TFB’s classifieds - do you avoid selling here?

imalrightjack

Do you sell guitars elsewhere but avoid listing here? If so, why?

I see some members sell on eBay, etc. but don’t list on here. I can’t quite understand why you would be a member here but not offer your wares.

Curious, as I’ve had some great experiences buying and selling here. 

FreddieVanHalen

I've avoided selling here depending what the guitar is.

I've had many happy sales here, but It can be a limited audience compared to the facebook groups or selling sites.

If the person who wants it isn't here, then stuff seems to just sit for ages and then attract very low offers because of that.

imalrightjack

FreddieVanHalen said:

...and then attract very low offers because of that.

Yeah, had that!

gazrichards

The classifieds on here is like a weird little unique bubble in my opinion. 

Certain sells on here quicker and at a far higher value than it would in Facebook groups and reverb. 

Things like Japanese tokai and Orvilles seem to fly out at over a grand and rarer oddities and boutique stuff comes and goes regularly. 

But try and sell a strat or Les Paul and it’s often hard work here. 

I reckon it’s because this is kind of a connoisseurs group and we all have strats and Les Pauls coming out of our arse so most of us are only excited by the more off the wall stuff. 

Just my experience but I always list anything on here and am happy to buy too

Deijavoo

Mixed success for me buying and selling via all. Definitely get way more tyre kickers on Facebook. 

munckee

I prefer people to collect and find gumtree the best way to sell guitars and amps. Pedals go easily here. 

imalrightjack

All fair points. Although, for those that don’t list here, I just don’t understand why you wouldn’t in addition to the other options. 

prlgmnr

I list things here but in the main, yes, I avoid selling them.

Fifty9

For a while now it’s been the £1 ebay offers for me. A couple of fender CS not biting at 1.9k here got 2.2 & 2.3 right away. From memory my only sales - bar one - through here have been at what I bought from here. 

imalrightjack

prlgmnr said:

I list things here but in the main, yes, I avoid selling them.

Haha. Yes, I’m also accomplished at this. 

drofluf

This one of the places that I list things but I’ve probably sold more stuff via Gumtree or Facebook, probably because they have a greater reach. 

Sassafras

Because of all the tyre kickers who have the sheer audacity to ask how much things weigh.
Apparently that's the height of bad manners.
Doesn't matter that they might have bad backs or whatever, they're bastards who maliciously waste my very, very important time.

Jimbro66

The classifieds here are a fairly small marketplace. FX and small value items seem to sell fairly quickly but items of higher value can hang around a fair while waiting for a buyer.

What seems unique here is the market in trades which seems to keep gear shifting and often circulating among members.

When I have higher value items to sell I usually go to Reverb first, often successfully selling at a better price than I'd get here. Next stop would be gumtree. I don't do Facebook and I see eBay as a last resort.

DB1

This is my first port of call for most things. I've sold at least £22000 worth of guitars in the last  few weeks from ads placed on here, although I have bought some as well.

There's been an L-5 a CS Tele, a Gretsch, a Keb Mo, an ES-175, and ES-130, a B&G Little Sister, an ES-125 and a 335, all really nice stuff. 

I handicap myself a little, I suppose, because I won't post stuff, but I don't mind driving hundreds of miles to do it, because I've caught up with an existing Fretboard pal and made some new ones. These are folks who I either either keep in contact for a chat and advice (either way) or would be happy to chat with, help, or be helpd by,  and deal with again. To me, that's the real value of the classifieds, and the forum itself, to be fair.

I think I made a mistake in listing a couple of cheapies yesterday - but only to see if anyone wanted a nice guitar at a decent price - because I'd prefer to sell them here than on eBay, where they're also listed. But, my impression is that this is the place for higher-end stuff and maybe not the cheaper end of the market. I could be wrong on that, but I've noticed it with a few well-priced cheaper guitars that don't seem to move.

Logie

The impression I get from the few ads I've put on here is unless it's
a. A Nic Huber Krautster
b. something that's been wafted by the wings of a flying unicorn 
c. Very cheap for what it is
you get the odd enquiry about trades, the odd low ball offer by PM and little else. 
However, it's still worth sticking an ad on here along with the other sites as it's free

Voxman

munckee said:

I prefer people to collect and find gumtree the best way to sell guitars and amps. Pedals go easily here. 

Same here. Sold several pedals on Gum Tree all at full asking price, with collect even during Covid Inc a Zoom G5, Zoom G5n, V847 chrome plated wah, and a Boss RC3 looper. No packaging/ posting, or payment hassles, all in cash, all parties very happy. 

Hattigol

Logie said:

The impression I get from the few ads I've put on here is unless it's
a. A Nic Huber Krautster
b. something that's been wafted by the wings of a flying unicorn 
c. Very cheap for what it is
you get the odd enquiry about trades, the odd low ball offer by PM and little else. 
However, it's still worth sticking an ad on here along with the other sites as it's free

You say that but the last few Krautsters have really struggled to go on here. 

I've had mixed selling experiences on here. Met some very nice people. But also had stuff which hasn't shifted at very reasonable prices. And some lowballing but I don't mind that - God loves a tryer...

thecolourbox

I don't generally list instruments here, as there aren't many people from my neck of the woods here and even less who have the same taste in instruments as me, so it's not worth writing a good post for it then being that annoying one who bumps every few days leaving a thread of no comments except "bump bump bump". I also won't post, so listing stuff on Facebook and eBay offers more specific "collection only" options.

It depends on the instruments I think - in my budget level of instruments, there aren't many here who would scout the classifieds for that kind of stuff when there are much "nicer"instruments around.

Pedals I tend to list here, I have listed amps also but rarely instruments

markslade07

The main issue I have with selling on here is I still can’t work out how to get the bloody photos to work! It’s so random for me as to whether they appear so mostly can’t be arsed to fight it! Facebook is dead easy and I can still them in multiple selling groups at once. That being said, I’ve just posted a couple of amps on here and just popped up the link to the imgur albums, but suspect that won’t help much. 

hessodreamy

I’ve bought and sold a few things here. But feel much more confident doing distance transactions via eBay (£1 listings FTW). 

I’m happy to list pedals and pickups here and post them, but for guitars and amps I’ll list them here (and gumtree, and Facebook) for pickup only. 

Though you get a wider audience on Facebook and gumtree, there exists a high proportion of twats there. 

Fishboy7

Sensibly priced stuff seems to sell ok here, but it definitely helps if you're prepared to make the effort to post. 

Asking top money, collection only from the outer hebrides won't get you far.