Trades at Guitar Center?

[Fireproof]

I know they probably give you {censored} compared to what you can get if you sold via eBay, but does anybody have any idea how much of a hit I'd take?

 

I have a Line 6 Flextone II Duo (2x10) combo with a pedal board I'm looking to get rid of. I may be buying a new amp at GC, and am not really wanting to hassle with selling/shipping a heavy amp.

 

I'm thinking if they would give me 20-30% less than what I could sell it for, it may be worth it to just give it to them. But if they'd only give me something like HALF of what I could get selling it myself, then it'd be worth my effort to put it on ebay (and post it here). But I really have no idea what to expect.

 

Any input?

[Blackbelt1]

They'll give you, at best, half of what you could sell it for yourself. I wouldn't trade anything in, you're pretty much just handing it over to them for free.

 

~Blackbelt

[theManfromAlabam]

They won't give you {censored}...if you are trading in for something it may look as if they are.

 

{censored}in don't do it bro...keep what you have and ebay or paper it.

[Sex Machine]

if your going for new equiptment, dont bother

 

but if you want something from their used stuff, bring it and get ready to talk your ass off

 

i traded a crate for a randall straight up, after being told they werent interested in the crate

 

 

if its used, you can be very persuasive on the grounds that if they swap, they arent losing anything, and they might be able to sell your product a little easier because of brand name recognition, etc.

 

doesnt have to be true, just make it seem like you know it is true

[jerry_picker]

 

Originally posted by Blackbelt1 They'll give you, at best, half of what you could sell it for yourself. I wouldn't trade anything in, you're pretty much just handing it over to them for free. ~Blackbelt

 

 

They will certianly give only half of what they expect to sell it for at their rock bottom best deal for the next buyer.

 

Ebay or the want ads (or spam at HC) will let you take some/all of that profit for yourself (and maintain your dignity).

[curseoftruth]

I trade with GC a lot. Yeah, you take a huge hit, but its a matter of if you want to get rid of it now and get cash (check immediately) or hassle with eBay. Some items or worth hasseling over, others not is what I've decided. I usually just trade towards other gear instead of outright selling, so it seems like I get a little better deal.

[Fireproof]

Thanks guys! That's pretty much what I figured, but just wanted to make sure.

 

Good point about trading for used equipment. But even so, I guess it depends on how you negotiate and who you end up dealing with.

 

I'll post it here and elsewhere if I decide to get rid of it.

 

[syrinx]

I have owned several non music store and the general rule is- cash 1/2 the value it will sell for or 80% store credit. Usually for a quick and easy formula- guitar price say 1000 bucks new+ 250 cash trade value- assuming that the guitar is worth half what it sold for new, so 1/4 of what your ego thinks its worth.

[Hudman]

Sell it on Ebay. The buyer pays for shipping. Box up your amp and drop it off at the UPS Store (or FedEx) after you get your PayPal money. It's really easy and well worth the extra money you will get.

[Alchemist]

We dont have GC here, but here are my experiences so far. Stores have generaly offered me 30% of what they are going to sell it for! Just as an example, they were selling Peavey Studio Pro transtubes in fair condition for 300$!.... I asked them how much they would give me for mine, mint condition, they told me 100$, or 120$ at most..... pretty crappy if you ask me... same experience I have had with numerous pedals, I'd rather just keep the gear instead of giving it away to them like that:(

[STD]

thye offered me 900 trade in on a mint snakeskin jackson sl2h that sold on ebay for 1525$

[orourke]

This is probably more of a reminder than a tip, but if you are prepared to walk back out the door with your piece of gear, you might wind up with a better deal. I've done the "well let me drive over to Sam Ash and see what they have" routine, and suddenly the saleman is ready to make a much better deal.

 

Also, I don't know about where you live, but around here craigslist.com is a pretty good forum to sell face to face, instead of dealing with the shipping and paypal hassels of ebay.

[Uberscha11]

1)support your local small music store

2)avoid trading in at all costs

[23miles]

I think the main problem in trade-ins is that you complicate the whole negotiation process. Seems like a better idea to keep things simple - bargain for the best price on your purchase and buy it. Sell the amp separately and get your best price for it. The net - i.e. your outlay -- will almost certainly wil be smaller this way.

[BlackHatHunter]

 

Originally posted by Fireproof I know they probably give you {censored} compared to what you can get if you sold via eBay, but does anybody have any idea how much of a hit I'd take? I have a Line 6 Flextone II Duo (2x10) combo with a pedal board I'm looking to get rid of. I may be buying a new amp at GC, and am not really wanting to hassle with selling/shipping a heavy amp. I'm thinking if they would give me 20-30% less than what I could sell it for, it may be worth it to just give it to them. But if they'd only give me something like HALF of what I could get selling it myself, then it'd be worth my effort to put it on ebay (and post it here). But I really have no idea what to expect. Any input?

 

 

Trade at GC = prison rape in the shower room.

