Are basses selling better on eBay rather than here because......

[bagsieblue]

.....you can pay by credit card?

Obviously as transactions on here are (mainly) private sales credit card transactions are not really possible.

Must admit I dislike credit cards, but they are a necessary evil in the modern world and they do allow you to pull forward a month on your personal cashflow.

[Graham]

You can Pay on credit card here if you do it by Paypal, most people are happy to accept Paypal if you do it as a gift payment or cover the fees.

[Woodinblack]

I don't think they are selling particularly well on ebay at the moment, guitars certainly aren't. I don't think much is selling as well as it was a few years ago.

[bagsieblue]

[quote name='Graham' timestamp='1376514870' post='2175431']
You can Pay on credit card here if you do it by Paypal, most people are happy to accept Paypal if you do it as a gift payment or cover the fees.
[/quote]
Really??

Does that count as a purchase or a cash advance for credit card interest purchases?

I will not pay a penny in interest to credit card companies..

[bagsieblue]

[quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1376515093' post='2175440']
I don't think they are selling particularly well on ebay at the moment, guitars certainly aren't. I don't think much is selling as well as it was a few years ago.
[/quote]

I've had more luck in selling, at higher prices to boot, on eBay recently.

[Graham]

If you did it as a Paypal purchase then I can't see why it wouldn't just be normal purchase. You might have to pay the seller a little more to cover the Paypal fees in that instance.

That all said, I don't have a credit card so I'm probably not the best person to ask, worth checking with your bank if you've got your eye on something.

[Hamster]

On here you are also dealing with fellow bass players, most of whom are known to at least one more member. I nearly always pay (and get paid) directly into bank accounts which is something I would never contemplate on ebay.

[ead]

[quote name='bagsieblue' timestamp='1376515396' post='2175447']
I've had more luck in selling, at higher prices to boot, on eBay recently.
[/quote]

I have noticed this too. I can't really rationalise this, as my perception was that the prices on here had been higher than ebay, as well a not having the fees to pay on BC. The last few basses I have sold were on here for ages and then sold almost instantly on ebay despite me jacking the prices considerable to cover the fees.

Yes the buyers may be less well informed on ebay, but I suspect that this is not the case so much now. Maybe BCers are expecting too much of a bargain in these economically challenging times.

[Count Bassy]

Possibly just the number of potential buyers on E-bay. I know BC like to think that all bass players come here, but the reality is probably that active members, who come here regularly, probably only number a few hundred.
(Do we have stats on the numbers?).

[bagsieblue]

Good points above.
EBay certainly, unfortunately, is a wider audience.
Maybe people get excited and caught up in bidding as well??

[Jellyfish]

[quote name='bagsieblue' timestamp='1376519090' post='2175549']
Good points above.
EBay certainly, unfortunately, is a wider audience.
Maybe people get excited and caught up in bidding as well??
[/quote]

I think that trend is slowly falling behind with sites like Goofbid, where you can make an account and automatically snipe auctions 2 seconds before the end. It happens rarely and mainly on items that are desirable I think.

[icastle]

[quote name='bagsieblue' timestamp='1376519090' post='2175549']
Maybe people get excited and caught up in bidding as well??
[/quote]

Or drunk.
I seem to remember someone from here buying an upright piano off Ebay because they'd had just enough booze to make it a good idea at the time...

[spinynorman]

You can't really compare a low start auction on eBay with Basschat, where you have to set a price. A low start auction will usually sell, though maybe not for what the seller expected. There's lots of basses on eBay with high starting bids or BINs that don't sell, and even if the price is a reasonable valuation, there's less chance of it selling.

[Zenitram]

You can associate a credit card with your PayPal account, and buy things and send money specifying that you want to do it with that card. I just sent someone in the States 350 quid using PayPal with my credit card. It cost me a tenner more than if I had done it from my bank account.

[NJE]

I dont know about ebay, but I have sold guitars and basses faster and for more money on Gumtree and Preloved than on here recently. A cheaper bass I had sold for £245 on Preloved within 5 days and an identical bass in the same condition sat on here for weeks unsold at about £180.

Basschat is brilliant but I certainly think for more generic mass produced basses you can sell faster and get more money elsewhere because everyone here knows the 'going rate' for Fender and Squier type instruments, and quite rightly wont pay over that in most cases.

