HOW to sell your recording gear, after you have left this Earth

[AcousticDreams]

I think this is a pretty important subject matter. I don't want my gear to go for pennies. I want my Brother and nephew to sell them and go on many great vacations with the money they will get.

But how will they know:
*How much each item is worth?
* The Best places to sell them?
* And they will not know much about the gear...
* They will have to take pictures.

I say, Why leave it up to them. Now, granted, this is a big project. It will take you lots of time. But you will have some peace knowing that your gear will be sold for a reasonable price and your heirs will benefit from the time you take.

Step 1...create a Lead sheet. This is just one cheat sheet for my mics
Step 2...create a folder on your computer...and when you are done..print out that folder as well. Leave no room for error. Guide your heirs on every detail.



On this sheet it tells them the New price. What they have sold for on Ebay & reverb. Condition of the units. Links to new equipment. And where the Items and boxes are stored and whats included.

Step 3.
Then take pictures of the items. Most people have excellent photography skills these days. Heck, you can get great pictures with your cellphone. I have my old set up with a horribly worn grey background paper. But I am not going to buy a new backdrop. This one is good enough to make the point about the quality of the equipment.

Here are some quick, quick pictures I took of my Lauten(which I have only used for about 10 minutes! )
I have several more pictures..include the back & sides of the Mic.


Don't have a photo studio...No problem...buy some White Foam board at your local art store. Photograph outside in complete shade. Early morning or late evening is often best. Shaded areas provide even lighting. However..the colors are never as bright and contrasty as done with studio lights. But if you have any skills at all...Mac simple Photos...you can brighten up the contrast levels. Often, using the Highlights button and lowering the Highlights, will give you better colors and more detail. or have some fun with it and photograph it in a living room setting under Window light. Regardless...try and get as even a lighting as possible. Look for mistakes. Here I was in such a rush to take pictures...that I did not notice how the light was hitting the Schoeps mics. And it looks like these Schoeps are worn. But they are not..they are perfect. It is because of the way the light hit the Schoeps name in the middle of the mic ( darn, I have to go back now and rephotograph them.) But it will be well worth it. Letting people know how good of condition your equipment is in...can make all the difference in a sale.

Because the writing is catching the lights....it instead looks like these mics are scratched up. But it is just the way the lighting is hitting the Engraved Schoeps name. No good. Redo.


( Last week I sold my DBX160X & my Focusrite i820 interface with ease on ebay. But I listed my Shure SM81's on AGF and have had little interest. I know that if I put it on Ebay...it will sell within the week as my other items did. So I need to learn which equipment is best to sell on which place.)

Lot more to discuss. I am sure lots of you have some other good ideas on this subject matter.

Things I would like to know.
1. I know what things have sold for. That is easy to see on the Ebay Completed section. But I am not sure if there is a way to see that on reverb.com?

I want to know if my SELL Prices are realistic. I know that my brother and Nephew are not going to want to wait long to sell stuff. So how do I figure out what the lowest price to sell my mics at?

2. O.K there is Ebay, Reverb.com, AGF , and Craigslist. My heavy Atlas stands I would tell them to put on Craigslist for local pickup. But how to I figure out which is best for selling on= reverb or Ebay. =What I don't like about Ebay right now...is they will send out a W-2 if you sell more than $650. This is a little bit of a problem. As where if you sell too much in one year...it could make a big difference in collected taxes. So that might be also included in the instructions...how much to sell each year. They don't have to sell everything all at once.

O.K...a good start. Let me here some of your ideas.

[wood&wire]

Great idea. While I recently made another will, I have an ongoing separate document with more specific instructions and things that are not covered in the will. While there are some things I would like my heirs to sell, I plan for my brother save my recording equipment and allow his kids to experiment with it.

Don't forget when pricing, I have seen people list on craigslist and other sites the prices of individual items like you did, but also including a single larger quantity discounted price to buy all of them together as a lot. There may be a recording engineer out there who wants the entire collection. If you add all their prices together then knock off a little for the lot, your heirs might sell them faster.

If you want to know your sell prices, go to the site you plan to sell them on and research prices of the same products, including age, model, and condition. Shave off a small amount to undercut the competition and it or they will sell faster.

