Why have the prices of used fenders skyrocketed the past year?

[AnAnInginAneAnA]

In March of last year I bought a Fender MIM Tele with hard case for £300 (which was a decent deal, but not amazing based on the average price I saw at the time), and now that I'm looking for another one I can see that the prices of used tele's have jumped to £400-450 without a case. At the same time I regularly saw MIM Strat's for £250-300, but now are also around the £400 mark. Aslo, Fender basses have(in the same time frame) also jumped from £300-350 to £500 (even seen some people asking £800 used for a higher end MIM bass (whereas to me that's just nuts as I think that's price is absolutely US fender territory).

Prices have jumped by a third in less than a year.

What the hell happened?

[Kiwi]

Did new prices jump to the same degree?  I've watched Smith basses slowly climb out of my reach due to this and the increasingly poor exchange rate between the pound sterling against the US dollar.  Quite glad to have made the most out of the opportunity I had to own three when they were more affordable to me.  I see the price of new Wal basses climbing and the asking price for used ones climbing also...no justification for it apart from supply and demand.  But I can't imagine the same applying to Fenders.

[AnAnInginAneAnA]

Prices for new MIM's did go up a little, but it came with a good jump in quality, and not the same dramatic leap as the used prices have taken... Even given that, I still don't see why the move from MIM "standard" to MIM "player" would affect the Standard prices since they're still just an old MIM Standard.

[Aidan63]

Ebay used Fender Bass prices have dropped I think by 10-20% in the last month, MIM Jazz and Precisions go for 300-350, if they are auctions with a low starting price, and most listed with high start prices tend to be pulled before they sell as no longer available so I'd assume they are also for sale on FB or advertised elsewhere so face to face deals for less than advertised Ebay price get done; Telecasters always do seem to be overpriced though, both Squiers and Fender so much so that new Squier FSR Bullet Tele at sub £150 for a well made really playable guitar (albeit thinner body but very resonant) make a lot of sense for instant gratification and incremental upgrading

[acidbass]

I think the same is true across the board.  You could buy a used Stingray 4 for £700 a year or so ago, now they are around the £1k mark.

[Beedster]

These things go up and down 

[dannybuoy]

New prices jumped up quite a bit, so used prices have done the same, albeit with a year or two delay since often people will sell a bass for what they thought it was worth without checking market rates.

[Roger2611]

2 hours ago, acidbass said:

I think the same is true across the board.  You could buy a used Stingray 4 for £700 a year or so ago, now they are around the £1k mark.

The USA subs are now pushing firmly into the same range that the prime US basses are being offered at, I know they are basically one and the same instrument (I actually prefer my Sub over the higher range basses) but it does seem strong to be expecting the same prices as the far more expensive basses. For me it is the same with the JV Squier's you see them being offered up at more that a late 70's USA Fender which seems mad in a way

[casapete]

2 hours ago, acidbass said:

I think the same is true across the board.  You could buy a used Stingray 4 for £700 a year or so ago, now they are around the £1k mark.

Was going to post just this before I read your post. Think the price of new Rays has soared so maybe explains it a bit?