jannusguy2 Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 I'm amused when I have something for sale and a prospective buyer stands there and runs it right into the ground. I've gotten so irked that a couple times I've said, "If it's as bad as you say it is, I better not try to sell it to anyone!". This is the way I have felt at just about every year at the guitar expo I visit. Whatever I'm peddling is crap and whatever they're selling is gold. Applies to brick & mortar stores, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbw59 Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Tried to trade in a 1995 Guild DC-1 (was hoping for $500) and GC offered me $350, ouch. Put it on Craig's list and sold it in a week for $700. CL works...! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 This is the way I have felt at just about every year at the guitar expo I visit. Whatever I'm peddling is crap and whatever they're selling is gold. Applies to brick & mortar stores, too. Â Exact same experience. Mine has issues that drive down its value. Theirs has Mojo that demands a higher price. Â When I sell locally on CL, I immediately dismiss any dealer inquiries. Â Â Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimt Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Its funny how people over value something they are selling, yet de-value something they wish to purchase. Â Â Over valueing is due to over paying.. I dont really care about the big stores.. I didnt put them in there position to pay high overhead.. they did.. and they will do what it takes to make money off your over paying of new items.. guitars, cars, high end watches.. its all the same. Â Â eg: I would not buy a Dylan J200 base model or other.. There just 200s with a name attatched not worth the extra money.. no different than with Martin endorsed or a God aweful Taylor endorsed .. The entertainer did not play or own the guitar.. Its of no use to me to waste good money on those and be beaten up down the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 I agree with the point made…..GC just doesn't want to buy used guitars…that's really not their bread and butter. Local guitar shops will consign your used guitar in our area for 20-25% of sale price, not ESTIMATED sale price. Some places offer 15% IF you let the sum ride and use it to purchase another guitar from them. Craig's list IS a great site to sell a guitar …….BUT if the guitar you are selling it over $2K…you will wait a LONG time. Trying to sell on forum sites is a crap shoot. Most guys on those forums are looking for a bargain, are very knowledgeable, AND if your guitar has even a pin head size dimple in the top, they want it discounted heavily….lol…..so sometimes trading is a great game to play instead of buying and selling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 I know a couple of guys who own small stores and who tend to frequent the big guitar shows. From what they tell me they have to be prepared to take a real beating on any newish guitars. Folks just do not want to pay for them so when they do buy or take sometyhing in on trade that is always in the back of their mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezra1 Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 The best way to get an instrument that you want is to have cash in hand. That's what the dealers want and is your chance to make them work for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fromnabulax Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 If you must deal with Guitar Center, do it in person. Â Wait if you're able for the last day of a sales quarter, or at the very least the last day of a month. Sales managers are so desperate to meet or exceed their sales quota that they will just about sell their souls for a nickel in order to simply post a sale. Â I went in during a recent recession a few years back on the very last day of a sales quarter, and only an hour and a half before closing and picked up a $1,400 guitar for $499.00 that was marked at $899.00. Then to add insult to injury at the last moment 20 minutes before closing time I insisted that I would only close the deal if they threw in a $100.00 hardshell case and a new set if strings. Â The guy was clearly fuming, but agreed all the way. Â My wife likes to kid that they have my picture in every GC store coast to coast with a sign under it saying "If you see this guy coming, LOCK THE DOOR!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aster1 Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Aster….isn't your math off….Yes $1000 marked down is $500. but $500 marked up 50% is $750, as 50% of $500 is $250. $500 marked up 100% is $1000….just saying…...  Hi Wily,  That's the point I was attempting to make w/o having the benefits of a "prop" like an old fashion profit we use to use.  The general way with figuring profit is the percent must be the same. If you knock 50% off it has to be the same going back up as that's PROFIT ON THE SELLING PRICE. So if you have an item that your cost is $50 and your selling price is $100 your gross profit is $50 OR 50% of the selling price. So that's the business technique for arriving at it being a profit margin of 50% vs. looking at it as 100%. Has to do with keeping the Up percentage the same as the down percentage. Important each year when you look at what you made or if you work it the WRONG way, at what YOU LOST!!!  