Re: Why do we get such odd responses to ads?
Gee, is it too hot in here? Maybe we should leave the kitchen...
Putting out an advertisement to sell something, is accepting the possibility that you'll get uninformed, unscrupulous, annoying, non-serious responses. That's the chance you take. You can't screen potential "buyers" for sanity, good intentions, knowledge of current market prices, etc. I think, in this internet age, that many purchasers take the trouble to inform themselves regarding what prices are currently being asked for certain instrument models. But dealing with small-volume individualized transactions, like buying and selling instruments (unless you're Musician's Friend or some such), means that looking up "what used F-4's are selling for" is less useful. There are major variances in condition, vintage, etc. that create a large range of asking price.
If people who sell maybe a dozen instruments per year get frustrated, think about the person who deals every day from his store, and has to maintain an inventory of everything from high-end instruments, to picks and strings and lesson books, and all the other paraphernalia. Of course, few people expect to haggle over a set of D'Addarios, and the fact that there's a price tag hanging on that Eastman 505 sort of makes the price more "official" than if it were listed by a private seller on Craigslist.
Problem with private sales is that presumably the seller paid "retail" for the instrument, so needs to get a price within shouting distance of that figure, for a used mandolin whose price is, basically, set individually by its owner, and thus theoretically negotiable. The example of Martin's Mandocaster is a good one. He was offering a good deal, but many people just don't see why they should pay approximately the cost of a new instrument, for a used one, even if a bag etc. is thrown into the mix. If I go used-car shopping, as I did, and pick up a six-month-old Honda with only 6K on the odometer, I still expect to pay substantially less than I would for a new one. As I did.
I buy quite a bit, and never sell (though I do trade), and consider myself informed. I wouldn't feel embarrassed trying to ascertain what the seller's "bottom line" was, although I recognize a fair price when I see one. How many times have I heard dealers say, "Well, I've got $X into this one, so I'll need to get $X+Y out of it," and that doesn't bother me. That's how it works, and dealing with honest people, you get to a fair price.
Allen Hopkins
Gibsn: '54 F5 3pt F2 A-N Custm K1 m'cello
Natl Triolian Dobro mando
Victoria b-back Merrill alumnm b-back
H-O mandolinetto
Stradolin Vega banjolin
Sobell'dola Washburn b-back'dola
Eastmn: 615'dola 805 m'cello
Flatiron 3K OM
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