Burns-bass Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 5 minutes ago, binky_bass said: 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. Totally agree. This weekend I’ve shifted a whole box of parts on eBay that nobody is interested in here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 15 hours ago, MuddBass said: The one slight issue I have (particulalry when using mobile), is the sheer quantity for equipment for sale from outside the UK. At the risk of suggesting some sort of BCexit, how do people feel about a seperate topic for equpiment for sale outside the UK? Or am I just being stupid? The B word that cannot be pronounced will soon take care of that... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambient Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 I’m possibly wrong, I certainly haven’t seen in figures backing this up, it’s just my personal experience. I think a lot of people are wise to the pitfalls of buying online, plus they are protected to a large degree, both by PayPal and their banks. I think nowadays it’s the seller who’s more at risk, I think scammers have turned their attention to them. This is particularly the case on Gumtree, at least from my experience. That’s one of the benefits of selling on here, you do kind of know people, or at least know of them. You can see their posts and feedback etc. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
binky_bass Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 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! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambient Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 23 minutes ago, binky_bass said: 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! Did it briefly experiment with one? I advertised a bass on there last year. Someone contacted me who turned out to be a total pain in the donkey, he was also extremely rude. He was on here briefly too, a friend of mine had an experience with him. When I looked on Gumtree he had feedback for being abusive and a time waster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burns-bass Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 28 minutes ago, ambient said: I’m possibly wrong, I certainly haven’t seen in figures backing this up, it’s just my personal experience. I think a lot of people are wise to the pitfalls of buying online, plus they are protected to a large degree, both by PayPal and their banks. I think nowadays it’s the seller who’s more at risk, I think scammers have turned their attention to them. This is particularly the case on Gumtree, at least from my experience. That’s one of the benefits of selling on here, you do kind of know people, or at least know of them. You can see their posts and feedback etc. Your bank offers you no protection and you’re only protected by PayPal if someone pays their fees (which is fair). Your credit card providers offers you no protection if you pay through PayPal either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambient Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 (edited) 10 minutes ago, Burns-bass said: Your bank offers you no protection and you’re only protected by PayPal if someone pays their fees (which is fair). Your credit card providers offers you no protection if you pay through PayPal either. As a buyer? I bought stuff online and had money refunded by my bank. The first time I’d paid through PayPal as a guest too. Edited January 19, 2020 by ambient Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Dare Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 Nobody is compelled to use the BC marketplace, eBay, Gumtree or even the classified pages of the local rag (if it still exists). If you have something to sell, it's up to you to find the best channel through which to move it on. You may well have to accept less than you consider it worth in order to do so. That's just good old market forces at work (the same market forces that work to your advantage when you buy something for a bargain price, remember). If you don't like it, that's just life, I'm afraid. If you're buying, caveat emptor is as valid a motto as it ever was. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamg67 Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 (edited) I've sold various things in various places. eBay has been what you would expect, mainly fine with the occasional idiot, but I've never sold anything of great value on there. Facebook I'm not so keen on unless I'm delivering, and even then you can end up in dodgy places, but then I've mainly sold bigger things like furniture and it wouldn't matter if I was posting stuff. On the buying side of FB I once picked some alloy wheels up from Grimethorpe and was weighing up my chances of getting out of there with wallet and car. BC has been universally kind to me, like this: I've had decent deals buying and good experiences selling, but none of it was high end stuff, more in the up to £300 area. I'll usually try BC first for selling anything musical. The Items Wanted page is great, the MB cab wasn't the first time I found someone looking for something I was selling. Edited January 19, 2020 by adamg67 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ead Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 I would love to use BC exclusively but I find selling here requires much patience. Of late I've sold a number of basses on ebay when the £1 seliing fee offers are around so only paying for PayPal. I've closed my FB account so no longer an option but it never really worked for me. I always advertise basses on ebay at a higher price than on here and depite this pretty much sell them all on ebay. I do try and do personal meet ups even it it means a bit of travelling so I can be assured of safe arrival and buyer satisfaction. So far so good tbh although I'll prbably get bitten at some point. I always look to buy on here though and BC is also great for trades. