Am I going crazy? Or are used guitar prices plummetting in this economy?

[Gary in Boston]

I have not noticed on REVERB a drop but on craigslist yes I have.

Probably a good thing too because for a while there used guitars were silly price wise.

 

[johmica]

I have not noticed on REVERB a drop but on craigslist yes I have.

Probably a good thing too because for a while there used guitars were silly price wise.

Craigslist in my area is absurd. It's like going into a hole-in-the-wall pawnshop. They are asking 20% above retail for used equipment.

 

[telemnemonics]

How many guitars do i need to sell to get a used car?

 

[Cadillac_Mike]

Bougt my girl Marilyn (2010 American Standard Strat) used for $950 with tax 4yrs ago...

 

[Cadillac_Mike]

How many guitars do i need to sell to get a used car?

I have a 1995 Acura Legend with 125k miles, leather seats, power sunroof... Why would i trade a nice working used luxury car like that for anything? I don't even think I'd trade that for a new CS '52 Tele because the replacement cost of my paid for vehicle (45k)is higher than the new guitar worth roughly twice as much as my older vehicle...

 

[fender4life]

Haven't noticed prices going down at all. Might be a very small percentage of people in dire need in this economy that are lowering their prices, but i haven't noticed that. They are still way up overall from where they were before this madness started 2 or 3 years ago.

 

[Telecaster582]

That thing is as old as I am!

 

[budglo]

https://cleveland.craigslist.org/msg/d/cleveland-2012-fender-57-avri/7500748608.html
then there are those who are still in dreamland. Been on CL for almost 3 years. About what a used custom Shop in mint condition would go for.

 

[hdvades]

The new Gibsons I want are up 200. The used Gibsons I've sold are up 400. What is this plummeting you speak of?

 

[johmica]

The new Gibsons I want are up 200. The used Gibsons I used to sell are up 400. What is this plummeting you speak of?

You know, I could be wrong.

I've scored two ridiculously good deals on used guitars over the last month or so. But maybe I'm just going through a lucky phase. I should buy a lottery ticket.

 

[mad dog]

Price doesn't matter much right now. I'm selling several things. Lowered already reasonable prices. Not even a nibble. These are items that would have sold in a day or two a year ago. People are always pointing at price, as if that drives everything. In fact, in absence of demand, no price is too low. If I have to lose a lot just to resell - when I bought at reasonable, not high prices - I'll just wait.

This would not be the first time buyers evaporated from the used gear market.

 

[Minivan Megafun]

I think your experience can vary radically depending on your local market.

A few things seem to be aligning for things to slow down somewhat. Reverb jacking up their fees last year AND Reverb also being required to collect sales taxes really seems to have put a dent in the enthusiasm to market gear nationally or internationally. There's a lot of sellers moving back to the local classifies options (Craigslist, Kijiji, FB Marketplace). That means stuff might sit longer or have to sell cheaper if there's no local buyer for a particular piece of gear. And now we're staring down a global recession along with stagflation and rampant inflation and rising interest rates. First thing people cut back on when they've got less disposable income are non-necessities like toys.

My local market is the same as it ever was. It's pretty small and geographically isolated with no other urban centers nearby. Also everyone here is really cheap and expects something for nothing. I swear half the local buyers still think it's the year 2010 in terms of prices. Trying to sell anything over $1000 is a gong show of lowballers and people thinking they're going to snooker a deal and then flip it for profit. Last 4 guitars I've sold have been online and shipped to other parts of the country because I just can't deal with local buyers.

 

[8bit]

I haven't been following the guitar market as much lately but have been looking at amps. I'm definitely noticing used pricing coming down, particularly in the past week. Not across the board of course. But whereas there were virtually no deals to be had over the past year plus, now there seem to be some decent enough deals out there again. Listings seem to be sitting around longer. And I'm getting way more seller initiated offers lately.

I dabble in comic collecting as well and I'm noticing the same thing happening in that market. It's been a seller's paradise the past year or two and now, finally, reality is starting to set in for a lot of people. Folks are getting clobbered with inflation and expecting a recession. So overpaying for a luxury item just because you want it is becoming a lot less appealing.

 

[destroyerrock]

I just scored a mint, never-played left-handed 2008 AVRI for $1500.
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That just seems like a ridiculously good price for this guitar. I feel certain that this time last year, I wouldn't have touched this guitar for under $2k. I'm shocked at my own good fortune on this one.

Seems like it, im loving it. got a gibson les paul studio for 380 and a late 60s 2x15 bassman cab for 100 bucks this week.

 

[Platefire]

Glad I got all the guitars and amps I need for the rest of my days long as I can hold on to um:>)

 

[backalleyblues]

The past couple weeks I have noticed a few listings (CL, FB) that seem far more inline with what I would normally expect-nothing is cheap, mind you but prices do seem to have crested around here (Jacksonville FL)

Franc Robert

 

[beyer160]

How many guitars do i need to sell to get a used car?

Only one, if it's a '59 burst.

 

[Nogoodnamesleft]

Desperate times. I’ve been there. Not something I want to experience again.

 

[Nogoodnamesleft]

How many guitars do i need to sell to get a used car?

After selling my last car for 1/10th what I paid new, I now price things in the number of Gretsch White Falcons.

 

[telemnemonics]

Only one, if it's a '59 burst.

When home heating oil jumped to six bux a gallon x 275 gallon tank = $1650 for a fillup, I burned my collection of birth year (1959) bursts in the woodstove for heat.