Flex Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 It seems that the market has bombed on bass prices, nothing much moving unless it is ridiculously cheap!!!! Hope things get back to normal soon. I am going to hold on to my basses for a while I think. Selling at mass loss sucks big time.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Think of losses like rental costs. Some of us keep basses for such short periods that they might as well be rental Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danj Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Being a natural hoarder, I can never sell anything anyway.... I understand the idea, play more basses that way, but I just can't do it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinball Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 It's been like that for ages, and this seems to be the new norm. For a while ebay and BC have been flooded with nice gear used at decent prices and the quality of cheap new basses is now excellent. I expect that it will recover a bit at some point but it may never be the same as most people are now stocked up on the basses they want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 I don't think there's been much change overall - it ebbs and flows: in the past I've bought (and sold) Stingrays, Laklands and US Precisions for less than £700, and two immaculate Dingwalls which were both under a grand. The cheaper stuff sometimes moves quicker because there's a bigger market and more impulse buying, but that's about it, although I had much more joy on EBay with mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Cloud Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 [quote name='Flex' timestamp='1394530559' post='2392183'] It seems that the market has bombed on bass prices, nothing much moving unless it is ridiculously cheap!!!! Hope things get back to normal soon. I am going to hold on to my basses for a while I think. Selling at mass loss sucks big time.... [/quote] It's an unfortunate side effect of living through a crippling recession. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Now from a [i][b]buyer's[/b][/i] point of view, of course ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skankdelvar Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Since Christmas there seems to have been a deluge of interesting stuff in the BC marketplace. Some of it so nice I keep forgetting that I'm supposed to be unloading gear ATM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlfer Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 The last 15 months traffic appears to have been down, judging by the numbers shown at the bottom of the home page. Perhaps, with the exception of the weak, like me, most people have sensibly got what they want. The irony is of course, prices dropping on here, yet going up on FEEBay and Bumtree. Even if they aren't selling there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annoying Twit Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 There have been some cases of basses utterly failing to sell here for low prices, but then achieving much higher cases on ebay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colonel36 Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Well, there's a bass up at the moment that I'd like to buy but, it's my money and I think it's too dear . Drop it and I'll cash for it. Amuses me to see folk say..ooooh bargain, I'd love it or what a gift...somebody's going to get a steal or it will be gone in 60 seconds. So, buy it then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigd1 Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 (edited) I think people just haven't got money to spend on gear, as much as it's wanted just no funds around. I'm sure as the economy picks up so will the sales. Edited March 11, 2014 by bigd1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E sharp Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 It's a buyers market - always has been . I've been toying with the idea of buying a Crest CA9 , and there's one on Ebay at a shop for £675 , which is overpriced I reckon . I've asked questions to other sellers on there , and they've said that , that's the going price , as there's one on Ebay for £675 . Totally forgetting the fact , that it's never sold in well over a year . Bottom line is - stuff is only worth what someone is prepared to pay for it - recession or not . Bit crappy , if you're the one doing the selling , but this is what's called a Free Market . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 (edited) I like the idea of being able to buy cheaply but I also know that I've [i]possibly [/i]got too much gear and need to clear some of it out. I just can't bring myself to sell at the prices things are selling for currently... Edited March 11, 2014 by TheGreek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Apple Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 I've sold a few basses and guitars here, and got the price I wanted, but it took a while. I often wonder why people want to knock their price down if it doesn't shift in 3 days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 [quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1394561551' post='2392765'] I've sold a few basses and guitars here, and got the price I wanted, but it took a while. I often wonder why people want to knock their price down if it doesn't shift in 3 days. [/quote] Because they've overstretched themselves and need money pronto? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprocketflup Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 I was told that I was a fool for selling a Guild for the price I did as there was one on ebay for nearly twice the price. This was well over a year ago, and the Guild on ebay is still being advertised for its ridiculous price....... Value is all about what someone is willing toupee.