ksdaddy Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 No, this isn't a "gun" discussion. It's about buying and selling. For 40 years I've hung around the local pawn shop (which has now circled the drain but that's another story). They were the main gun dealer in the area, at least as far as volume. I never bothered to count but there had to have been 400 or 500 long guns and 100 handguns in stock at any given time, mostly used but also a good selection of "A List" guns and whatever you wanted was a phone call away if it wasn't in stock. I've watched many people come in and complain about the prices. And rightfully so. If a new cheap shotgun was $99, then a used one was $89. If it was over 20 years old it attained some kind of collector status and was now $149. People complained that KMart or Walmart was selling them for $10 less. The proprietor would suggest they go there and buy. Now personally I can see where BOTH of them were being a-holes...the customer for waving the Kmart price in the mom and pop guy's face and basically challenging him to come down in price 'or else', and the proprietor for taking a "if you don't like it, leave" attitude. Both wrong. But it's all part of the dance I guess. The customer is often the jerk too. They come in and complain about the price of a gun but then bring in a trade. They want a $300 gun and they have a used gun they want to trade in that might retail for $200. They are insulted that the prop won't allow them $200 for it, because "that's what it's worth". It seems odd that everyone understands the idea that used cars have a retail, wholesale, and trade in value, but not when it comes to anything else. Doesn't matter that the prop then has to go through some steps before he can put that gun on the rack and then be prepared to negotiate, offer a return policy, etc. The prop can also be the jerk, doing the standard Rick Harrison move of offering four bucks for the Mona Lisa. I've seen a lot of this crap and like I said, I can see where neither party is pure. Both sides can be jerks. My point in all this is that I am seeing more of this attitude in guitar dealing. I suppose the framework has always been there and shouldn't surprise me, but the whole chest-puffing testosterone driven "If I don't screw HIM, then ipso facto, he will screw ME" paradigm is unsettling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 99% of the gear buys I make are based purely on whether or not I can get a deal on the item. Very rarely do I buy a piece of gear because I feel it's something that I must have. I have a big pile of crybaby wah pedals but if I see one in a store used for $20 I'll offer 15 and see if I can grab another one. If the shop owner says he just can't do that sort of deal then I may go ahead and give him the 20 or I may walk. If the seller feels like he's being screwed then he shouldn't sell it to me. But if the item has been sitting on a shelf for nine months and no one's asked about it then he might be smart to sell it to me in cash out. It's his call. Either way it's not going to hurt my feelings. It's all business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbrian66 Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 I kind of like the bargaining game. I throw low ball offers out all the time. Don't get the item most of the time but some times you get lucky. I think it can be done respectfully. I never "expect" the person or store to sell at my asking price. And I never get angry when they tell me no. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevDavidLee Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 I see a lot of this on my local craigslist in pricing for used instruments - as far as people asking full price for something that's used. In some cases well above what the same thing sells for new. I've seen this on the Reverb site as well and on Ebay. It's weird especially when the seller can see that others selling the exact same item for less are listed right along side theirs. I'm trying to figure out their thought processes.. like some guy's going to come along and see a used Boss DS-1 for sale for $30 and next to it is another used one for $80 and says oh hell yes I'd rather pay that higher price I believe that part of this is the larger picture of many people in general just getting meaner. I don't know if it's because of social media which has certainly dialed up hateful rhetoric on almost every subject, politics, certainly the 2nd Amendment discussions, and almost every subject it seems as I get older but it's disconcerting for sure. I had an uncle who thought everyone was on crack.. maybe he was right.. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 I don't mind the game, but I usually have a price in mind that I won't exceed. I've let lots of stuff walk because it exceeded my upper limit. I'm constantly buying Tube Screamers to modify and re-sell, but I never pay more than $75 for spotless ones... pawn shops, guitar shows, Reverb, eBay.... doesn't matter - $75 is it. If I start running low on them, I just go on Reverb and offer a bunch of guys $75 (shipped) and I always find plenty. I don't get insulted if they won't take my offer - though sometimes they get chippy. I just state up front I won't pay more than $75 for a TS9. