Over-priced Gear In The Emporium?

[Drowned Rabbit]

Anybody else notice this? I often see gear for sale
in the Emporium with a price tag that exceeds the
price of that same model guitar new from the builder.

Several times in the recent past, I've seen instruments posted
in the for-sale section, and when I've gone to the builder's web
site to find more info on that model guitar, I've been a little
surprised to see that the instrument in question is offered at a
brand-new custom spec price which is less than what it is being
offered for used on thegearpage.

No judgments. People have a right to post whatever price they
wish on their for-sale threads. But I am curious about the logic
behind this. Are they hoping for an uninformed buyer? Are they
uninformed? I would think that the current economy would be
enough to knock anyone out of the La-La Land of the last few
years of gear prices.

[XKnight]

I see it occasionally and just shake my head, but there is a sucker born every minute.

[908SSP]

And they often get it...That sir is not La-La land.

[tennisplayer]

I notice that too. I saw a Roland Cube 60 listed within $50 of a brand new one. WTH is going on ??????

[Texas_Blues]

The only ones I see like that are the pedals with the waiting lists.

What really bugs me is some people "relic" their nitro guitars and expect to get what they payed for them or more...I mean come on the guitar is used, lower the price.

[sovtekking]

I've only seen this once or twice...not really any sort of epidemic in my opinion.

[Drowned Rabbit]

And they often get it...That sir is not La-La land.

Again, no judgments on my part. If they get what they're asking for,
then more power to them. But, I guess I should add that many of
these threads are pages long with daily-bumps. Is this indicative of a
seller who sees gear sales as a kind of "part-time job" rather than the
pursuit of a hobby or of necessary tools for a performance/recording
career?

[MudPies]

I just don't buy it if it's overpriced. Problem solved.

[DiazDude]

Just wondering if some builders are lowering prices to drum up business? And again not knowing details can the maufacturing process be different? Meaning some builders are now using more mass production methods instead of a more time consuming, labor intensive hands on method of manufacture.
Just possibilities..not knowing the specific models you're speaking of.

[Drowned Rabbit]

I've only seen this once or twice...not really any sort of epidemic in my opinion.

I agree. I am merely wondering out of
curiosity. That's why I posted in "The Pub".

[Groovey Records]

I dono waddya think

[Drowned Rabbit]

Just wondering if some builders are lowering prices to drum up business? And again not knowing details can the maufacturing process be different? Meaning some builders are now using more mass production methods instead of a more time consuming, labor intensive hands on method of manufacture.
Just possibilities..not knowing the specific models you're speaking of.

Interesting. It would be a real shame to see that.
If this were true, it could be a sign of the beginning
of the end of what has been described by some as the
"Second Golden Era" of guitar craftmanship.

As a side note: I'd like to avoid naming specific brands/emporium ads

[phoenix 7]

I've never advertised anything for higher than the new price. However, some pieces are hard to find new, no longer available, or there are extensive waiting lists. In other cases, I think guys are expecting to negotiate lower prices, so they start high. In other cases, guys are just silly. There you go.

[HereIGoAgain]

To some people, a selling price of "free" is too expensive. To others, buying used is always preferrable to buying new even when the used item is so close in price to a new item because they feel they can "get their money back when they sell."

Ditto the "reclic'ed" guitars bit. It's like tearing holes in jeans and selling them at a higher price than non-ripped jeans. if I were to order a Fender or Gibson Custom Shop guitar, I'd want it finished "New Old Stock." I'm not going to even thing about paying an amount of $HOLYSHITTHAT'SEXPENSIVE for a guitar that looks like a trained ape took a belt sander to it.

[michael.e]

I sold my '64 Bassman for more that it sold for new..

Go figger

[Smakutus]

People are fishing.. Nothing wrong with wanting to get as much as possible and you can always come down in price. On some items you may be able to get it cheaper from the builder, but if it takes weeks or months to finally get the item from them it might be worth it to spend a little more and buy one right now.

Jeff

[xroads]

They can ask whatever they want - just do your research and don't buy it. TGP does not allow to post comments on the asking price, so you have to figure that part out yourself.

[Bones]

You have to understand the value added by being owned by a TGP member, it has been thoroughly inspected for tone and found to be of the highest build quality and buttery goodness and in order for them to reluctantly let such a fine piece go, they need to get a premium price.

[newking70]

You have to understand the value added by being owned by a TGP member, it has been thoroughly inspected for tone and found to be of the highest build quality and buttery goodness and in order for them to reluctantly let such a fine piece go, they need to get a premium price.

:rotflmao

[telecopter]

There's a certain distortion pedal with initials C.J. that always gets me going...1K? Come on. That's just insane.

Also, the booteek guitars that are basically kit guitars, and are priced into the "Stratosphere". What's up with that?

[lcjc800]

Some people don't like to wait for things, others know this, so they coincide, fueling the process. No harm done.
I usually post my gear at a reasonable, market supported price, and buy at the same.

[Redbell]

I can't imagine buying a guitar without playing it first, that said, the emporium is a great place to window shop.
I have seen a lot of nice pieces NOT sell lately too.
If you see something you like -buy it or make a counteroffer, all they can do is say no, right?

