Trade Ins at GC?

I would try and sell them on the side.

Those types of stores won't give you the money you think the stuff is worth. I bought a mixer stand from GC around 6 months or more ago and I wanted to unload it back to them. They said they would give me $30 for it....... I paid $100 for it new and mine is in better shape than the one they have now! :shock:

For giggles, go in and ask them how much they would give you.

What ever you decide, good luck.

Mike

you will do better selling it outright

you will do better selling it out right but then you have to deal with people browsing and what not. a friend of ine was selling a gutiar and he would get people that wuold come by and play it for 2 hours and then leave saying they've decided not to buy it. with a trade in you get the money right away which is a plus. Calculate the actual value of the stuff you're planning on trading in so you know how much you'd lose when they give you the trade in value. if they ask what you're looking to get for it make sure you say more than you'd expect to get for it. ive traded in twice there and they've given me 90% of the price that i said i wanted to get and since i inflated it they gave me what i wanted for it.

I know you said you don't do eBay but that might be the best in getting the most for your items. Shipping might be a pain with a drum kit but then again you add that on to the price. There are also sellers on eBay who will sell the items for you and keep a small percentage for themselves (usually not much). They'll even ship it for you.

I would go to GC and get an estimate...then go to a smaller music store and get another estimate...know your base line of what the price is at those places and use them as a guide to selling your gear privately. Set a timline...if you do not sell privatley during that time, go to the highest bidding store. Gear that you don't move is gear that you still have.

I've had great luck selling on eBay.

With multiple items, you generally will get more money by selling them separately, but then you have to deal with the pain of individual shipping.

Give ebay a try. So many people go on ebay, its worth the hassle of shipping.

Don't forget that GC will want to cover the cost of selling the gear as well as make a profit, on what they take in trade-ins. They will know what they can get for a used item, say 60% of new price. They will want a mark-up so you'll, at best, see 40% of new price.

Try ebay. Ensure that the auction finishes Sunday evening and runs for at least 7 days. Unless you understand PayPal, I'd stay away from it - you'll get customers who understand even less and make the whole thing a nightmare.

Take a look at running auctions and look at what makes an auction attractive, to you, and what puts you off an item. Model your auction on what has attracted you - chances are it will attract others.
Make a detailed description of the item, but be honest, if there's a mark or a scratch, tell them about it. Be detailed but don't turn it into a novel. Provide pictures - keep the resolution down, so that downloading is short. Add the pictures into the body of your auction (you'll need to host them somewhere) - sharp, well-lit pictures will sell gear as well as any description.

Get the money before posting and be very clear, in the auction, how much the postage is going to be. If you want to send by USPS, they have a website with national and international price calculator.