How do sell fancy geetar?

September 20, 2018 4:57 PM

What is the best way to sell a $4000+ guitar? Ebay? Craigslist? Some niche site? I know nothing about selling guitars or guitars in general, and have been tasked with helping a friend who knows about guitars, but nothing about selling them.

It is a 1999 Gibson Custom Shop ES 335 '59 Reissue, which means nothing to me, but I'm sure means something to other people.
It is in near mint condition.
We are in a rural area, so it's not like we can go to some hip consignment music store, although if there is a good option in Albuquerque or Sante Fe, it would be worth considering.
Priority is to get the most money, not sell it super fast.

posted by Grandysaur to Shopping (8 answers total)

reverb.com or Ebay would be good bets.
posted by so fucking future at 5:13 PM on September 20, 2018 [3 favorites]

Talk to this guy. He is honest and fair, sells a lot of guitars in that price range on consignment, and has a clientele who would understand its value and be interested in it.
posted by googly at 5:17 PM on September 20, 2018 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Reverb seems to be currently enjoying a level of trust and respect amongst buyers and sellers that is hard to find elsewhere. Part of it is the specificity: people are in on the idea that musicians and music lovers are a little less likely to rip each other off.

Also, reverb has plenty of room for this ‘top dollar, mint condition, no big rush to sell’ type of market, at least based upon listings.

That said, please make it clear that you are shipping in a bomb-proof case and will take out insurance on safe delivery.
posted by SaltySalticid at 5:19 PM on September 20, 2018 [3 favorites]

Best answer: Do not use Ebay for a high-end item like this. Reason: if the buyer doesn't like it, all they have to do is tell Ebay and Ebay turns around and demands the money back from the seller. Forget selecting No Returns as an option, Ebay will refund the buyer and expect reimbursement from you, the seller, anyway. Yes, the buyer is required to send the item back to the seller, but they can send it back damaged and claim it was the seller's fault and Ebay will not, in most cases, side with the seller. Their reasoning? As told to me by one Ebay customer service rep: the seller is given the same status as a big-box store. This means they expect you, the seller, to be willing to take back your damaged high-end item, even when the buyer is the one who did the damaging, and then you are out whatever you sold the item for and are probably unable to resell it unless, praise be, you are fortunate and you get it back undamaged. Aaaaaand then there's seller fees. At $4,000, you will be expected to pay $400 in fees. Run from Ebay. They are not your friend. I understand I am just someone online saying Ebay is a terrible company, but honestly, as one internet stranger to another, don't!

Reverb.com is indeed a better place to sell music gear, at least, I have no horror stories related to it. As for Craig's List, you can find buyers on it for guitars like that, but it will take a whole lot longer and a lot of patiently listing it all over the place.
posted by Armed Only With Hubris at 6:02 PM on September 20, 2018 [5 favorites]

Best answer: Although I haven't sold a $4000 guitar online yet, I have sold a $2000 guitar and would strongly affirm the prior suggestions of Reverb. Not only is the community better there, but I believe the selling fees are lower as well. They also have some good tools to help with pricing, which is tricky with vintage instruments. Good luck!
posted by EKStickland at 6:25 PM on September 20, 2018

This means they expect you, the seller, to be willing to take back your damaged high-end item, even when the buyer is the one who did the damaging, and then you are out whatever you sold the item for and are probably unable to resell it unless, praise be, you are fortunate and you get it back undamaged.

Or the buyer will say "hey they sent me a cheap knock-off fake!" and Ebay will refund them and the seller will post you back some crappy cheap guitar, not the one you sent them.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 1:38 AM on September 21, 2018

Here to +1 Reverb, nothing but good experiences with them, having both bought and sold a fair amount of items.
posted by salt grass at 11:58 AM on September 21, 2018

I just checked on Reverb and examples of that guitar are going for a good deal less than $4000, for what it’s worth. The used guitar market is soft, although as you go up in price it gets less so. But I would expect to wait quite a while for a $4000 offer. It’s a fabulous instrument, though. And near mint condition is worth a premium.

N’thing Reverb is where musicians shop for used gear.
posted by spitbull at 7:12 PM on September 21, 2018