[Suproman77]

I've never advertised anything for higher than the new price. However, some pieces are hard to find new, no longer available, or there are extensive waiting lists. In other cases, I think guys are expecting to negotiate lower prices, so they start high. In other cases, guys are just silly. There you go.

That's exactly how I feel about it. Sometimes it's justified, sometimes it's meant to spark negotiations, and sometimes it's just ridiculous.

Either way, they can do what they want and we can just pass over it if we'd like. Capitalism is sweet like that. :)

[Smakutus]

I can't imagine buying a guitar without playing it first

If you buy right, you should be able to sell the guitar later without losing anything in the deal.

Jeff

[tildeslash]

I am guilty of overpricing things I sell. Why not! I leave enough room in there to haggle. This way the buyer thinks they are getting a great deal as well as I. Win win situation and that's what I like to offer.

[jzgtrguy]

I do a search of the forum and ebay to see what the item I am selling is going for and price it below that.

[michael.e]

You have to understand the value added by being owned by a TGP member, it has been thoroughly inspected for tone and found to be of the highest build quality and buttery goodness and in order for them to reluctantly let such a fine piece go, they need to get a premium price.


I wish you could have driven that in to the heads of a couple of members that I have dealt with here.....:puh

:puh

[soulohio]

sir, would you be innersted in opening an online music store and selling used equipment? I feel you pricing stagedy has merit and with my brillyant brains for le bizaness we could be on easy street....yup!

You have to understand the value added by being owned by a TGP member, it has been thoroughly inspected for tone and found to be of the highest build quality and buttery goodness and in order for them to reluctantly let such a fine piece go, they need to get a premium price.

[somedude]

There's something I want, but it's priced too high, so I won't buy. I'll just wait for another to come along.

[rog951]

I tend to want it all, so, IMHO, it's ALL overpriced! :rotflmao

That said, yeah, I see your point. I don't really think that "used selling price vs. original selling price" is a viable thing to scrutinize though, mainly due to michael.e's point about his '64 Bassman. Let the market determine what the selling price is, and use recent used sale prices as the main factor for comparison.

There are definitely sellers occasionally in the Emporioum who are kidding themselves with their pricing, but most seem to realize it after hearing crickets for a few days and then adjust their prices accordingly. I certainly don't begrudge them trying.

I AM mildy annoyed by the other group: the ones with two pages worth of daily bumps, no price drops and maybe even a few snide remarks thrown in along the way telling me what a great deal I'm missing. In general, it bugs me when people try to tell me how great their deal is. "Priced to sell?" I'll be the judge of that! ;)

[Jagsound]

Either way, they can do what they want and we can just pass over it if we'd like. Capitalism is sweet like that. :)

You mean free markets are sweet like that?
The C word refers to something else.

But yeah, there has been overpriced items up for sale - one of them was listed by me!
I'm guessing it was overpriced because it didn't sell but I was asking less than I paid.

[Prodigy]

I can understand how discontinued and rare pedals can go for much more cash, but some things bug me. I saw a pedal go up in the Emporium not long ago that the guy sold for exactly what he bought it for new just over a month ago. Some sucker bought it though. :NUTS I think that prices should be a little more reflective of the current global economic situation. It should be a buyers market right now IMHO.

[oldschoolguy]

I don't think I'm the only one who thinks the really good stuff doesn't get sold. Often. It amazes me that every piece of gear is often tauted to be the best piece imaginable and absolutely the cleanest example of whatever it is that is for sale. You know, the positiely "unbelievable" guitar that plays itself..like buttaaah... or the amp that is absolutely the best example the seller has ever heard. And we have all read about the pieces that will never get sold...or the guy who starts his add with "I never thought I'd be doing this but....I've just got to sell my mint, mint, mint rarity that only has this one flaw just visible there in pic number 5. It'll always be best to do your homework because people will be, well, people.

[edwarddavis]

It worth what somebodys willing to pay period. Guitars and pedals with a long wait i can almost see if you dont want to wait a year or years, Hey it your money use it as you please. Be a smart buyer .
I wont pay more than new though and buy used .

[tildeslash]

I have an original Steinberger GL that I might put in the emporium for $10,000. Will I get banned?

[niersbach]

All depends on what it is....laws of supply and demand...if i wait 3 years for a guitar to be built, hit hard economic times, and have to sell am I supposed to give you some spectacular deal because i paid less for it than what I could probably get for it???

I hooked people up selling things for what i paid, gave them spectacular deals, only to see it for sale a year later by someone else for a MUCH higher price (as in almost 1000 dollars more!) and I ask them about it only to find out thats how much they paid for it from the guy I sold it to. I have NO PROBLEMS asking market value for guitars that are hard to get now!

