Selling guitars - ebay alternatives?

rlw

gringopig said:

Gumtree: attracts either no interest or time wasting weirdos
Reverb: attracts watchers only. No offers.
Fretboard: No interest. Pool of interest too small.
Ebay: Sold. Many offers - some risible low-ball, others reasonable. Sold for offer price on £1 max selling listing

Wrong on so many levels.
I have bought and sold successfully on three of these; eBay being the exception as everything there seems to be dubious and buyers want to pay sweet Fanny Adams.

dindude

I don’t like eBay but it’s the only way to sell gear these days unfortunately. 
Guntree is like taking the wrong turn down a dark ally.
The Fretboard - nothing sells here anymore IMO unless you want to give it away, or it’s a Jaguar.
Reverb - could be a long wait.

drofluf

Contrary view here and suggesting Gumtree. I’ve sold 2 mandolins and a guitar there in the past year and bought a guitar through there. All transactions ahave been hassle free except for one cheeky offer.

Koa

Selling on commission through a dealer/shop removes much of the randomness and scammers onGumtree and eBay isn’t cost free as mentioned above. What do shops take these days , 20%?

gringopig

.

abw1989

I seem to do well on Facebook, posting to the guitar selling groups on there. The last couple of bits I've sold were avoided like the plague on here but went within a couple of days on Facebook.

GuyR

Koa said:

Selling on commission through a dealer/shop removes much of the randomness and scammers onGumtree and eBay isn’t cost free as mentioned above. What do shops take these days , 20%?

I have sold 3 basses through bassgallery in Camden in the last year. All went for a very good retail price. The longest wait for one to sell was 2 weeks.The charge was 15% including vat. Zero hassle factor whatsoever.

Fuengi

I have posted on Reverb, Gumtree, Facebook and tFB Classified and had success with all of them. 

Sold my last two guitars on Facebook and Gumtree to really great buyers to deal with. 

Reverb - last few pedals went to Europe, very little in UK it seems. 

HandwrittenHero

eBay on £1 fee is generally going to be the best plan. Doesn’t hurt to post here as well because it’s free - but larger audience helps on the eBay side.

Just have a thick skin to time wasting offers (set a limit to how low and don’t be afraid to just say no thanks if you’re not in a hurry to sell) and exercise precaution around scope for people to try and scam.

kt66

I only use Gumtree, had lots of success selling and buying.
However the future for selling is Facebook, even now, loads of guitar selling groups, and probably FB marketplace is more popular than Epay

rlw

gringopig said:

rlw said:

gringopig said:

Gumtree: attracts either no interest or time wasting weirdos
Reverb: attracts watchers only. No offers.
Fretboard: No interest. Pool of interest too small.
Ebay: Sold. Many offers - some risible low-ball, others reasonable. Sold for offer price on £1 max selling listing

Wrong on so many levels.
I have bought and sold successfully on three of these; eBay being the exception as everything there seems to be dubious and buyers want to pay sweet Fanny Adams.

Correct for me. Maybe not your experience but it's not "Wrong on so many levels". It is entirely correct in my experience.

How many 'levels' are there exactly anyway?
Literal
Metaphorical
Illustrative
facetio......................

gringopig said:

rlw said:

gringopig said:

Gumtree: attracts either no interest or time wasting weirdos
Reverb: attracts watchers only. No offers.
Fretboard: No interest. Pool of interest too small.
Ebay: Sold. Many offers - some risible low-ball, others reasonable. Sold for offer price on £1 max selling listing

Wrong on so many levels.
I have bought and sold successfully on three of these; eBay being the exception as everything there seems to be dubious and buyers want to pay sweet Fanny Adams.

Correct for me. Maybe not your experience but it's not "Wrong on so many levels". It is entirely correct in my experience.

How many 'levels' are there exactly anyway?
Literal
Metaphorical
Illustrative
facetio......................

