Tough Sledding These Days In The World Of Sell

[richardp69]

Man, things really seem to be tough as far as selling anything with a price point above $1k or so. Most of what I had out there has sold but it's taken quite a bit of time and that's ok I guess, I wasn't in any hurry and I wasn't willing to offer up fire sale pricing. My last two, a really great sounding D 70 and a GAD JF 48 are still listed. I'll likely cancel the listings on Nov. 1st or so and wait to list again when the weather is a bit more mellow.

I had another crappy moment recently on a Reverb sale. A guy bought my seldom seen Custom Shop 12 fret Martin with Goncalo Alves B&S. He is now returning it because he didn't like my set up. I probably could have fought that but at this stage in my life it's just not something I want to do anymore plus I should likely hold onto a couple high end Martins anyway.. In all fairness though I've had great luck on Reverb for the most part and they, and this forum continue to be my main selling sites.

 

[GGJaguar]

He is now returning it because he didn't like my set up.

That's total B&S. You have the patience of a saint.

 

[Guildedagain]

My most excellent hindsight tells me that both buying and selling the most important questions were the ones you never thought to ask, like "Will you be returning the guitar if it is as described?"...

 

[HeyMikey]

You should have charged him a rental fee.

All returns will incur a $50 / day rental fee plus the cost of shipping. So make damn well sure you really want it, can afford it and your wife knows you are buying it!

 

[adorshki]

You should have charged him a rental fee.

All returns will incur a $50 / day rental fee plus the cost of shipping. So make damn well sure you really want it, can afford it and your wife knows you are buying it!

Well that'll stop things in their tracks.

 

[Guildedagain]

Just a few days ago, selling something locally on CL, after a brief phone conversation, "buyer" kept repeating "I'll check with my wife", lol...

I'm pretty sure I'm never going to hear from him again.

 

[adorshki]

Just a few days ago, selling something locally on CL, after a brief phone conversation, "buyer" kept repeating "I'll check with my wife", lol...

I'm pretty sure I'm never going to hear from him again.

"Hi, I'm interested in the guitar you have for sale"
"Are you married?"

 

[walrus]

Marriage is not for the faint of heart...

walrus

 

[chazmo]

Sorry you are/were having a hassle selling, Richard. I thought it was a seller's market, but perhaps things have turned around.

 

[davismanLV]

Canceling the sale over the way it was setup is BS. But I get your vibe. I don't like to fight with people and sometimes it's easier to just acquiesce and avoid it, but especially these days with shipping and such. UGH!! Face to face sales are always easier. But then again, to reach the greater audience..... sorry, Richard. I'd buy from you any day. Or sell. I'm more in sell mode these days, but stories like this send fear into my psyche!!!

 

[Guildedagain]

Sales are so slow... and to have one undo always sucks.

Trying to come up with a few G's to help kiddo/hubby/kid remodel their 1st house, 114 years old, and take down three dead pines next to the house, but nothing's moving. A very slow spell indeed.

 

[twocorgis]

Man, things really seem to be tough as far as selling anything with a price point above $1k or so. Most of what I had out there has sold but it's taken quite a bit of time and that's ok I guess, I wasn't in any hurry and I wasn't willing to offer up fire sale pricing. My last two, a really great sounding D 70 and a GAD JF 48 are still listed. I'll likely cancel the listings on Nov. 1st or so and wait to list again when the weather is a bit more mellow.

I had another crappy moment recently on a Reverb sale. A guy bought my seldom seen Custom Shop 12 fret Martin with Goncalo Alves B&S. He is now returning it because he didn't like my set up. I probably could have fought that but at this stage in my life it's just not something I want to do anymore plus I should likely hold onto a couple high end Martins anyway.. In all fairness though I've had great luck on Reverb for the most part and they, and this forum continue to be my main selling sites.

I've noticed the same Rich, and towards that end have taken a couple off of the market. It's definitely better than getting insulting lowball offers. Things will pick up again soon enough, and so far, I've been lucky to never have to sell one because I needed the money.

Canceling the sale over the way it was setup is BS.

I agree tom, and had a similar situation with a buyer over at AGF, who also happens to be a high poster over there. I sold him a very nice Bourgeois OM, and when it arrived he claimed that I misrepresented it because (in his opinion) it needed a setup and a minor fret dressing. He went on that because his luthier was 75 miles away (definitely not my problem), that I should send him a return label and take the guitar back. I wasn't much in the mood to argue with him, and this was before shipping rates totally skyrocketed, so I did take the guitar back. After some minor work by my guy, I managed to sell the guitar for almost $300 more, so I got out on it, and I know to never do business with that guy again.

I'm pretty succinct in my listings now that I don't guarantee that the setup will be to your liking. A good setup means a lot of different things to a lot of different people.

 

[HeyMikey]

I would never take a guitar back because someone didn’t like the set up. That is a much too personal preference, and incredibly cheap to change. Ridiculous.

 

[twocorgis]

I would never take a guitar back because someone didn’t like the set up. That is a much to personal preference, and incredibly cheap to change. Ridiculous.

I agree Mike, and it was a ridiculous request, but best not to get into a full bore flame war with somebody that has almost 22,000 posts over at AGF. I thought it best to just suck it up (which I didn't end up doing, anyway), and never deal with him again.

Here's the guitar in question, and while it had been played, it was hardly a basket case.

 

[Rocky]

One of the finest OMs made.

 

[HeyMikey]

I hear you Sandy. Though I truly dislike bullies that’s almost a no-win situation.

I have taken a couple things back that I’ve sold online due to buyer’s remorse because they were nice about it, but they had to pay shipping. I’ve also asked to return a guitar once that needed a neck reset and all that goes with it, confirmed with my luthier, after the seller said it did not. In that case I offered to and did pay the return shipping because he was nice about it.

 

[JohnW63]

Do you find the pickiness goes up as the price goes up? " For this much money it better be perfect! "

 

[HeyMikey]

Do you find the pickiness goes up as the price goes up? " For this much money it better be perfect! "

That’s an interesting question. My belief is that most minor imperfections that should be ignored, wanting to change something based on a preference, or even not liking the feel or sound, are often masked excuses for buyer’s remorse.

To your point I would venture a guess that as the price of an object goes up the chance of encountering buyer’s remorse and intolerance for imperfection also goes up.

I’ve bought several guitars that I either didn’t bond with or didn’t like as much as another similar guitar, so ended up re-selling them. No big deal. Comes with the territory of buying on line.

I think the overwhelming majority of people are very reasonable. IMHO I also think some individuals in this world simply do not share the “Do unto others…” mentality, don’t take ownership for their decisions and actions, or simple don’t care if they screw someone for personal gain. Luckily I’ve encountered very few people like that in my lifetime, but they certainly do exist.

 

[adorshki]

I agree Mike, and it was a ridiculous request, but best not to get into a full bore flame war with somebody that has almost 22,000 posts over at AGF.

Piker.

Wanna sell a guitar?

 

[walrus]

All the guitars I've bought, mostly used, had imperfections, that's part of their charm. And more often than not, you can get a lower price once you point it out, assuming it was not in the original ad. One caveat - this works much better with a face to face purchase, IMO. In general though, I agree with the comments above.

walrus