Selling on Reverb?

[MikeT156]

I don't want to ship KB's either. Shipping companies are NOT careful no matter how many warnings you put on the Flight Case. In addition if they drop instruments it could  damage it . Some instruments are sensitive and can be knocked out of tune if dropped. If that happens, the buyer will send it back and say it was defective.

[ProfD]

7 minutes ago, MikeT156 said:

I don't want to ship KB's either. Shipping companies are NOT careful no matter how many warnings you put on the Flight Case. In addition if they drop instruments it could  damage it . Some instruments are sensitive and can be knocked out of tune if dropped. If that happens, the buyer will send it back and say it was defective.

There's no reason to ship it either. 

 

Place your ads with the following stipulations:

 

1) no price haggling

2) no shipping

3) Pick-up only

4) cash only

 

As mentioned, take pictures of your gear. 

 

Meet up at a location that has power. 

 

Plug and play the gear before exchanging funds. 

 

Take a picture of the buyer with their new gear. 

 

Bring a witness to the transaction.

 

Granted, this approach will shrink the market for your gear considerably. 

 

However, it will insure your peace of mind.  😎

[MikeT156]

Yea  good idea to take a picture of the buyer. I don't know of any place I can sell and have power. I usually have a buyer come to my house and try it.  I always list the price is Firm but people haggle anyway, I usually email them and tell them to go away.

[Stokely]

You can use a car inverter.  I sold my Mofx8 that way, met someone in a parking lot (way too far from my house, I'm not doing that again) and hooked it up in the back of my car.   

Every single buyer I've ever talked to, or sold to, tries to haggle.  Every one.   I wouldn't bother even responding to that on reverb.  The CL/FB people do it up front, then they do it once they try the gear.   Pretty damn irritating.   My approach if I do it again will be to jack up the price 100 bucks or so over my "firm" price and that gives them their haggling jollies.  Any more than that, nope.

Ugh, just the thought of doing that again...but then I'm seeing all these shipping problems mentioned.  Can you get shipping insurance to cover the keyboard value?  I can ship through work pretty cheaply so I'll ask them if they have it.   Edit:  just fired off an email to our shipping dept, we'll see what they say   Sometimes work provides a benefit or two I must admit (besides that whole "money to live" thing) 

Edit:  I wonder if buyers get touchy about their pics being taken.  I hate confrontation so while it's easy to say "tough" I dislike getting into it with people.  One thing I really like about the police station idea is that conceivably they'd have the whole thing on video--or at least the people involved might thing so  

[MikeT156]

Another GREAT IDEA.

[Old Music Guy]

All these horror stories are making me rethink taking my gear to a local music store for consignment. I can just tell them what I need to put in my pocket, and let them set their price. Even if they mark up 40%, that's worth the cost of the BS I have to deal with. 

[Stokely]

I haven't done consignment for ages, indeed that is probably the easiest and lowest-stress of all (assuming you can sell it, and for a decent price!)

Pro: it won't be jumped on by my cat   Con:  It will be messed with by the public     

Worth checking to see if anyone around here does it these days.

The shipping dept at my work told me insurance goes up as the value goes up, no surprise there.  I gave them an example value and I'll probably get a response back tomorrow. If insurance isn't too high I might go for that.   They told me they rarely have problems with Fedex in any case (while UPS is the one where I have experienced my issues)

[AUSSIEKEYS]

8 minutes ago, Stokely said:

I haven't done consignment for ages

Con:  It will be messed with by the public     

 

 CON:

 

If the establishment goes bust while its there its likely you will loose it entirely.

 

If the store burns down its likely not covered by any insurance.

 

If its stolen its likely not covered by insurance

 

If it stops working its you who gets the blame not joe public who dropped a Paddle Pop stick in between the keys. (Id leave my keyboard at the drummers rehearsal room only to find i couldn't depress middle C and Bb because a Paddle Pop stick (ice cream on a wooden stick) was jammed out of sight between both keys by the grandson of the drummer. I also believe they were teaching him or allowing him to " plonk" on my piano without asking me). And this type of behaviour is a worry when consigning at a shop. Sticky fingered kids plonking on your keyboard in a shop is just as bad. "Oh its alright if little johhny plays the piano mr shop owner?"

