How much to take off price when selling well gigged board?

[nadroj]

Hey all,

 

First of all, rechecked the rules, and I'm sure this post should be okay. If not, I'll accept a slap on the wrists. I thought it would be better suited here than in the classifieds section.

 

Anyways, I'm looking to sell my Roland RD700NX stage piano - I've got my eye on another board. When bought new, the price for the RD ranges from £1,500 to £1,999.

 

Obviously I can't sell it for this price, but I've never sold a keyboard (or really, now that I think about it, anything) before. As the thread title says, I've had it for almost two years now, and in that time it's been fairly well gigged (110+ gigs, maybe), so the condition isn't pristine:

 

-Light cosmetic scuffs across some of the metal casing.

-Keys are worn - the coating that covers the keys is made to give it an ivory feel, and around the central octaves especially, that coating has work off. I've heard from other users that this was a common problem with the keybed on some of the models- I know a guy who has had his keybed replaced twice - free of charge, so I'll probably get that done before selling it, effectively rendering this problem void.

-One of the arrow keys (left one) is slightly dented and hence a tiny bit stiff, but still works fine.

-Middle F# key occasionally clicks - not audible when playing, but you can feel it.

 

Regardless, it still works perfectly and plays like new, and if it was in perfect condition, I wouldn't have to ask, but I'm unsure how much is "reasonable" to take off the price, given the conditions stated. Could anyone shed some advice?

 

Thanks all.

 

[Synthoid]

Check out completed sales on eBay?

[Outkaster]

If someone gives me a keyboard with condition issues its a red flag. I have flipped dozens of keyboards, organs and some Leslie's. I have learned to try not to inherit a problem, sometimes the hard way. If your selling to someone and they have to put in a few hundred dollars to get it working you have to consider that. Most people want way too much for mass produced gear.

[Bif_]

You're really dealing with two separate issues.

1) Determining a fair selling price.

2) Trying to find a willing buyer.

 

The second item might be harder than the first.

 

I would check ebay to determine a price range based upon a given condition. I've also used www.prepal.com and Harmony Central to see what others are selling for.

 

I recommend trying to put a fair price on it, but keep in mind that most buyers will start beating you down based upon the things that are wrong with the board. (like all the stuff you just mentioned)

 

A friend of mine that used to sell music gear locally said used gear is generally worth about 1/2 of best new price, if it is in good working order. That's only a rule of thumb but is an indicator of what you're going to run into.

 

Good luck!

 

Greg

[Dr88s]

If you are selling to me, 85% discount.

Otherwise, can't really help you.

Ask yourself what YOU would realistically pay for the board in the condition it's in if someone else was selling it, not what you are hoping to get for it.

[MuzikTeechur]

You may ask anything you like, but you can sell it only for what someone is willing to pay. Supply/demand and all that.

The mark-up in musical instruments is ENORMOUS - almost as much as in the jewelry business (luckily one of my daughters is a jeweler). So, if you were to attempt to sell it to a dealer or trade it in, you could expect to be insulted in grand fashion.

I see used RD700NX's with asking prices of US$2100 - 2300 on eBay, however checking out the completed auctions, I see that those boards are going unsold. The threshold seems to be ~ US$1950 before people are jumping on them. I'd say that's your price point provided it's in decent condition and everything works.

[B3bluesman59]

You may ask anything you like, but you can sell it only for what someone is willing to pay.

_________________________________________________________________

And remember, the longer it takes to sell it the less it is worth. If someone makes you a reasonable offer (and that will probably be less than you think it should be) take the offer. Cash talks....BS walks.

[J. Dan]

I've wondered this question as well. I don't have them up for sale yet, but I have some heavily used stuff with no issues. I have a Korg Triton that has probably seen over 600 gigs in smokey bars over the years. Everybody always likes to advertise "like new" and "smoke free environment". But the thing works the same as it did when I bought it (used at a pawn shop). Seems to me that ought to be a selling point that it was so reliable!

[Jazzmammal]

Used music gear starts at half of the final close out price when that model was discontinued. The exception is current stuff that is in demand like my PC3 or a Kronos. You hardly ever see them used and when you do the ad doesn't last long. But the old model PC2? Dime a dozen. I just saw one on CL for $800. That's a good starter board for somebody.

 

I agree most stuff is really worth that 80% off new price number but you can't buy them that cheap because most guys owning it finally decides if that's all it's worth, they'll keep it for the kid or give it to a friend rather than sell it to you.

 

To the OP that Roland is still a current model and a very desirable keyboard. Assuming you get the keys replaced and assuming it's selling new for 1500-1700 pounds I would ask a grand for it and see what happens. Of course it's hard in a forum but it sounds like the keys are the only serious visual issue, the other things don't sound like much unless those scuffs are really bad. Somebody who wants it for their house may pass on it but a gigging player won't care.

