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Old 04-09-2021, 06:53 PM
29er 29er is offline
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Default Weekend Guitar Show: Which Day is Best to Sell?

So if one were planning on selling a desirable guitar at a two day weekend guitar show, which day would give you the best shot at finding a buyer? I'm probably wrong but my thought is day #2. If the dealers have had a decent first day and have a bit of cash to spend then maybe they'd be more ready to buy on the second day versus earlier on day #1? Not asking for a friend

Dealers, buyers, sellers, tell me what your thoughts are on this subject because I'm probably overthinking it.
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Old 04-09-2021, 07:00 PM
phavriluk phavriluk is offline
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Default a thought

Both days, says me. Don't ignore half the crowd. First person in the door might just be the buyer who wants what OP's selling.
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Old 04-09-2021, 08:16 PM
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Both days, says me. Don't ignore half the crowd. First person in the door might just be the buyer who wants what OP's selling.
True, but the show is nearly 3 hours from my home so attending both days isn't an option.
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Old 04-09-2021, 08:36 PM
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When the right person picks the guitar up.
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Old 04-09-2021, 08:43 PM
dbintegrity dbintegrity is offline
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What are you selling ? Maybe you won't need to go to the show ....
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Old 04-09-2021, 09:20 PM
wguitar wguitar is online now
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If it is a highly desirable guitar then I would aim for Day 1, presuming you have it priced reasonably. If it were me I'd inform all seemingly interested shoppers that I'm only here today. When I go on Day 2 I'm looking for a bargain, and I suspect many other buyers are as well. That being said, it would also depend on whether it's a highly desirable vintage guitar that is special and hard to find, or a very nice production (or small shop) guitar. In the shows I've been to the past couple of years many guitars go unsold -- mostly because sellers often place more value on the guitar's worth than buyers. If a really desirable guitar is still there on Day 2, I personally tend to ask myself "I wonder why this hasn't sold yet".

As others have already noted, you may want to list in on the AGF marketplace and see what kind of interest you get.

Best of luck with selling your guitar!

Cheers!
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Old 04-09-2021, 11:10 PM
phavriluk phavriluk is offline
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Default A thought

OP: Availability of stuff is needed for exposure to buyers and ultimate sale. Nobody is going to care that a seller has a 3-hour commute. I encourage finding lodgings convenient to the show and plan on coming, staying overnight and going home at the end. Or the next morning. Maybe even arriving the night before. And never can tell what happens after the show closes for the night and at the end.
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Old 04-10-2021, 03:29 AM
packmule packmule is offline
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From my experience attending guitar shows I've found that the first day tends to get better attendance, and that the second day is better for getting deals from vendors as many of them would prefer to make a deal on a guitar rather than have to pack it up and bring back home with them. As someone has already pointed out, if you're looking to sell to one of the vendors tabling at the show then they may have more $$ to play around with on the second day, whereas if you're also planning on walking around the show with a "for sale" sign on your case to appeal to show attendees too, more often than not the biggest crowd shows up on the first day. Best of luck with your sale!
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Old 04-10-2021, 03:58 AM
lowrider lowrider is offline
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A little more info will help. What is the show, and where? What is the guitar? How are you planning to sell it? Renting a space? Going table to table of dealers?

If you are just trying to sell it to the dealers, I think your idea of going Sunday makes sense. However, a dealer will only give you around half of what a private buyer will pay.

If it is a desirable guitar, I actually think you'd do better advertising it here, on Reverb, Facebook Marketplace, and Craigslist and selling it from home.
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Old 04-10-2021, 06:39 AM
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Thanks folks. Sounds like not much has changed since attending my last guitar show/swap meet in the 90's.

I'll probably not attend because A) My tolerance for wheeling & dealing has waned, and B) I'm not willing to sell at half price although I do understand that dealers need to make a profit. My issue is I won't ship guitars anymore. I lost my ***** last year when Fedex damaged a well packed guitar. It took 3 months to get a settlement and the guitar, while not ruined sustained damage that forever reduced it's value to a potential buyer. I have bought/sold/shipped/received dozens of guitars for 30 years with no problems, but one bad experience has left a bad taste in my mouth and I'm not ready to see a hard to find instrument go into the hands of people who treat them like bricks. I know I'm stubborn but that's the deal.

I don't want to violate the rules by stating exactly what I'm selling but let's just say the word Orpheum. I have it listed locally in several online sites in hopes of finding a local(ish) buyer. I could have sold it at least twice if I were willing to ship. I will probably list it here soon.
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Old 04-10-2021, 07:23 AM
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Zissou Intern Zissou Intern is offline
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Russ, I have only been to a few shows, and I suspect it's more a matter of getting lucky being in front of the right buyer than it is which day you go.

I absolutely love the Guild Orpheum 12 Fret D I just found. We're still in the honeymoon phase, but I like it as much as my Collings at this point. These Orpheums were only built for a few years. They are so rare, that many people don't know what they are or what they sound like. That could be different at a guitar show.
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Old 04-10-2021, 09:05 AM
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Originally Posted by Zissou Intern View Post
Russ, I have only been to a few shows, and I suspect it's more a matter of getting lucky being in front of the right buyer than it is which day you go.

I absolutely love the Guild Orpheum 12 Fret D I just found. We're still in the honeymoon phase, but I like it as much as my Collings at this point. These Orpheums were only built for a few years. They are so rare, that many people don't know what they are or what they sound like. That could be different at a guitar show.
They are amazing and somewhat rare instruments. My shoulder just can't take the big body anymore. I'm always looking for an Orpheum OM to try!
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Old 04-10-2021, 10:20 PM
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The body is DEEP on these Smeckish Guilds, so I can see how they would be hard on your shoulder. I'd love to see one of the OMs and even more so one of the 14 fret, rosewood slope shoulders. -Keith
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