 

Ive consigned before too and you must be prepared to leave and forget for generally a long time unless you price super cheap.

 

 

[o0Ampy0o]

3 hours ago, MikeT156 said:

I don't want to ship KB's either. Shipping companies are NOT careful no matter how many warnings you put on the Flight Case. In addition if they drop instruments it could  damage it . Some instruments are sensitive and can be knocked out of tune if dropped. If that happens, the buyer will send it back and say it was defective.

 

You won't get delicate handling from any regular carrier service (UPS, FedEx,...).It isn't that they are careless although that can also be a factor. They are not set up for it. People expect boxes to be isolated so they can be treated special when that box is shipped and stacked with dog food, laundry detergent, frozen fish, auto parts, etc. You would need to ship through something more like a piano mover or even just a furniture mover but the later is abundant with tales of damaging the old or new house if not the furniture.

[Stokely]

Ouch on the consignment cons from Aussiekeys!      Mostly I'd worry about the public bashing on it, and it does bring to mind all the display models I've seen at stores with missing knobs and other issues (these are new keyboards, not used.)

I don't think it matters much in any case as I don't know of any stores left around there that do it.  I'd have to sell outright to GC or Sam Ash, and assuming they'd want it at all I'd get half of their sell price...another ouch!

[ProfD]

The horror stories and issues expressed in this thread let me know I'm either 1) very lucky or 2) know what I'm doing when it comes to selling gear. 😁

 

Knock on wood, over the course of 2.5 decades and counting, I've never had any problems with selling and shipping items. 

 

1) Set the parameters for the sale

2) Over-communicate with the buyer

 

If an item is being shipped, knowing how to pack extremely well is really important.

 

Items should be packed as if 1) it is going to be dropped or 2) other items will be stacked on top of it.

 

Then, involving 3rd parties, there are different types of pick-up/ship arrangements that can be made between buyers and sellers too.

 

For the record, I would never consider putting gear on consignment.🤮

 

I've seen how consigned items get treated while in custody.🤣😎

[Morrissey]

3 hours ago, Stokely said:

You can use a car inverter.  I sold my Mofx8 that way, met someone in a parking lot (way too far from my house, I'm not doing that again) and hooked it up in the back of my car.   

 

Sold my Nord Electro this same way

[Stokely]

ProfD, at the risk of going off-topic...as far as shipping, do you recommend getting/using a hard case (and then put that in a box)?  I'm not sure any box alone (or 2 or 3) is going to help with stacking.  Reason I ask is that one keyboard I bought used from GC's site was ruined in shipping--it was doubleboxed with thick foam but it looked like a forklift had driven over it--and my local GC suggested I buy a hard case to ship it in.  When I told them I didn't really want one, they said to return it after shipping no problem.  They'd rather have a new case become used instead of losing a whole keyboard was the gist of it (then again, if the new case was in a box it could probably be sold new from their point of view!)

For a couple keyboards I want to sell, I don't have a hard case I'd really want to include.   And of course a case would up the cost due to weight.  I've found that like a pool with a home, you never get value from a case when selling!   

If not a hard case, any tips on preventing damage?  I know you don't want things to move at all, that's pretty understandable.

[o0Ampy0o]

Tip: "FRAGILE" on the box is the kiss of death.

[ProfD]

33 minutes ago, Stokely said:

ProfD, at the risk of going off-topic...as far as shipping, do you recommend getting/using a hard case (and then put that in a box)?  I'm not sure any box alone (or 2 or 3) is going to help with stacking.  Reason I ask is that one keyboard I bought used from GC's site was ruined in shipping--it was doubleboxed with thick foam but it looked like a forklift had driven over it--and my local GC suggested I buy a hard case to ship it in.  

