How do I go about selling a 1973 D-28 Martin Guitar?
April 17, 2013 7:08 AM Subscribe
An ill family member has asked me to sell her 1973 D-28 Martin Guitar, complete with original case. It's in good condition. I know nothing about guitars or about selling guitars. I have no clue where to start.
Interesting thread here about someone trying to sell a similar guitar.
Where are you located? Personally, I'd hit local guitar shops--preferably not the Guitar Centers, but independents focusing on acoustic instruments.
eBay is another option--a friend of mine has picked up a nice acoustic online.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 7:23 AM on April 17, 2013
Where are you located? Personally, I'd hit local guitar shops--preferably not the Guitar Centers, but independents focusing on acoustic instruments.
eBay is another option--a friend of mine has picked up a nice acoustic online.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 7:23 AM on April 17, 2013
Best answer: If it was me I'd sell it on eBay. This is a link to completed listings for that item, more or less. It looks like one in GREAT shape with original case and tags sold for $3495, one in good shape with case sold for $1405, and one in good shape has not yet sold, first at $2200 and now at $1995.
If it was me I'd put it up for auction, set the starting price at less than you'd ever want it to sell for (say, $1000) and let the chips fall where they may. The hope is that people will start bidding on it and get committed enough that they will pay more for it than they would if it was jjust up for sale. If been on both sides of it, on eBay, with musical instruments, and it works.
A local store will want a bigger cut, and has a smaller potential customer group. But, for the right person, that guitar would be worth good money. If there is a local shp that deals in that sort of thing it might be worth a try.
But REALLY if it was me I'd keep it. Sounds like a beaut.
posted by dirtdirt at 7:27 AM on April 17, 2013 [2 favorites]
If it was me I'd put it up for auction, set the starting price at less than you'd ever want it to sell for (say, $1000) and let the chips fall where they may. The hope is that people will start bidding on it and get committed enough that they will pay more for it than they would if it was jjust up for sale. If been on both sides of it, on eBay, with musical instruments, and it works.
A local store will want a bigger cut, and has a smaller potential customer group. But, for the right person, that guitar would be worth good money. If there is a local shp that deals in that sort of thing it might be worth a try.
But REALLY if it was me I'd keep it. Sounds like a beaut.
posted by dirtdirt at 7:27 AM on April 17, 2013 [2 favorites]
Oh, if you do sell on eBay remember to set the shipping pretty high. Like $100. You'll need to pack the guitar in it's case in a bigger box, well padded and packed,and that all adds up.
posted by dirtdirt at 7:28 AM on April 17, 2013
posted by dirtdirt at 7:28 AM on April 17, 2013
Again, depends on your city, but it can't hurt to throw it up on craigslist for *more* than you want just to see what happens.
posted by justjess at 7:30 AM on April 17, 2013
posted by justjess at 7:30 AM on April 17, 2013
You'll get more money for it on ebay than anywhere else.
I've sold things to guitar shops, but always at a loss. You'll make more money on ebay, even if with a "Buy It Now" button and not an auction. (But do an auction).
posted by ablazingsaddle at 7:55 AM on April 17, 2013
I've sold things to guitar shops, but always at a loss. You'll make more money on ebay, even if with a "Buy It Now" button and not an auction. (But do an auction).
posted by ablazingsaddle at 7:55 AM on April 17, 2013
You could try the Unofficial Martin Forum or even The Gear Page forum. Normally community members frown on people joining just to sell something, but if you tell your story I bet you could sell it there, assuming eBay isn't your thing.
posted by Silvertree at 8:17 AM on April 17, 2013
posted by Silvertree at 8:17 AM on April 17, 2013
The most knowledgeable guitar people I have know and trusted work at Dave's Guitar Shop in Wisconsin.
http://davesguitar.com/
They sell new and used and Dave has an incredible collection that he curates. He's always looking for something special.
eBay is another decent route to go, you should do some research first with the serial number of the guitar, you can find out from the Martin people if the parts are all original and what the going price is.
posted by bobdow at 8:27 AM on April 17, 2013
http://davesguitar.com/
They sell new and used and Dave has an incredible collection that he curates. He's always looking for something special.