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elfrasho Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 (edited) On 18/01/2020 at 13:16, kodiakblair said: I find FB works well. Thursday a fella posted his Bass Collection 5'er on the Glasgow gear page, told the lad I'd shared his ad on the Nanyo owners page. Seller sent me a message saying thanks,he had a buyer from the Nanyo page within minutes. 😎 That was me! Sold it at full price through Facebook. Thanks again! And Graham who bought it off me frequents this very forum, although I can't remember what his username is. I've only recently got back into Facebook , but I've already sold that bass and a lens. I'm also attempting to sell an amp which I've had a few keen parties but now quite sold. I've also got another bass (yamaha bb1000 '78) which has had no interest. Possibly because it's more expensive, but im happy to wait. So overall I'm pretty happy with FB market place. I used to use Gumtree but I'm finding that pretty awful. Edited January 19, 2020 by Elfrasho 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 5 hours ago, Dan Dare said: Nobody is compelled to use the BC marketplace, eBay, Gumtree or even the classified pages of the local rag (if it still exists). If you have something to sell, it's up to you to find the best channel through which to move it on. You may well have to accept less than you consider it worth in order to do so. That's just good old market forces at work (the same market forces that work to your advantage when you buy something for a bargain price, remember). If you don't like it, that's just life, I'm afraid. If you're buying, caveat emptor is as valid a motto as it ever was. In the context of this thread your comment is a bit pointless. Of course people can choose whatever avenue they want to sell stuff. The point of the the thread is questioning why stuff seems to take longer to sell here than in FB - and then widened to other selling platforms - and what the reasons might be for it. IMHO when I sell here I usually have to accept a price below what it’s really worth to me to sell, and even then not a sniff, but don’t have the same experience with either eBay or via a shop (normally making more even after commission). I believe it’s a good marketplace for the buyer as there are so many basses for sale and has a thriving trade option which isn’t easily available elsewhere. It is mid January so many who have overspent at Christmas are probably not in the market to buy; conversely those same people might well choose now to thin the herd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricksterphil Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 I've bought and sold loads of stuff on eBay on here and a few on Facebook. I prefer selling on here though. The key to selling on eBay is to list towards the and of the month, pick a weekend when the fees are £1 (this weekend for example) and make the listing as full as possible. Good pics, complete description etc. I usually for a BIN option, with offers. Always offer courier delivery. Buying off eBay is best if the item is collection only and is near enough to collect. I sold a 2015 Gibson Thunderbird for the full asking and I'd added enough to cover fees. The buyer told me he'd been loot for one for a while and when mine popped up he just hit the BIN button! I've also just picked up a Beyer mic stand in great nick for £15 which was 2 miles from my office. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miles'tone Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 I've been trying to sell a SX P bass on here for a while but had no luck. Had it listed on Gumtree too without one sniff. I hadn't considered the Facebook market place until I read this thread. Listed it there on Friday night and a nice bloke was happily driving off with it this morning! So glad to avoid the boxing up and courier faff as I've done waaay too much of that. I do feel safer buying and selling on here though, but thanks for the FB tip! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Dare Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 1 hour ago, FDC484950 said: In the context of this thread your comment is a bit pointless. Of course people can choose whatever avenue they want to sell stuff. The point of the the thread is questioning why stuff seems to take longer to sell here than in FB - and then widened to other selling platforms - and what the reasons might be for it. IMHO when I sell here I usually have to accept a price below what it’s really worth to me to sell, and even then not a sniff, but don’t have the same experience with either eBay or via a shop (normally making more even after commission). I believe it’s a good marketplace for the buyer as there are so many basses for sale and has a thriving trade option which isn’t easily available elsewhere. It is mid January so many who have overspent at Christmas are probably not in the market to buy; conversely those same people might well choose now to thin the herd. Why? I was pointing out that is that there is no right to sell something and especially not for the price of one's choosing. Some do appear to think there is and become upset when they can't. Quite a lot of stuff in the Marketplace is over-priced (the rough rule of thumb price for something used in good condition, unless it's vintage or rare, is around half retail). Given that BC members are generally pretty well informed, that could explain why it doesn't shift. If people are not happy that their stuff isn't selling, they are entitled to advertise it elsewhere or even take it to Cash Converters (and good luck with getting a decent price there). My earlier point - that there are a number of commercial or semi-commercial sellers on here claiming to be ordinary players who are "thinning the herd" or "upgrading"- is also true. A number of the same names keep popping up time and again, selling expensive instruments and kit. They're either wealthy dilettantes who can afford to keep buying stuff or doing it as a business. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 3 hours ago, Elfrasho said: yamaha bb1000 '78 Sort of thing that will sell better on here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
