Other than Harmony Central's forums, where do you list the guitars you are selling?

[rlm297]

Other than Harmony Central's forums, where do you guys list the guitars you are selling?

 

I've been trying to sell the guitar in my signature for a month or so on here, with no luck.. even after a slew of Price Drops.

 

The guitar I'm trying to sell is a very unique Custom Stratocaster. Is there a particular place this would be more likely to sell at?

 

Thanks, guys. Maybe this thread can help others out, as well.

[smorgdonkey]

craigslist might be an option. Americans really love their craigslist!

 

A few of the other forums that I used to use are now 'paid members only' as far as the classifieds go.

 

I think that the thing holding back the sale of that particular guitar is just how different it is. That's the one thing about customs is that if it's too different from things that have broad appeal then people aren't going to be attracted to it. Same as selling a house or a car-you want neutral colours (or classic colours for cars) so that the appeal is broad...which brings me to the body paint on your guitar...uh...it will take a particular person to want that guitar. Not that it isn't appealing to some...just that it isn't appealing to many.

 

That's the harsh reality without the harsh delivery.

[personatech]

www.thegearpage.net is one place that comes to mind, although my experience has been that the folks there tend to be more interested in high-end boutiquey stuff.

That being said, I have yet to see a Warmoth creation, no matter how unique, sell for what was invested in it. Warmoth/USACG/etc. items on the open market usually pull significantly less than what they cost, simply because of wild variations in the capabilities of the builders (i.e. their build is of inconsistent quality) and what might be one man's masterpiece is another's nightmare. Yours is certifiably unique which means you need to be very patient for the right buyer to come along - in the meantime, though, it won't hurt to toss a wider net.

[leok]

Agreed with what the other two said about the warmoth. I have a 'frankenbass' that I put together because there were certain things about a 5 string jazz bass that I was finding in something reasonably priced, so I opted to do it myself. It probably has 1400 into it, I'd be stoked to get 700 but probably 600 is what I would get.

Which is around the range I bet you are going to have to settle on. Lesson here is don't ever go with a parts guitar unless you really aim to play the snot out of it. (which is totally what I am doing to the jazz). You say you can't sell it despite price drops, all that means is that you had it priced too high to begin with.

That said, looks nice as hell. I dig stuff like that (although I usually go for black, black stained type stuff)

[Bengal]

If your stuff isn't selling, it's priced too high.

[rlm297]

Yours is certifiably unique which means you need to be very patient for the right buyer to come along - in the meantime, though, it won't hurt to toss a wider net.

 

 

Thanks! That looks to be the plan. I'll definitely try out TheGearPage.

 

Any more you'd suggest?

[rlm297]

If your stuff isn't selling, it's priced too high.

 

 

Someone was interested at $1100 Shipped, so I think it is priced right. He later backed out, because he decided he was going to buy a new truck.

[Bengal]

Someone was interested at $1100 Shipped, so I think it is priced right. He later backed out, because he decided he was going to buy a new truck.

 

 

That was more of a general statement to all.

 

Lots of guitars on here are overpiced. You can find them very easy, they are the ads with 3-5 pages of "bump"s.

 

I sold 4 guitars on here in the last week. Some haven't moved 1 guitar in 2 months? Why? I priced my stuff right and others think they can get way too much for what they have.

 

I guess it depends on what you are looking for. A quick sale or months of "bump".

[DTorg]

off topic but how does one go about getting thier ad deleted? Seems like my ads hang around for months after I've sold them...

[THSea]

 

off topic but how does one go about getting thier ad deleted? Seems like my ads hang around for months after I've sold them...

I usually put

 

/thread

 

then don't reply anymore.

[DTorg]

so, no one to contact to delete such as the person who runs this forum?

[THEE HAMMER]

I post on Jemsite, caparison forum, Washburn forums, Craigslist etc.

Jemsite has some of the older more knoledgeable guys, Rich,Glen,Jim etc., and my shredder or brightly colored guitars would sell really well there.

Caparison.... i'd use their forum to buy and sell caparison's only...

Washburn.... don't use it unless you have extreme patience.

C-list, works best, i always post my lowest price and where i'd like to meet, and i usually post my ads in the larger nearby cities and not in my own.

HC (here) seems to work nicely, i've had three deals off of here in 8 days.

[RG_76]

When I want to sell or trade I visit:

 

Jemsite for Ibanez guitars

Sevenstring.org for 7 strings and other goodies like amps

talkbass.com which is a bass site, but they have a misc. for sale section

craigslist.org

 

and if i still can't sell or trade, I go to Ebay....A few things about Ebay.

1. Before you list your axe, figure out how much the insertion and final value fees are going to be plus the paypal fee, add them all up and consider offering your guitar on HC for that amount. If you list it on ebay and end up selling it, you are going to lose that money regardless.

 

Your guitar is beautiful! I have never seen anything like it, but the negatives are:

1. It's not a "real" fender

2. You can get a Fender American for $550 - $700 right now and they hold their resale value pretty well and can be leveraged in a trade situation

3. Custom one off guitars always have a tough time selling. They were custom made to one persons tastes rather than being a generic single color that attracts more buyers.

 

Hope that helps a bit =)

[Metlupass2]

I buy sell and trade lots of gear on craigslist. As a matter of fact I just picked up a 5150 off of craigslist today for a killer price.

[JonesCrusher]

Craigslist is about the only place I sell. I've sold and traded some on here but it's tough as it's a buyers market.

[vaguelee]

 

The guitar I'm trying to sell is a very unique Custom Stratocaster.

 

No, it's not.

It's a parts guitar.

Sell the parts. That neck is worth as

much as you could get for the whole

thing.