 There are many levels but....

i think that that price is more important than many realise.   Overpriced kit, which is everywhere, just hangs around and attracts watchers and low ballers.  eBay is the point of last call for many so prices tend to be a bit lower eventually.
Here, it’s like trying to sell to a whole forum of Yorkshiremen with deep pockets and short arms.
Every significant item I’ve sold on all four platforms has sold within a week at the asking price.  In my view that’s because I’m not pricing to high.

proggy

I've sold guitars and amps on Gumtree, never had a problem.

bacchanalian

 "Wrong on so many levels". 
Were you trying to sell in a multistorey  car park? ***

eBay has by far the biggest reach these days but it very much weighted in the buyer's favour. Great if you are the buyer but can be difficult if you sell to someone who immediately has buyer's remorse.
I have sold a couple of very high value guitars on Reverb with no trouble but don't think I would risk it again.
I have a nice guitar for sale here at the moment with only a little interest but I think being in Northern Ireland limits the likelihood of a sale here.  
I have had limited success with Gumtree but you do get some funny offers. I was recently offered an Epi Jazzer and a Carvin as a trade when I had stated I was looking for a tele.
What has ruined it for me are flippers and aspiring dealers.  I have no objection to someone making a profit but I would prefer honesty.  Of the last 5 guitars I have sold, 3 have been covert dealers. One turned in to a very protracted story.
If you are on the mainland you should value the network that the fretboard gives you for trades with people you know. 
Over here there a few enthusiasts on social media but will never be as extensive as you have on the mainland. 

I think from now on, unless it is someone I know, commissioned sale is the way to go. Yes there is commission, but they will probably be able to sell for a higher price than you can. With a commission the dealer is working with you rather than trying to lowball you to increase their profit.

TL:DR
I am not so keen on selling anymore. Mark @guitars4you ;;; is a straight shooter

*** Tim Vine/Milton Jones


  

gearaddict

£1  final value fee listings today - PSA

WindmillGuitars

Anyone ever used Ebuygumm? I'd never heard of it until this week - looks like a UK only eBay 

jaymenon

You want to be careful with eBay - because when you now list for the £1 final value offer, it automatically places a "good till cancelled"  listing (i.e. your listing does not end in 30 days).

If it doesn't sell during the first thirty days, it will automatically renew. At that point If someone buys it - you will pay the 10% eBay fee...

Whitecat

jaymenon said:

You want to be careful with eBay - because when you now list for the £1 final value offer, it automatically places a "good till cancelled"  listing (i.e. your listing does not end in 30 days).

If it doesn't sell during the first thirty days, it will automatically renew. At that point If someone buys it - you will pay the 10% eBay fee...

Yep, same goes for relisted auctions... better to take them down and wait if they don't sell, as when you relist during another £1 promo you generally get the £1 FVF again.

munckee

Another one for gumtree.  I have sold pedals and an amp on here but guitars have always gone faster and for the asking price on gumtree.

I don't use Ebay enough so the very rare times I advertise anything I get loads of watchers and then nothing but I always have a high minimum price.

chris78

I swore I wouldn’t use eBay after a bad experience. The trouble is, it’s hard to sell anything otherwise. So I went back and started selling on eBay again and I’ve got hassle. I’d advertise in as many places as possible and just keep your fingers crosse

steveledzep

Whitecat said:

jaymenon said:

You want to be careful with eBay - because when you now list for the £1 final value offer, it automatically places a "good till cancelled"  listing (i.e. your listing does not end in 30 days).

If it doesn't sell during the first thirty days, it will automatically renew. At that point If someone buys it - you will pay the 10% eBay fee...

Yep, same goes for relisted auctions... better to take them down and wait if they don't sell, as when you relist during another £1 promo you generally get the £1 FVF again.

I've sold a number of items on the £1 selling fee promotion using Buy It Now or inviting offers.  The listings do expire after 30 days and the £1 fee applies throughout.  The item doesn't automatically relist you need to check a box during the listing preparation if that's what you want, but the subsequent listings attract the usual 10% final value fee.  If your item doesn't sell, wait for the next £1 fee promotion and list it again.