People asking new prices for used guitars (ebay content)

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thermionicthermionic Frets: 9499
This is really starting to annoy me now.

Fender 60s Classic Jaguar, asking price £850 when you can buy a new one for £901 with free postage. That comparison is from a shop selling on ebay, so you could probably negotiate a hefty discount if you walked into the shop. A few months ago they were only £800-850 new so it wouldn't surprise me that's what the buyer paid for it anyway.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fender-Classic-60s-Jaguar-/253038423263

Fender Johnny Marr Jaguar, asking £50 more than what a new one costs. OK, you might struggle to find one in that colour, but still.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fender-Johnny-Marr-Jaguar-Limited-Edition-USA-Sherwood-Green-MINT-L-K-/232417913376

Fender Telecaster 69 Thinline, Not quite as bad as the last two, but it's 18 years old with peeling decals and I wouldn't pay more than £400. This has been on sale for months, if not a couple of years.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1999-FENDER-TELECASTER-THINLINE-MEXICAN-SUNBURST-/322514300026

I know that they don't sell immediately for these prices, but some of them must eventually sell at an inflated price.  I've bought 3 guitars off the fretboard classifieds in the last couple of years, and all three have been mint-to-vgc and bought for very reasonable prices indeed.
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Comments

  • underdogunderdog Frets: 8334
    Yeah I've given up looking on eBay for guitars now because of this
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  • WhitecatWhitecat Frets: 5378
    You can kind of understand some price gouging when eBay takes such a high percentage of the final sale price... and it's getting extremely difficult to do off-eBay deals now too of course, but that's a more recent thing and doesn't account for a guitar being on sale for 4 years at a crazy price. I do wonder if some prices are "permanent typos" - if a shop has a lot of listings, maybe they just don't pay any attention and have software that auto-relists until sold? Dunno.

    The fact is though eBay puts them in front of a lot more eyes than the Fretboard does... and therein lies the advantage/value... but because people are flakey I imagine something is more likely to go wrong on eBay than here.
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  • RavenousRavenous Frets: 1484
    I know that they don't sell immediately for these prices, but some of them must eventually sell at an inflated price.

    Look on the bright side - you are not one of those people.  You'll get a better deal (eventually) because you know how to find it.

    I think these prices are just set to sell to people with more money than sense.  Why sell cheaper when there's a whole internet crammed full of naïve people?

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  • thermionicthermionic Frets: 9499
    These high prices are easily explained away of course, but it doesn't seem to work both ways, does it - pretty certain I wouldn't get £850 if I put my Classic 60s Jag on ebay.

    Shops are partly responsible imho, they've been abusing the system for years by using ebay as a shop window.
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  • WhitecatWhitecat Frets: 5378

    Shops are partly responsible imho, they've been abusing the system for years by using ebay as a shop window.
    A lot of shops put higher prices on eBay than they do directly though. If you do find something you want being sold by a shop that you know has a website, best to double-check. Sound Affects is a little notorious for this.
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  • thermionicthermionic Frets: 9499

    Whitecat said:


    The fact is though eBay puts them in front of a lot more eyes than the Fretboard does... and therein lies the advantage/value... but because people are flakey I imagine something is more likely to go wrong on eBay than here.
    Yes, why risk buying a used guitar for £850 through ebay when for £50 more you could get one new with no worries about potential warranty issues and with a set of strings, strap, or even a basic setup thrown in?

    Like most people I think, ebay is getting less appealing day by day for anything worth more than about £50.
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  • musicman100musicman100 Frets: 1705
    edited July 2017
    It's getting ridiculous.
    Theres guitars that are just sitting on ebay/gumtree and forums with over priced tags on. To me it's simple,  if something hasn't sold for months or years it's over priced. People seem to forget that something is only worth what someone will pay. 
    What's making worse is all these bedroom dealers that are around now.

