Selling gear in person

  • Thread starter Thread starter bkemp23
  • Start date Start date
B

bkemp23

Member
I have quite a bit of gear to sell and I'm wondering the best practice for selling guitars, amps, speakers, and pedals, especially in times of covid. Most of the items are higher priced items so take that into account. Do you meet at a guitar store and let them try it out? Provide videos of the gear working? I have a power inverter that I could probably use with the amp and pedals in the back of my SUV, although not ideal given the dropping temperatures. As a buyer, what do you prefer? Thanks
 
I prefer in person but have not asked to demo, or have been asked to demo, before hand in a years. With online reviews and places like Rig-Talk and others I pretty much know what I am getting before I buy.

The last few used guitars that I have bought online however have me avoiding that situation whenever possible. Have learned that while I am not super picky about dings or other appearance flaws, I hate buying a guitar in supposedly great condition that needs a fret dress (or fret replacement), and/or neck and electronic issues that were not disclosed.
 
I usually arrange to meet at a internet safe exchange spot that is at the local police station. Its actually pretty cool and video monitored , they designate two large parking spaces for it.

I bring a power inverter to demo the gear and cash only cash and carry deal.

Alot of assholes out there unfortunately , so make sure you are very clear and detail oriented.
 
I actually prefer to sell in person. With a craigslist ad Ive actually met people that I knew of from Facebook groups or even here on Rig-talk that I didnt know were in the area. I usually like to meet at a GC or sam ash especially if Im selling an amp. That way they can take it and try it out. If there is a complaint I'm still in the area. The plus here is the person cant surprise you a week or two later saying they "just" opened the package and..(insert whatever excuse for buyers remorse).

No seller fees, no funds getting held, no middle men with no clue dictating whether a complaint is valid or not. Yeah it may not sell as quick but I MUCH prefer selling something in person. If I sold something for 1200 on reverb, ebay or whatever I will knock off 200 off the bat to do it in person. Just sucks when you have something that you know is a steal for sell but it might be something off the beaten path that only gear nerds would notice.
 
Thanks for the feedback.
psychodave said:
If I meet in person I’m carrying. Good thing my state has conceal and carry.
Click to expand...
Fortunately I live in a CCW state also.
dawnofdreamx97 said:
I usually arrange to meet at a internet safe exchange spot that is at the local police station. Its actually pretty cool and video monitored , they designate two large parking spaces for it.

I bring a power inverter to demo the gear and cash only cash and carry deal.

Alot of assholes out there unfortunately , so make sure you are very clear and detail oriented.
Click to expand...
Why cash only? Are there issues with Venmo and Paypal gift?
ClintN667 said:
I actually prefer to sell in person. With a craigslist ad Ive actually met people that I knew of from Facebook groups or even here on Rig-talk that I didnt know were in the area. I usually like to meet at a GC or sam ash especially if Im selling an amp. That way they can take it and try it out. If there is a complaint I'm still in the area. The plus here is the person cant surprise you a week or two later saying they "just" opened the package and..(insert whatever excuse for buyers remorse).

No seller fees, no funds getting held, no middle men with no clue dictating whether a complaint is valid or not. Yeah it may not sell as quick but I MUCH prefer selling something in person. If I sold something for 1200 on reverb, ebay or whatever I will knock off 200 off the bat to do it in person. Just sucks when you have something that you know is a steal for sell but it might be something off the beaten path that only gear nerds would notice.
Click to expand...
This is how I've done it in the past, just wasn't sure if people were having issues nowadays. Also, I assume selling in person will be AT LEAST 8% less than ebay and reverb.
panhead said:
Nice oxymoron
Click to expand...
:LOL:
 
My last 2 sales I had the guys come to my house and give me cash. I let them play through the gear too. I only did this because stuff was too big to ship. Fortunately both sales went smoothly but I it is not something I would do if I did not need to. I actually prefer to meet at a public place etc.
 
I have a ton of gear I want to move but the hassle of selling is making me drag my feet. It used to be so much easier.
 
I can't believe how many of you guys are scared enough to say "good thing I can concealed carry".

If you are that uncomfortable, just meet in a public place. The recommendation of the internet safe exchange place is great. Unless you live in a swamp or on a mountain, chances are there is one not too far from you.
 
DONT EVER ACCEPT PAYPAL in person. I sold some gear to a guy in person, he sent payment via PayPal, checked my phone, payment received, and thought it was good.

the next day, the money was no longer in my account!! I called PayPal and asked why the sucked the money from my account? They told me that the buyer said he didn’t buy anything. I said, “we met in person, he bought it.” They then told me that even if w did meet in person that PayPal isn’t for in person purchases, and unless I could give them a tracking number they could do nothing??!?!?!? I called the buyer repeatedly. Of course he didn’t take my calls. So I called from a different number, and he answered!! I said, “hey, you need to call PayPal and tell them you made the purchase.(I tried to remain calm and make it sound like there was a mistake on PayPal’s part rather than outright accusing him of theft, even though that is exactly what he did.)there is an issue with PayPal and they took the money out of my account and put it in yours.” He said, “that’s weird, it didn’t come back to my account.” (Yeah right!!) I told him to call PayPal and figure it out. I then said I was going to come by his house and grab my gear(I had no idea where he lived)if he didn’t get it worked out. He pondered that for a second, and said,”sure, I will call them.” I could never get a hold of him again after that, he never called PayPal. PayPal kept saying there was nothing they could do for me. This was around 6 or 7 years ago. I wasn’t fully aware of the evils of PayPal yet.

although I’m sure you guys know not to use PayPal in person, just thought I would remind you.

