Guitar Center pricing question on "used" gear???

[stratotone]

Most pawn shops (and I'm sure places that sell used gear) will get a lot more flexible after they have had a piece awhile. Also I've gotten great deals at the end of the month when sales guys are trying to meet quotas.

One thing though - if you're going to offer a price, be ready to buy THEN AND THERE. Because if you make a lowball and they take you up on it and you don't buy the item, you are fucked the next time you try to deal with that salesperson, and possibly that store if word gets out. They won't take you seriously and you won't get a price break off anything.

I deal with the same guy at GC and he knows if I make an offer I'm ready to buy, so he works with me on price. I don't jerk him around, and he treats me fairly.

Pete

 

[skoora]

One thing though - if you're going to offer a price, be ready to buy THEN AND THERE. Because if you make a lowball and they take you up on it and you don't buy the item, you are fucked the next time you try to deal with that salesperson, and possibly that store if word gets out. They won't take you seriously and you won't get a price break off anything.

I deal with the same guy at GC and he knows if I make an offer I'm ready to buy, so he works with me on price. I don't jerk him around, and he treats me fairly.

Pete

This is so true. I'll admit I kick a lot of tires but I won't talk price or waste a salesperson's time with jibba jabba unless I'm ready to do it then and there. I used to work music retail in the 90's and always appreciated customers who would follow through like this. I always prefered making less on something if it was fast and easy. Usually it turned into a repeat customer. They'd say what they wanted, you would quote them a better than average price and it would be done. Plus you made less but the deal took 15 minutes and you can still get to those parents lining up to buy acoustics or beginner electric packs. It definitely was a job of building relationships with customers but this takes gear knowledge and really listening to what people are saying to you about what they play and like....something the average GC employee is extremely lacking in.

The used price thing can be frustrating. One location had a Vicky 80212 for $2399. I'm like damn, too much. I go to another location and they have one for $1799. I'm super stoked, until I play it and it's a shadow tonally of the other one that only happened to be 600 more. Could have been tubes, they had different speakers but I can't take that chance even with $1800. Very frustrating.

 

[skoora]

I've had GC put high amounts into stuff I sold them before. I had to pass on the matching cab for a '71 superlead I got from them once because some joker salesman literally put 800 into it and it was tagged at $899. It had celestion 75's in it too. Also if you have more than one GC in reasonable distance, don't stop at one. My nearest one is a serious lowballer on trades so I always go to the another one which has consistantly given me more. Granted the lowballer location who I sold to a few times did tag everything at a fair markup from what they paid me.

If the guy who traded the R9 was getting something nice in return they would have put a fair bit into it to make the deal happen. Ultimately you make an offer, they say yes or counter offer or say no. Simple as that.

Which stores are you referring to? Are you in the Seattle area?

If I say does someone get in trouble?

 

[xmorgan socialx]

I've had GC put high amounts into stuff I sold them before. I had to pass on the matching cab for a '71 superlead I got from them once because some joker salesman literally put 800 into it and it was tagged at $899. It had celestion 75's in it too. Also if you have more than one GC in reasonable distance, don't stop at one. My nearest one is a serious lowballer on trades so I always go to the another one which has consistantly given me more. Granted the lowballer location who I sold to a few times did tag everything at a fair markup from what they paid me.

If the guy who traded the R9 was getting something nice in return they would have put a fair bit into it to make the deal happen. Ultimately you make an offer, they say yes or counter offer or say no. Simple as that.

Which stores are you referring to? Are you in the Seattle area?

If I say does someone get in trouble?

Not at all, mostly just curious if my store is the lowballing store.

 

[bognerman]

Thanks for all the feedback guys!

I will bring cash next time. I think I'm going to keep looking though.
Finding the right les paul is really hard.

 

[skoora]

Thanks for all the feedback guys!

I will bring cash next time. I think I'm going to keep looking though.
Finding the right les paul is really hard.

Tell me about it. There's not really a new les paul I love but I always dug the plaintop 60 that GC had for a while. Was watching one on ebay at a starting 2000. Had no bids with minutes to go. I shouldn't but I decide OK for $2000 I would be OK on a buy and of course in the last minute there's 5 bids that bump it up just enough where I have to pass.

I seem to see nice items go with 1 bid all the time but sure not when want them

 

[kannibul]

GS follows the pawn shop rule...

Pawn shops will give you (up to) 25% of the new price of the item, or, (up to) 50% of what you think you can sell it for on the open market...whichever is less.

Guitar Center and Music-Go-Round, typically will give you (up to) 33% of the new price, or approximately (up to) 66% what you think you can sell it for on open market - and that's typically what they'll sell it for...

Better than a pawn shop, but you're still eating your own ass. Because of the different margins, most people sell to GC/MGR, but, they also have a harder time moving used gear, because they expect to get more from it due to the venue...unlike a pawn shop...which tend to get stolen/abused/cheap stuff...that they can turn over quickly.

 

[Nigel]

I once got a Rivera K412 with a few snags for $199 there.

That's how it was marked. Went to the desk, they said it was mismarked and they had $380 in it. I was like, Ok, no big deal.

A buddy in Pro Audio went to the manager and got me the marked price, called me on my cell and told me to come pick it up.

I didn't want to hard ball them on a typo, but they honored it nonetheless.

That was a sweet krimmas.