Yes, Reverb will provide an invoice that includes how much your item sold for.

[Sasquatchian]

I really can't see the point of this. Have your lawyer draw up a trust which will include your will and just decide now where you want the stuff to go. Your beneficiaries can decide what to do with it all when you're gone, unless you have more specific beneficiaries whom you want to receive cash, in which case the executor of the trust would then have to convert it to cash for distribution. And just a will alone is not enough to keep your heirs from having to go through probate, which can be both costly and time consuming. You want a trust for that which will also include your AHCD.

In addition, depending on your life expectancy today, unless you know you have only a short time left, any values you put on the items now will have little relevancy when that time comes. The market will determine the values when they're needed.

I recently set this type of document up to where my house, vehicles and stock portfolio goes to my wife, all musical instruments and recording equipment go to a specific musician friend and the photo equipment (which is substantial) goes to my two best friends who are also photographers. What they want to do with all that, assuming they outlive me is completely up to them.

After dealing with the old man's estate as the executor of his trust I learned from his mistakes and boy did he have them - forty-nine beneficiaries - which continues to complicate and already complicated estate six years later, and kept my own as simple as I could make it.

For the record I think having a lawyer draw the trust documents and complete the process was about $2500 although you could do it for less at trustsandwills.com.

[Chipotle]

Originally Posted by Sasquatchian

I recently set this type of document up to where my house, vehicles and stock portfolio goes to my wife, all musical instruments and recording equipment go to a specific musician friend and the photo equipment (which is substantial) goes to my two best friends who are also photographers. What they want to do with all that, assuming they outlive me is completely up to them.

That's great if you have someone who wants your stuff, and knows its value. If you don't, you run the risk that some very valuable stuff will get donated to a local charity or even landfilled. I think this is the sort of situation AcousticDreams is trying to prevent. Of course, heirs could still decide it's not worth their effort to sell everything for full value, but at least they'd know what they have.

[kurth]

well this certainly depends on which country you choose to reside. Here in Mex we leave a simple will and hope our herencia out lives us. We know we've given them the tools and education to make myriads of decisions, not just one's we're fixated over. But it still looks a little overly complicated to me. Next you'll recommend making a calendar which , where, and how everything is be be disseminated . I'm not gonna waste one second of time thinking about what happens to my stuff after I die. If people cared after they died, we would certainly hear the uproar from heaven, cause probably no one is happy with the outcome of their 'estate'. But I bet we don't care, and there's no uproar. And since it's so, I'll use my available energy sucking the use out of the things I buy now. Their value is inherent in their use, not their resale value....after I'm dead no less. Their resale value can fall to zero in a day. Imagine tomorrow a new upstart company releases a $300 tube mic that bests all existing mics of any value, including the Lauten. Or a totally new type of microphone . The variables are infinite. A good exercise might be to imagine those tools/toys are of no value , except to you...now.

[AcousticDreams]

Originally Posted by Sasquatchian

I really can't see the point of this.
In addition, depending on your life expectancy today, unless you know you have only a short time left, any values you put on the items now will have little relevancy when that time comes. The market will determine the values when they're needed.

Sasquatchian you do have a valid point, values can change quickly. That is why I provided links so they can check on the values. Will those links be valid 10 years from now? Probably not. But at least it is a starting point. They can always use the product descriptions I have provided and search for themselves. Without those product descriptions it might be a bit harder for them to make exacting product searches.

Originally Posted by kurth

. it still looks a little overly complicated to me. Next you'll recommend making a calendar which , where, and how everything is be be disseminated . I'm not gonna waste one second of time thinking about what happens to my stuff after I die.

Hmmm? I am actually a quite shocked at the lack of understanding on this subject matter.

Many of us on AGF are retired & getting up their in age. I am 71 years or age.
The average age us men live in the U.S is up for debate. Statistics vary suggesting 73 to 76 years of age on average. Other statistics have clocked in as high as 83. Personally I will be thrilled it I make it to 80.


