Questions about best way to sell currently

[Monroe]

I need some opinions.
I am likely going to have to sell off most of my nicer guitars to cover some unexpected bills.
I had a little incident recently where I accidentally ran myself over with my truck.
Between medical bills and vehicle repairs, I'm looking at lots of bills.
Overall, I was lucky not to be hurt worse or even killed.

Where is the best place to list and sell some custom shop guitars an not get scammed.
(I know, caveat emptor, but I thought I would crowd source it here)
I knw Ebay is probably a no go... How is reverb these days? Any other suggestions?
Thanks everyone.

 

[Monroe]

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[jb_abides]

Ebay lowered it's fees in line with Reverb. But I think Reverb gets more traffic these days.
Sweetwater Gear Exchange is trying to get its nose under the tent.
Some gear if it's hard to ship or less coveted, lower priced better to sell locally via CraigsList or local website, or consignment at local music store.

Sorry about the accident. Get well, be well.

 

[Nifty]

Reverb will reach the most people. I myself check it daily. I don't do Ebay or Craigslist. You have to remember shipping. I've inquired about a couple of things but the sellers didn't want to mess with shipping. They were in populated urban areas so I assume they could do that.

My local music store will handle consignment sales and take a modest percentage. But the owner has to tell most first timers they are asking too much from the start. He's got consignment items that have been in there close to a year, clearly over priced, but will keep them as long as he has space. There was an excellent Fender Delux Reverb amp there forever, but listed for $900 (not much more and you can get a new one). The owner finally dropped the price to $750 and it sold the following weekend.

 

[Amp360]

I sold a CR4 on reverb in less than two hours a couple weeks ago. I just build the fees into my price.

I hardly ever look at eBay for guitars anymore. The Sweetwater thing looks interesting but it’s new. I think the classifieds on certain sites are probably good but since a lot of people lost really high I don’t look much.

 

[gakees]

I've used Reverb many times. I make sure I describe what I'm selling correctly and price accordingly. Every transaction has gone smoothly because of that. Don't get caught up in the game where you think your guitar or amp is worth more than anybody else's. I can't remember a deal that didn't close within a week.

 

[Amp360]

On Reverb, i use my iPhone to take a video of every inch of the guitar. I put video in the listing title and seem to get more hits.

 

[432hzNo9]

Now that the IRS will be hitting sellers for tax if over $600. it put a damper on my reverb use. I would recommend reverb.com though for a fee based platform. I have in the past made good deals on gtrs through TGP. Takes a leap of trust but w/ paypal you do have recourse if problems. Good luck on your sales and recovery.

 

[garagemonkey]

I've been reading some horror stories about Reverb sellers getting completely hosed by unscrupulous buyers lately. So much so I'm not listing a guitar or two I've been wanting to unload anywhere online that would require shipping/electronic purchase. I'm sure 99 percent of transactions go through without a hitch, but I don't wanna be the minority. I'm still an old school Craigslist (and recently Facebook Marketplace) holdout - face-to-face cash. Unfortunately for me personally it only seems to work well in buying stuff, not selling. Depending on location and what's around you I'd probably also consider selling to a music store. It's a quicker, more secure sale, but they need to keep a margin for resale so you're looking at roughly 20- 30-percent less than what you'd get in a private-party sale.

Rough deal, OP. Best wishes on a speedy recovery and successful resolution to your problems.

 

[herb]

I like to use Craigslist and have a "no ship" policy. I also have stuff listed on Reverb but also "no ship", just to get more eyes on what's for sale. I live in a city of 200,000 and probably have 10 million people that live within a day's drive from me. That provides a pretty good base of buyers. I don't have a lot of "quick sales" but my if I sell anything it's top shelf stuff that eventually provides interest. I just don't like shipping stuff or paying for a sales fee to someone. Ebay and Reverb charge way too much.

Good luck with your sales and your health.

 

[Amp360]

I sold a guitar on Reverb about two years ago - good pics, video, etc…

Buyer messages me about how great the guitar is and two days later says there was a crack in the neck when he unboxed it.

I had to fight for about two weeks and ended up giving Reverb $100 as some sort of payment to the guy who obviously knocked the guitar over. He sent pics and it wasn’t something you would miss in the first day. Neck was literally cracked down the middle.

Other than that it’s been good.

 

[ficelles]

I don't mind selling pedals and amps on Reverb, but guitars I only sell through a particular couple of stores on commission. I haven't used eBay to sell anything for years, too many bad buyers.

 

[Guitar Whiskey]

For higher end stuff like you have I usually go to online dealers I know who specialize in your type of items. Their commission is typically 10-15% but their selling price is often more than you could get privately or on the Bay or Verb. I also have taken stuff to local reputable vintage shops that may already have customers in the wings looking possibly for your instruments. It all depends on allot of variables and timing. Mark's Guitar Loft and Imperial Vintage Guitars have always done me well.

 

[bursty]

If you're looking at, "unexpected bills" then you may be looking to unload gear quickly so that may be an issue.
You may have to undercut the true value of your offerings just to make quick sales.

I sell on Reverb but I don't get in any hurry to make a sale.
I price items at what I believe they are worth and if it takes a while, or longer, to make a sale then it takes however long it takes.

Good luck

 

[martinman]

Hi Monroe, It was already mentioned, but selling online is a bit more complicated due to tax aspects. Depending on the gear, I've had good luck selling on FB marketplace, local swap forums also on FB. Ive had a few local deals on reverb too where I didn't have to ship.

I'm also local in SE Michigan, so don't discount places like Elderly Instruments, Motor City Guitar (awesome place btw), and Huber and Breeze. I haven't been to H&B for a long time, but they always have very choice Gibson stuff.

 

[8ohms]

Been thinking about this really hard. New for 2022 is your federal governments aka “Mafia” requirements. If you sell any more than $600 in a year, you’re getting a 1099 so they can tax you and complicate your return. Total BS for the little guy who likes to buy and sell as a hobby. Went from $20,000 or 200 sales to $600. I no longer sell on Reverb, eBay, etc.. because of this nonsense. Be warned. if you don’t give them your social security number they will withhold any funds from the sale until you do. The same goes for PayPal, Venmo and any other online forms of payment. Is this a big deal? I think so. It really comes down to meeting locally in person for cash sales or using postal money orders and cashiers checks. Craigslist, Facebook marketplace etc.. My guess is, it won’t be long before they close that down too. The next step will be to eliminate cash. Very important we have a trustworthy community and be able to trust our neighbors on this forum. A way to prove ourselves would be an outstanding feature. Perhaps some form of identification and rating system.

 

[Monroe]

Thanks for all the input.
So far the truck repair is going to cost $5K, and although I don't have any broken bones, my left ankle and right knee both have joint damage, and will need attention.
The local consignment scheme sounds like a good way to go for the more common items (Strats, Les Pauls, Teles, etc) but I am still unsure about vintage and custom built gear.
Thanks again folks.