[boxhollow]

I traded an ampeg ba210 at GC. They wanted to give me 220$ in cash. I laughed because i payed 650 for it new three months before. I told them I wanted to get a bunch of stuff and they ended up trading me 410$ worth of stuff. I took it because i did not want to go through the hassle of listing the amp, and I just wanted to get rid of it at the time. They had it on the floor selling for 570$ the next week, and I heard the sales guy telling someone how it was only used for three months and it's just like buying a new one. He gave them some bull{censored} about it being thoroughly checked by their expert technicians. Same idiots were telling me it did not matter if it was only three months old it was used and they could only give me 220$. GC has slowly gotten on my {censored} list.

[Fireproof]

Love the stories. I'm glad I'm not the only one that's considered it, LOL.

[BootRoots]

Trading anything in anywhere is not the best move regardless of the store or the item you want to get rid of. The store can't give you what its worth because they are going to sell it for what its worth. Its just common sense. Its the same thing with cars. I can't understand why so many people trade in their old cars to dealers when they get something new. Its just like giving them money. Sell it yourself and you will always come out better than on a trade in.

[ericlaurence]

i traded in a mim fender cyclone in need of a setup to guitar center and they gave me $350. i paid like $250-300 for it on ebay. that same guitar center sold me a mij fender jazzmaster (limited edition with gold hardware) for $186. and that was with no trades or anything. i guess the one by me is just stupid when it comes to trading in gear.

[BlackHatHunter]

Originally posted by ericlaurence i traded in a mim fender cyclone in need of a setup to guitar center and they gave me $350. i paid like $250-300 for it on ebay. that same guitar center sold me a mij fender jazzmaster (limited edition with gold hardware) for $186. and that was with no trades or anything. i guess the one by me is just stupid when it comes to trading in gear.

 

I need to take a trip by where you live

[acombmusicman]

I am an independant guitar store owner in the UK, and it seems nobody has said the obvious.

 

You are always going to get more for something selling it privately, but what price do you place on hassle? I generally sell used goods for between 1/2 and 2/3 its new retail value. That means the customer will get between 1/4 and 1/2 retail value when trading in. Of course am going to try and get as much as I can for a product, I am in business to make money along with all the other guitar shops out there.

 

I think the smaller shops usually give a fairer deal than the big boys, but don't begrudge shop owners trying to pay their bills.

[Fireproof]

Originally posted by BootRoots Trading anything in anywhere is not the best move regardless of the store or the item you want to get rid of. The store can't give you what its worth because they are going to sell it for what its worth. Its just common sense. Its the same thing with cars. I can't understand why so many people trade in their old cars to dealers when they get something new. Its just like giving them money. Sell it yourself and you will always come out better than on a trade in.

 

I understand completely. The thing is - I place a lot of value on my time. In general, more than many people.

 

It's like mowing the lawn. Some people look at it as "well, I could save $25 a week and do it myself". I look at it as "it takes me 2 hours - would I take a job that pays $12.50/hour? Hell no - I'd rather pay someone to do it who needs the money."

 

Same thing with my trade scenario. Obviously the guitar center is going to sell it for more. I was just trying to figure out how much of a hit I would take so that I could determine if it was worth my time to take quality pics, post in several places, potentially pay for eBay postings, package it nicely, drive to the UPS store to ship it, etc.

 

If I only lost $50-70, then it may be worth it to just walk in to my local GC and pick up a check. But based on the previous posts, it sounds like my loss would be more than that, so now I'm more inclined to put forth the effort myself.

 

[jerry_picker]

Originally posted by Fireproof I understand completely. The thing is - I place a lot of value on my time. In general, more than many people. It's like mowing the lawn. Some people look at it as "well, I could save $25 a week and do it myself". I look at it as "it takes me 2 hours - would I take a job that pays $12.50/hour? Hell no - I'd rather pay someone to do it who needs the money." Same thing with my trade scenario. Obviously the guitar center is going to sell it for more. I was just trying to figure out how much of a hit I would take so that I could determine if it was worth my time to take quality pics, post in several places, potentially pay for eBay postings, package it nicely, drive to the UPS store to ship it, etc. If I only lost $50-70, then it may be worth it to just walk in to my local GC and pick up a check. But based on the previous posts, it sounds like my loss would be more than that, so now I'm more inclined to put forth the effort myself.

 

With that attitude, why not just donate the guitar to charity and write it off on your income tax? (You might be at least even with GC trade-in value, and they won't get the profit on the resale, a charity will.)

Ask your accountant.

[crazyeddie]

One thing I've heard is that you can get the tax knocked off of the trade somehow. I guess because it is not a regular type of sale? I've sold my gear to GC in the past for cash, but the salesman mentioned this to me in case I wanted to trade for more gear.

[Fireproof]

 

Originally posted by jerry_picker With that attitude, why not just donate the guitar to charity and write it off on your income tax? (You might be at least even with GC trade-in value, and they won't get the profit on the resale, a charity will.) Ask your accountant.

 

 

Ha - if I had something that was only worth $50-75, sure, that's a great idea. (Of course, I usually give those things to friends and family so I can enjoy them getting into music).

 

However, the amp I'm thinking of getting rid of is (I hope) worth around $300-350. I was thinking if I could get $350 on ebay, but $280-300 at GC, then I might just go sell it to GC. But based on everyone's input, it sounds like I'd be lucky to get $150-175 at GC, so that's just too much of a hit.

 

It's not that I don't want or need the money...I certainly do if I'm going to get a tube amp.