This is about caring for your loved ones. Making sure they get all they deserve. This is about NOT putting them through extra work trying to figure out what is what. This is about not wasting the values of your equipment. Equipment that I worked long and hard for to enjoy. Lots of sacrifices were made in order for me to have my recording gear and beautiful guitars. Now, I would like all of that hard work & sacrifices not to go to waste. And instead my loved ones will receive the rewards.

My brother and nephew have not a clue as to all the values, and or how and where to sell my recording gear, my guitars. And some of my guitars are quite valuable.

And kurth I understand, it does take a lot of time to do something like this and effort is great. So it is not worth it to you. But understand others have different values. I place high importance that my heirs have all the knowledge necessary to expedite the selling of this equipment & put less stress on them in the process.

Originally Posted by Chipotle

you run the risk that some very valuable stuff will get donated to a local charity or even landfilled. I think this is the sort of situation AcousticDreams is trying to prevent. Of course, heirs could still decide it's not worth their effort to sell everything for full value, but at least they'd know what they have.

Exactly, thank you very much Chipotle.

I guess it boils down to what is important to each of us. I am old enough that I have seen enough friends passing and the confusion of the material wealth that follows. And believe you me, there can be a lot of confusion.

[K20C]

As I get older, I think - and worry - about this. We have items that are surprisingly valuable. I’m constantly pointing at something and telling our only child “this is worth a lot more than you think. Please promise me you won’t have a massive garage sale, do get a professional appraiser/estate auction service.”

Actually, I wish she’d hang on to most of it and pass it down but she is the least materialistic person I know. Someday, I suspect someone will walk into a Goodwill and make the score of the century.

[kurth]

Originally Posted by AcousticDreams

Hmmm? I am actually a quite shocked at the lack of understanding on this subject matter.

Many of us on AGF are retired & getting up their in age. I am 71 years or age.
The average age us men live in the U.S is up for debate. Statistics vary suggesting 73 to 76 years of age on average. Other statistics have clocked in as high as 83. Personally I will be thrilled it I make it to 80.

And kurth I understand, it does take a lot of time to do something like this and effort is great. So it is not worth it to you. But understand others have different values. I place high importance that my heirs have all the knowledge necessary to expedite the selling of this equipment & put less stress on them in the process.

I'm pushing 75. I lost 9 friends the last 3 years. After people die, their heirs do what they want. All the detail you included is redundant if your heirs know it's valuable. They'll discover how valuable it is by selling it, compromised by their needs. And your estimates and directions might well be meaningless with the passage of time. So why waste it, if they know the basic value. Believe me...they'll do what they want after you're dead. Whether it's what you want, is another story. Most people will roll their eyes to the wishes of the dead....if it concerns money. I'll just put my trust in them doing what's best for them....and worry about getting the best use out of the stuff now. What I'd give to have that lauten just for the afternoon. And it'd live on a stand.

[AcousticDreams]

Originally Posted by kurth

Believe me...they'll do what they want after you're dead. Whether it's what you want, is another story. Most people will roll their eyes to the wishes of the dead....if it concerns money. I'll just put my trust in them doing what's best for them....and worry about getting the best use out of the stuff now. What I'd give to have that lauten just for the afternoon. And it'd live on a stand.

Not saying you don't have a point Kurth, you do. But you have a pretty absolute attitude. And I don't believe in absolutes. Nothing new would ever be invented if people only believed there was only one possible outcome.

So if you don't mind... I will take my chances and do what I do best. I will chart out every detail possible in the hopes that it will make a difference in the end. I take this attitude with everything I do. Writing of music, making wood arrows, making high quality custom knives, wood working & photography, canoeing, backpacking. And so far it has worked pretty good for me. I have even saved a couple of lives because I took into consideration every aspect of life threatening conditions.

Regardless if it makes a difference or not after I am gone, It will ease my mind knowing that I did everything possible. Ease of mind? You can not put a price on that.

And Kurth did you ever consider the possibility that I might sell this gear before I go? If 5 years from now I feel I no longer need to record...or can because my health is poor & I can no longer play, sing or record? At least now I have it all ready to go for sale. All I will have to do is list it. All the photography, serial numbers and descriptions are ready to go. And...there is a reasonable chance..that is exactly what will happen. I will sell this stuff before I step off this earth. If that happens, everything I do now in my documentation will not be a waste of time. In fact, most likely I will not be in as good a health 5 to 10 years from now as I am now. And if that is so...it will be harder to do then. So I am actually saving time by doing it now. Oh...and I almost forgot...I am completely taking down my photo studio when I am done...so I will not be able to take slightly better pictures like I am able to now..as compared to 5 to 10 years from now.