 

For a couple keyboards I want to sell, I don't have a hard case I'd really want to include.   And of course a case would up the cost due to weight.  I've found that like a pool with a home, you never get value from a case when selling!   

If not a hard case, any tips on preventing damage?  I know you don't want things to move at all, that's pretty understandable.

Totally on topic.

 

A hard case would increase the shipping weight considerably. Not recommended.

 

 If a package arrived and looked like it had forklift ran over it...that's probably what happened.🤣

 

Otherwise, a well packed double-box with shipping materials should suffice. 😎

[KuruPrionz]

I've shipped some heavy stuff but no keyboards. 
I did have 1 Mesa Boogie Blue Angel 1-12" combo returned to me. I "packed it for war" and somebody probably dropped off the loading dock and knocked the top and one side loose. I fixed it and sold it locally. 

 

Now I always try local sales first and only list it at Reverb or eBay if it doesn't sell. I'm done shipping anything heavy, you can't trust it to arrive intact unless you drive it there yourself. 

[ShadowMan]

I’ve sold both a Nord Electro 2 61 and a Nord C1 on line - and took each to the local FedEx to have them professionally packed and insured. Not cheap, but I advertised this in advance and communicated that this was to be at buyers expense. (The C1 weighed about 70 lbs in its case.) Both arrived in perfect condition. 

 

As a cheaper and safer method of pick up, I have offered for buyers to meet me at a local rehearsal studio - where they could test the board. For the $20-30 spent for the hour, its a good option. 

 

 

[mate stubb]

I've recently shipped 4 decently heavy keyboards separately across the country via FedEx and all have arrived unscathed, fwiw.

 

I'm also a very good packer, and FedEx lets me insure them for the value I choose.

[Outkaster]

I have sold a ton of gear on every platform possible and haven't had that many problems.  It's actually kind of easy once you do it a few times.

[KuruPrionz]

1 hour ago, Outkaster said:

I have sold a ton of gear on every platform possible and haven't had that many problems.  It's actually kind of easy once you do it a few times.

Yep, you just have to keep it real. 

Lots of photos, if there is a small ding or scratch I put a penny by it to give a sense of the size. I am always completely upfront about anything and everything regarding condition and functionality and I price accordingly. There is always somebody out there who will take an honestly described item at a fair price. I've had 2 returns from eBay with 975 total feedback. One was my mistake, there was a lug on a snare drum that didn't match. The other was caused by the Post Office crushing the packaging and breaking the cabinet of a guitar amp. You can't bat 1000 but I've done well overall and will continue to sell. 

[Stokely]

I have considered--if I do try to sell locally--to set up keyboards (and use them!) at a gig.  The buyer can come out, see it working (and try it between sets with headphones) and everyone would feel safe.   I'd pick a non-smoky decent spot if I did this.  

[Morrissey]

One time I bought a keyboard and the seller met me at the venue as I was setting up before a gig 

41 minutes ago, Stokely said:

I have considered--if I do try to sell locally--to set up keyboards (and use them!) at a gig.  The buyer can come out, see it working (and try it between sets with headphones) and everyone would feel safe.   I'd pick a non-smoky decent spot if I did this.  

 

[Mark Schmieder]

On 3/27/2023 at 11:26 PM, o0Ampy0o said:

Speaking of meeting up with people, my friend drove to a dark area of San Francisco to buy a truck bed. The guy's house was this dark place like out of MJ's Thriller video. He said "follow me" way back through an ally of a yard. On the way he narrated giving him a tour. One item and story consisted of bones he had robbed from a graveyard. He was glad to get out of there alive.

That sounds similar to a bass audition I did in Oakland that was done outdoors with battery power under the I-880 overpass. The guy wanted me to prove that I knew how to play when I can't hear myself or anyone else and that I can still carry the groove and use the right touch with my fingers. I was more concerned about getting knifed, either by him or by someone hanging out in the shadows.

[Mark Schmieder]

On 3/28/2023 at 12:19 PM, ProfD said:

There's no reason to ship it either. 