 

Bob

[Delaware Dave]

It really depends on the keyboard. Nord Electro 2's still go for close to 50% of their original value. Generalmusic? worth less than half their value as soon as you drive it off the lot .... Buyer's are looking for deals, especially if keyboards are a dime a dozen; certain k/b's that are in demand a buyer will pay more than bargain basement for it, but a buyer doesn't want to drop money into a used keyboard they just purchased, so it has to function. Are parts still available for the keyboard? If not then a buyer will only pay bargain basement prices because if it breaks they can be SOL to get it repaired. Look for SOLD keyboards on Ebay to get an idea of the range. Listed k/b prices don't mean shit, look at one's that were sold and what the seller was able to get for them.

[The Real MC]

If you're selling gear that needs repair then it's not fair to ask market price. The buyer is going to have to shell out $$$ to get it fixed on top of what he paid for it.

 

If repairs cost more than the board is worth, you have a problem.

 

Just about all of the gear I bought used on the net needed repair.

 

I've also used www.prepal.com and Harmony Central

 

prepal.com hasn't been updated in years and those prices are way out of date.

 

Most people have abandoned HC and it's no longer the market gauge it used to be. HC is mostly a catalog extension of Musician's Friend and they put more emphasis on new gear.

[Bif_]

 

I've also used www.prepal.com and Harmony Central

 

prepal.com hasn't been updated in years and those prices are way out of date.

 

 

Guilty as charged.

 

I haven't sold any keyboards in years.

[16251]

You only need one person to sell your keyboard to but if you ask too much that person will never call. You should never give a firm price unless it's a product that you know is extremely popular. I usually start at $100 more than I want and use the "or best offer."

 

The Roland you mention is like $2700 new. I'm just guessing that people would call you if you asked for $1500 or B.O. $1200 is probably a realistic price that someone would pay.

 

I hate to think of the money I've lost selling gear over the 30+ years I've been playing.

[The Real MC]

I hate to think of the money I've lost selling gear over the 30+ years I've been playing.

 

That's why I stayed off the upgrade treadmill and chose purchases carefully. I don't buy unless I can get minimum ten years of use out of it. I've had some misses but on the majority it has worked out well.

[Dana.]

And remember, the longer it takes to sell it the less it is worth.

I don't agree with that at all. It's all about having the patience to wait for someone who truly wants the item. I recently sold a relatively rare, though not hugely desirable, vintage keyboard on Craigslist. I had set the price high -- nearly twice what I paid for it -- and was curious what would happen. A month went by and no one had contacted me. Then I got an offer from someone who was willing to pay my asking price. Sold! Patience pays off.

 

If I were the OP, I would price it a little high so as to leave room to negotiate. Fielding a "best offer" usually elicits lowballing, so I usually avoid that.

[16251]

And remember, the longer it takes to sell it the less it is worth.

I don't agree with that at all. It's all about having the patience to wait for someone who truly wants the item. I recently sold a relatively rare, though not hugely desirable, vintage keyboard on Craigslist. I had set the price high -- nearly twice what I paid for it -- and was curious what would happen. A month went by and no one had contacted me. Then I got an offer from someone who was willing to pay my asking price. Sold! Patience pays off.

 

If I were the OP, I would price it a little high so as to leave room to negotiate. Fielding a "best offer" usually elicits lowballing, so I usually avoid that.

I agree unless you need the money for new board and don't want to wait it out. I still see some ads in craigslist that come and go, but they're asking way too much money. I don't think anyone will be buying op's NX for $1800 any time soon.

[Outkaster]

With Leslie Speakers I don't fuck around. Most of them were more rare because there was less produced than Hammond organs. I have guys e-mailing me all the time to trade and lower the price way too much.....the answer is no most of the time. Fully functioning Leslie speakers that have had work done on them, are for sale usually go for a grand an up. 142,122,147,145 models are always and demand but you cant just give them away. There has to be a margin you can work with and as people said sometimes you can only sell it for what people want to pay for it. I know for the collectibles market, its not really doing well due to a flat economy. The internet also leveled the playing field so what a lot of people consider vintage or rare really isnt that rare. Craigslist now is showing items in nearby areas if you do a search for a certain musical instrument. You find there is a lot, I mean a ton of gear out there.

[Dana.]

I still see some ads in craigslist that come and go, but they're asking way too much money.

Well, that's because people don't know how to price used gear. How many times have you seen used, "like new" Privias going for retail or even more because someone bought a stand for it? No one wants to take a hit, but people don't realize a lot of these boards are, as someone said above, a dime a dozen on the used market.

[Dave Weiser]

Check out prices for similar used boards of this model.

This shouldn't be too difficult as all the versions of the RD700 were big sellers... so there should be (relatively) a lot out there on the used market for you to check.

 

One item to keep in mind when buying/selling used gear is the availability of replacement parts. If it's a unit known to have a short or nonexistent supply of repair parts, the price should be significantly lowered.

I think the RD700 should be fine in this area as well because it was such a big seller.

[J. Dan]

completed auctions

 

This one was used with some dings and had a few bids...went for $1500.

 

Nice new(er) ones were going closer to $2000. So there you go, there's your range.