Kurth, we all have our values. I have never bought a new car. In all my years, I rarely go out to eat. Once a month is the average.And even then I rarely spend more than $15 for one meal. The exception is vacation with my brother and nephew. And that is one of the reasons why I was able to afford the Lauten. You see, it all depends on your priorities. And the other reason why I can afford my recording equipment?= because I always buy good. Equipment that I bought in the 80's for very little money...later became collector items. I sold equipment I bought 40 years ago, at a tremendous profit. I am not a rich man. But I have obtained what I wanted by detailing every possibility wisely.

Again Kurth, you have very valid points about what people will do afterwards. But it is not an absolute. Every person and every situation is different. One week out of my life to document my equipment in the hopes of my heirs getting the most out of my stuff...is well worth it to me. If this is NOT right for you...I get it. No problem. It is a waste of time for you...but it is not a waste of time for me. We have different values. I am sure the music style I like is different from yours? And that is o.k. That is what the world is about. Not about only one way.

[jim1960]

I have an inventory of what I have and what I paid for it. That's enough for people to make informed decisions. There's no point in me worrying about what happens to my stuff when I'm gone because I'll have no ability to worry about it then. What happens to my stuff after I've departed won't affect me. Just knowing what I paid for things is enough for whoever gets the job of selling it off. I have a couple of friends I could leave the job to in exchange for them keeping a couple of pieces for myself. I'll likely leave that information with my will and instructions for the executor. The first instruction, however, is whatever dogs I have either have to be re-homed or placed in the care of a rescue which will receive a generous donation for taking them in and finding them new homes. But my stuff is just that... stuff. And I have no intention of wasting the time I have left worrying about stuff.

[kurth]

Originally Posted by AcousticDreams

And Kurth did you ever consider the possibility that I might sell this gear before I go?

well then Acoustic...that would be a different topic ...in another thread perhaps.

[AcousticDreams]

Originally Posted by jim1960

Just knowing what I paid for things is enough for whoever gets the job of selling it off. I have a couple of friends I could leave the job to in exchange for them keeping a couple of pieces for myself. I'll likely leave that information with my will and instructions for the executor.

My friend did this with his gun collection. With a selling value of 100K. He left in charge a friend who was very knowledgeable, giving him a percentage of the profits. He also left to me his entire archery collection with the same conditions.

Very unfortunately, it did not work out well in the end. Wife ran and sold off all his stuff before the will could be executed. But in principle , it is a sound idea.

Regardless, enough people have stated that they do not like this idea of mine...I never thought it would get this type of reaction. So I won't continue to promote it. I guess I was so encouraged as I had sold a couple pieces of gear so easily last week.

[leew3]

My wife has access to what I've paid for all of my gear as a starting point, we have a revocable trust and our son is an attorney with whom I've discussed this. I think we're covered and I have no need to tell them what to do when I'm gone.

[Doug Young]

I've just told my wife what to do with guitars (after a few that I specifically allocate in a will), and suggested a few friends who could help her with the studio gear. She loves lists like the one Victor did :-), but I don't really think she'd want to be posting all the stuff on reverb, dealing with tire-kickers and questions and so on. Better to hopefully drag in a friend or two who know more about it, might want a few pieces for themselves, etc.

[Al Acuff]

After my aorta dissected in 2013 I was airlifted to a hospital. On arrival my heart wasn't beating and I wasn't breathing. I remember leaving my body during the helicopter flight and wondering what would become of my guitars––no joke. Fortunately the university had a good surgeon on the faculty who was too stubborn to give up on me.

Now I have things set up so that if I go suddenly my executor will have my guitar tech sell my instruments on consignment and donate the proceeds to charity.

Alternately, when it seems like time to downsize my guitar collection I plan to do the selling and gift giving myself. What is the point of being the guy in the graveyard with the biggest guitar collection? Why not sell your gear yourself?