Aster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarLight Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 All in all, GC is the best thing that ever happened to my city. And yes they do want to make money on trades. Otherwise a person must go through the hassle of advertising, showing temperamental strangers into their homes those guitars they wish to sell, putting them up for consignment, only to have the buyer take it home, play it, maybe damage it, and then return it all over again, and then there's the waiting game, and selling it in the risky online business. Â Before GC my city was stuck with small finicky music shops, who carried little in stock, had to be pried down on price, and who gave you the evil eye when it came to returns. While I sometimes take a loss on the guitar I trade at GC, I usually can make up for that by a 15% sale at the time of trading up, which they do still run from time to time. Is it cheaper to do this?...maybe not...is it faster and easier to get the guitar I want YESTERDAY? ..Yep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splake Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 Selling guitars Sucks - Period. It is not just G.C. I recently listed three Guitars so I could buy others, 2 on Ebay one on reverb. They all sold. But Scum bag low ballers that come out of the wood work like ants. When you buy them, you pay top dollar for top end made in america instruments, I get that and will continue to do so, however when you sell , the scum bag public wants something for nothing. I had a 2014 Mint HD 28 that I paid $2899.00 for. I listed for $2100.00 It was 2 months old. I had a guy pissed off because I was charging $50 shipping from Chicago to New York, and of course he wanted bigger deal, I had guitar dealers offering 50% or even 40 % on the dollar on 2014 guitars so they could flip them. They Ebay and Paypal get their piece. Lose. Lose. I agree it is hard not to take some of the sh** personal. I hate the public. I told my wife, I am going to lock myself in my guitar room with my books and twice a day she can slide a bowl of gruel under the door. Being in corporate American for the past 18 years- Seclusion from People = Paradise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 Ha! Â Â Don't get too lonely locked in your room! [mellow] Â Â Â Where I live, it would be cheaper to deliver to the Moon, I tell you. ALL prices and fees rose on Jan 1 this year ..... Â But when we go to sell...... Â Â Â BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 Then you get guys like this……4 years on CL at the same price…..lol…..I see these Eric Clapton's sell for around $2400 on CL….Martin guys are the worst…..A lot of times I see guys trying to sell used Martins at List price??? It is too funny…  http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/msg/4921951827.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 But Scum bag low ballers that come out of the wood work like ants. When you buy them, you pay top dollar for top end made in america instruments, I get that and will continue to do so, however when you sell , the scum bag public wants something for nothing. I had a 2014 Mint HD 28 that I paid $2899.00 for. I listed for $2100.00 It was 2 months old. Â Â I am a notorious cheapskate. The way I look at it, you know you have a deal when neither party is overjoyed with it. But you do not like the offer all you have to do is say no. It is called haggling. I have had deals fall though over a couple of hundred bucks. But I have also walked away with some killer deals - in one case after investing some money in much needed repairs, a guitar easily worth 5 times what I have in it. More than makes up for "the one that got away." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 My turn. Ready? Â Took two "trade ins" today to get a price. One, a 1996 LP Special, rewired 50's with P-90's, TV yellow (Cable Yellow). The other, a '88 Paisley Strat, all there except pickups, or in other words, the pickups are missing. Â I happen to be kinda hip on the values, having checked last year (or the year before?) Did this for YOUR benefit, so... Â Walked in empty, so as to ask the question, "Are you interested in buying guitars?". "Sure, we buy guitars." "Sure, but are you INTERESTED in buying guitars". I wanted to know, you know, where do they stand. That's the chance to be honest. Well, he ACTS genuinely interest. Says he is. Â Go out, come in, he's on the phone. He finishes that call, then picks up the phone and MAKES another call. Then he starts to get my guitar out of the case WHILE HE IS ON THE PHONE!. So..I (politely) say, "I can come back when you aren't busy". He says, "Oh, he doesn't mind, I talk to him all the time while doing stuff". Â Kids. Really. I couldn't help it, I had to tell him. "I mind". Â Rant: I wouldn't reach for a guitar with one hand and the phone in the other at a friends house. Certainly not your house. For sure, not a strangers guitar, and for SURE, not a customer. Â And of corse, GET OFF THE DAMNED PHONE!!! That's a different thread. Shouldn't be my job to teach the kids phone manners, but apparently, it is. Somebody has to and it ain't getting done. Â Anyway, they CAN offer 60% if it is a "desirable" guitar. Obviously, that means an easy sell. Also, guitars must be working. In other words, the Paisley Strat? Wouldn't even take it. Buy it and put the pups in themselves? Nope. Change me 100 bucks (labor) off the price? Nope. Â Ok. So, here it is, if I bring it back, AFTER I, ME, put the pups in, what will you give me? Nevermind. Â Another strange "anomaly". Anything 25 years and older is a "vintage" guitar, and must be appraised by "Guitar Center Vintage" by pictures. Â Did this at two different stores. One store sucked (cough-CLAKAMAS), and the other was pleasant. Both arrived at the same offer for the LPJ, one offering 60% but unable to value it as high as it should be, and the other able to properly appraise and offered 50%. One store trying to defend a stupid policy and becoming insulting, and the other, apologetic and DID put forth a little effort "appraising". Â The moral: obvioisly, some stores are better than others, as are some employess. But MOST of the time, the "guy" appraising or giving an offer is barely qualified, AND GC seriously has their hands tied with some pretty lame policies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Yes, peoples are peoples wherever we go! Â Rude is rude - get off that