bricksnbeatles
Tele-Afflicted
Hey, so how much (%) do you think the value of a guitar goes down after it's used?
resale values
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bricksnbeatles
Tele-Afflicted
anybody?
I must be really odd because I never think about the resale value of a guitar.
Houses? Yes
Cars? Sometimes
Guitars? No
If you're a gigging muso, it's an essential tool. If you're a bedroom player, it's a luxury item. What's the resale value of a hammer if you're a fitter, or an X-Box if you're an e-games fan?
People who buy guitars as investments are usually neither of the above anyway.
<shrug>
Houses? Yes
Cars? Sometimes
Guitars? No
If you're a gigging muso, it's an essential tool. If you're a bedroom player, it's a luxury item. What's the resale value of a hammer if you're a fitter, or an X-Box if you're an e-games fan?
People who buy guitars as investments are usually neither of the above anyway.
<shrug>
I'm like Western Power - I've never given resale value a thought. I've always considered guitars to be much like a car - it doesn't appreciate in value once purchased, so why worry?
Tough question. Define "used".
A guitar can hang in a Guitar Center for two years, get beat to heck, and still sell for full price. The same guitar can be bought out of the box, played twice, cleaned up and two years later - in "new condition", but worth 33% less.
Age matters. Condition matters. Market matters. Scarcity matter. This is a hard question to answer in general terms.
I would say 1 to 6 years old, good condition, take 33% off purchase price.
If you go by Craigslist around here, a new MIM Tele goes for $499 new, and $425 used in any condition at any age.
No justice.
A guitar can hang in a Guitar Center for two years, get beat to heck, and still sell for full price. The same guitar can be bought out of the box, played twice, cleaned up and two years later - in "new condition", but worth 33% less.
Age matters. Condition matters. Market matters. Scarcity matter. This is a hard question to answer in general terms.
I would say 1 to 6 years old, good condition, take 33% off purchase price.
If you go by Craigslist around here, a new MIM Tele goes for $499 new, and $425 used in any condition at any age.
No justice.
bricksnbeatles
Tele-Afflicted
That is exactly what I was looking for (2 years old, good condition).
Thanks!
Although I wouldn't mind a couple of 52 Teles under the bed, and it would be nice if they had a 54 Strat and a 58 LP keeping them company
Starshine
Tele-Afflicted
Woah, $425 for a used MIM seems way over priced. I usually see them go for $300-350 on craigslist with Strats sometimes going for less.
I used to buy guitars with an eye towards resale as I knew I couldn't afford to keep a guitar for too long before I had to sell it to raise some cash. Luckily I don't have to do that anymore and can actually keep guitars that I like.
IMO, a new guitar loses 25% of its value when you take it out of the store. Over the next couple of years it will go down to about 50-60% of its original price, assuming that it stays in relatively good condition. It will stay at 50-60% until it gets to be about 20 years old, at which point it will start to go up in value slightly until you get to 25 years old, when it will start to appreciate quickly. This is all assuming a decent quality guitar from a respected manufacturer.
As far as I'm concerned, if you're only buying on the used market, you should never lose money buying and selling guitars. In fact, it's not that hard to make a little along the way (probably not a significant amount, but some).
I used to buy guitars with an eye towards resale as I knew I couldn't afford to keep a guitar for too long before I had to sell it to raise some cash. Luckily I don't have to do that anymore and can actually keep guitars that I like.
IMO, a new guitar loses 25% of its value when you take it out of the store. Over the next couple of years it will go down to about 50-60% of its original price, assuming that it stays in relatively good condition. It will stay at 50-60% until it gets to be about 20 years old, at which point it will start to go up in value slightly until you get to 25 years old, when it will start to appreciate quickly. This is all assuming a decent quality guitar from a respected manufacturer.
As far as I'm concerned, if you're only buying on the used market, you should never lose money buying and selling guitars. In fact, it's not that hard to make a little along the way (probably not a significant amount, but some).
bricksnbeatles
Tele-Afflicted
So would you say that $280 is about the highest I should pay for a two year old guitar that was originally $420
That wasn't your original question now, was it?
It depends on the guitar. Its condition. Its provenance. Its rarity, or not. How it plays
And how much you want it.
mfowler314
Tele-Meister
You can get a decent idea by analyzing *sold* used guitars on ebay. Go to ebay, type in a fairly specific guitar description (the more specific the better) and then hit search. Then on the left side you can limit to "sold" and to "used". Then scroll the list to get an idea of the average price... While trying to account for things like case or no case and removing outliers like vintage models or really trashed models. Then compare to new price... Of course if the description is too general you may have a hard time determining a specific new price. Yes, this is rough but it should give you some idea.
Starshine
Tele-Afflicted
What's the guitar? Is it a hard to find model?
I use a formula.
Purchase price + the cost of any upgrades + 10% if it's a limited edition model + 10% if it's been signed by a famous musician + 10% if it's been relic'd by a "professional luthier" + 10% for being "real" and not a Chinese or Indonesian model + 10% for every year of age since original purchase (hey, they go up in value every year, right?).
Purchase price + the cost of any upgrades + 10% if it's a limited edition model + 10% if it's been signed by a famous musician + 10% if it's been relic'd by a "professional luthier" + 10% for being "real" and not a Chinese or Indonesian model + 10% for every year of age since original purchase (hey, they go up in value every year, right?).
Kelnet and I are almost on the same page.
I'm going to celebrate with a beer
Kelnet and I are almost on the same page.
I'm going to celebrate with a beer
Oh yeah, add 10% if it has beer-stain mojo.
sax4blues
Poster Extraordinaire
I buy and sell used gear for my own use. My reference point is usually 60% of new.
bricksnbeatles
Tele-Afflicted
Well not exactly, I was just using one specific example just then, not all of them.
Thanks, I found out the average is $365, so I'll try to negotiate down from $330.
bparnell57
Poster Extraordinaire
Why do many new amps go up in value, even when the amps are/just were on closeout for less. An example is my Fender Excelsior Pro which was $200 on closeout but is worth 250-325 used. Also, the Epiphone Valve Junior head was $99 bucks for a long time if I recall, but now they regularly go for up to $150 in good condition. I guess it's all just supply and demand, but I hate seeing people selling gear used for what may have been a fair price, but is now higher than the closeout price of a new one. I remember when the Vibro Champ XD's at my local Sam Ash were $99 but people were trying to get 150 for used ones.
They don't.
There's a big difference between what people think their used amp is worth and what people are willing to pay for it. Selling price is usually a lot less than asking price.
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