I don't understand used prices in the current market...
- Thread starter TwangerWannabe
- Start date
xtrajerry
Doctor of Teleocity
Absolutely, I don’t even look at ads like that. Some people act like you’re insulting them when you try to negotiate.
It’s a blip. It will not last.
You cannot erase all the hundreds of thousands of guitars the boomers will be leaving when they die and the fractional amount of successive generations (Gen X/millennial/Gen Z) that have any interest in playing the guitar, thereby absorbing all those instruments.
- and most of those that do have the interest do not have the disposable income to keep prices up.
Ergo - prices will fall across the board .
MIM Strats to actual 1959 Les Paul’s.
You cannot erase all the hundreds of thousands of guitars the boomers will be leaving when they die and the fractional amount of successive generations (Gen X/millennial/Gen Z) that have any interest in playing the guitar, thereby absorbing all those instruments.
- and most of those that do have the interest do not have the disposable income to keep prices up.
Ergo - prices will fall across the board .
MIM Strats to actual 1959 Les Paul’s.
You can't erase them, but if there are (VERY unfortunately) another billion people in the world, the demand may be there.
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The ads that get me are the ones that say, 'I paid XXX for it and I need to get my money back out of it.' Well, no, idiot, just because you've got more money in some thing than it's worth is no reason to expect a random buyer to bail you out.
Supply and demand. If people aren't willing to pay the price will adjust accordingly. Of course, having said that I wouldn't have predicted the vintage guitar market. So who knows.
Surcharge for breaking it in? Individually tested for quality assurance?
Surcharge for breaking it in? Individually tested for quality assurance?
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chris m.
Doctor of Teleocity
Some sellers must be hoping that some buyers are totally clueless. Here’s an ad in my fb feed for a guitar that costs around a thousand brand new:
New out of college, married already, selling ads for a daily newspaper, I bought my first guitar from a customer of mine. I think I paid $250. I took one lesson, too, from another customer in my sales territory.
Of course I sucked in my efforts to play it at first. I was busy, not very focused, and pretty halfhearted about it, and it wasn't long before I regretted spending the money. Free classified ads were a side benefit, I think I recall, so I ran an ad in the boss's paper, I think at $225 or something. Crickets. $200? $150? No callers, no takers. When I went to consider dropping the price to $100, I decided that was too much "loss" to take, and for money that would be nice to have, but wouldn't make a big difference in the family finances. I decided to keep it.
Probably 25 Takamines later, I have three acoustics and six homemade electrics, each one of which would hold up just fine as an only guitar, if the long-feared tidal wave were to sweep the rest of them away. Along the way I gave guitars to friends, colleagues, students, and relatives, only sold two or three. I'm glad I didn't sell that first one.
Of course I sucked in my efforts to play it at first. I was busy, not very focused, and pretty halfhearted about it, and it wasn't long before I regretted spending the money. Free classified ads were a side benefit, I think I recall, so I ran an ad in the boss's paper, I think at $225 or something. Crickets. $200? $150? No callers, no takers. When I went to consider dropping the price to $100, I decided that was too much "loss" to take, and for money that would be nice to have, but wouldn't make a big difference in the family finances. I decided to keep it.
Probably 25 Takamines later, I have three acoustics and six homemade electrics, each one of which would hold up just fine as an only guitar, if the long-feared tidal wave were to sweep the rest of them away. Along the way I gave guitars to friends, colleagues, students, and relatives, only sold two or three. I'm glad I didn't sell that first one.
aFewGoodTaters
Tele-Meister
Supply chain issues and shortages / backorders on new gear are going to drive up used gear prices. I'm holding off on gear purchases for the foreseeable future until the market corrects itself. It's actually been refreshing to (gasp!) play and enjoy the stuff I own.
What really gets me is the vintage market right now. Not that I can afford vintage guitars anyway, but prices have skyrocketed out of control. Five years ago you could find a 50s Les Paul Jr in beat condition for around $3500. Fast forward to 2022, and you're lucky to find one for less that $10K. WTF?
What really gets me is the vintage market right now. Not that I can afford vintage guitars anyway, but prices have skyrocketed out of control. Five years ago you could find a 50s Les Paul Jr in beat condition for around $3500. Fast forward to 2022, and you're lucky to find one for less that $10K. WTF?