binky_bass Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 (edited) 16 minutes ago, Dan Dare said: My earlier point - that there are a number of commercial or semi-commercial sellers on here claiming to be ordinary players who are "thinning the herd" or "upgrading"- is also true. A number of the same names keep popping up time and again, selling expensive instruments and kit. They're either wealthy dilettantes who can afford to keep buying stuff or doing it as a business. 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! Edited January 19, 2020 by binky_bass 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_c2 Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 I've (in my lifetime) bought 4 basses and currently own 3. The first one I bought 32 years ago and still have. Then there was this cheap fretless thing which wasn't that good - I bought it new in a music shop and sold it (I think) on eBay, the buyer collected it, ages ago (no problems with the sale). More recently (3 years ago) I bought a secondhand off of Reverb, a Japanese dealer. And the most recent (2 years ago) was a secondhand from a music shop. So I've only ever sold one bass. Amplifiers.....now that's a different story! I seem to have a weird relationship with amps, they keep blowing up or catching fire. I'm on my 10th. I think I'll just keep buying new ones and keeping the receipt safe - most have blown up in the warranty period; a few outside of the warranty. Fortunately I sold one amp just before it blew up, I did try to claim from the courier but I didn't get any money back off them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 11 hours ago, paul_c2 said: I've (in my lifetime) bought 4 basses and currently own 3. The first one I bought 32 years ago and still have. Then there was this cheap fretless thing which wasn't that good - I bought it new in a music shop and sold it (I think) on eBay, the buyer collected it, ages ago (no problems with the sale). More recently (3 years ago) I bought a secondhand off of Reverb, a Japanese dealer. And the most recent (2 years ago) was a secondhand from a music shop. So I've only ever sold one bass. Amplifiers.....now that's a different story! I seem to have a weird relationship with amps, they keep blowing up or catching fire. I'm on my 10th. I think I'll just keep buying new ones and keeping the receipt safe - most have blown up in the warranty period; a few outside of the warranty. Fortunately I sold one amp just before it blew up, I did try to claim from the courier but I didn't get any money back off them. What amps are you buying that blow up or catch fire. In 40+yrs of playing i've only ever had one amp that smoked. I was using a Roland pre-am into 2off Matamp power amps. One of them started smoking while i was playing a gig. Roadie pulled the plug on it and i just carried on regardless with the other one. Both were feeding different cabs but it was only backline. That was back in 80;s. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J66Bass Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 I user both all the time ,I prefer basschat as you feel you are in the community,I sold all BC THE market is more trustworthy,the feedback help too ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_c2 Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 1 hour ago, dmccombe7 said: What amps are you buying that blow up or catch fire. In 40+yrs of playing i've only ever had one amp that smoked. I was using a Roland pre-am into 2off Matamp power amps. One of them started smoking while i was playing a gig. Roadie pulled the plug on it and i just carried on regardless with the other one. Both were feeding different cabs but it was only backline. That was back in 80;s. Dave Off the top of my head: Fender Rumble 30 (3x) Fender Rumble 100 Orange Crush 50? Alto TX212 Behringer B205D Vox Valvetronix Harkte A100 and a few others I can't remember details of So there's no single manufacturer or style. I think its just that these are "consumer" level amps, typically £200-300, and not a "professional" £1000 amp. They are basically all built to a cost; and the manufacturers reckon that most people keep them in a bedroom, they get an easy life and can make it through the guarantee period. I play regularly and transport my amp to-from rehearsals in a car, it goes in the footwell or the boot, I won't put it on the seats 1) because I can't get to them - its a 2 door and 2) it will damage the seats. Maybe a thick sheet of foam in the boot would help? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 I wouldn't expect that from Fender Orange or Hartke. All companies i associate with reasonably reliable gear. Dave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_c2 Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 I didn't expect it either as I was leaning over the amp plugging the mains lead into it! Neither did the shop, when I took it back and promptly blew the store's electrics circuit breaker. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ead Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 I was expecting to see a Portaflex or two in there... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
binky_bass Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 @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! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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