| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
phostenix
Gold Member
USA
754 Posts |
 Posted - 09/01/2009 : 22:35:53
|
I recently sold off most of my pedal collection on ebay (Boss GT-Pro has swept me away). Here's what I've learned:
Even though summer is a great time for me (in hot Phoenix, AZ) to sell things since I'm pretty much trapped indoors, it doesn't appear to be a great time to sell. Mid-August was probably the worst. Lots of people on vacation, I think. On the other side, August was a great time to be a buyer. Lots of things (not just mine) slipped through with low bids.
Taking lots of nice pictures and giving detailed descriptions of the condition of pedals gains you nothing. I consistently got less than other sellers who posted 1 blurry pic and almost no info about their pedal. On the older Boss stuff, I took pics of the insides to prove originality, etc. I think a lot of people get freaked out by pictures of the insides. I guess they'd rather think you've never opened it up. I would never pay top dollar for something collectable without knowing it was original inside, but even my 1st year LNIB Analogman Silver Mod Tube Screamer went for less than a typical used one had the week before. Don't even get me started on the Fender Vibro Champ I sold....
Selling to international buyers can certainly be a pain & there's a reason most sellers in the US won't do it. I had good delivery time to Australia, France, & Brasil. Still waiting to hear from Italy, so I don't know if it arrived or not. My 2 Canadian buyers still haven't left feedback (1 did reply to an email saying that he received it, at least). Bad Canadians! :P
ebay's software has so many bugs, it's unbelievable. Incredibly frustrating to try to build a number of auctions with any speed. I won't even try to list the number of nagging little problems there are in creating listings.
In the end, I think I did a good job for my buyers (1 unhappy), but it was a lot of work & time. I have seller's remorse on a few items, but it's nice to have cleared out so much stuff. I'll do another round in a few months once I've had some time to recover. 
Now I'm committing myself to spend more time actually playing the guitar instead of A/B'ing pedals. |
|
|
RONanFEZ
Bronze Member
USA
85 Posts |
Posted - 09/02/2009 : 08:02:37
|
I think your right about it being a buyers market last month. I bought a lot of pedals i did not have. But i do like it when there is a lot of up close photos of the item. I hate the photos that are out of focus and dark. But on the other hand it dose make me think twice, when i do see them opened up the pedal and the insides are hanging out. |
 |
|
|
bossarea
Forum Admin
United Kingdom
3652 Posts |
Posted - 09/02/2009 : 10:31:12
|
Hi phostenix, good to see you back here.
I hope you left some pedals in your possesion. I'm sure you'll miss them badly if you sell them all 
Summer is definitely not the best time of year to sell stuff. I think October-November is the best time. Around that time it's getting darker and people want to spend their time on indoor activities.
I'm surprised that your auctions didn't bring in as much as the ones with a single blurry picture though. |
|
|
|
thejay
Copper Member
USA
14 Posts |
Posted - 09/02/2009 : 14:30:55
|
| I think it depends on the type of buyer you are... I don't bid on anything that doesn't have clear pictures or description. If I am interested in an item I always send emails asking for more pictures and a better description. ...it has been a buyers market for sure! |
|
|
|
phostenix
Gold Member
USA
754 Posts |
Posted - 09/02/2009 : 16:43:50
|
Bossarea, I kept my BF-2 - it was the only pedal I bought new in a retail store in 1994 & I paid $105 for it! They were going for $35-$40 when I was ready to sell so I decided to keep it. I kept a mint in box PH-2 that I believe someone here traded to me for something I had years ago. I like the sound of the PH-2 over the phaser in the GT-Pro. I kept the analog CE-5 & an Arion SCH-1 & the original 2 knob version of the Voodoo Lab Tremolo. The older version doesn't get as much on ebay as the newer 4 knob and it nails my old Vibro Champ's tremolo. I sold off the expensive Tube Screamers & kept my TS5 Soundtank.
That was my original keep list, but I've since decided to keep a CE-2 & maybe a CE-1, as well. I've got an OD-3 that someone tried to mod and butchered (as usual) that I might keep once I get its switching problem solved (just so I don't have to try to explain it on ebay. Trace repairs? I'll get $20 for it & might as well keep it).
Oh, I almost forgot the Korg G4, which is now part of my GT-Pro rig - the only pedal to stay out. This thing sounds AMAZING in stereo (I'm running into 2 Thump 15A powered PA's now from the GT-Pro. 2 15" woofers in the room with you will get your attention! ) I have a patch on the GT-Pro with a TubeScreamer & their "advanced" compressor in front of a Mesa clean channel followed by the Korg G4. I can't begin to explain how great that sounds!! Grinding & swirling around the room. Awesome!
