I’ve traded quite a bit to GC over the years, and you are 100% correct with what you say. Anything I trade in, it’s clean, polished, strings decent or new, and completely functional. Also, don’t take some beat up junk you bought from the Pawn Shop, and expect them to give you anything for it. It needs to be something that they have a reasonable chance of selling. Also, if you have modded it, and you can de-mod it back to original, for say, pickups or locking tuners, do it. They’re not going to give you any more for it, because you have a Seymour Duncan humbucker set that you installed in a $179 Amazon Les Paul knockoff. You’ll get the same, either way. If you want to get substantially more for that $179 Les Paul Beijing Special with SD humbuckers, you’ll have to try and privately sell it. (Good luck.)
Trading in is just as bad. I traded a multi effects pedal that sells used on average for $200 towards a used amp they wanted $150. They gave me $130 trad-in value and I still had to pay remaining value plus tax on the original $150. Two separate transactions; the undervalued purchase for my gear so they can make a profit and then my purchase of the used gear at full retail offering. Now my old pedal can be had in their used gear section for only $225. Only if you are desperate and don’t want the hassle of awkward Craigslist buyers or Ebay/Reverb.
Are you saying you bought a $150 amp and traded in a pedal that sells for $200 and you expected to get $200 for the pedal? If so, that would never happen in any guitar store. Stores buy things for 50-60% below what they will sell for, they are there to make money on what they buy not give it away. They assume all the risk, have to cover the costs of real estate, paying employees, theft, returns and so on. Sounds like you got exactly what I was explaining in my video. Here's some business math: Margin = (Sell Price - Cost)/Sell Price In your case $225-$130 = $95/$225 = 42% margin. You got a fair price in trade. Any guitar store will tell you the same. If want to get more and have patience you can do better on FBMC and CL, that is true, but assuming a store will give you near what things sell for is very much the wrong expectation.
@ I am agreeing with everything you’ve stated in the video and in your response to my comment. Just simply sharing my personal story which validates both your message and what people should expect when selling or trading in their gear to a retailer.
There’s a guitar I wanted at GC. I opted not to buy it because it was filthy . On another note, it’s disheartening to see your instrument back on sale for way more than you give it up for. 😔
Tip...never sell your guitar to Guitar Center...they will steal it from you. Just sell it to a private party.
I’ve traded quite a bit to GC over the years, and you are 100% correct with what you say. Anything I trade in, it’s clean, polished, strings decent or new, and completely functional. Also, don’t take some beat up junk you bought from the Pawn Shop, and expect them to give you anything for it. It needs to be something that they have a reasonable chance of selling. Also, if you have modded it, and you can de-mod it back to original, for say, pickups or locking tuners, do it. They’re not going to give you any more for it, because you have a Seymour Duncan humbucker set that you installed in a $179 Amazon Les Paul knockoff. You’ll get the same, either way. If you want to get substantially more for that $179 Les Paul Beijing Special with SD humbuckers, you’ll have to try and privately sell it. (Good luck.)
Never sell anything to guitar center. CRAIGS LIST WILL GET YOU THE MOST MONEY, why settle? Unless of course you just have to sell it today.
Trading in is just as bad. I traded a multi effects pedal that sells used on average for $200 towards a used amp they wanted $150. They gave me $130 trad-in value and I still had to pay remaining value plus tax on the original $150. Two separate transactions; the undervalued purchase for my gear so they can make a profit and then my purchase of the used gear at full retail offering. Now my old pedal can be had in their used gear section for only $225.
Only if you are desperate and don’t want the hassle of awkward Craigslist buyers or Ebay/Reverb.
Are you saying you bought a $150 amp and traded in a pedal that sells for $200 and you expected to get $200 for the pedal? If so, that would never happen in any guitar store. Stores buy things for 50-60% below what they will sell for, they are there to make money on what they buy not give it away. They assume all the risk, have to cover the costs of real estate, paying employees, theft, returns and so on. Sounds like you got exactly what I was explaining in my video.
Here's some business math: Margin = (Sell Price - Cost)/Sell Price In your case $225-$130 = $95/$225 = 42% margin. You got a fair price in trade. Any guitar store will tell you the same.
If want to get more and have patience you can do better on FBMC and CL, that is true, but assuming a store will give you near what things sell for is very much the wrong expectation.
@ I am agreeing with everything you’ve stated in the video and in your response to my comment. Just simply sharing my personal story which validates both your message and what people should expect when selling or trading in their gear to a retailer.
There’s a guitar I wanted at GC. I opted not to buy it because it was filthy . On another note, it’s disheartening to see your instrument back on sale for way more than you give it up for. 😔
Tip #1 - Don’t sell to Guitar Center
Exactly. I expected a shorter video. Lol
Bullseye!!
First and only advice you need concerning selling your guitar to guitar center...
D O N T