make a deal either buying or selling then I carry out my end. If I agreed to sell you the guitar and you paid for it, then it's shipping to you regardless.

If I buy something and it is described, then I'm keeping it even if I figure out it's not right for me. It's not the seller's fault that I either didn't research the product enough to know if it'd work for or I couldn't adapt to it.

Kh1967 · #23 07-17-2017, 06:48 AM

I see both sides. No doubt you entered an agreement and should at least continue to make good on the contract.

That said, you could also have a conversation with the buyer. Feel him/her out and see if by chance, they might be having buyer's remorse. It happens.

In the end, you clearly know "right from wrong" but, a conversation might be in fairness to all parties involved.

Good luck and keep us posted.

rokdog49 · #24 07-17-2017, 07:07 AM

To me, it's a total matter of conscience.
If I were in your shoes, I would proceed as agreed. For me, nothing of any sort of material value would be worth going back on a deal.

drive-south · #25 07-17-2017, 07:13 AM

Market forces that drive prices are not going to change for one builder. Collings guitars will continue to be valued based on supply/demand and competition.

SalFromChatham · #26 07-17-2017, 07:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mick's Goat Whiskey Picks

I'm old school in the way I look at things. If we make a deal either buying or selling then I carry out my end. If I agreed to sell you the guitar and you paid for it, then it's shipping to you regardless.

If I buy something and it is described, then I'm keeping it even if I figure out it's not right for me. It's not the seller's fault that I either didn't research the product enough to know if it'd work for or I couldn't adapt to it.

short sweet and said better than i could.

RP · #27 07-17-2017, 07:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kh1967

I see both sides. No doubt you entered an agreement and should at least continue to make good on the contract.

That said, you could also have a conversation with the buyer. Feel him/her out and see if by chance, they might be having buyer's remorse. It happens.

In the end, you clearly know "right from wrong" but, a conversation might be in fairness to all parties involved.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Very well put. However, I would pose the following question. If, prior to shipping, you got a call/email from the buyer who said that he/she wanted to cancel the sale. Would you give the buyer the benefit of the doubt and refund the sale price? As others have stated, some sites have a formal or informal approval period during which the sale can be canceled. I think a change of heart should apply to the seller as well as the buyer assuming that the guitar hasn't been shipped. While I'm not convinced that the value of Collings guitars will increase dramatically with the death of the company's namesake, I agree with Kori that a conversation between buyer and seller is in order and will probably resolve the issue...

ChrisN · #28 07-17-2017, 07:41 AM

Lots of good points already made. I'd add only that, as a buyer, I wouldn't want to look at my "new" Collings and think about that poor guy who'd changed his mind and wanted it back. Your buyer may be more mercenary than I, but it's worth asking him if he'll let you out of the deal.

I've seen several ads from people looking for their old guitar that dad/granddad gave them as a boy, etc., that they improvidently sold. If I knew the attachment was emotional/familial, I'd sell it back to them (for the same money - I'm not running a charity).

I've also seen posts elsewhere from people who purchased treasured guitars from those down on their luck who, later flush, would like to rekindle the relationship but could not because the buyer wouldn't let it go ("it's MINE now, LOL" is a common refrain). Those buyers, to me, are the antithesis of what this experience should be about.

A story from the electric guitar world comes to mind, and it initially makes Slash look like such a buyer. Joe Perry went through a bad patch in the late '80s/early '90s and sold (or his ex-wife/girlfriend sold, whatever) his treasured Les Paul '53, '57, '59, gold/black top (whatever, you get the idea - it's valuable), and later tried to track it down to buy it back. Perry learned that Slash, then on his way up and semi-flush w/new rock star cash, had
purchased it, so he reached out, but Slash wouldn't sell it back to him, even though Perry was one of Slash's idols, even though Slash could appreciate the attachment, and even though Perry could now pay the freight while Slash didn't even need the money.

This went on for several years, with Perry reaching out, and Slash rebuffing him, to the point where Slash stopped taking Perry's calls. In the meantime, Slash wasn't even really using the guitar, as he didn't like it all that much, so that, to me, compounds the bad karma.

How'd that end? Perry gets some lifetime achievement, RNR hall of fame, or other honor on/about his birthday and, at the ceremony, Perry's presented with the LP as a gift from Slash. Not a dry eye in the house.

So, it's worth asking the buyer if you can back out, but if he won't, I think in in your position I'd have to go through with the sale.

brencat · #29 07-17-2017, 07:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mick's Goat Whiskey Picks

I'm old school in the way I look at things. If we make a deal either buying or selling then I carry out my end. If I agreed to sell you the guitar and you paid for it, then it's shipping to you regardless.

I'm old school too (and I'm still in my 40s). A coach in my youth once said to me "when you're stripped of everything...money and possessions, all you have left is your word and your character."

You sold the guitar. Ship it, and honor your word.

The prices of Collings guitars aren't going anywhere. The market is saturated at the mid to high end right now.

SunnyDee · #30 07-17-2017, 07:47 AM

I appreciate everyone's sensitivity to the feelings of the buyer, but the OP really doesn't have to hope the buyer understands or backs out or gives permission or anything like that. The OP can just cancel the sale. I don't like to disappoint anyone either and I'd be a little concerned about my reputation as a seller in this case, but this is really not such a dramatic issue, imo. Sales fall through. It's ok. It's not even a OOAK instrument and it hasn't been shipped, right? The buyer will just find another. I'm not saying OP should necessarily keep the guitar, just that cancelling the sale is not a big issue, imo.