What is your preferred method of selling a guitar?

[JC.]

"Selling"???

Sorry, I don't understand the question

[KenL]

I've had nothing but good experiences buying/selling here on the AGF. But if you are selling, you have to price them right. Guys here know what a good deal is, and will pass on something priced too high, especially with the glut of guitars out there now.

I like Craigslist, but haven't had much luck there as a seller. A $400 guitar might go, but not a $2000+ guitar.

[Malcolm Kindnes]

Local advertising, face to face deal, cash only.

[lowrider]

Originally Posted by Malcolm Kindnes

Local advertising, face to face deal, cash only.

Same here, local pick-up even if I advertise on Reverb. Cash only. I meet at my local library or if the person wants to come on the Long Island RR, I'll meet them at the station.

[RP]

I start with Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace and then add Reverb and AGF....

[JHey!]

Aside from deals/trades with friends, I’ve only ever sold two guitars, both through Kijiji (Canada’s Craigslist). Each transaction was in person, smooth and easy. Each guitar was <$1000. I think for higher end stuff I’d probably try this forum first. I’ve purchased two and traded for one on the forum, and each transaction was smooth and I was happy. The trade was local enough that we met in person. The only reason I’d hesitate to sell on the forum is my (irrational) fear of packaging and shipping. However, having received two shipped, well-packaged guitars that arrived in beautiful condition, I feel more confident that I could properly package a guitar for shipping.

[UncleJesse]

I've sold here on AGF, on Reverb, on Craigslist, and Facebook. Lately facebook seems to be the place to sell. The last three guitars I sold were on Facebook buy/sell groups or marketplace. They went in days at the price I was asking.

[rokdog49]

If I were to sell, it would likely be on here or to an acquaintance.

[catndahats]

If a seller wants a reasonably quick sale, the key to success lies in these simple words, regardless of what you are selling or where you sell it...

The alternate selling strategy is to price high hoping to find a naive buyer, the downside of that strategy is the "new" listing becomes stale, receives few responses, fair but lower than asking offers, or lowball offers.

Quickly, buyers question why so many "bumps" and "to the tops".
Is something wrong?
Is it priced to high?

Good, and even fair deals sell quickly regardless of the avenue the guitar is listed.



But if you are selling, you have to price them right.",

[mawmow]

eBay and reverb for me.
I did not want to sell locally,
but I could as I will move to
inner city soon.

[musicman1951]

I trade them in. It's not the most profitable way, but it is the easiest. No shipping headaches, no worries about scams and reduces the sales tax on the new guitar (I saved $320 on the last trade).

I worked at a music store during part of my college years, so I know you can do better financially selling yourself. And I don't have a lot of guitars (that's the complete list in my signature), so the only time I sell is for an upgrade.

[beatcomber]

I have had good results selling online (online forum classifieds, eBay) in the past, but I am reluctant to do that nowadays. Too much potential for problems, be it shipping damage/loss, buyers requesting Amazon-style returns, etc. I once had a valuable guitar disappear within the FedEx system, probably stolen by an employee. Packing a guitar for shipping is also a PITA.

Most of the guitars I have sold in recent years have been under $500. In that price range, Craigslist has been a good vehicle. As long as I price the guitar reasonably, present some quality photos, and post knowledgable, useful information about the instrument, I can usually find a buyer quickly. This year I have typically met buyers in my garage with the door open, for covid safety. Face-to-face sales are cash only, and on occasion I have accepted Paypal Friends and Family.

More expensive instruments are harder to sell locally via CL, etc.; the folks on CL are mostly looking for bargains. You need to cast a wider net to find a buyer for upper end instruments.

I currently have a very clean 1962 Gretsch Tennessean that I am looking to sell. I considered eBay and Reverb, but decided that the potential for risks and hassles are more than I care to assume. I decided to try consigning it to The Music Emporium (which is just across town from my house). If they can get anywhere near their asking price, I will be able to net more than I could from an eBay or Reverb sale. The only thing I have to lose is time, but I have no immediate need for the cash so I can be patient. I also prefer to let them deal with the hassle and responsibility of packing and shipping.

[Earl49]

I've done OK with Craigslist locally, but certainly not for top dollar. You have to be appropriately careful. I try to meet at the local library or a public park, rather than invite people to my house. If there were any shops locally that did consignments that would be a no-hassle option. They earn their consignment fee, IMO. Never tried Reverb or FleaBay, as I hear too many sad tales of issues with each.

I have not tried selling via the classifieds here, as whenever possible I prefer not to ship for either buying or selling. Two special guitars were bought from members (great experiences) but those were not via the classified section.

[catndahats]

still thinking about this thread...strategies:

Where to sell is part of the equation, my wonder/question goes back to the cost of selling.

Is it smart to add the selling cost to your price? It is commonly done.
It adds no value to the instrument. I'm thinking along the lines of selling a house--the seller pays the commission.

Essentially, that is what sellers do on Reverb/consignment often. The result to buyers is an instrument that is overpriced by 10%. On a high end instrument, that figure is significant.

The guitar does not increase in value.
And sellers regularly state on AGF, the reduced price compared to their own Reverb/Ebay price.

Maybe sellers should consider listing their instrument on those sites for a market price, and absorb the selling fee if they want to sell quickly?

Just early morning coffee thoughts...

[vintage40s]

In 2019...
I put a FS ad in the AGF but after a few days it got buried and after a couple of weeks I gave up trying to find it.
Then I found Reverb where I bought two guitars, and sold five guitars. All were in the $1,000 range except one of the sales was for $3,500.
The only thing better than Reverb for me was a local dealer, where I bought one guitar after the advantage of being able to play it.