Commission sales

[E sharp]

I've done a search , and Commission appears a lot , but mainly in reference to commission bass builds . 

 

I may be thinking of putting up a couple of basses on a commission sale with a shop . 

 

There's realistically only the 3 to use - The Gallery , Bass Direct , and Bass Bros . 

 

Seems that Bass Direct and Bass Bros charge 20% , and The Gallery 15% . 

 

I know there's a bit of conflicting results with people's dealings with Bass Direct , and maybe not so much with the other two . 

But was just wondering upon anyone's dealings with commission sales regarding the three shops I've mentioned . 

 

If this has been asked before , then I do apologise . 

 

Paul

[Machines]

I've used BassDirect (a dozen plus times) and BassBros a couple. BassDirect wait 7 days after it is delivered to the buyer before releasing your money or a day or 2 if bought in the shop, BassBros i've found quicker generally on releasing after postage.

 

Whilst you may get a lower commission rate elsewhere, you may also wait a lot longer for it to sell, or it doesn't at all and you have to drop the price negating the saving.

 

What you have to sell would direct me where to go, if there 5 other basses much like yours somewhere it may take longer than it being the only one of it's type.

[Mykesbass]

Add Wunjo to your list. Well worth asking there.

[fleabag]

I wouldn't sell a used E string on commission with BD.

 

No sure Wunjos do commission sales. Part Ex or sell direct, but not sure they do commissions.

 

As for the shop, they bent over backwards when i was after a bass from them.  Fantastic people.

[Roger Phillips]

Howdo, E Sharp.

I haven't used any of the suggested shops- just have another for you to try, and again, don't know if they do commission sales: Andy Baxter Bass.

I don't have the means  to post photos on-line as these mails are via a concession; I have four Gibson Thunderbird "76"s to go and a couple of 1960s EB-3s, all "enjoyed", but need to be disposed of. Not sure if to put out mail-shots to dealers to invite tenders or submit them (reluctantly) to a sale-room with reserves; current commission rates are downright disgusting.

Roger in the South Lakes.

[Roger2611]

I shifted a whole load of basses, amps and cabs through Bass Direct last year, I told them what I wanted back for them, they priced them accordingly and all but one (an ultra rare Bass Collection 801) sold quickly and I got back what I needed, I sold the 801 through a friend to his daughter in Brighton, she got a cracking bass for not a lot of money and I got back what it owed me, TBH it was completely hassle free!

[Dan Dare]

3 hours ago, Roger Phillips said:

current commission rates are downright disgusting.

 

I'm not a shop owner or member of staff of one, but I have to disagree. I don't think 15-20% is unreasonable if a shop takes all the grief out of selling an instrument. You don't have to deal with chancers and tyre kickers or dodgy types who come round to case your place to see what you have and whether it's worth coming back another time and breaking in. You don't have to worry about shipping an instrument. A shop will normally clean, set it up and prepare it for sale and advertise it. Many more people will see your instrument when it's hanging on a shop wall than will if it's in a case under your bed. You sit back and do nowt and wait for the money to materialise. What's so disgusting about that? You can always sell an instrument yourself if you prefer. Nobody is forced to do it through a shop. 

[Old Man Riva]

4 hours ago, Roger Phillips said:

Howdo, E Sharp.

I haven't used any of the suggested shops- just have another for you to try, and again, don't know if they do commission sales: Andy Baxter Bass.

I don't have the means  to post photos on-line as these mails are via a concession; I have four Gibson Thunderbird "76"s to go and a couple of 1960s EB-3s, all "enjoyed", but need to be disposed of. Not sure if to put out mail-shots to dealers to invite tenders or submit them (reluctantly) to a sale-room with reserves; current commission rates are downright disgusting.

Roger in the South Lakes.

Andy does commission sales. He’s sold vintage stuff for me in the past and has always been excellent to deal with… 

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

I've had a three basses sold on commission at the Gallery and got what I expected for each of them. I didn't have any issues - it was a positive experience. The most expensive one went for £800, so the commission was not excessive and in my opinion 15% is a fair amount.

 

 

Edited February 22, 2023 by Jean-Luc Pickguard

[Mykesbass]

6 hours ago, fleabag said:

I wouldn't sell a used E string on commission with BD.

 

No sure Wunjos do commission sales. Part Ex or sell direct, but not sure they do commissions.

