I'd like to sell most of my basses, but can't bring myself to do so

[dmccombe7]

53 minutes ago, ubit said:

I got in touch with Guitar Guitar to try and offload some gear. They asked for pics and I sent them with full descriptions. They offered me laughable trade ins. I said to them look, I realise that you are a business and need to make money but those offers are derisory. Two basses that were as new as the day they were bought and they were offering me pennies. If you are going to sell do it privately. At least you will get a half decent price. I didn't want to rip anyone off but a guitar that cost me  £800 and is as good as new should be worth more than £200.

I'll give you £225 for it 😂

[Lozz196]

4 hours ago, ubit said:

I got in touch with Guitar Guitar to try and offload some gear. They asked for pics and I sent them with full descriptions. They offered me laughable trade ins. I said to them look, I realise that you are a business and need to make money but those offers are derisory. Two basses that were as new as the day they were bought and they were offering me pennies. If you are going to sell do it privately. At least you will get a half decent price. I didn't want to rip anyone off but a guitar that cost me  £800 and is as good as new should be worth more than £200.

I had a similar experience with another retailer a few years back.

Called them, told them what I wanted to purchase, and what I had to p-ex. Wouldn’t give me a price, told me I had to visit the shop.

I countered with I knew what it was worth 2nd hand, and that as I was travelling a 100 miles to the shop if I was offered a derisory amount such as half what it was worth I would hit said offerer over the head with it, as such was it worth me making the journey.

No was the response.

[ezbass]

2/3 of an easy selling price is the best you can expect. GG are no different from most retailers in this respect. They don’t see that they’re making a profit on the instrument that you buy, they want it on everything. It’s their business and that’s the way it is, plus they have 20% VAT to consider and probably free delivery, if ordered online. Commission sales are the way to go IMO if you can’t move it here or elsewhere.

[TheLowDown]

I would keep the precision and sell all of the jazzes given that's your favourite. What can the jazz do that the precision can't that you absolutely need? Probably nothing, so there's your answer.

 

Doing a Marie Kondo with basses is always empowering because you'll be down to what you need rather than having lots of baggage around the house which could be sold and spent on something genuinely more useful.

 

Before I sell something I always have a twinge of "What if I regret it later?",  "But it's so attractive looking  though", "What if it will comes in useful later on?", "What if....?", but experience has told me that I never miss anything I sell, and once it's out the door it's forgotten. Life goes on and the world keeps turning.

 

I've mentioned elsewhere in a similar thread, I always ask myself "if this bass was the only one I had, would I be contented?" If the answer is not "yes", then it gets sold. It's often an illusion to believe that we really need something, and it's often the case that we keep things because we just want to own them.

 

In my case, every one of my 5 basses is functional for my uses at this time - 4 string fretted, 4 string fretless, 5 string fretted, 6 string fretted and fretless. If I gave up bass, then all but one would be sold. They're good enough and each serves a specific purpose, and that's fine with me.

[dmccombe7]

14 hours ago, TheLowDown said:

In my case, every one of my 5 basses is functional for my uses at this time - 4 string fretted, 4 string fretless, 5 string fretted, 6 string fretted and fretless. If I gave up bass, then all but one would be sold. They're good enough and each serves a specific purpose, and that's fine with me.

Curious as to which one you'd keep.

Also curious what your current basses are mainly because it sounds like a nice varied collection. Any pics ?

 

Dave

Edited August 3, 2021 by dmccombe7

[TheLowDown]

5 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

Curious as to which one you'd keep.

Also curious what your current basses are mainly because it sounds like a nice varied collection. Any pics ?

 

Dave

The white one. If I gave up bass but later decided to return, I would be less likely to want to pick up a fretless, a 5 string or a 6 string.

[dmccombe7]

4 minutes ago, TheLowDown said:

The white one. If I gave up bass but later decided to return, I would be less likely to want to pick up a fretless, a 5 string or a 6 string.

That one on left ooks very tasty/

What makes are they. Pick ups all look similar or same type.

Dave

[TheLowDown]

4 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

That one on left ooks very tasty/

What makes are they. Pick ups all look similar or same type.

Dave

They're all Harley Bentons from the progressive range. Cheap Inexpensive and cheerful but they do me. The one on the left is this.

[Dan Dare]

18 hours ago, ezbass said:

2/3 of an easy selling price is the best you can expect. GG are no different from most retailers in this respect. They don’t see that they’re making a profit on the instrument that you buy, they want it on everything. It’s their business and that’s the way it is, plus they have 20% VAT to consider and probably free delivery, if ordered online. Commission sales are the way to go IMO if you can’t move it here or elsewhere.

This. Shops are businesses. Margins are tight these days and their electricity bills, staff costs, etc don't pay themselves. If you want the convenience - instant cash, no dealing with tyre-kickers/hagglers, etc - of selling an instrument to a shop, you have to accept what they offer (bearing in mind that they have to clean it, offer some kind of guarantee, set it up/replace strings and so on). You will usually get a better price if you trade in, but even then, it won't be market value (whatever that is), because that's what the shop will expect to get for it when they sell it. 

 

If you want a better price, you are free to decline what they offer (which they are unlikely to be unhappy about - they prefer to sell their new stock) and make the effort and sell it privately.