39martind18
Friend of Leo's
I spend about an hour a day on my regional CLs looking for bargains. Quite often they're out there, but for me to pull the trigger on one, several boxes need to be checked:
1. Is it a need?
2. Is it a want?
3. Is the deal sufficiently good that the cost of travel and time are reimbursed?
4. Do i want the item for my use or flipping?
5. If for flipping, is there sufficient margin to allow me to make enough profit to pay me for my time and efforts?
6. What is the seller's attitude? It had better be good- after all, the money is mine, and he wants it!
All these factors enter into my decision to buy. If I determine that a price is too high (and most are, IMHO, very inflated these days), then the seller's attitude comes into play. If the seller indicates he is willing to flex a bit on conditions or price, that'll go a long way toward making me froggy to buy. When I sell, I try to do it in the manner I would want it done for me. I might not get top dollar for what I sell, but it's close. Realistic expectations go a long way to making good, smooth business relations.
1. Is it a need?
2. Is it a want?
3. Is the deal sufficiently good that the cost of travel and time are reimbursed?
4. Do i want the item for my use or flipping?
5. If for flipping, is there sufficient margin to allow me to make enough profit to pay me for my time and efforts?
6. What is the seller's attitude? It had better be good- after all, the money is mine, and he wants it!
All these factors enter into my decision to buy. If I determine that a price is too high (and most are, IMHO, very inflated these days), then the seller's attitude comes into play. If the seller indicates he is willing to flex a bit on conditions or price, that'll go a long way toward making me froggy to buy. When I sell, I try to do it in the manner I would want it done for me. I might not get top dollar for what I sell, but it's close. Realistic expectations go a long way to making good, smooth business relations.
Blues Twanger
Tele-Afflicted
Generalizations don't work well here either. Is it desirable, is it scarce?
I bought a used pedal when more than a dozen were listed on Reverb and a pile on eBay as well, I paid $90.
Six months later I was thinking of moving on and discovered the only listings now were vintage or Analogman-modded units. I sold it for $145.
It's a current pedal, just not in production due to supply chain issues.
I bought a used pedal when more than a dozen were listed on Reverb and a pile on eBay as well, I paid $90.
Six months later I was thinking of moving on and discovered the only listings now were vintage or Analogman-modded units. I sold it for $145.
It's a current pedal, just not in production due to supply chain issues.
That's because the people trying to buy it want to sell it for even more....... LOL
nathan5782
Tele-Meister
I saw this excellent post on Craigslist today and I thought about this thread. There was another thread about somebody calling out people on Craigslist but it’s a couple of pages back.
So Many Stale Listings! Prices make no sense! - musical instruments...
Nothing is moving and guys are RAISING their prices! Your stuff is only worth what someone will pay you for it- NOT what other guys are asking for theirs. Expect to keep your stuff cuz you priced it...
sacramento.craigslist.org
JustABluesGuy
Friend of Leo's
It seems like a confluence of factors. Inflation obviously doesn’t help, along with resellers fairly recently discovering online price checking, and general greediness.
I also collect cast iron cookware and have seen a similar inflation bubble recently. It tends to be similar, but with a lot of antique dealers who recognize certain brand names, but don’t know iron. Buyers willing to pay ridiculous prices complete the circle.
I also collect cast iron cookware and have seen a similar inflation bubble recently. It tends to be similar, but with a lot of antique dealers who recognize certain brand names, but don’t know iron. Buyers willing to pay ridiculous prices complete the circle.
JustABluesGuy
Friend of Leo's
I’ve bought a couple of inexpensive guitars the last couple of years, but I’ve mostly been buying matching straps, extra strings as well as setup tools.
I think it's simple. Quarantines and stimulus checks made a lot of people buy music gear for a while, so prices picked up. Then came shortages due to that plus the various shutdowns covid caused. Things take literally years to balance out, hence the situation.
People that need to move something will have reasonable (yet still expensive) pricing. The rest, don't bother.
People that need to move something will have reasonable (yet still expensive) pricing. The rest, don't bother.
Tonetele
Poster Extraordinaire
Was watching a Youtube video with a guild Starfire for only $650 and quoted as affordable. That's insanely cheap from our part of the world ( Aus/ NZ). I think you folk in the US pay very little for most things. You can't get a sandwich for under $7 here. Be thankful. Your real estate and vehicle prices are low.
Uncle Daddy
Friend of Leo's
Which stuff loses the most when you come to sell it, high end or budget gear? I picked up a year-old CS strat for £2.5k which was something like £3.8k new. That's a big kick in the teeth for the seller. Same model is now £4.2k with the latest price hikes.
loudboy
Tele-Holic
Hence the old saying - "Buy used, play for free." The only things I've taken a bath on have been when I bought something new.
20 years ago you could get 'em for $1200-1500, all day long.
sax4blues
Poster Extraordinaire
20 years ago $1,500 was about 5x what I could spend on guitar.