 

As for the shop, they bent over backwards when i was after a bass from them.  Fantastic people.

Just realised this was 15 years ago. Trouble with getting old, everything seems so recent 😏

[GuyR]

I’ve sold five basses at the Gallery at prices between£270 and £5k. In my opinion, the net price after their very reasonable 15% commission was at least what I would have achieved selling privately as their reputation and coverage generates confidence, enhancing value.
A constant stream of prominent London session players being exposed to your bass is not something you are going to generate from your home. I understand Pino Palladino tried out my defretted 62 Jazz bass. I doubt he would have messaged asking to drop by if I’d advertised it, even on these hallowed pages. 
One bass they sold for me, a 6 string Shergold, suffered a cracked scratchplate in transit to Italy. No worry for me. A serious ball ache for the Gallery, and no fault of theirs, they dealt with it at their own cost.

All my basses have sold within a few weeks at most. @Roger Phillips, I don’t know what you would consider to be a reasonable commission rate, but to me, 15%, of which the government gets 20%, seems anything but downright disgusting.

[fleabag]

Some people just want something for nothing, and forget that businesses have many overheads -  extortionate rents, utilities, staff, PLI, blah blah.

 

15% is naff all if you live in the real world.

[peteb]

I've sold a few basses on commission at Bass Direct. For the 20% commission there's no hassle for you and they advertise and sell the bass. Also, they generally can sell quicker and get a better price than you would be able to on paces like here...! 

 

[pete.young]

19 hours ago, E sharp said:

 

Seems that Bass Direct and Bass Bros charge 20% , and The Gallery 15% . 

 

 

 

That seems very reasonable. In the folk music world, Hobgobln charges 30% and Eagle Music 33% for commission sales.

[Belka]

I know it can be an unwritten rule around some forums that you should never mention whether or not a seller's price is considered fair or too high, but recently I've noticed that the Gallery seem to price their used/commission items a lot more optimistically than Bass Direct and Bass Bros, who generally price their items to sell. However, I have no idea whether this is their policy or whether the actual sellers themselves are overvaluing their items. I'd guess they do have some input however. Perhaps they have more storage space than Bass Direct and Bass Bros and don't need such quick turnarounds on what they sell.

[Dan Dare]

51 minutes ago, Belka said:

I've noticed that the Gallery seem to price their used/commission items a lot more optimistically than Bass Direct and Bass Bros, who generally price their items to sell.

 

Could be the fact that they are in Camden in the heart of the mighty metropolis, where everything is expensive. They must know their market. It's also a fact that sticker prices are usually open to haggling. If I was selling, I'd have no problem with their asking more for my instrument id it meant I got more when it sold.

[Belka]

18 minutes ago, Dan Dare said:

 

Could be the fact that they are in Camden in the heart of the mighty metropolis, where everything is expensive. They must know their market. It's also a fact that sticker prices are usually open to haggling. If I was selling, I'd have no problem with their asking more for my instrument id it meant I got more when it sold.

It could be. It's their call and if they want to do that it's fine. I'd imagine their overheads are considerably higher than Bass Direct and Bass Bros, so that will almost certainly be a factor. The downside is though that by asking a lot more for your instrument you should be ready for it to hang around for a lot longer waiting for it to sell. Some stuff seems to be for sale in the Gallery for up to/over a year, whereas it gets turned around a lot quicker in the other places. Again, fine if you don't need the money now, but not if you do.

As for sticker prices, I know that you can haggle (and indeed I did when I bought a bass from the Gallery last year). But elevated prices are also likely to put people off in the first place.

Edited February 23, 2023 by Belka

[Roger Phillips]

Just looked at the posts since my first of 22nd inst; the "disgusting" commission rates I wrote are those charged on hammer prices in the auction rooms- nowt below 25%.

Roger 

[Dan Dare]

3 hours ago, Roger Phillips said:

Just looked at the posts since my first of 22nd inst; the "disgusting" commission rates I wrote are those charged on hammer prices in the auction rooms- nowt below 25%.