phone! (I had a j200 Blonde in my hands 7 or 8 years back, and the salesman and his apprentice were just about to eat their, by the smell I would say, toasted Bacon and Egg Rolls, and the J200 and my questions could have gone to Kalamazoo for all they cared......). Timing is everything. Â We dont have GC, though we used to have a small conglomerate that went bust a few years back - they had every piece of junk I never wanted and catered for the hopeful teenage rock god in their final business model, to the neglect of their earlier acoustic oriented customers. Â Â So a question...... Does having the GC everywhere keep ALL the prices at other stores down? Â Â Â BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smurfbird Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 It sounds to me like the best bet aside from getting lucky and selling them on your own is to bring them into a decent music store that offers consignment at 80/20 and 85/15 when trading for something in their shop. Otherwise, stop buying guitars you aren't 100% in love with. (Easier said than done.) Â Weren't there a few guys on this board who regularly practiced 'catch & release'? Where's their advice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smurfbird Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 I can tell you that having working internet keeps the prices down at my local guitar shop! I can buy a new Martin (they don't sell Gibson) for 15-20% off MAP without haggling. That's the price on the ticket. All their prices either match retail prices on the internet or beat them by a significant amount. Usually the amount you might get if you had a coupon with the bigger place. Â They're not worried about GC. They're worried about Sweetwater, Musician's Friend and the rest of them... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Â So a question...... Does having the GC everywhere keep ALL the prices at other stores down? Â BluesKing777. Well, maybe, but for the most part, I would say no. Â One thing about GC, MOST of them don't cater to "high end" or carry the best stuff. Most of what most of them carry are mostly a lot of cheaper guitars, and have very few nice ones. Â Same goes for everything they have. Amps in particular. In the 3 in my area, not one has what I would consider a "real" amp. Not what most musicians want to play. Â Most in my city got their stuff from other stores, and it's stuff you can't hardly get from GC. Â So basically, another way to look at it is even though GC's are huge, a small shop easily actually has MORE of what most of us want to buy. Â And, the service is often so, well, lets just say I think the average guy would rather deal with the others around here than have what savings could be had if and when. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 I can tell you that having working internet keeps the prices down at my local guitar shop! I can buy a new Martin (they don't sell Gibson) for 15-20% off MAP without haggling. That's the price on the ticket. All their prices either match retail prices on the internet or beat them by a significant amount. Usually the amount you might get if you had a coupon with the bigger place. Â They're not worried about GC. They're worried about Sweetwater, Musician's Friend and the rest of them... That's more true than anything. Â And a lot of the worry, also, is the general public more often expects internet prices to be what they pay to a guitar shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 Isn't "Sweetwater, Musician's Friend and the rest of them…" OWNED by the same company??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 Isn't "Sweetwater, Musician's Friend and the rest of them…" OWNED by the same company??? GC, MF, & Music 123 are connected,  but Sweetwater & AMS are not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 Anyway, they CAN offer 60% if it is a "desirable" guitar. Obviously, that means an easy sell. Also, guitars must be working. In other words, the Paisley Strat? Wouldn't even take it. Buy it and put the pups in themselves? Nope. Change me 100 bucks (labor) off the price? Nope. Approx one month ago at GC, I was given 67% of the selling price for a Korean (Peerless) Casino in near-mint condition. A very reasonable deal, imho, and I kept the hardshell case which I later sold separately. Â I've turned many good deals at GC with both new & used equipment, and just consider them to be another potential option for landing a desired piece. Every retailer's got their own approach, and they're entitled to play whatever game they want. Just figure out what it is, and take advantage of the parts that'll work for you - or walk away. Â Oh, and the sales associate who doesn't know his rear end from an f-hole? Doesn't bother me a bit. Sooner or later, a deal will come along where his ignorance works in my favor. Â GC can be one of your best friends if you wisely utilize what their overall network has to offer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 I went the other full extreme today - bought some strings at a full boutique high end specialist acoustic guitar shop and phew..phew...phew...get those strings and don't look at anything or listen or even listen to the friendly, experienced mature age staff...all too perfect except the budget! Â In Jan, I got my CEO7 there, and they went out of their way to get it from the importer and rang me...etc.... Generally right on it! And great players! Â Right there was..oh no..I wont say, but it was $8k...oh no look at those custom shops....price unknown....and a Dylan J200 in a display case....let's get the strings and go! Â Â Â BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorrisrownSal Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 I just get let down every time. I think it's just the ones in NJ... The GC in San Fran is great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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