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What Are the Best Tips for Selling Guitars?

By Patti Kate
Updated May 17, 2024
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Whether a person intends to start a business of selling guitars or wants to sell a private collection, an effective strategy must be considered. An effective sales approach and advertising technique can make the difference between success and failure. To reach a large clientele, sales advertisements should be placed in major publications, such as music and entertainment magazines or the classified section of newspapers. For the entrepreneur selling used or new guitars, building an effective website is essential. This generally takes knowledge in web design and marketing.

Selling guitars through an online business is a good, practical option for those who are housebound or want to earn some extra money from the convenience of home. For people selling guitars through an online auction website, there are important rules and guidelines to follow. Integrity and honest dealing are essential when selling guitars or any other product. Misrepresentation can have dire consequences for the seller, and result in legal ramifications.

When selling guitars that have been heavily used and show signs of wear, it's important to display descriptive photos. Taking several pictures that show the guitar at various angles is a good idea. Composing an accurate description is also a must. If strings are missing or broken, or the guitar needs repair, this needs to be stated in the advertisement. It's also important to list exclusions or stipulations regarding shipping and costs.

The seller should consider other important factors when constructing a website for selling guitars online. Learning the best techniques for search engine optimization (SEO) can help a great deal. Using descriptive keywords for website titles and advertisements is a good way to reach a broad range of perspective buyers.

Another idea for selling guitars is opening an account with a website that specializes in selling and buying musical instruments. This may be an auction format or a marketplace community where sellers may exchange ideas and techniques. Guitar sellers may also post questions on forums.

Selling guitars on consignment is another option that works for many people. This can save time and effort, however, commission fees need to be considered. It's important to choose the right company or website before consigning a guitar. Sellers should choose a company with experience in selling musical instruments on consignment. Setting a fair price should help the guitar sell, and some shops offer the option of trading a guitar for another instrument.

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Discussion Comments

By TreeMan — On Jun 11, 2012

I think being an honest seller is the best thing you can do when running any business, especially one selling guitars.

I have found most guitar players to be very "snobby" about their instruments. I know I am. Any time I buy a new guitar, I do a ton of research before I even go to the music store. With the internet, you can find plenty of people writing reviews and making videos with them playing different guitars.

If I had someone trying to sell me a guitar and claiming it was in great condition only to find out that it had a scratch, I would not be happy, and I would make sure I told everyone I knew not to buy from that site or store. I think most places are well aware of this, and take their reputation seriously.

Any time I have considered buying a guitar online, I always make sure I see pictures from every angle in good lighting and ask a lot of questions.

By matthewc23 — On Jun 11, 2012

@stl156 - It sounds like you may be somewhat familiar with guitars, since you knew enough about them to know a good price. If they're in need of any repairs, you'll be able to get a higher price by fixing them yourself.

For example, if a tone knob on a guitar isn't working, someone will not be willing to pay more for it, because it will cost them parts and labor to fix. If the guitars are in perfect order, they'll have no reason to talk you down on the price.

Also, if these are lower end guitars, your buyers may be beginners or novice guitarists who don't know how to do repairs, and would not want to pay for a broken guitar.

Obviously, if you yourself don't know how to fix them then you're kind of stuck. You can find great tutorials online for everything, but it might not be worth it.

By JimmyT — On Jun 10, 2012

@stl156 - Deciding where to try to sell your guitars can be a tough decision. Obviously, you aren't going to set up a whole website just to sell 6 guitars, so you'll have to think smaller. Ebay is a good option that will reach lots of people, which is what you pay for with the fees.

Listing them in the classifieds can work. It just depends on where you live. If you're in a relatively large city, you might be able to find a buyer depending on the type of guitar and condition. Of course, if you live in the middle of nowhere in Wyoming, very few people are going to travel to pick up an instrument that might just be worth $100.

The other option you may have is to sell them for a second time to either a pawn shop or music store. Considering that you already bought them once, there might not be a lot or any profit to be made from those outlets, though. Even if you can't sell them at a music store, they still might let you put up a flyer advertising them for sale.

By stl156 — On Jun 09, 2012

Good information. I have ended up with 6 guitars that I bought from an estate sale recently, and I am looking to resell them for a profit. Normally, I don't do things like this, but I was familiar with the brand and models and thought they would sell well. Luckily, it was raining that day, and some people didn't want to brave the weather, so I had fewer people I had to compete with. I looked them up online when I got home, and found that I should be able to make a profit on them. They aren't mint condition collector's items, of course, but they are still in good shape.

I don't really have the first idea about what outlets to use to sell them, though. Has anyone ever done anything like this with musical instruments? I was thinking maybe Ebay, but I would have to pay for the listing and shipping. What kind of success might I expect by listing them in the classifieds?

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