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  • jimmyguitarjimmyguitar Frets: 2464
    eBay is a great place to buy used guitars if you're clued up and not absolutely set on a set year/model/colour/spec. The overpriced guitars don't bother me though, the owner is free to ask whatever they want for their property... I just skip past them.
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  • AlnicoAlnico Frets: 4616
    I'm looking around for an Ibanez universe to buy sometime around October. 
    I'm just starting to keep an eye out on prices, I don't have the full amount I'll need yet but I saw a used White UV71P at £1,350 the other day.
    It's a 2015 model so it's not one of the original models that might be worth more, in that respect it's nothing special. 
    Andertons have one as available to order for £1179 and gear4music have them on offer at £799 because they can't get stock until December. 
    I refuse to believe these people aren't aware.
    Maybe a few years ago but now everything is just a tap away on a phone even.
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  • WhitecatWhitecat Frets: 5378

    Whitecat said:


    The fact is though eBay puts them in front of a lot more eyes than the Fretboard does... and therein lies the advantage/value... but because people are flakey I imagine something is more likely to go wrong on eBay than here.
    Yes, why risk buying a used guitar for £850 through ebay when for £50 more you could get one new with no worries about potential warranty issues and with a set of strings, strap, or even a basic setup thrown in?

    Like most people I think, ebay is getting less appealing day by day for anything worth more than about £50.
    Totally depends on the product I guess... if you're talking vintage/"rare" etc then you can do what you like, but you're right, if it's something currently available new then I'd do that every time, probably directly with a dealer if possible.
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  • CloudNineCloudNine Frets: 4254
    It's hilarious. I look at ebay and gumtree ans it seems that some people think buying a new guitar is an investment along the lines of buying property or something.
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  • musicman100musicman100 Frets: 1705
    CloudNine said:
    It's hilarious. I look at ebay and gumtree ans it seems that some people think buying a new guitar is an investment along the lines of buying property or something.
    There's all this bull about guitars are investments. In general that's crap now.
    Prices are so subjective 
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  • musicman100musicman100 Frets: 1705
    eBay is a great place to buy used guitars if you're clued up and not absolutely set on a set year/model/colour/spec. The overpriced guitars don't bother me though, the owner is free to ask whatever they want for their property... I just skip past them.
    Yeah People can ask what they want but one has to be realistic if your wanting to sell. 
    But these silly prices are distorting the market.



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  • Jack_Jack_ Frets: 3175
    edited July 2017
    Thing is, there's no harm in speculating - list guitars you don't really want to sell, at high prices, if they don't sell you keep it, and if somehow it does sell, then you're happy to have got a really good amount for it.

    Listings cost nothing, and you can have it auto-relist, so just leave it there for as long as you want.

    It is what it is, it's an organic reaction that's happening over time, you can't reverse it or stop it, so you just have to live with it.
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  • crunchmancrunchman Frets: 11413
    Some of the private ones could when the seller doesn't really want to sell it but his wife has told him he has to.  Start off advertising a £900 guitar for £850.  No one buys it.  Relist it and reduce it to £800 and it still doesn't sell.  Relist again and reduce to £775 and it still doesn't sell.  You can tell you wife that you are really trying to sell it and you have reduced it twice and there is nothing more you can do.
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  • Using ebay as a shop window is a good tactic. People that aren't clued up will see a price on ebay, compare it to the shop price and probably plump for buying directly from the shop. It's cheaper for the shop and the advertising is free.
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  • usedtobeusedtobe Frets: 3841
    I just have a little chuckle to myself, and move on..
     so if you fancy a reissue of a guitar they never made in a colour they never used then it probably isn't too overpriced.

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  • BabonesBabones Frets: 1204
    Agreed. I mostly just chuckle, but you can't help notice it. There are people also selling for more than new. eg with (subjectively) 'upgraded pickups' etc. Erm, right, ok. Japanese JMs with their poor strat pickups for over a grand. Jags too, for a grand. These are almost exclusively the bedroom dealers, some of whom list their guitars as 'new'.
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  • BabonesBabones Frets: 1204
    At least the Sherwood Green Jag is harder to find now, so you can almost understand, but the guy is a moron for using "L@@K" in the listing.
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  • BabonesBabones Frets: 1204
    edited July 2017
    Here's another. £987 new from GAK. This guy thinks as it's only a few months old it's still worth £900. Even at £1045 from other shops, that hasn't even removed the VAT.

    http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fender-Road-Worn-Jaguar-Nitro-Candy-Apple-Red-/253050463185?hash=item3aeafba3d1



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