ONLY TAKE CASH!
 
I do the deals at my practice space. The halls and doors are video monitored, you can't get in or out without keys and a fob, and it allows someone to crank the gear and demo it at volume.

I've never had a single bad Craigslist transaction where someone tried to pull a fast one. I only do cash, Venmo, and Zelle/Quick Pay. I actually prefer the electronic payments as I really don't like carrying large wads of cash around like some drug dealer.

I've done deals at GC where I've been the buyer, but it always feels a little weird to use a store (and its gear) for a private party transaction... even if it is Guitar Center.

For non-gear deals (like when I sold my last car on CL), I use the police station. Haven't tried to sell anything during COVID, but not much would be different except folks wear masks.

For large deals (anything >$1000) I have drafted an invoice/receipt for both of us to sign and keep for our records. I've never had issues with the other person signing it... it's all business, and can protect either of our asses if the other person decides to pull a fast one. If someone weren't okay with signing something like that, I'd probably say the deal is off.
 
mooncobra said:
DONT EVER ACCEPT PAYPAL in person. I sold some gear to a guy in person, he sent payment via PayPal, checked my phone, payment received, and thought it was good.

the next day, the money was no longer in my account!! I called PayPal and asked why the sucked the money from my account? They told me that the buyer said he didn’t buy anything. I said, “we met in person, he bought it.” They then told me that even if w did meet in person that PayPal isn’t for in person purchases, and unless I could give them a tracking number they could do nothing??!?!?!? I called the buyer repeatedly. Of course he didn’t take my calls. So I called from a different number, and he answered!! I said, “hey, you need to call PayPal and tell them you made the purchase.(I tried to remain calm and make it sound like there was a mistake on PayPal’s part rather than outright accusing him of theft, even though that is exactly what he did.)there is an issue with PayPal and they took the money out of my account and put it in yours.” He said, “that’s weird, it didn’t come back to my account.” (Yeah right!!) I told him to call PayPal and figure it out. I then said I was going to come by his house and grab my gear(I had no idea where he lived)if he didn’t get it worked out. He pondered that for a second, and said,”sure, I will call them.” I could never get a hold of him again after that, he never called PayPal. PayPal kept saying there was nothing they could do for me. This was around 6 or 7 years ago. I wasn’t fully aware of the evils of PayPal yet.

although I’m sure you guys know not to use PayPal in person, just thought I would remind you.

ONLY TAKE CASH!
Click to expand...


I would imagine if you have the person pay via paypal gift in person that would be safe ? I dont think they can cancel the sale afterwards.
 
the4thlast1 said:
I would imagine if you have the person pay via paypal gift in person that would be safe ? I dont think they can cancel the sale afterwards.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it wasn’t PayPal gift, sadly it was regular PayPal and that dude took me for a ride. He got me good.

I sure hope I run into him one day. I would ask him why he robbed me and let him know that it deeply hurt my feelings, and because of the deep hurt and loss he caused me, I had to initiate pay back mode.

I would then administer a magnificent Korean death kick. Of course he would be down, but if he was still defiant I would execute the Zairean monkey punch and crush his skull leaving him hideously disfigured as a reminder that he should not steal.

every time someone glanced in his direction, he would see them cringe and witness the sheer revulsion his physically offensive appearance brings forth. He would never forget his crime again.
 
When I hit the street in the city that never sleeps damn right I'm gonna be packing heat.
 
I always get them on the phone and within minutes can tell if they're full of shit or not.
Ive done hundreds of face to face transactions sometimes 100+ miles from home in neighboring States by myself and never had a problem.
And for the most part met some cool gearheads.
To me only an insecure person would carry a firearm to a gear deal but i get why they would
 
mooncobra said:
DONT EVER ACCEPT PAYPAL in person. I sold some gear to a guy in person, he sent payment via PayPal, checked my phone, payment received, and thought it was good.

the next day, the money was no longer in my account!! I called PayPal and asked why the sucked the money from my account? They told me that the buyer said he didn’t buy anything. I said, “we met in person, he bought it.” They then told me that even if w did meet in person that PayPal isn’t for in person purchases, and unless I could give them a tracking number they could do nothing??!?!?!? I called the buyer repeatedly. Of course he didn’t take my calls. So I called from a different number, and he answered!! I said, “hey, you need to call PayPal and tell them you made the purchase.(I tried to remain calm and make it sound like there was a mistake on PayPal’s part rather than outright accusing him of theft, even though that is exactly what he did.)there is an issue with PayPal and they took the money out of my account and put it in yours.” He said, “that’s weird, it didn’t come back to my account.” (Yeah right!!) I told him to call PayPal and figure it out. I then said I was going to come by his house and grab my gear(I had no idea where he lived)if he didn’t get it worked out. He pondered that for a second, and said,”sure, I will call them.” I could never get a hold of him again after that, he never called PayPal. PayPal kept saying there was nothing they could do for me. This was around 6 or 7 years ago. I wasn’t fully aware of the evils of PayPal yet.

although I’m sure you guys know not to use PayPal in person, just thought I would remind you.

ONLY TAKE CASH!
Click to expand...
You gotta use the gift option
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top