Post by Tony Ravenscroft on Aug 14, 2018 19:56:10 GMT -6
Apologies in advance, but the question is more complicated than you probably know.
I've been a guitar fanatic for almost a half-century, and in my decline have enjoyed finally being able to indulge my obsession. In recent years, I've gotten really good at valuation. And I've fielded That Question literally hundreds of times --
What is my guitar worth?
The best answer? WHATEVER YOU CAN GET FOR IT.
Please stay with me here. That sounds smart-alecky and dismissive... but it's the absolute truth. Like, if you're truly desperate for cash -- as in your kid is critically ill and you need cash Right Damn Now for medicine -- you'll sell a 1957 Strat for $100 if that's all you can get.
So the longer version of The Answer is, "Whatever you can get for it, at the moment you want to sell it, where you happen to be."
While Fjestad's Blue Book publications are THE Bible of traders like me, the fact is that ANY moron can look in the same damn book and read off the same damn numbers. Problem is, The Book (being as it's a book) does NOTHING to take the actual marketplace -- real supply and demand, and in the recent past -- into account, and at its best can be incorrect AND years out-of-date. (If it was truly definitive, it'd at least offer some production numbers, right?) However, Blue Book DOES give hardcores (like me) a great place to start from, and that research is why my services usually go for $50-$150. But I'm a generous guy, so here's some insights.
First, it depends on whether you actually want to sell -- maybe you're looking to insure it, or just want "bragging rights" when you tell others about the absolute steal you got. That's going to be the maximal "value."
Then there's time to sale. If you intend to sell it soon, you're a LOT less likely to max the price, compared to what you could make if you can locate some serious buyers and pit them against each other to bid up your guitar. If that can be done at all, it might take months, or even years.
If you want to maximize your price, you can sell it on eBay or Reverb.com... which of course means fees, photos, and shipping; if you live in any moderate-size city, any of that stuff can be handled by one service or another (like the UPS Store)... which of course means more fees. If you already sell stuff there (or know someone), this is a good route, but it's a HUGE learning curve just to sell one or two items.
By comparison, you can bring your guitar to the nearest Big Chain Store -- specifically Music-Go-Round or Guitar Center, but there are regional chains like Sam Ash -- where they will likely offer you 40%-60% of Blue Book value. Last time I sold an amp at MGR, I got what I'd paid for it, walked out with a check, and it took all of a half-hour.
Consider straightforwardness, too. Craigslist and similar are a reasonable option, but often result in someone showing up just to try wearing you down further. While there's apps that hope to get the cash before you meet, none really has much reach yet, but here's a few examples:
www.appslike.site/carousell-buy-and-sell/
And let's not forget stupid blind luck. I still have my second electric guitar. Back in 1974, it cost me about $48 new, plus the fitted chipboard case (+$15) and shipping; all told, less than $80.
I was the only player I knew who liked the darn thing, and I've been told they were a common sight at pawnshops around the country, going cheap but no takers. Then in the early '90s Kurt Cobain started playing them, and when the "Heart-Shaped Box" video was released on MTV, the whole brand became "collectible." All the Cool Kids just HAD to have one. Now the mania's faded, but my axe still has a quick-turn street value of $400, +/-$75.
Keep reading.
I've been a guitar fanatic for almost a half-century, and in my decline have enjoyed finally being able to indulge my obsession. In recent years, I've gotten really good at valuation. And I've fielded That Question literally hundreds of times --
What is my guitar worth?
The best answer? WHATEVER YOU CAN GET FOR IT.
Please stay with me here. That sounds smart-alecky and dismissive... but it's the absolute truth. Like, if you're truly desperate for cash -- as in your kid is critically ill and you need cash Right Damn Now for medicine -- you'll sell a 1957 Strat for $100 if that's all you can get.
So the longer version of The Answer is, "Whatever you can get for it, at the moment you want to sell it, where you happen to be."
While Fjestad's Blue Book publications are THE Bible of traders like me, the fact is that ANY moron can look in the same damn book and read off the same damn numbers. Problem is, The Book (being as it's a book) does NOTHING to take the actual marketplace -- real supply and demand, and in the recent past -- into account, and at its best can be incorrect AND years out-of-date. (If it was truly definitive, it'd at least offer some production numbers, right?) However, Blue Book DOES give hardcores (like me) a great place to start from, and that research is why my services usually go for $50-$150. But I'm a generous guy, so here's some insights.
First, it depends on whether you actually want to sell -- maybe you're looking to insure it, or just want "bragging rights" when you tell others about the absolute steal you got. That's going to be the maximal "value."
Then there's time to sale. If you intend to sell it soon, you're a LOT less likely to max the price, compared to what you could make if you can locate some serious buyers and pit them against each other to bid up your guitar. If that can be done at all, it might take months, or even years.
If you want to maximize your price, you can sell it on eBay or Reverb.com... which of course means fees, photos, and shipping; if you live in any moderate-size city, any of that stuff can be handled by one service or another (like the UPS Store)... which of course means more fees. If you already sell stuff there (or know someone), this is a good route, but it's a HUGE learning curve just to sell one or two items.
By comparison, you can bring your guitar to the nearest Big Chain Store -- specifically Music-Go-Round or Guitar Center, but there are regional chains like Sam Ash -- where they will likely offer you 40%-60% of Blue Book value. Last time I sold an amp at MGR, I got what I'd paid for it, walked out with a check, and it took all of a half-hour.
Consider straightforwardness, too. Craigslist and similar are a reasonable option, but often result in someone showing up just to try wearing you down further. While there's apps that hope to get the cash before you meet, none really has much reach yet, but here's a few examples:
www.appslike.site/carousell-buy-and-sell/
And let's not forget stupid blind luck. I still have my second electric guitar. Back in 1974, it cost me about $48 new, plus the fitted chipboard case (+$15) and shipping; all told, less than $80.
I was the only player I knew who liked the darn thing, and I've been told they were a common sight at pawnshops around the country, going cheap but no takers. Then in the early '90s Kurt Cobain started playing them, and when the "Heart-Shaped Box" video was released on MTV, the whole brand became "collectible." All the Cool Kids just HAD to have one. Now the mania's faded, but my axe still has a quick-turn street value of $400, +/-$75.
Keep reading.