eBay is another decent route to go, you should do some research first with the serial number of the guitar, you can find out from the Martin people if the parts are all original and what the going price is.
posted by bobdow at 8:27 AM on April 17, 2013
Assuming you're not actually in Mongolia, I recommend selling locally for cash via craiglist or something. You avoid having to pack and ship the thing, avoid paying an unreasonably high fee to the evil empire that is eBay/PayPal, and avoid the very real risk that the buyer will scam you so that you lose the guitar, don't get paid, and still have to pay ridiculous fees to eBay and PayPal. I will never sell on eBay again.
posted by exogenous at 9:17 AM on April 17, 2013
posted by exogenous at 9:17 AM on April 17, 2013
Best answer: Well, assuming you have the actual guitar in your possession and you're not actually in Mongolia . . . .
First, hopefully you have a friend or acquaintance who does know something about guitars and can take a look at it and let you know what kind of shape it's in and help you figure out what it's worth.
If you genuinely can't find a friend/acquaintance who knows guitars (or your friend doesn't know that much about acoustic guitars), find a local music store (not Guitar Center or Sam Ash) and/or music instrument repair person, ideally one that specializes in or emphasizes acoustic instruments, and have them check it out. Acoustic guitars are generally more fragile than electrics and can be greatly affected by temperature & humidity changes, and problems aren't always super-obvious to the untrained eye.
Then, armed with the knowledge of what kind of condition the guitar is in do a variety of ebay searches in "sold" and "completed" listings to get an idea of the possible value. You'll want to do more than one, in a variety of categories and with a variety of relevant search terms because things aren't necessarily listed in the right category or with detailed descriptions.
I think that ebay is probably where you'll get the best price - you'll reach the widest audience of buyers looking for specific guitars, and a pre-1980 Martin could be worth quite a bit of money. I'll second dirtdirt's advice,
"If it was me I'd put it up for auction, set the starting price at less than you'd ever want it to sell for (say, $1000) and let the chips fall where they may. The hope is that people will start bidding on it and get committed enough that they will pay more for it than they would if it was jjust up for sale. If been on both sides of it, on eBay, with musical instruments, and it works."
I've bought and sold quite a few pieces of music equipment and instruments on ebay and (knock on wood) not really had a bad experience yet.
Tips: be honest about the condition of the guitar, post lots of pictures, write in complete sentences. Do some research online to get info about the guitar - the various woods it's made of, the dimensions, etc. etc. Your descriptions should be as positive as you can make them without being a bunch of breathless hype, and ebayers don't have to know that you're not actually a guitar player yourself.
I'll also second dirtdirt on shipping - I recently sold an electric, and the "oversize" dimensions of the thing meant I had to pay shipping as if it weighed 30 pounds, even though the actual weight was more like 15. You'll also want to budget for insurance, and lots of bubble wrap and a sturdy box. Some Google searching may find you a local box or shipping supply company that can help you with the fairly large box you'll need.
Craigslist is a possibility, but your craigslist experience can be heavily dependent on your local community. Honestly, where I am, almost all of my Craigslist experiences (and those of friends) have been . . . . not the greatest. All sorts of nut-jobs & scammers & people who want to pay pennies on the dollar seem to crawl out of the woodwork, and of course there's the safety & security issue of these people having some way to contact you, and where, when & how to meet so they can check out the guitar. IMO, Craigslist is very much a YMMV situation, which you may want to avoid.
The third possibility is selling at a local music store (possibly the one where you got the guitar checked out) on consignment. This might strike a good balance between price and simplicity. Most stores use ebay as a price guide these days, so they'll take the guitar in, price it at slightly below average ebay prices, set a minimum sale price, and then once it sells they keep 10%- 20% of the sale price. You'll wind up with something approaching an ebay price without the hassle of making a listing.
Fourth is you can straight up sell it outright to a store. They'll probably offer you less than half of what you can get on ebay, but it'll be a quick transaction, and it'll be out of your hair.
