Used Sellers Market graveyard

[fazool]

I just sold a nice Taylor for $1250 though AGF - had a little bit of interest but it sold in under 2 weeks (I usually price to sell though)



I am debating listing a guitar I really love so maybe it wont sell

[J Patrick]

I’ve sold two guitars in recent weeks, one here on AGF….a Kopp…and a Santa Cruz on Reverb….in both cases I offered them for significantly less than current market comps…..if I had priced them at current comps I probably wouldn’t have had more than a glancing look…..it’s the current reality….even when you have a very desireable instrument….

My guess is that this trend is going to continue….

[birdsong]

I’ve had my Rainsong on consignment, locally, for almost a year. Just prior to that global thing , I sold 3 wood guitars at this shop. Each within a few weeks of hitting the rack.

The combo of current economics and this instrument being carbon fiber makes for an extremely tough sell. I told the shop owner to lower the price and/or encourage an offer. He said one guy “almost” bought it.

Probably time to bring it back home.

[rollypolly]

I’ve sold some lower priced guitars on FB marketplace and ebay. Gibson and Martin are pretty recession proof. Something to think about when choosing a guitar!

[brencat]

Originally Posted by rollypolly

Gibson and Martin are pretty recession proof. Something to think about when choosing a guitar!

^^ 100%

Single luthier pieces (Merrill, Hooper, Walker, Kopp, Circa, etc) where the available supply is super low to begin with are also typically in demand, as long as they aren't priced stupidly.

[TheGITM]

I regularly review local guitar listings. There are some specific things I look for, but ultimately I'll pass on anything that is listed at (or close to) 'market value'. There is nothing I want/need bad enough to pay retail for it.

Most sellers seem to be listing at comp prices. Often I'll see something that I'm interested in, but the asking price is high enough that I won't make an offer. I don't want to be accused of low-balling.

[Steve-arino]

NY here, same for me. I feel like I was playing musical chairs (remember that?) and I missed the last chair.

But from experience, I know that my Martin 000-18GE will sell eventually.

[Mbroady]

For used (non vintage) factory guitars I find we are back to the 60% of retail price point. Stuff flies off the shelf if priced to sell.

Tuff nut to swallow if one paid full retail price.
Might be more advantageous to trade.

[RP]

Originally Posted by birdsong

I’ve had my Rainsong on consignment, locally, for almost a year...

I would have thought that a Rainsong would be a fairly easy sell these days, depending on the model and price of course...

[Nick84]

I’ve had a guitar listed at a very fair price on eBay - lots of ‘watchers’ nothing else, no questions, offers.

Seems very slow here in the UK at the moment. I’d have expected this particular guitar to have gone very quickly in previous times.

[SRL]

Originally Posted by YamahaGuy

Anyone else experiencing the same?

Yep, same here in the Pacific Northwest, stuff sells but very slowly and only if at very reasonable prices. Tons of gear on the market.

Originally Posted by Talk2Me

Good luck selling....it's a buyer's market now. Which will turn again....someday.

Someday, I'd say in ten to twenty years. It's going to take a long, long time for the wave of baby boomer gear to work its way through.

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

It's us baby boomers!

We are now of an age when many are thinking about "liquidating our stock."

I'm not convinced that the Gen X and millennials are so interested in high quality, vintage and boutique stuff.

I'm not sure it's that they're not interested, but rather that they can't afford it. There is a big wealth gap: at the same ages, every generation after the boomers is poorer than the last.

That is, at age 30 a gen-Z person has less wealth than a millenial did at age 30, who had less wealth at age 30 than a Gen Z had at age 30.

Here are a couple fun graphs:
https://i.imgur.com/MNZgy2d.png
https://i.imgur.com/6fsCpK7.jpeg

For millenials like me, who can afford nice guitars, there just aren't many of us and we are out of space! I already have 20 guitars and frankly when my millenial friends come over, they think I'm crazy, a show-off, or both. I've even been called a "boomer", jokingly, by a guitar-playing friend for having all these guitars. So, besides the cash thing, I think there's also a stigma thing about "conspicuous consumption."

Originally Posted by J Patrick

I’ve sold two guitars in recent weeks, one here on AGF….a Kopp…and a Santa Cruz on Reverb….in both cases I offered them for significantly less than current market comps…..if I had priced them at current comps I probably wouldn’t have had more than a glancing look…..it’s the current reality….even when you have a very desireable instrument….

My guess is that this trend is going to continue….

Completely agree. Comps are backward-looking. Buyers are looking forward, sellers are looking backward.

[Charlie Bernstein]

I've bought a couple recently. One from Florida, one from Missouri. There's hope.

[thestubbyone]

The guitar market fluctuates like car prices, homes etc. This delusion that buying a certain guitar is a great investment only works when there are others out there that have $$$ and think the same.

Now I recently made some purchases from GC of guitars. I priced the used and new models of same guitars I would purchase. And I have looked at Craigs list since I am near Bay Area and has lots of listings. I have done that off and on for awhile, at least the past 3 years. What I have found is the sellers of virtually all the guitars I was interested were totally unrealistic what that could expect to get for a used guitar regardless of condition. I would use GC for a real value of used guitar of that exact model and even then its probably too high if the listing stays on GC for weeks. But these sellers expect to sell their guitars, in many cases, for substantially more than GC would offer the same guitar! Now I know the first thing that would be said is "my guitar is better, I did this and that to it." But most buyers dont care. And when you can buy the same guitar for the same price or even a little more from GC, its a no brainer. You can return the guitar, no questions asked, to GC in 45 days. Other sellers usually offer a tail light guarantee. And did I mention the risk of buying stolen musical instruments where fraudulent paper trails are made to sell high end stuff?

[Methos1979]

Originally Posted by RP

I would have thought that a Rainsong would be a fairly easy sell these days, depending on the model and price of course...

My two RainSong's sold fast and easy on FB after targeting the brand group page. Got my asking price as well. Quality, big(ish) name guitars still sell easily. I'll usually post on FB first for the fast local sale then I'll post on AGF for a week and then onto Reverb. I have yet to not be able to sell something but then again most of the guitars and other gear I own is pretty much mainstream, well known brands.

[hifivic]

Originally Posted by rollypolly

Gibson and Martin are pretty recession proof. Something to think about when choosing a guitar!

Best post this year award!!! They also get top dollar. In my many years on the guitar/amp merry go round EVERY BRAND of boutique product takes an absolute beating on the used market. Santa Cruz, Lowden, Bourgeous and Collings, I've taken a beating on all of them. In the electric world Fender and Gibson always hold their value because of the name just like Martin and Gibson.
I've taken beatings on Victoria amps, Tone King, Carr, Dr Z, Suhr, Boogie however a Fender amp or guitar holds top dollar.
Boutique bicycles and watches share the same demise unfortunately. Both Trek and Rolex make quite average goods but command the big resell dollars.