Roger 

 

Well, let's not compare apples with oranges. The discussion is about how much commission shops charge. And again, one is not forced to use auction rooms. In fact, I wouldn't to sell something like a bass guitar. Most people in a typical auction room will not be interested in basses and the chances of one making a good price are slim, unless it's very rare/desirable. Even then, there are unlikely to be several bidders who want it or know what it is to compete and push the sale price up. The vast majority of average auction room bidders are more likely to be after paintings, antiques and similar. A specialist shop is the best option for a commission sale (imho, of course).

Edited February 23, 2023 by Dan Dare

[SumOne]

I sold through the Bass Gallery on 15% comission.  I think it's a good deal as you can charge a bit more selling through them rather than privately so you don't really lose much money as a seller and it takes hassle out of it.  I set the price myself and the Gallery didn't question it so I guess when you see very expensive basses on there it is sellers taking a chance. There is a 2 week 'cooling off' period for buyers to be able to return basses so you need to wait until after that before you get paid. It seems the best deal being that it is in a London shop that can probably sell for a bit more than a shop in a Leamington Spa industrial estate, and it's a lower % comission than competitors. I'd use them again.

 

If I was selling a Bass I'd put it up on Basschat first, if it doesn't go for what I'd think it's worth I'd put it up for sale at  10-15%  more via the Gallery. If I was doing part-ex then Bass Direct has given me the best deals. 

 

I'd avoid eBay and Reverb. Too many chacers and time wasters and too much risk, and they take their % (I think ebay is 12.8%) when all the effort and risk is on the seller.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 23, 2023 by SumOne

[Machines]

16 minutes ago, SumOne said:

 It seems the best deal being that it is in a London shop that can probably sell for a bit more than a shop in a Leamington Spa industrial estate, and it's a lower % comission than competitors

 

The websites are not hosted in the shops, 90% of the commission sales i've had there are online. I would bet they have more web visitors than the Bass Gallery has foot traffic.

[SumOne]

5 minutes ago, Machines said:

 

The websites are not hosted in the shops, 90% of the commission sales i've had there are online. I would bet they have more web visitors than the Bass Gallery has foot traffic.

 

Yeah, but the Bass Gallery has a webite too. And is 15% commission rather than 20%. And personally, is a shorter journey for me to go and drop off the Bass. But yeah, I'm sure Bass Bros and Bass Direct are probably fine to use too, not a huge amount in it. 

 

 

Edited February 23, 2023 by SumOne

[GuyR]

5 hours ago, Dan Dare said:

 

Could be the fact that they are in Camden in the heart of the mighty metropolis, where everything is expensive. They must know their market. It's also a fact that sticker prices are usually open to haggling. If I was selling, I'd have no problem with their asking more for my instrument id it meant I got more when it sold.

I have always simply followed their advice on pricing. They know their market and I don’t.

[GuyR]

4 hours ago, Roger Phillips said:

Just looked at the posts since my first of 22nd inst; the "disgusting" commission rates I wrote are those charged on hammer prices in the auction rooms- nowt below 25%.

Roger 

Your threshold of disgust seems quite low.

Buyer and sellers willingly conduct a transaction via a third party market-maker where the terms and conditions are plain in advance to all concerned. Absolutely disgraceful.

[E sharp]

Thanks for the replies guys. 

I decided on The Bass Gallery, due to the 5% lower commission rate, and the larger footfall. Though didn’t pan out exactly…..

 

Took day off work. We only have the one car, as I have a work van (Openreach), that I drive home, so don’t need a second car. Dropped of the youngest at school then wife to work for 9. Train times from my nearest station were no good, so had to drive. Gave me 90 minutes to Epping (I’m in Norfolk), and an hour’s tube to Camden. The same travel back, gave me an hour to play with- time in shop, and any hold ups etc.

 

Got to Epping, the car park was absolutely rammed. Since I was last there, they’ve put in permit parking all around too- used to be able to park outside the station car park for free after 9am I seem to remember. Every space in town was either full up, or had an hour’s limit. Sign in station said if it was full, to try Loughton, or some other one. Trouble is, I’d of then been hit but the ULEZ, and then no guarantee of a space. So turned around and came home. 
 

Getting into London is now getting too restrictive. Was last at The Gallery 20 odd years ago, and drove straight in without paying, found a space nearby and walked to the shop. Those days are over now it seems. 
 

So it’s easier to drive to Bass Direct, park right outside and walk in. For 5% extra commission, I think I’d rather do this. 
Never know, one of my basses might end up being the first you see one their ‘new website’ he he.