You know, I will take 20 over priced adds if you will just remove the guys who offer absolute insane lowball offers...I got MANY offers of 1500 - 1800 dollars for guitars I was selling for over 3k...AND they would seem offended when I would reply with "I would rather smash it to freekin pieces then let you buy it and flip it for a profit"

[teefus]

i see it and usually just shrug it off. personally, i figure i'll pay about 70% of new price for a gently used piece in perfect working order and really clean shape. if it is a really sought after piece i might go higher. what i don't get is when people make the "i paid X and that's what i want to get out of it" statements.

[Groovey Records]

no you'll be ignored

[shihanderek]

I don't think I'm the only one who thinks the really good stuff doesn't get sold. Often. It amazes me that every piece of gear is often tauted to be the best piece imaginable and absolutely the cleanest example of whatever it is that is for sale. You know, the positiely "unbelievable" guitar that plays itself..like buttaaah... or the amp that is absolutely the best example the seller has ever heard. And we have all read about the pieces that will never get sold...or the guy who starts his add with "I never thought I'd be doing this but....I've just got to sell my mint, mint, mint rarity that only has this one flaw just visible there in pic number 5. It'll always be best to do your homework because people will be, well, people.

I disagree. I have sold a few guitars like that over the years, a couple I really regret, because they were wonderful. Either my needs changed, or there was something I wanted more and needed the sale to fund the new purchase.

[Jahn]

The way I see it is that most of the stuff in the emporium SHOULD be the overpriced stuff, because the reasonable stuff got snapped up superquick and what you see are the leftovers. That's why I usually look only on the front page - the pricey graveyard pages I pretty much ignore until they bump to the top with a new number. Folks have gotten sneakier by editing their original posts instead of bumping with a new post, but you can still see how long it's been since the original post via the editing date.

[Dr. Tweedbucket]

I disagree. I have sold a few guitars like that over the years, a couple I really regret, because they were wonderful. Either my needs changed, or there was something I wanted more and needed the sale to fund the new purchase.



Yep! Me too. Sometimes I have a quality piece of gear that I've searched for and finally found. I may hang on to it for a long time, :messedup but eventually, I have to move on to something new and someone is going to have a chance to buy a nice piece of gear! :mad:

[Drowned Rabbit]

You know, I will take 20 over priced adds if you will just remove the guys who offer absolute insane lowball offers...I got MANY offers of 1500 - 1800 dollars for guitars I was selling for over 3k...AND they would seem offended when I would reply with "I would rather smash it to freekin pieces then let you buy it and flip it for a profit"

Yeah, the super low-ballers are lame.

[SEEGERMANY]

I've been on these forums less than a week, however, the very first day I browsed the "sales" and was stunned at the extremely high prices on used equipment. But you know what, if you can get that amount, more power to ya!

[littlejohn]

I always lose money...I really need to start making lower offers........

[Jon Silberman]

TGP does not allow to post comments on the asking price ...
And for good reason though I have to admit, my tongue is so bit up by now ... :D

[Gas-man]

I recently saw a pedal ad that said "Boy this is going to kill me but I need to sell this..."

And the pedal was priced 20% above what they are going for all day on Ebay.

[stratman34]

A few comments to add (in no particular order)...

Some people barely know how to use a mouse. They don't shop online and avoid eBay like the plague. But they have finally figured out how to use the forum (I have some folks like this in another hobby forum I'm a member of). Their only price reference is other emporium ads and what they paid for it. Buying used, they automatically assume that there is no additional depreciation, and usually you can't convince them otherwise.

If something is priced above current retail price, I do immediately start asking questions. Like - Is there a waiting list? Did the builder change construction methods (often for speed, less quality)? Is the item a one-off or somehow custom? My first assumption isn't they are asking too much. Sometimes that is my conclusion, though.

People can sell for whatever they want to. They are also allowed to sit on it if it doesn't. People are also allowed to pay whatever they want to for something. If both end the transaction happy, then all is well.

Some people are fishing for suckers. Some people are suckers. You can't keep them all in a padded room and there is a waiting list for boutique strait jackets right now.

[PinoyBoy]

I find it funny when someone tries to sell something that's "barely used" for a total price (including shipping) greater than a new unit (including shipping) from an online store.

And I feel sorry for the sucker who ends up buying such an item!

[gkoelling]

Recently, I saw an ad for a guitar that MF sells for $399 everyday and the guy wanted $350! It's a used guitar and it doesn't matter how clean it is.

Sellers of Weber speakers seem to be among the worst offenders. $15 off the retail price of a $200 model will only be bought by an idiot.

[JohnK24]

This IS "thegearpage"...and the idea of paying more = better gear and tone seems to be the train of thought. Be it guitars, amps, strings, pedal, beer, coffee, whiskey, HDTVs, food, computers...you name it. imho...

[A440]

I don't see it that much here, but I see this on Craigslist all the time.

[zenfreud]

I recently saw a pedal ad that said "Boy this is going to kill me but I need to sell this..."

And the pedal was priced 20% above what they are going for all day on Ebay.

Saw that one too, figured it must "hurt so good"!

[90wreck]

I see it...I just ignore it.
Unless I REALLY want it, or there is a waiting list.(Sometimes I will pay more if I can have it NOW!)
Items that are not accurately described is what irks me if I decide to buy the item more for what it sold for new/market value or not.