I've never had more fun playing the guitar or been more satisfied with my sounds & options since I've gotten the GT-Pro. Love it!! |
|
|
|
phostenix
Gold Member
USA
754 Posts |
Posted - 09/02/2009 : 16:45:51
|
quote:
Originally posted by thejay
I think it depends on the type of buyer you are... I don't bid on anything that doesn't have clear pictures or description. If I am interested in an item I always send emails asking for more pictures and a better description. ...it has been a buyers market for sure!
That's the way I've always felt & tried to be, as a seller, what I like as a buyer, but I think most people think otherwise. I talked with another seller who said the same thing. Using fewer pics & less of a description sells pedals faster & for more money for him, too. |
|
|
|
phostenix
Gold Member
USA
754 Posts |
Posted - 09/02/2009 : 17:00:55
|
| Oh, and I decided to keep my March 1989 (first month of the new S/N system) CH-1 that is unit #2539 & pre-dates Boss' release of the CH-1. I couldn't get $40 for it pushing its "historical significance" & so I decided that it's probably more interesting to me than it is to 99% of the people who are looking for one, so I might as well keep it. |
|
|
|
zerksies
Double Platinum Member
USA
3406 Posts |
Posted - 09/02/2009 : 19:17:33
|
quote:
Selling to international buyers can certainly be a pain & there's a reason most sellers in the US won't do it. I had good delivery time to Australia, France, & Brasil. Still waiting to hear from Italy, so I don't know if it arrived or not. My 2 Canadian buyers still haven't left feedback (1 did reply to an email saying that he received it, at least). Bad Canadians! :P
I don't ever sell to italy takes forever to get the items to them.The only bad experiences i have had with ebay is international buyers. so I only ship via ups cause it has tracking. |
|
|
|
starr36
Platinum Member
Canada
1172 Posts |
Posted - 09/02/2009 : 22:44:43
|
eek, yeah, i have learned this the hard way too. summer is the worst.
Best - Oct to November because everyone who quit school is trying to form a band, next followed by Mid January to March, for those to spend Christmas present money.
just a lousy time of year to sell, not to mention, LOTS AND LOTS of peeps take vacation in August.
regarding the sell in usa only ... i get that; fortunately I have had awesome luck selling overseas especially to the UK, Spain, Germany, and Italy, all no probs; especially if the pedal is under $100.00 because insurance upto that amount is included; I'd be weary shipping items more than $100.00.
i hate buyer's remorse that sets in. I ended up selling a DD-2 I loved and to make up for it, I now have 4 dd-2s.
Finally good pics vs bad pics - for me, i have always exceeded other sellers prices by upwards of 20% with a clear description and very good photos; some peeps don't like pictures of the insides as it 'messes the threads' if not done right and don't like the pedals being cracked open. |
|
|
|
zerksies
Double Platinum Member
USA
3406 Posts |
Posted - 09/10/2009 : 18:42:12
|
| the best time to pick pedals up is the week between christmas and new years |
|
|
|
starr36
Platinum Member
Canada
1172 Posts |
Posted - 09/14/2009 : 04:21:53
|
| good idea, zerksies... all the players getting new mfx's... so they unload the old 'old-tech' pedals. |
|
|
|
FRANZONI
Double Platinum Member
Ireland
3543 Posts |
Posted - 09/15/2009 : 17:03:07
|
quote:
Originally posted by starr36
good idea, zerksies... all the players getting new mfx's... so they unload the old 'old-tech' pedals.
Or trying to get some cash together to buy the wife/girlfriend/partner a christmas present..... .... good thinking guys....... |
|
|
|
Noodler
Copper Member
Australia
36 Posts |
Posted - 09/27/2009 : 04:02:47
|
| To be honest, if I didn't know the seller, I wouldn't want to buy from someone who posted pics of the insides either. There are lots of people on the web who mod pedals in all sorts of ways, and seeing pics of the inside says to me that the seller is the kind of person who might have messed around in there and maybe made some changes they didn't like. Much better to buy a pedal from someone who goes, "I bought this pedal in 1981 and it's still going strong." |
|
|
|
starr36
Platinum Member
Canada
1172 Posts |
Posted - 09/29/2009 : 00:16:49
|
I'm kinda with you on this one, Noodler. While I appreciate there are instances where you need to open the item up to show it is authentic, usually with a boss pedal, this is unnecessary, especially if the photos are nice and clear, revealing (hopefully) that the screw heads are not all chewed up from being opened.
You see these vintage Les Pauls and Strats gong for tens of thousands, and there is 30 pictures of them blown apart to show the original pots and dates etc, and well, it would make me a bit nervous about it being exploded.
Then again, I'm not the person wanting to spend $60K on a guitar so I can't say i know what its like to do that.
We got a $19,999.99 Gibson ES 335 at guitarworks here in town, apparently duplicates Clapton's ES335, right down to the scratches, apparently indistinguishable in his hands, by Clapton, himself.
I don't want Clapton's guitar; however, I wouldn't mind being able to play like him.
|
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
My Pedal Selling Experience
