Trade In Value

[boomer000]

What do most stores give for trade in value assuming the guitar is in mint condition? They must have a rule like 1/2 list price X .70

 

Or something like that. Whats the usual? My guitar lists at 900 so I just wonder what I can get for that in trade value.

[drnihili]

A lot depends on the store, what they think they can move and for how much, and how much margin they have on the git you're trading for. I doubt there's anything like a rule.

[denvertrakker]

My experience is with electronics, but I'm reasonably sure it applies here also.

 

There's a "Blue Book" for audio, and pro sound, and there's one for electric and another for acoustic guitars. It will show original retail, used retail, and used cost (with a range of prices for condition). Having sold used audio for a while, I can tell you that the rule there was half of half of original retail. So, if the git was $1000 new, it might sell for $500 used, which means it would be worth $250 on trade. Lots of things could alter this figure - for one thing, the discounts on guitars are greater than on electronics, so the "street price" is lower initially. For another, condition counts for more on a guitar than a receiver. So, YMMV. But that's a rough idea.

[DonK]

From my experience, 50% of typical retail (not MSRP) for a mint instrument is the most you can expect unless you've got something special, and it's often less than that.

 

Take Guitar Center as an example. If a new Fender Strat lists for $1,000, they'll pay Fender roughly $500 for it and then try to sell it at around $700 (i.e., they're paying 50% of list and trying to sell at 70% of list). They'll probably offer you $350 - give or take $50 - for an identical model in excellent condition. They aren't going to pay you anything close to $500 for something they can buy new at that price and sell at $700 (which is the max, lots of people - like me - will try to bargain them down to 60% - 65% of list, depending on the brand). Your trade-in is going to take up as much space on their floor/rack as a new guitar, so they don't want it sitting there (or tying up their working capital) unless they have something close to the same profit potential they'd have on a new axe. They're not going to get anywhere near for $700 for it, even if it's in great shape. Used guitars tend to move less quickly in a retail store, because the market for them is mostly composed of people who come in to browse. Few people go to a retailer specializing in new merchandise looking for a specific used instrument, because the selection of used stuff is usually too limited to allow any significant likelihood of them finding what they're looking for. Most GC's that I've been to typically have a dozen or fewer used guitars, usually fewer.

[phil_harmonic]

Have you considered selling it yourself? Ebay, Craig List, and forums such as this are good places to sell guitars.

[Hudman]

I would never trade in a guitar.

 

Many indiviual Guitar Centers sell trade in's on Ebay.

 

That's all the proof I need to know they low ball trade in prices at the big stores.