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftybassman392 Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 (edited) One way of selling an expensive instrument is to give it to a shop to sell for you (commission sales). I did that with one of my Regenerates a couple of years ago. In this country they're as rare as hens' teeth - not to mention the added rarity factor of an upmarket Lefty instrument. It took a few months but eventually someone bought it and I got pretty much the price I would have accepted through haggling on BC. You also get the prestige of the shop name. Bass Gallery, Bass Direct and BassGear all do this. Yes you pay them a percentage (15% IIRC), but you get a sale without having to do any of the work and still get pretty close to what you'd be looking to sell it for anyway. Apologies to anyone who feels this is betraying the spirit of BC, but upmarket Lefties are [i][b]very [/b][/i]hard to sell here. Although I have no short term plans for it, my '84 Wal is going to be a b***h to sell when I do finally let it go. On BC It won't sell in a month of Sundays (no offence intended but it's the reality of it). If I give it to the Bass Gallery it would have their name behind it and a worldwide market to offer it to. No-brainer I'm afraid. Edited March 11, 2014 by leftybassman392 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 [quote name='leftybassman392' timestamp='1394563663' post='2392805'] Apologies to anyone who feels this is betraying the spirit of BC, but upmarket Lefties are [i][b]very [/b][/i]hard to sell here. [/quote] TBH anything that isn't reasonably mainstream is IME difficult to sell on here. Basschat may look like it's got an impressive membership but I still meet more bass players at gigs who haven't heard of it than who have, and like it or not eBay reaches far, far more people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skej21 Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 [quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1394564076' post='2392818'] TBH anything that isn't reasonably mainstream is IME difficult to sell on here. Basschat may look like it's got an impressive membership but I still meet more bass players at gigs who haven't heard of it than who have, and like it or not eBay reaches far, far more people. [/quote] Too true. Ebay also tends to have a lot of people who offer to ship too unlike Basschat where a lot of sellers don't want to. I've passed on quite a few things on here because the seller wants collection only (which is their prerogative but also inevitably discourages some potential buyers). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merello Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Austerity? Also - on eBay, like real auctions, some dealers buy to keep the market afloat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CamdenRob Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 I actually think it's the opposite problem and a lot of the issue is overpricing... Not with the cheaper end but with top end gear. There are a couple of lovely sixers on the BC marketplace at the moment which I think are way overpriced and hence have no interest in buying. I see a lot of basses advertised with the RRP in the listing. This is all well and good but these basses are never sold at the RRP. If I see a bass up for £2200 and a quick google search reveals the same bass going new for £2500 Its not going to raise my interest. Anyone with Two and a half grand to be spending on a bass is just going to spend the extra £300 and get a new one. It's only when something gets down to a much lower percentage of the new price that it becomes attractive to buyers. In short if you don't need to sell it, just put it up for what you want and be prepared to wait for someone who wants that exact bass to come along... Otherwise, put it up for a good discount off the new price and you'll get interest from people who might not ordinarily have looked twice at it. Well priced stuff sells. I've sold three basses on the marketplace this last year with no trouble at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 I think that everything's been over-valued for years. Especially the second hand market. Truckstop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annoying Twit Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 [quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1394608960' post='2393172'] I see a lot of basses advertised with the RRP in the listing. This is all well and good but these basses are never sold at the RRP. If I see a bass up for £2200 and a quick google search reveals the same bass going new for £2500 Its not going to raise my interest. Anyone with Two and a half grand to be spending on a bass is just going to spend the extra £300 and get a new one. It's only when something gets down to a much lower percentage of the new price that it becomes attractive to buyers. [/quote] I've noted that some basses sell for a very high percentage of their new price, and some others sell for far less. Squier VM/CV prices vary, but 75% of new price (albeit there's a shop near me that sells for very competitive prices) doesn't seem unusual. Lower mid-range Yamahas, despite being good basses, often sell for 30-40% of their new price. Possibly due to high availability as they've made and sold huge numbers of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftybassman392 Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 [quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1394608960' post='2393172'] I see a lot of basses advertised with the RRP in the listing. This is all well and good but these basses are never sold at the RRP. If I see a bass up for £2200 and a quick google search reveals the same bass going new for £2500 Its not going to raise my interest. Anyone with Two and a half grand to be spending on a bass is just going to spend the extra £300 and get a new one. It's only when something gets down to a much lower percentage of the new price that it becomes attractive to buyers. [/quote] It's a very good point. People are sometimes a bit too precious about their pride and joy. You have to be realistic. Basses are, in this situation at least, much like cars. When you buy a new car, you will lose anything up to a third of it's value the moment you drive it off the forecourt - doesn't matter what it is. So it is with instruments. By the time you've owned and used it for a year or three it's sale value plummets. I'm not saying this because there's one that I'm after (quite the contrary as I've just done a very nice trade with another BC member), but asking 90% of it's retail value just ain't gonna do it I'm afraid - people are not stupid, especially when money's tight. Even on a spotless instrument I tend to think I'm doing really well if I can get back 60%. Each to their own, but if you're interested in actually selling it then you have to price it accordingly. (If you're doing it as an exercise in domestic politics then that's a different matter of course... ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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