Advice for Selling Expensive Guitar

[guitar george]

Originally Posted by Mobilemike

I would avoid Craigslist, personally. Way more scammers on there IME than anywhere else.

For me, if I see a listing on the classifieds without high quality photos, I am not going to go to the trouble of investigating it further. It really is photos that spark interest online. If a listing has photos and interests me then I might contact the seller and ask for additional images, but with no photos at all I pretty much dismiss the listing immediately. -Mike

Craigslist can be a very safe place if you are the seller. To finalize any deal, arrange to meet at the buyers bank and have the teller give you the money and then give the buyer the guitar. If you are concerned about carrying a lot of cash ask the teller to issue a bank draft, payable to you, to deposit in your own account. This works and it is safe.

I agree that at least 2 or 3 pictures would help to find a buyer. Even if scammers use your photos to try to "sell" the guitar you would not be affected and only the people who don't follow my first suggestion, would be scammed.

[brencat]

As others have said, please put in the time to post photos. This is not a new thing. Being "not tech savvy" in the 21st century is not an acceptable excuse.

No pictures and I move on, because it signals the seller has not put in the required minimum effort, especially on an expensive guitar.

AGF a very good place to buy and sell, with lots of straight shooters and people who know how to pack and are honest.

[RussellHawaii]

AGF classifieds is a good place and you can trust most of the participants. Call and get to know the buyer. Definitely post photos!
Otherwise I’d go consignment at a trustworthy major retailer. Organic Sounds Guitars is my favorite for several reasons. Yes you’ll pay to ship it to them, and a consignment fee, but you can trust the process and skip the risks, which are real. This is what I do these days.
There may be respected individual guitar dealers in your area. I’ve had good luck with that for local sales.
I would not consider CL or FB Marketplace for such an item. Even Reverb can be sketchy.

[ZeroFretWear]

Originally Posted by brencat

As others have said, please put in the time to post photos. This is not a new thing. Being "not tech savvy" in the 21st century is not an acceptable excuse.

No pictures and I move on, because it signals the seller has not put in the required minimum effort, especially on an expensive guitar.

AGF a very good place to buy and sell, with lots of straight shooters and people who know how to pack and are honest.

Fair points, but I am starting to realize that I would prefer certain folks to move on from my guitar when I offer it for sale. Specifically, I think the folks who "move on" if they're required to put in some effort, even if not just looky-loos, might be "impulsive buyers." That is to say, folks who don't really know what they want, and cycle through guitars like they're seasonal tires.

Maybe I'm sentimental, but I don't want to see my guitar re-listed by the buyer because they get bored and want something new. So perhaps weeding out those folks will help me find both a "serious" and "mature" buyer who will have the emotional stability to hang on to the instrument for more than a few months. I've owned it for almost 20 years, so that factors into my thought process.

[JKA]

It's just a guitar, not a puppy. Why does it matter what happens to the guitar once you've sold it? If you're that concerned about it you should be keeping it, that way you retain control over what happens to it. To be fair the new owner has every right to do whatever they wish with it once It's theirs.

[Jamolay]

Originally Posted by JKA

It's just a guitar, not a puppy. Why does it matter what happens to the guitar once you've sold it? If you're that concerned about it you should be keeping it, that way you retain control over what happens to it. To be fair the new owner has every right to do whatever they wish with it once It's theirs.

I agree. If you are that attached to it, you are only going to regret selling it.

[Osage]

Originally Posted by JKA

It's just a guitar, not a puppy. Why does it matter what happens to the guitar once you've sold it? If you're that concerned about it you should be keeping it, that way you retain control over what happens to it. To be fair the new owner has every right to do whatever they wish with it once It's theirs.

This.

I can't for the life of me see how showing pictures or not has any correlation to someone keeping a guitar long term. It seems to me that you don't actually want to sell the guitar. You asked for advice, everyone said you need pics and you came up with some excuse about resale so you don't have to post them. It's totally fine not to sell it but purposely alienating the vast majority of potential buyers just seems bizarre.

[TheGITM]

Very, very bizarre.

I once bought an original painting from a somewhat famous person who stipulated that I could not resell the painting or use it's image for any commercial purpose without his prior, written consent.

Some people are very bizarre.

