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Negotiating Guitar Prices?


RunningDownTheR

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I usually get about 20% off so far. I did negotiate 6,000 to 4700 on a Gibson Custom Hummingbird at Farmers Branch, TX. 21.67% discount. How do you handle negotiations? Can this be done through online sales as well? How about returns when purchased online? Is Wildwood in Colorado a good place? Any advice will be greatly admired..

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Try EM Shorts.

 

 

Down in Wichita!!!

 

You live down there? A friend of mine has a book coming out next month about a McConnell Air Force tanker filled with fuel that crashed in a Wichita neighborhood in 1965 turning it into an inferno.

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I picked up my guitar at GC. The salesman wasn't interested in wheeling and dealing with me even though I told him I was a serious buyer, so I left. Made a few phone calls to Gibson dealers and the average was 40% off msrp. I was planning on ordering one from an out of state dealer to save on tax. I decided to call the GC 800 number for a pricematch since I wanted the guitar I played in their store. I gave him my price and the store I wanted to pick it up from. I also told him that it had to be an all-in price including tax, otherwise I would take my business elsewhere. Ended up paying for the guitar over the phone and picking it up that day. 41% off list and no tax.

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Please send me name of your store and salesman!!!!

New Gibson dealer My Favorite Guitars is another place that, like E. M. Shorts, routinely offers 40% off list without any haggling. Plenty of others will offer you a comparable deal if you let them know that you know that you can get that price.

 

-- Bob R

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I have never bought a new guitar so am not sure how much haggling goes on.

 

One of the nice things about buying used though is the store generally has a lot of wiggle room. If a small store they also cannot afford to sit on stock like the guitar meglomarts can so are very willing to make a deal, especially if you walk in with cash.

 

A lot though does come down to the store. Two years back I was looking at a mid-1960s Hummingbird a small local shop had in. I did not buy it and it ended up being bought by one of the big sexy guitar stores. They put it up for sale at $1400 more than the price I was told I could take it home for.

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In UK we have a plague of antique buy and sell programs on TV. Teams compete to buy antiques in shops and then sell at auction. The negotiation is funny as the buyer jokes the price down. The seller seeming happy to knock 40/50% off with ease. In the real world every penny has to be accounted for. The program is silly.

 

If you ask a professorial buyer one price then knock a large amount off he will suspect the pricing structure and put his money else ware rightly seeing that the seller has marked up to mark down. I would guess that guitar retailers mark up 50% giving a margin of 33% to play with. In here lies the difference of profit and loss. So a deal could encompass 20% discount to still show the seller a working profit.

 

The other side to this story is the attitude of the seller to being asked for a price. In business it is just part of the negotiation and usually encompasses a 'well if that's the price for one what if I buy two'factor. But on a one off sale like a a guitar you can't do that. At some stage one of you has to commit to a figure so ask for the best price first then offer less always working within the financial frame work, so not asking for something daft. Lastly remember you can get away with anything with a smile on your face!

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Our local Gibson store gives 40% off list, so it's nice to go in and try. I know a lot of guys use a formula for used guitars too, but I find that just doesn't work. For used guitars, I like to negotiate a "fair" price.....BUT I will ruthlessly go for the Jugular with my offers if sellers use any of the crap below:

 

Here are some of the 10 most over used, misused, and ridiculous things I've read on CL:

 

1. Most overused and misused word...."Rare" Amazingly can be used to refer to a Korean made guitar, where perhaps 100,000 were made.

2. "Vintage" on CL, apparently vintage can mean anything before 2001

3. "Must sell, price firm" anyone see the irony???