 

Place your ads with the following stipulations:

 

1) no price haggling

2) no shipping

3) Pick-up only

4) cash only

 

As mentioned, take pictures of your gear. 

 

Meet up at a location that has power. 

 

Plug and play the gear before exchanging funds. 

 

Take a picture of the buyer with their new gear. 

 

Bring a witness to the transaction.

 

Granted, this approach will shrink the market for your gear considerably. 

 

However, it will insure your peace of mind.  😎

Although it will shrink your market, you only need one buyer. 🙂

[Mark Schmieder]

I think Aussiekeys' caveats are why so few stores do consignment anymore. Back in the 90's, it was the main way and it worked well for me, especially with big ticket items like a 1930's Conn soprano saxophone and some synths and keyboards.

 

The local GC's will give something like 60% of going eBay prices and I think a bit more if you want trade-in credit vs. cash. I've done fairly well on slow-moving items that GC in CA was willing to take off my hands -- a big risk for them.

 

The one negative with GC is that they don't keep it all together, and I put a lot of effort into tracking down custom cases etc. I tell them I won't trade if they decouple the case and accessories and scavenge them as that is an insult to the next buyer, especially as they only give the seller $1 anyway.

 

Actually, the other negative is that they don't list details on their ads online and usually only include one super-low resolution dark obscure photo, which maybe is on purpose so it's more likely to sell in-person locally than require shipping? I rarely buy used on-line even for rare stuff as I don't trust what I'm getting (model year, etc.).

[Mark Schmieder]

I have sold to famous people a few times, including one of McCartney's recording engineers, and a member of the Grateful Dead. The most pleasant transactions ever, and you better believe there was total professionalism the whole way!

[KuruPrionz]

47 minutes ago, Mark Schmieder said:

I have sold to famous people a few times, including one of McCartney's recording engineers, and a member of the Grateful Dead. The most pleasant transactions ever, and you better believe there was total professionalism the whole way!

I once sold a vintage Fender Deluxe amp to Rick Neilson of Cheap Trick. It was backstage after the gig, I knew all the stage hands and they let Rick know so he let me come in. 

In retrospect, I should have kept it but who knew how much the price would go up over the decades?

[Old Music Guy]

Buddy Rich once borrowed a kick drum pedal from my drummer 'cause BR's was broken. 

Other than bringing some drunk person to our dressing room to meet Johnny Maestro, that's as close to fame as I ever got. 

😝

Oh, I lost $10 playing poker with the Drifters. 

[KenElevenShadows]

Oh, okay, since we're having fun with buying/selling from famous people....

 

I purchased Rick Springfield's Roland JX3-P synth.

 

This was pre-Reverb. Er, Preverb. Um. Well, forget it. I purchased it used but not online.  

[AUSSIEKEYS]

6 hours ago, Mark Schmieder said:

Back in the 90's, it was the main way and it worked well for me

 

Yep Mark those were the days of shops selling second hand stuff or tradeins. Seems a dieing trade now then again shops are unfortunately a dieing trade.

 

I remember consigning my JX8p with case and some other gear in a shop in Parramatta (Sydney suburb).

 

Fantastic deal from them was any money they got would go towards a new Kurzweil K1000 with the "A block installed". (Still have it in the box)

 

That was an amazing deal as they didnt take any commission on my gear just used it as a down payment on the Kurzweil. I payed the difference.

 

By coincidence I sold a Roland drum head TD20 (from the 80s) very cheaply a few weeks ago and got a call from a high up guy in that very store wanting it for his own collection. He in Sydney and me now living in Melbourne.

 

I told him i was a regular in the 80s / 90s etc of the store and he told me of the two owners one had retired who looked after my gear (he being the Parramatta chief) and the other still ran the in Sydney proper offshoot keyboard store who actually sold me my Kurzweil. (At that stage they were still a Parramatta store only)  Well known retailer Sydneyites would know. All started in Parramatta my birth town. 

 

Now thats a coincidence he contacting me about 80s gear that woukd have been sokd in that very store back then being i live 10 hours away from said store.

 

I miss those Sydney stores