Guitar Center's used inventory

I've found some very good deals on used equipment at GC, too. And then, as Bermuda pointed out, some of the used gear is priced just dollars under the new price for the same item. If you trade something in at GC, you can see clearly why some used gear is priced so low. I wanted to trade in a Fender Strat Mini on a snare drum. The Strat was purchased from the same store and hadn't been played at all. New price was $99. They offered me $24 trade in. I sold it on Craig's List for $60. I'm not complaining about the trade in prices because I've been in the business and know that what they offered was the going trade-in value. But I know they are giving the same type of rates to other customers, too, yet sometimes post incredible markups - like the Ludwig set Bermuda cited. Nevertheless, I still scan GC used gear as often as possible, and sometimes those killer deals show up. That makes me quite happy!

GeeDeeEmm
 
There are definitely some great deals to be found at GC on used gear, although some items are inexplicably high. Well, not really a mystery there, somebody at the store pays too much for something, and they have to price it higher than it will sell for. Of course, they eventually start lowering the price until the item sells.

There's a 3-pc WFL kit in good shape that I've had my eye on for 2 years, maybe longer. It started at $3699, then went to $2899, and is currently at $1999. Unfortunately for them, the kit is only worth $800-1000 to the right buyer, maybe $1200 to a serious collector. But at $1999, it's gonna sit for a while. Even Tre Cool wouldn't pay that!

Bermuda


They've got some stuff on there right now that makes me wonder what in the heck they were thinking.
Someone might lose their job over it.
Way -WAY overpriced.
I shudder to think if someone buys it though.
 
Thanks for the replies. I'm interested in buying a simple 4-piece kit from a store that is out of my area. I don't know how much they would charge on shipping and tax.

My friend said that you can ask an employee at the store to have them ship in certain products, even used ones, if you are looking for them for free. I don't know if they do that, I think it's a rumor...
 
Thanks for the replies. I'm interested in buying a simple 4-piece kit from a store that is out of my area. I don't know how much they would charge on shipping and tax.

My friend said that you can ask an employee at the store to have them ship in certain products, even used ones, if you are looking for them for free. I don't know if they do that, I think it's a rumor...

I just went onto their website and looked at the pricing for used 5-piece kits. They will ship it to your door for around $35 for a 5-piece kit. Freaking cheap IMO!
 
Hey that's great. Can you give me the link to where you found that? Do they have a shipping calculator or something? That's a really good price. I almost can't believe it!
 
I think the shipping differs between stores/items. If you enter the checkout process you can see how much it'll be for each item. I think I paid about $30 combined tax and shipping on a $160 cymbal not too long ago.
 
My friend said that you can ask an employee at the store to have them ship in certain products, even used ones, if you are looking for them for free. I don't know if they do that, I think it's a rumor...
It's not a rumor, but it is entirely arbitrary/discretionary. I've established a pretty good relationship with my local GC, so they'll usually do it for me if I ask.

As an example, there was a kit I wanted, but I was going out of town for work for a couple of weeks. I didn't want the kit sitting around the office or outside of my house. So I talked to the store manager at my local shop, he called the GC that had the kit (half the country away), and they essentially just put that kit in my local store's inventory. I just put a down payment on it, and paid the rest of it off and picked it up when I got back.

When they do store to store transfers there's no shipping cost: because you're buying it from your local store, not the store of origin. However, it's contingent upon your local store being willing to do it, and the store of origin giving their consent as well. I don't know if I get a little preferential treatment because of the dumb amount of money I spend there, but it can be done. I believe they call it a "Store to Store Transfer" in their corporate jargon.

Also, they've only ever done it for me when I'm buying something expensive, but that's also because I like the expensive things to go there. Not only for security, but because I can inspect for damage before I even take it home. With used gear, sometimes they'll give you an additional price break or offer to replace whatever part is broken depending on what it is if you spot something beyond normal wear and tear. I also only ever ask for the transfer for expensive stuff. I imagine they'd get tired of me asking for them to transfer 150 dollar cymbals every month, but maybe they don't really give a damn and I should just try instead of assuming.
 
I got a 1000 dollar Shure KSM44 mic that looked brand new. Half of the stuff was still in plastic bags from the factory in the case. 400
 
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