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duane v Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 My stance is..... This is what I'm going to pay for it.... Then I leave it up to the store..... Well unless it's one of those "I have to have it sceneries.... Like my recent $125 vintage 66 Epiphone TRC purchase Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C-RAM Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 I've never liked the concept of haggling - if I want it, I pay the asking price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 I am surprised you haven't made this post a couple years ago. Then again, maybe you did. There's Retail, (in a shop, where you can "SHOP" for it, see it, play it, etc) Private Party. You go to a guys house when he lets you. Wholesale/trade in. You don't have to sell, you let someone else have the responsibility. Money talks, BS walks. Anyone can list anything for what they want, and choose to sell or not sell. Or list high and negotiate. Or price something to sell, which we used to call "serious about selling". Haven't heard that in a long while. My rant: If a guy is selling a guitar "Private Party", I am NOT going to pay the retail. You might be the greatest guy in the world with a nice house and even let me smoke in it, but it's still not the same as being able to shop for something when I feel like it, or have a shop to go to and hold accountable. Other rant: Online, to me, is closer to "Private Party". I know a guitar is worth what it's worth, but to me, a guitar should be felt and heard and seen. The pleasure of doing that AFTER I've bought it, just ain't worth the same money to me. The moral, the point: there are two values: there is a dollar amount something is worth to buy something, and a dollar amount of what you can get for something. They just are never going to be the same thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vangoghsear Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 I usually try and buy new guitars at deep enough discounts so that I can sell them used at a later date and not lose too much. The exception being guitars I plan to keep, or I think will rise in value, such as some desirable limited editions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GibsonKramer Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 You can have my guitars, when you pry them from my cold, dead fingers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skilsaw Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 I've never liked the concept of haggling - if I want it, I pay the asking price. I'm like C-RAM. Maybe I never had the intestinal fortitude for haggling. And I like to develop a long term relationship with merchants. That takes fairness, going both ways. I knew a blonde, blue-eyed American girl who grew up in Saudi-Arabia. Her dad was in oil back in the 60's and 70's. As a kid, shopping in the outdoor markets, she learned to haggle like an Arab. She could haggle the hair off a camel's back. She brought this skill back to the States, but looked like an all-American girl. She would walk into a used furniture store and they would pay her to take furniture away. It was wicked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quapman Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 Wish I bought enough guitars to have an opinion on this thread. That said, I won't back down from a good haggle on any used item anywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btoth76 Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 During the late 90s, all the musical instrument pawn shops disappeared from Budapest. Only "big names" left on the market selling new instruments. Second hand trading gone online to Facebook pages, or ad sites. Then a few years ago someone opened a pawn shop. They have a great variety of used products, but the attitude is ridiculous. They think everything is a collectible vintage piece and things are priced accordingly. I remember, once I walked in and saw an old beaten up Regent tube amp (I own four of them). Asked the about the price. They told me to make an offer, and "they will consider parting with it". I hate this. Probably, I should have went into the game to see what is the sum they are willing to "part with it" for, then offer my completely rebuilt amps to them for a bit more. :D Bence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketman Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 I guess I'm used to it because of the Greek culture I grew up in. Greeks love to haggle. My father once almost walked away from a car deal over $11! When I do go to Greece I get the best price I can get, but I speak only in English in that initial round. Then when I speak Greek I get a different price altogether. My buddy is a hugely successful business guy. He makes me laugh so hard sometimes that I almost pi$$ my pants. He's huge too (6'4", 250 pounds), which can be intimidating to some, but he's a teddy bear at heart. But he knows how to be a real shark in business if it needs to happen. He taught me to let personal feelings aside from any business decision I make. I also own a company, and I was recently negotiating with another company who wanted to buy a good percentage of my company. I know these guys really well. But I didn't let my friendship get in the way. In the end the deal was not right for me, so I said "no thanks." It's all good. No hard feelings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 When I do go to Greece I get the best price I can get, but I speak only in English in that initial round. Then when I speak Greek I get a different price altogether. Sounds Greek to me............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevDavidLee Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 FREEZE! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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