Oh yeah, and fifth is you could sell it to the friend or acquaintance that checks it out.
There are various forums online, as per Silvertree, but AFAIK, not only do they generally frown on joining just to sell something, but some have rules where you have to participate for a certain length of time or make a certain number of posts before you're allowed to post gear for sale, so that's honestly probably not the best route.
posted by soundguy99 at 7:34 AM on April 18, 2013
First, hopefully you have a friend or acquaintance who does know something about guitars and can take a look at it and let you know what kind of shape it's in and help you figure out what it's worth.
If you genuinely can't find a friend/acquaintance who knows guitars (or your friend doesn't know that much about acoustic guitars), find a local music store (not Guitar Center or Sam Ash) and/or music instrument repair person, ideally one that specializes in or emphasizes acoustic instruments, and have them check it out. Acoustic guitars are generally more fragile than electrics and can be greatly affected by temperature & humidity changes, and problems aren't always super-obvious to the untrained eye.
Then, armed with the knowledge of what kind of condition the guitar is in do a variety of ebay searches in "sold" and "completed" listings to get an idea of the possible value. You'll want to do more than one, in a variety of categories and with a variety of relevant search terms because things aren't necessarily listed in the right category or with detailed descriptions.
I think that ebay is probably where you'll get the best price - you'll reach the widest audience of buyers looking for specific guitars, and a pre-1980 Martin could be worth quite a bit of money. I'll second dirtdirt's advice,
"If it was me I'd put it up for auction, set the starting price at less than you'd ever want it to sell for (say, $1000) and let the chips fall where they may. The hope is that people will start bidding on it and get committed enough that they will pay more for it than they would if it was jjust up for sale. If been on both sides of it, on eBay, with musical instruments, and it works."
I've bought and sold quite a few pieces of music equipment and instruments on ebay and (knock on wood) not really had a bad experience yet.
Tips: be honest about the condition of the guitar, post lots of pictures, write in complete sentences. Do some research online to get info about the guitar - the various woods it's made of, the dimensions, etc. etc. Your descriptions should be as positive as you can make them without being a bunch of breathless hype, and ebayers don't have to know that you're not actually a guitar player yourself.
I'll also second dirtdirt on shipping - I recently sold an electric, and the "oversize" dimensions of the thing meant I had to pay shipping as if it weighed 30 pounds, even though the actual weight was more like 15. You'll also want to budget for insurance, and lots of bubble wrap and a sturdy box. Some Google searching may find you a local box or shipping supply company that can help you with the fairly large box you'll need.
Craigslist is a possibility, but your craigslist experience can be heavily dependent on your local community. Honestly, where I am, almost all of my Craigslist experiences (and those of friends) have been . . . . not the greatest. All sorts of nut-jobs & scammers & people who want to pay pennies on the dollar seem to crawl out of the woodwork, and of course there's the safety & security issue of these people having some way to contact you, and where, when & how to meet so they can check out the guitar. IMO, Craigslist is very much a YMMV situation, which you may want to avoid.
The third possibility is selling at a local music store (possibly the one where you got the guitar checked out) on consignment. This might strike a good balance between price and simplicity. Most stores use ebay as a price guide these days, so they'll take the guitar in, price it at slightly below average ebay prices, set a minimum sale price, and then once it sells they keep 10%- 20% of the sale price. You'll wind up with something approaching an ebay price without the hassle of making a listing.
Fourth is you can straight up sell it outright to a store. They'll probably offer you less than half of what you can get on ebay, but it'll be a quick transaction, and it'll be out of your hair.
Oh yeah, and fifth is you could sell it to the friend or acquaintance that checks it out.
There are various forums online, as per Silvertree, but AFAIK, not only do they generally frown on joining just to sell something, but some have rules where you have to participate for a certain length of time or make a certain number of posts before you're allowed to post gear for sale, so that's honestly probably not the best route.
posted by soundguy99 at 7:34 AM on April 18, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-1972-Martin-00-28C-Acoustic-Guitar-/350762614647?pt=Guitar&hash=item51ab14bf77
posted by AngryLlama at 7:22 AM on April 17, 2013