[Strongdoc]

No, it's not. It's a parts guitar. Sell the parts. That neck is worth as much as you could get for the whole thing.

 

 

true dat, but she sho is purty tho!!!

[rlm297]

No, it's not. It's a parts guitar. Sell the parts. That neck is worth as much as you could get for the whole thing.

 

 

So, what I should have done was said..

 

"Neck for sale.. $900! Other parts included around it too!" and it would sell?

[emcrae]

My first suggestion would be Ebay...for the most obvious and apparent reason. Instant Worldwide Coverage. BUT....you have to realize one thing about Ebay right off. There are two types of buyers on Ebay. The "Wheelers&Dealers" who basically only watch the auctions and are basically looking to get something for nothing. And then you have the true "Buyers" who know what they're looking for and have a realistic expectation of what they will have to pay to get it. So with that in mind, my suggestion would be to sell it rather than auction it. Instead of listing it as an auction, use the "sell" feature to sell it outright as a "Buyitnow" item. And you could also use the "or best offer" feature along with "Buyitnow". My reason for saying this comes from experience. For example, a few weeks ago I had an item that in all fairness was probably worth between 3 and 4 hundred. I wanted to get 225 out of it. So I listed it as an auction with a starting price of $1 and a reserve of $185 and ran it for 7 days. The auction ended with the highest bid being $46.00. Just insulting. On a whim, two days later, I relisted it as a "sell" item having only a "Buyitnow" price of $225.00 and it sold for that within 5 hours of the listing and also within that 5 hours, I had 3 other offers for 200-210 on it. Simply amazed me. But I learned something valuable for future reference. One other thing, I always seem to have the custom and specialty items as well so I know your dilema. But as with anything custom or special, you just have to remember that patience is the key. Also, on EBAY, you might wanna consider using the words "Fender" and "custom" in your listing title. Not in a misleading way. But just to take full advantage of their search engine and the keywords that people would normally use to search for a strat. Good luck with it.

[kingsransom]

The neck is worth something, of course.

Everything else is fairly common and cheap parts.

The finish on the body is unique, but certainly not for everyone. Mighty Mite bodies are fairly inexpensive, so someone would have to see a lot of value in the artwork.

[rlm297]

My first suggestion would be Ebay...for the most obvious and apparent reason. Instant Worldwide Coverage. BUT....you have to realize one thing about Ebay right off. There are two types of buyers on Ebay. The "Wheelers&Dealers" who basically only watch the auctions and are basically looking to get something for nothing. And then you have the true "Buyers" who know what they're looking for and have a realistic expectation of what they will have to pay to get it. So with that in mind, my suggestion would be to sell it rather than auction it. Instead of listing it as an auction, use the "sell" feature to sell it outright as a "Buyitnow" item. And you could also use the "or best offer" feature along with "Buyitnow". My reason for saying this comes from experience. For example, a few weeks ago I had an item that in all fairness was probably worth between 3 and 4 hundred. I wanted to get 225 out of it. So I listed it as an auction with a starting price of $1 and a reserve of $185 and ran it for 7 days. The auction ended with the highest bid being $46.00. Just insulting. On a whim, two days later, I relisted it as a "sell" item having only a "Buyitnow" price of $225.00 and it sold for that within 5 hours of the listing and also within that 5 hours, I had 3 other offers for 200-210 on it. Simply amazed me. But I learned something valuable for future reference. One other thing, I always seem to have the custom and specialty items as well so I know your dilema. But as with anything custom or special, you just have to remember that patience is the key. Also, on EBAY, you might wanna consider using the words "Fender" and "custom" in your listing title. Not in a misleading way. But just to take full advantage of their search engine and the keywords that people would normally use to search for a strat. Good luck with it.

 

 

This was the most helpful post I've ever read.

 

Thank you so much!! I'll try that out.

[aporcelainsky]

if you use fender in your listing you run the risk of getting it pulled.

 

with ebay, you're also facing a ton of fees especially since you're now locked into using paypal for payment. another point worth mentioning is that nothing "custom" sells for anywhere near what you want it to on ebay.

 

my advice as a guy who has done close to 500 gear related trades is to wait it out or lower your price. realistically, you'll most likely have to do both.

[modeerf]

For me it depends on what the gear is...Although being as the economy is slow right now your guess is as good as mine. I would definetly recommend TGP for a guitar, they trade and sell many partscasters and in my experience there alot of guys that are really into unique stuff.

Its well worth paying the $12 if you sell and trade alot of gear, or I guess if you sell a higher priced piece alone. I've sold and traded a few very high priced guitars there with no problems what-so-ever. Alot of fine people to deal with.

[vaguelee]

So, what I should have done was said.. "Neck for sale.. $900! Other parts included around it too!" and it would sell?

 

 

I think you missed my point...

Try, "Neck for sale, 400! Body hand painted by some dude, 200!"

Then so on with the other parts.

But i wouldn't see anyone paying over 4 or 5 bills for a

homebrew strat. People sink tons of cash into parts guitars

because that's exactly the guitar they want to play. If you

don't dig it anymore, you're gonna have to be prepared for the

reality of taking a substantial loss on it.

[aporcelainsky]

yeah. realistically you're looking at around 550$ for that guitar if you sell it as a whole.

if you part it out you may get a little more.. it really depends on if you can find someone to appreciate the body; because honestly, the wood itself isn't worth that much.

also, posting this thread in this forum is absolutely hurting you more than it is helping. If I were you I would immediately try and close it and start something out in an appropriate forum if you're still looking for more advice... because when people who are browsing for a guitar see this, they certainly aren't going to be offering you anything close to 900$ for it (not that they would have anyway)