Quote:
Originally Posted by Rev Roy
...I keep seeing reports of a “soft” used guitar market. That hasn’t been my experience...at least when it comes to selling “excellent” condition high-end models from the Big Three...
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This. I neither see, nor experience, anything other than a robust market for new and used guitars. The only guitars I see not selling are those that are either; overpriced, under marketed, unknown or undesired. I have bought 4 guitars this year alone and sold 3. The three sold have all been over $3,000 and one over $5,000 - two of the 3 within 24 hours.
What I do continue to see are people trying to sell without pictures (sometimes providing a link to another site), inadequate specs and/or information, sloppy photos (different than no photos), obviously poor or incorrect descriptions. Also, I won't consider a guitar that has sold 4 times in short period (3 years for example). When you tell me your guitar is the best ever and it has passed through many owners when it was made in 2018, that doesn't bode well for the guitar. Likewise, when you're selling a 2018 guitar that "has the voice of an angel" and "the best I've ever owned", I don't buy it..... or the guitar when I see 6, 8, 10 others in your signature. If it's the best you've played, keep it and sell 3 of the other lesser guitars in your signature. In other words - be honest.
There are people who continue to want "friends and family" even after we have discussed ad-nauseam the PayPal violations that it incurs (not to mention the lack of protection to the buyer). People have begun putting "net to me" on their ads which means nothing to me as a buyer.
Tell me how much you want for your guitar including shipping and all fees. I'm not going to try to figure out what - "net to you" means. You'll notice that many of the instruments that sit, and sit, incorporate one, or more of the afore mentioned "don't dos". No, the market isn't soft. It's very astute and savvy. I do have one guitar for sale that hasn't sold in 2 months. It's well-priced (to me), but it's not a Martin, Taylor, Guild, Gibson, Olson or Collings. It doesn't need to sell and it will sell in time for full asking. No panic here.
I've also seen people who have put instruments up for sale with the "fire sale" panic like "I have to sell again, and again.... the tax man commeth" and then post "trades considered" - sorry, if you need to sell then trades won't help. Then when you look at their posts, all 50 are "for sale" listings letting you know they only come around when they have 2 or 3 guitars for sale.
Very rarely there are great, well placed, well photographed guitars for sale for a great price that sit for a while. It's just the luck of the draw (and usually brands not found in stores so people don't know them well) and they too will sell. That is not an indicator of a soft market. A soft market happens when the economy downturns and discretionary spending slows or stops. That's not today.
I am ready......
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