How much is an acceptable loss for you ?

[schmee]

maybe ~ $50+. Assuming I bought it used in the first place. I just dont see a point in losing much if I buy a used Epiphone for $350, I sell it for $350. If I paid too much to start with, well that's on me. Oddball guitars fall into a loss though... hard to sell a non popular unknown guitar even if it's the bees knees...

Quite often I gain money if I buy the right things. Some that come to mind are:
-90's Epi Sherton Matsumoku built. Paid $350 locally after it sat on CL forever, sold for $600 fast on line.
-Gibson L6S, paid $550 from original owner, sold for $1000
-90's Super Strat, paid $550 from original owner with hang tags, sold for $1000

In a different context than your question, if I have played it for 2 years (not just 'tried it out') Then, maybe 10%-15% loss ...? $800 guitar I lose $80 ?

 

[fjblair]

I don't have a number, whatever the market is, it is.

 

[telleutelleme]

I've bought things that have little resale value and that doesn't bother me. I also hate to sell quality on the cheap and will keep gear for that reason. I have sold things I don't like and lost, but it is a hobby and not a business for me.

 

[arlum]

I try to take as few chances as I can when buying a brand new instrument. If I can't find one locally to try out I find as many examples on You Tube as I can and post questions on as many forums as I can. The most important thing I check out is the specifications of the instrument. I have a good handle on the specs that work for me. What fret sizes I can live with. The finger board radius and back of neck shape. The pickups I like. Body thickness and weight. Hardware .... tuners, bridges, etc.. I've made mistakes in the past when going outside my safe zone. If you're looking at "base" equipment like Squire, Epiphone, Ibanez GAX, etc. it's a crap shoot but the low purchase price makes the chance livable. When you're looking at standard quality or better, (Fender, Gibson, Ibanez, etc. or Fender / Gibson custom shop or boutique build), you don't want to take chances. "That sounds cool. Maybe I'll like it." No! If you can't try it out in person at a local store don't take chances. Stick with what you know works for you.

 

[Trenchant63]

Just curious but are you willing to take a loss reselling a guitar just to be able to try it out.
If so how much are you willing to lose ?
Every guitar I have bought has been online , because I live about 100 mi from any large music stores, I have never held it played or heard it , YouTube has been my only reference. Plus I have only been playing 2 years. I had no idea what I would like or even what would fit. ( Definitely not a dreadnought )
So I have considered the whole thing kind of like a rent to own to find what I like , but I have been able to try a lot of different guitars.
For me I am willing to lose about 40 percent on a new guitar.
Let me say I am an old with no kids to take care of , and this is my only hobby so money isn't a huge concern.
So how about you are you willing to lose money reselling your guitars ?
If so what's the max ?

Maybe it’s worth the 200 mile round trip to spend the day at the store and get deep with a number of guitars so that you are sure when you buy it vs repeated buy and try disappointments, RA Number, Ship returns, etc?

 

[blowtorch]

i'm drowning in guitars over here
guitars are for buying, not selling

 

[Telenator]

I just paid $93 to send a guitar back that I decided not to keep.

It doesn't bother me at all. It's the cost of doing business when you buy a guitar without playing it first. That's all.

 

[Dave Hicks]

I bought a uke at Sweetwater for $130. I got a new one, so I brought the old one to the Sweetwater gear exchange to sell - they offered me $45. The old one sounds pretty good with some new low-G strings.

D.H.

 

[G.Rotten]

Just curious but are you willing to take a loss reselling a guitar just to be able to try it out.
If so how much are you willing to lose ?
Every guitar I have bought has been online , because I live about 100 mi from any large music stores, I have never held it played or heard it , YouTube has been my only reference. Plus I have only been playing 2 years. I had no idea what I would like or even what would fit. ( Definitely not a dreadnought )
So I have considered the whole thing kind of like a rent to own to find what I like , but I have been able to try a lot of different guitars.
For me I am willing to lose about 40 percent on a new guitar.
Let me say I am an old with no kids to take care of , and this is my only hobby so money isn't a huge concern.
So how about you are you willing to lose money reselling your guitars ?
If so what's the max ?

Because I go through a lot of guitars (for interest sake) I never buy new guitars. I buy used/already depreciated guitars and then rarely lose any money at resale. At this point I've gone through well over 300 guitars.

Of course I almost never buy a guitar without playing it first. Not being able to try them out would really cramp my style.

 

[Mike Eskimo]

Before the slamchemic (rhymes with) we used to call unloading a guitar for what you bought it for, “a Michigan profit“

Not anymore. There’s too many young numbskulls that you can sell crap to to not make even a little.

For now.

this ain’t gonna last much longer so - get it while you can

 

[OmegaWoods]

^^^This
Guitar Center gives you 45 days and refunds the guitar cost. You pay shipping. You can also request to buy a return shipping label from them at their rate, usually around $30. A very reasonable rental fee if you decide it's not for you.

I have bought many guitars online.

Just for clarification, what if you took it back to one of the retail stores? Is that allowed?

 

[Controller]

Just for clarification, what if you took it back to one of the retail stores? Is that allowed?

Absolutely! I just live far away so that's not an option for me.

 

[Robert H.]

I don’t think of it that way. If it’s not the right guitar, whatever I get is better than keeping it. To the OP, I would occasionally take the drive and play the guitars you’re considering. Or only buy with a return option.

 

[mad dog]

I rarely ever buy new. Has to be a rather uncommon and desireable instrument for me to do that, as I see no reason to take a huge hit on depreciation. On most purchases, used instruments, I don't overpay. Most reverb listings for used gear are too high, for example. When I do find a good used guitar, I won't lose too much on resale because I try not to pay too much in the first place.

 

[teletail]

I think I'd get in the car and drive 100 miles before I took a 40% loss on a guitar. That's like maybe two hours. Make a day of it. Line up all the shops and hit them all the same day.

 

[ZackyDog]

I usually keep my stuff in mint condition, so I'll take about a 20% loss.

 

[Marc Morfei]

I always buy used, don’t overpay, and try to only buy good stuff that will have re-sale value. The most I usually lose is the Reverb seller fees, which are about 10%. Sometimes you make a little, sometimes you lose a little. But patience = $$$, so the more patient you are when buying and selling, the better you’ll do.

 

[Festofish]

I’ve got a Strandberg with your name on it.

 

[DekeDog]

In my 25+ years of buying and selling guitars, I've only bought one dog- an Epi Joe Pass. I bought it used, and I traded a Roland bass amp toward the purchase price. I've been reasonably happy with all of my purchases. I really don't worry about money when it comes to guitars. I've given away as much as I've sold.

I'm primarily an electric player, but I have recently started playing acoustic more. I have a student who will only play acoustic, so I've picked it back up mainly for him. I was at a brick and mortar store the other day, and checked out some Eastman acoustics vs. some Laravees, and honestly, as sweet as the Laravees were, I couldn't see the value in buying one, esp. since I wouldn't play it that much.

 

[trapdoor2]

I understand (somewhat) the economics of retail vs CL or ebay (private sales). I start my expectations at 50% of what I paid for anything new and work my way down from there. If I get more than that, I'm just that much happier. I only have a few expensive banjos...and maybe one guitar. None of those will be sold in my lifetime. Anything else is just gravy.

Example: I tend to buy broken/damaged vintage (100+yr old) banjos, restore/setup/resuscitate and pass them on. If I get what I paid ($50-$200) for them, I'm a happy guy. If I find a worthy new owner, esp. a young one, I often give them away or charge them a cup of coffee.