Buying a Used Guitar - Where to Buy
You've decided that you either want to get a guitar to supplement your collection or you are in the market for your first guitar. You've also determined that you want go get more for your money than you would get in a brand new guitar and are looking to purchase a used guitar. You've made a smart choice in that regard and this article will give you some of the information to help you ensure that you will be making a wise purchase.
Researching the cost of a specific used guitar should be the first step that you take before you go shopping for one. Two readily available ways to do that are: 1) review the final selling prices of completed auctions on eBay; or use the Guitar Blue Book as a standardized pricing guide.
You've got several venues from where to buy when looking to buy a used quality guitar. However, each of them has their own advantages and disadvantages.
Your local music store is a sound first option because they take guitars as trade-in and you can get your hands on the guitar, examine it in detail and play it. The disadvantages are that your choices will generally be very limited (unless you go to a shop that specializes in preowned equipment) and that you will probably pay top dollar for it. I like to equate used guitars at a guitar shop to used cars at a car dealer. Each of them needs to make a profit on the traded in price of the item so essentially you will not find a used guitar (or car) at or near the wholesale value. You will be paying the full retail value of the used item. However, that's not necessarily bad because along with that higher price comes a higher comfort level with your purchase. Just make sure that the higher price that you pay at the music store is not too high because some stores overprice their preowned inventory to make their new guitar prices look better. But before you finalize a deal on a used guitar from your local guitar store, make sure that you know the true worth of it and avoid buying on impulse.
You may also be able to find a quality used guitar at a flea market or pawn shop. These may indeed be viable alternatives, but I would only suggest these options to the more experienced buyer that can perform a very careful assessment of the guitar because of the higher risk involved in purchasing from these markets. The time involved in chasing down a guitar and the ‘hit or miss' nature of searching these alternatives may inflate your frustration level while searching for a guitar, so try not to focus your attention here.
The classified ads on Craig's List are also another possible source for your finding a used guitar. If you are in one of their larger geographic market areas you will find prices all over the place for a given guitar. I've seen prices vary from just about full retail on a new guitar or amp to prices that look like absolute steals. Again, know the actual value of the guitar. A nice benefit to buying a preowned guitar through a Craig's List classified ad is that you can examine and play the guitar before you purchase it and you won't have to pay a shipping charge or sales tax.
eBay is a the option that I highly recommend to potential buyers of a quality preowned guitar. The chief benefit is that there is usually a good and consistent selection of guitars in a particular model (assuming that you already know what you are looking for) from which to choose. The chief drawback is that this is one of the first places that buyers will go to when looking to buy a guitar, so the competition will be healthy. All in all, eBay will probably have what you are looking for but you will probably not find a steal here. But if you are smart, you will find a good value if you are patient and disciplined in your buying approach.
Guitar sellers on eBay are either individual private sellers or a variety of resellers. The resellers range from guys that found a cheap buy on eBay and are relisting it at a profit or commercial establishments that are offering their used inventory for auction with either a high reserve price or the ‘Buy It Now' option. You are much more likely to find a great buy in a used quality guitar from an individual seller, particularly if they have been careless in their listing, but a value can also be found from the resellers if you've done your research. Again, know the value of the used guitar before you begin shopping and develop your strategy beforehand.
One of the biggest advantages to using eBay is that sellers are generally guitarists like you and have cared for their instruments and have set them up properly. They also generally know what to look for in a guitar and will convey that in their listing (description and photos) to the buyer. Sellers are generally honest in their auction listings, but if you have any doubts or concerns, take the opportunity to ask the seller a question about any concerns that you may have. eBay also offers some protection in the purchase (to both the buyer and the seller) and using PayPal is recommended to strengthen that level of protection.
Please refer to the related articles Buying a Quality Preowned Guitar on eBay and ‘Checking Out That Used (or New) Guitar' (future).