[ZeroFretWear]

Originally Posted by JKA

It's just a guitar, not a puppy. Why does it matter what happens to the guitar once you've sold it? If you're that concerned about it you should be keeping it, that way you retain control over what happens to it. To be fair the new owner has every right to do whatever they wish with it once It's theirs.

True, it is not a puppy.
Maybe I've been trained from my other interest, collecting classic cars, where there is a tight-knit community and not just any buyer can walk in and buy something. The seller and buyer both have to meet some standard of respectability and knowledge and maturation.
I probably wouldn't feel this way if I mostly had budget guitars that I had picked up from my local Guitar Center or from Sweetwater online (nothing wrong with that, mind you).
I guess I might be bizarre in that way; I have really really nice guitars (the good stuff) about whose stewardship I care a lot, even once they leave my possession.

[Gress]

Originally Posted by ZeroFretWear

...The seller and buyer both have to meet some standard of respectability and knowledge and maturation...

Exactly. And for the seller I would expect that standard assumes posting good pictures and in general making the process reasonably easy.

It looks you did not need an advice, rather you wanted to make a statement and get approval.

BTW I believe any venue for selling is good enough, granted you not scared away by the necessity of dealing with people. This is really no different from everyday life.

I sold way more than $10k stuff (Cars, collectibles, etc.) on CL. ebay and forums and would not hesitate to use them, if I believe they help me selling.

Edit:
One more comment. I understand where you coming from being a car collector. I am also a car enthusiast (driving my 4th Porsche 911). However, IMO meeting fellow enthusiasts for nice conversation about the car (or a guitar) is something that happens in the Clubs, cars and coffee, forums, events, race tracks, etc.
When you selling you just do it. If you are so attached to your guitar, than perhaps better to keep it.

[rhythmnblues]

Originally Posted by ZeroFretWear

Thanks, that's probably a good idea. I've purchased several $10k+ guitars from Elderly over the years. I trust them and should call them up to see if a consignment might make sense for both sides.

I’d give Dream Guitars outside Asheville, NC a call. $10K is on the lower end of the spectrum for their inventory, and they consistently have buyers in that and higher price points.

[Juliussharpe]

I’ve sold here, The Gear Page, Reverb, and Craigslist, never a bad experience. It’s usually instantly apparent who the scammers are. A real potential buyer will be able to nerd out with you about guitars. Frequently they are also buying and selling addicts like me with easily trackable trails of feedback. I wouldn’t hesitate to post pictures or videos.

[Br1ck]

If you wish to do a private sale, the more valuable a guitar is, the fewer people will be in the buyer poole due to needing cash, vs a business that can work trades or process plastic. I think this has a lot to do with boutique often not holding value. You need a knowledgeable buyer with cash.

He may have posted already, but a friend sells $5000ish guitars all the time on Bay Area Craigslist, with transfer at his bank or local PD. That is a very good filter of scumbags. Many people can afford the $5,000-10,000 range than in a rural county that has a small population.

I bought a guitar in a store, can't remember if it was a consignment or not, that new would be $7500. It was $5000 in VG condition, dings commensurate with a 12 year old treasured guitar. So as a buyer in a private sale I'd want to pay $4500. The $500 extra is what I expect the trusted dealer to charge and I'm happy to pay it. They took some instruments for half of the price, also IMHO worth it.

[abn556]

You need pics to get people interested. I’ve sold lots of guitars over the last 30 years online and a few boats as well. The best advice I would give you if you want to protect yourself is to go through someone like Ebay or Reverb. It will cost you a little money, but you also get some protection. Ebay for example handles the cash transaction and your payment is guaranteed before you ship the guitar. Yes someone can return items, but its never happened to me. The best part is you don’t have to try to meet at some public place where the people you are meeting know you have a high dollar guitar. I would never do this without backup.

Craigslist can get sketchy, especially with higher priced items.

[kbraker]

Depending on where you live and shop….
AGF classifieds
Consignment at a shop that has the experience in higher end items and a strong online presence.
Anything else is foo.
As you have stated, time is not a necessarily imminent factor for you.

The only other thing I can think of is contacting the manufacturer or builder, presuming it’s a small shop or custom. They might be of interest in finding a proper home for it, for a fee. It’s worth an email or phone call at the least