binky_bass

@paul_c2 without meaning to be rude, is it you doing something that is causing these blowouts?? Or possibly a common theme like using the same plug socket that's dodgy? I've had more amps than I can count from the cheap and old to the new and expensive and I've never had any of them blow up! Seems like the amount you've had go bang on you might suggest a common theme!

While that may be very true, there is a culture of trading as mentioned before. I myself, as well as @Hellzero are quite prolific in that we have both listed a large number of expensive, high end, gear and very often end up trading. It's a fantastic way of playing some of the very best instruments money can buy. I have over the years amassed a herd of basses I am very lucky to own, and very often chop and change with others who play similar basses. If I counted up every instrument that I've ever owned through trades it would probably be over a thousand at least! I do agree though that some prices are just crazy, and that those basses can be seen on the forum for years! But hey, if the seller is happy to wait indefinitely for a buyer and doesn't want to move on price, then it's their instrument and they can do that if they so wish! Personally, I'm not sure of the point in doing that, but that's their prerogative!

Gumtree needs to operate some kind of rating/feedback system. Even Schpock has a feedback system. I think Gumtree did trial something a while back, but stupidly the default rating was 1 out of 5 so made everyone look terrible instantly!

I agree with this, but I have listed things on BC that have either never sold or taken a long time to sell, whereas on eBay it will be sold within a week. BC is a great place to sell if you're happy to potentially have to wait a while for a buyer. Where I often buy a poorly treated guitar/bass to fix up and shift on, eBay works better for me as I want the guitar out the door and sold ASAP. Horses for courses and all that! I have bought and traded MANY things on Basschat, usually trading high end basses. Something you can't do on eBay. So for me, both serve different purposes. Mass selling - eBay. Trading - Basschat.

An example: I recently sold a Crafter Acoustic on eBay, it went for £230ish. Someone else selling the exact same model without postage and a starting bid of £150 hasn't had a sniff of action and it's been on eBay for months. Postage is key! As well as (IMO) following the other rules! Now my ex-Crafter is happily being played somewhere in North America courtesy of eBay's international shipping programme.

Absolutely true. 4 - 7 are just common sense really! But so many times people list things for high prices with terrible photos, no description, no postage and complain when it hasn't sold. 4 - 7 should be employed for anything you sell on any site!

There's a lot of hate for eBay here, I have to say I've very rarely had any problems with selling via eBay and usually always get a good price for what I sell. There are a few basic rules to follow to maximize your end sale price and minimize the fees you pay. If it's helpful to anyone, below are the rules I always follow when selling on eBay: 1: eBay offer a maximum £1 selling fee at least once a month, often twice a month. If you can wait, then only sell when these offers come up and you will only pay £1 to eBay (PayPal will still take circa 3.5% but I can live with this). 2: Always set up your auction to end on Sunday between 6pm and 8pm-ish. This is when the maximum amount of people are likely to be in a position to bid. If your item ends at 2am on a Tuesday, no one will be placing that last minute bid! 3: Always start your auction at £1 with no reserve. Placing a reserve may safeguard your item selling for pennies, but it also puts a lot of people off from taking a 'punt' bid. Also, listing your item with a high start bid has the same effect. People love to think they can get a deal and if they bid when the price is low, then there in for the full auction and often bid again. 4: Accurate title that includes as many words that describe your item that can be picked up when punters search on eBay. No brainer really. 5: Description. So many times I've seen auctions with a 2 sentence description. Go into detail and sell your item to the punters! A good 3 or 4 paragraphs to tell them all about it. 6: Pictures. eBay allows for 12 pictures for 'free', use them all. 12 photos from different angles, front, back, side, etc. The more pictures, then better the end sale price. 7: Postage. Always offer postage!!! Anything can be couriered these days and you can get boxes in abundance from your local supermarket, just ask! You can also buy a 100m roll of decent bubble wrap on eBay for about £20, which will wrap up around 6-8 guitars and give them ample protection when boxed with a little care. If you dont offer postage you are effectively losing 90% of potential buyers. A little effort to pack your item to then be able to offer postage goes a long way! For me the above rules work a treat, I've sold hundreds of things on eBay and always got around the price I was looking for. I would however say that if you are selling something really niche like a custom 6 string bass that you want at least £2000 for, then the better option might be selling it on consignment at The Gallery or Bass Direct, but they will take 20%. Russ.

How can people be so bad at taking photos!! I mean picture 4... 😂

Better photo...