For slightly rarer, more specialist and more expensive gear I wouldn't go anywhere else but here.

[dougal]

[quote name='NJE' timestamp='1376592219' post='2176629']
For slightly rarer, more specialist and more expensive gear I wouldn't go anywhere else but here.
[/quote]

+1

Basschat is a specialist market-place. I can imagine your Fender or warwick going for more on e-bay, but I seriously doubt that's true for an ACG, dingwall, or an Xotic.

[molan]

eBay is very good for international reach. People trust it, rightly or wrongly, because of the Paypal 'gurantees'.

I've noticed a real surge in demand through eBay recently. Especially on higher end, £2,000+ instruments.

[ead]

I've never tried Gumtree or Preloved. Easy to use, any good?

Slight thread hijack, sorry Mr BB.

[BigRedX]

There's a couple of things to remember.

Firstly, no matter how big or important we think Basschat is, the potential market on eBay is much bigger. And many times so if you are prepared to ship internationally. I've been selling my unused basses and other musical equipment on wBay over the last year and as far as I am aware not a single person who bought one of my basses had even heard of Basschat let alone was a member.

Secondly, while Basschatters may be a bit more adventurous in the brands they are interested in, on the whole they still prefer their basses to look reasonably conventional. I can remember the ridicule, in the eBay forum, that some of the instruments I have been selling attracted when originally listed for sale (and when I bought them), so to be frank listing them here is simply a waste of time and £20.

[Happy Jack]

You might have got a bit of interest in your Reverend, mind ...

[karlfer]

I think I'm going to try FEEBay for my Bleached Blonde Warwick. I've had a couple of good tentative offers but they are all relying on selling some of their own gear. I'm not, however, going to put my Geddy on there. With it being almost new, I would have to hike the price to about £630 plus delivery, just to cover my costs. That is only a saving of £130 over new, so unlikely to be worth people having a go. Decisions decisions

[uncle psychosis]

[quote name='ead' timestamp='1376636123' post='2177036']
I've never tried Gumtree or Preloved. Easy to use, any good?

Slight thread hijack, sorry Mr BB.
[/quote]

Not used preloved but Gumtree is straightforward. I use it for instruments I'm not prepared to ship. Just be prepared for some tire-kickers and lowballers (and keep your wits about you) and its a great place to sell.

[mikegatward]

I think it's been a bit of a vicious circle here on BC resulting in many fewer sales

A few years back, you could take a punt on a bass knowing that if you didn't get on with it, you could readvertise it and in most cases get your money back. There's so little money about now that even those able to buy aren't prepared to take a risk buying something they may not be able to resell easily. And of course all this leads to less basses being advertised.

Trouble with buying/re-selling on ebay is that you have to hike up 15% or so to cover fees otherwise you're out of pocket.

[bagsieblue]

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1376648295' post='2177253']
Not used preloved but Gumtree is straightforward. I use it for instruments I'm not prepared to ship. Just be prepared for some tire-kickers and lowballers (and keep your wits about you) and its a great place to sell.
[/quote]

+1 to this Mr EAD.
I've recently had a right royal runaround on Gumtree recently.
Dealing more with the 'general public' lets say so have your wits about you.
I've put a couple of cars on there before now as well that have attracted some, ahem, intersting characters.
Preloved is similar but on a smaller scale.
But, of course, if no joy selling on here then it attracts a wider audience.

[NJE]

[quote name='ead' timestamp='1376636123' post='2177036']
I've never tried Gumtree or Preloved. Easy to use, any good?

Slight thread hijack, sorry Mr BB.
[/quote]

Like some have already said, you do come across some 'interesting' individuals on gumtree. Most of the people I get messages from cannot spell or even construct sentences it seems, messages like: "how much u do it 4" and "wot ur best price" and then proceed to offer you £30 for a £200 item because they believe paying cash and being able to pick it up today will compensate for the difference in price.

Saying that I have dealt with and met some lovely people on Preloved, and had a wonderfully easy transaction with someone from Lancashire recently who needed a bass shipping. Easy as pie and he didn't quibble on my shipping conditions, price or anything.

Preloved is much smaller than gumtree and gets less traffic but I would generalise and say there are some slightly nicer more eloquent individuals who use it.