[EssentialTension]

You won't get private market value selling equipment to a music shop and neither should you. They have costs (inc VAT).

 

If the bass (or whatever) is worth so much more, in your opinion, then sell it privately.

[Reggaebass]

I’ve very rarely been able to do business with shops regarding part ex , the ridiculous offers I received put me off dealing with them 

[gjones]

23 hours ago, ubit said:

I got in touch with Guitar Guitar to try and offload some gear. They asked for pics and I sent them with full descriptions. They offered me laughable trade ins. I said to them look, I realise that you are a business and need to make money but those offers are derisory. Two basses that were as new as the day they were bought and they were offering me pennies. If you are going to sell do it privately. At least you will get a half decent price. I didn't want to rip anyone off but a guitar that cost me  £800 and is as good as new should be worth more than £200.

I bought a Stingray, secondhand, from Guitar Guitar, for £1200. Which was about £400 above the going rate at the time. So it's not as if they're exactly selling pre owned stuff, at knockdown prices.

[ubit]

9 minutes ago, gjones said:

I bought a Stingray, secondhand, from Guitar Guitar, for £1200. Which was about £400 above the going rate at the time. So it's not as if they're exactly selling pre owned stuff, at knockdown prices.

Exactly mate, they expect to buy from a seller for £200 and then sell it at near it's new price as it's in pristine condition. As I said, I know they are a business trying to make money but that is just bang out of order. Anyone trading with them is clearly desperate or is doing some kind of money off something else deal.

 

[Woodinblack]

Ultimately I could sell all my basses and just stay with the one Ibanez SR1605.  I mean, I could, I know I could but I am not going to!

I should however sell almost all my guitars as apart from the acoustic and the indie or gibson, I rarely play them.

[Frank Blank]

Just as a counterpoint to my earlier post, the one enthusing about selling all your gear, it's already driving me clean up the wall and I am now popping over to the marketplace... I may be sometime.

[dmccombe7]

4 hours ago, TheLowDown said:

They're all Harley Bentons from the progressive range. Cheap Inexpensive and cheerful but they do me. The one on the left is this.

I would never have guessed that. They look quite impressive. I was thinking they were Ibanez but didn't want to say in case the were expensive boutique basses and i offended you. 😂

Dave

[TheLowDown]

3 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

I would never have guessed that. They look quite impressive. I was thinking they were Ibanez but didn't want to say in case the were expensive boutique basses and i offended you. 😂

Dave

Nah don't worry. I would only have been offended if you'd said they were Fenders.

[Guest]

Avoid the chain stores. I have part ex’ed a couple of basses at Bass Direct and at the Bass Gallery, and in each case they offered me a very reasonable price, two being a significantly higher price than what I offered for sale here (with no takers, not even a comment). It does depend what you have and what you’re buying, but the likes of GG, Anderton’s and PMT aren’t really about selling used gear, whereas smaller, boutique shops like the Bass Gallery and BD generally have a much bigger used stock.

[dmccombe7]

Bass Direct gave me a decent trade price on my 2 Berg ae112 cabs against a Dingwall NG2.

 

Dave

[FinnDave]

1 hour ago, dmccombe7 said:

Bass Direct gave me a decent trade price on my 2 Berg ae112 cabs against a Dingwall NG2.

 

Dave

They also gave me a decent trade-in price for a couple of Fenders when I was buying a used Alembic there. Their trade-in prices weren't far short of what I would have got selling them myself, but without the hassle.

[dmccombe7]

9 minutes ago, FinnDave said:

They also gave me a decent trade-in price for a couple of Fenders when I was buying a used Alembic there. Their trade-in prices weren't far short of what I would have got selling them myself, but without the hassle.

That's a young looking you in your avatar Dave 😀

[FinnDave]

20 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

That's a young looking you in your avatar Dave 😀

I found a time machine and took a quick snap while I was back in the 70s

I chose it more for the bass than for the pic of me - my dear old Framus Jazz bass, long since lost in the mists of time, but a cracking bass. 

 

[ChrisJaxon]

On 04/08/2021 at 10:14, FinnDave said:

I found a time machine and took a quick snap while I was back in the 70s

I chose it more for the bass than for the pic of me - my dear old Framus Jazz bass, long since lost in the mists of time, but a cracking bass. 

 

That reminds me of my Framus Jazz Bass, one that got away, here seen in 1982.

[FinnDave]

They were great basses, wish I still had one.

[RachAllenBand]

I'm glad you reached a decision. My husband goes through this thought pattern every few months and I always cringe when he mentions selling something. I love all his guitars!  He has sold many in the past, and we have regretted it. I understand any concerns about space, as we live in a tiny one bedroom place, more like a bachelor flat. You'd laugh if you saw how the livingroom is full of guitar cases! It's to the point where we could only fit a sofa, no chairs, in the room. We don't have the option of hanging guitars on the wall, since these walls aren't made strong. Also have a case hiding behind the sofa.   I only have one bass, but have 3 other guitars. He has all basses. They are lovely. No guilt here.  These were acquired over time and saving up. I've used each of my guitars in recording songs. As long as you won't regret selling them, it's all good.