PRICING

What price you ask for your guitar/ gear is entirely up to you. Whether or not it will sell at that price is another matter entirely.

So, how do you value your own gear? Firstly we would recommend that you see what others are asking for the same thing in their ads and adjust your asking price accordingly. What we have here is the 'market price'. Of course these prices are not necessarily the 'selling prices'. Some people try the process of asking for a top price as a first approach and then gradually bring the price down if it does not sell. We think that this is not such a good idea simply because it is unlikely to sell at a top price - unless it is something rare or fantastic. If you genuinely want a sale then set the price accurately and fairly to begin with.

FACTORS

First you should consider why someone should want to buy your guitar / gear ahead of anyone else's 2nd hand guitar / gear. One answer is that anything will sell at the right price! Okay, so you've got a rough idea of what price you expect and you've seen other similar items for sale and know the market price or maybe there is nothing around like the one you are selling. What other factors might affect your asking price?

Well, the quality of what you are selling is the first concern. If you are selling or buying a high quality 2nd hand guitar you can be assured of one thing - it will always remain a high quality product - unless its overall condition has deteriorated beyond redemption or it has been badly repaired or modified in some way. Likewise a poor quality product will always remain such and no amount of modifications will have turned it into a high quality one.

However, the condition of the guitar is the main factor and one you should be honest about in your ad. There are various ways of gauging the term 'condition' and not everyone will be using the same gauge or adhering to the same rules. One man's 'immaculate' is another man's 'vgc' and so on. Be honest - if you were buying it rather than selling it - how would you describe its condition?

-Basically if the guitar has just come out of the box and has never been played then it can be said to be in 'new'/ 'mint'/'unused'/ 'pristine' or 'immaculate' condition. -Once it has been played and a few light marks have appeared on the body or scratchplate then it is no longer immaculate but might still be in 'excellent' condition. -If the fingerboard has any sign of wear and there are light marks on the body etc then it may be in 'very good condition'.

Whatever the condition, once you have a scratch on the body, especially where it shows, then you might as well admit it! If a prospective purchaser finds a deep scratch on a guitar said to be in 'excellent' condition they are only going to be disappointed. You would be advised to state that the guitar is in' excellent condition except for ….' -Below that you have 'good' condition. -If the guitar has signs of very heavy wear and tear the guitar then, realistically you are into terms like 'fair' or even 'poor' condition. Once again if you were buying the guitar rather than selling it how would you describe its condition?

Honesty is the best policy here because if someone drives a long way to see the guitar and you have neglected to mention the broken scratch plate, missing logo and warped neck then they are not going to be best pleased. If you are lucky you may get made an offer on an instrument that does not come up to expectations. Most likely you will not sell it at all if prospective purchasers are going to be disappointed.

There are so many possibilities over what would constitute the difference between the above categories that it really is impossible to create hard and fast rules. Just be honest if you want a quick sale.

OTHER FACTORS

Modifications / repairs - Beware - a 'classic' guitar that has been modified or repaired with non- standard or non-original parts may have lost value, rather that gained by dint of its vintage.

Vintage - the age of a guitar may be important as, generally speaking, an older 'high quality' USA guitar may be worth more than its newer counterpart. This is less likely with 'Far Eastern' guitars though!

Rarity - Also, just because a guitar is 'rare' it doesn't mean that it is 'sought after'. It's 'desirability' may just be down to fashion - and fashions can change!

GUITARSMART