4. "easy to play, perfect for slide"....CL speak for "needs a neck reset"

5. "minty" you would think this would mean that the sound hole smell was fresh and zingy, but apparently includes crazing, top cracks, dings under 1/4" , scuffs, and scratches that "won't show in photographs"

6. "lots of mojo", apparently a metaphor for misused, mistreated, beat-up, and trashed, of course, these are "appropriate for a guitar of this age"

7. "my loss is your gain" ...just sell the guitar already

8. "serious inquiries only" this usually accompanies a listing where the seller is trying to sell his guitar for list price

9. Speaking of "list price" PLEASE don't quote list price when trying to sell your Martin. NO ONE pays list price!!!! No-one even pays "minimum advertised price" So when you try to sell your used guitar for MAP, and quote "list price" you are fooling NO ONE!!!! It is insulting to yourself and shows you as untrustworthy...lol

10.Last but not least.....an autograph on the top of your Epiphone acoustic guitar by the unknown guitar player from the touring band for Miley Cyrus, does NOT make it worth $1500!!!! And PLEASE include instructions on how to REMOVE that signature without damaging the finish!!!

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I usually get about 20% off so far. I did negotiate 6,000 to 4700 on a Gibson Custom Hummingbird at Farmers Branch, TX. 21.67% discount. How do you handle negotiations? Can this be done through online sales as well? How about returns when purchased online? Is Wildwood in Colorado a good place? Any advice will be greatly admired..

 

Unless it's a special hard to get model never pay more than 60% of list. I can usually get 40% off Gibson, Martin and Fender

 

I wonder if you guys are talking about two different things here. Dave is clearly talking about a discount off of list price (aka MSRP). I suspect RDTR is talking about a discount off of MAP (minimum advertised price), the price you would see online or on a price tag in a store. List and MAP are two very different things.

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It sounds like this to me:

 

example

 

Gibson lists the Robert Johnson L1 for $2793

knock off .4 (-1117) and get $1856 which is the most I should pay and hope to get it for $1700. [thumbup]

I think you might want to check your arithmetic. $2793 - $1117 is $1676.

 

However, I should warn you that Sweetwater is showing a list of $3449 for the "2013 Robert Johnson L-1" and GC/MF/etc. don't have any, so I'm guessing this is one of the models that is in limited production at the moment (with a higher price tag and maybe slightly different specs) and that the Gibson website info is out of date (as usual). But the principle is right.

 

-- Bob R

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I figure a minimum of 40%. Likely more if you're willing to spend some time with them. What I typically do is bring cash with me when I'm actually ready to buy a high-dollar guitar. If they say $2200 is the best they can possibly do after sales price and another 10% because you're a good customer, and another $50 because there's a slight blemish, I say "Here's 2-grand and it's all I got." The worst thing they can do is say "No," and that's not the end of the world for you or them. I guess my point is don't be anxious to jump on their first price, even if it comes after a supposed chat with the manager and it gets your attention. And don't let them know you really are dying for the guitar. Cash is still King when they see it in your hand. They know you're not there to waste their time and that you are willing to buy if the price in in the ballpark. Chances are they are not going to let you walk out of the store without the guitar.......Does it work all the time? No, but it has worked several times. And if it don't, I've still got Gibby's at home that love me.

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I think you might want to check your arithmetic. $2793 - $1117 is $1676.

 

However, I should warn you that Sweetwater is showing a list of $3449 for the "2013 Robert Johnson L-1" and GC/MF/etc. don't have any, so I'm guessing this is one of the models that is in limited production at the moment (with a higher price tag and maybe slightly different specs) and that the Gibson website info is out of date (as usual). But the principle is right.

 

-- Bob R

 

Not sure how I bucked that up, but good catch.

 

 

I figure a minimum of 40%. Likely more if you're willing to spend some time with them. What I typically do is bring cash with me when I'm actually ready to buy a high-dollar guitar. If they say $2200 is the best they can possibly do after sales price and another 10% because you're a good customer, and another $50 because there's a slight blemish, I say "Here's 2-grand and it's all I got." The worst thing they can do is say "No," and that's not the end of the world for you or them. I guess my point is don't be anxious to jump on their first price, even if it comes after a supposed chat with the manager and it gets your attention. And don't let them know you really are dying for the guitar. Cash is still King when they see it in your hand. They know you're not there to waste their time and that you are willing to buy if the price in in the ballpark. Chances are they are not going to let you walk out of the store without the guitar.......Does it work all the time? No, but it has worked several times. And if it don't, I've still got Gibby's at home that love me.

 

Since i'm not near any guitars, it will have to be an online deal...

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