Why your stuff isn't selling

DrumEatDrum

Platinum Member
I stumbled upon this via another fellow DW member. I'm surprised no one else has posted it.

Taken from a Houston area craiglist ad, although I think it applies to just about anywhere used drum gear is listed for sale:
http://houston.craigslist.org/msg/4619531984.html


Why your stuff isn't selling...

This is not a joke, alot of us take craigslist very seriously when it comes to buying, selling, and trading and when you are dealing with moderately priced goods, you should take it serious too. We don't mind seeing the same ads, but please for the love of God follow these basic guidelines to help you make a sale and we are not left with 2 years of the same ads.

"PDP Drumkit by DW" No, just stop. The two may be under the same umbrella corporation, however the two are very different - just like Toyota and Lexus. If you've ever been in a Camry, you know it's not the same as a Lexus.

"59cm Ziljam symbol" If you don't know what you have...fine, I'll bite and talk you down to $7 and you deliver it...otherwise do some research and fourth grade spellcheck.

"This kits sounds incredible. I probably only used them a dozen times" Again, just stop. If they sound so incredible, why haven't you played on them?

"Only played for 17 hours"...The only thing worse than "only used a dozen times" guy is the guy who flies a plane for a living and keeps a log of the hours he uses items. Just stick with the condition of the equipment... a simply 8/10 will work. Perhaps a 4 stars out of 5 stars. You can even spell it out if absolutely necessary and say four stars out of five stars.

Guitar stands for sale... Unless you are a dealer, this is pointless. You really expect someone to drive clear across our fine Mayor's Traffic Jam, in 98 degree heat, with humidity in the high 80s, and lets not forget that shitty part of 45 and 610 so they can save seventeen cents on a guitar stand?

"Custom anything" Unless you drew the specs yourself, designed your own paint sequence, AND found a new way to route the edges into a perfect dual 45 degree angle...nothing you own is custom. Unless it is in the name ("Yahama Maple Custom, Les Paul Custom) Do not use the C word. Even if you bought a pawnshop drumkit, cleaned it, repainted it, and gave it new pink nickel hardware, it still is not custom. But even with that being said, it has been customized (there is a difference) to your liking. Just because you spent an extra $700 making your $300 drum kit your own does not make it worth $1000. It is sadly still worth $300...Ok, $400 if the pink nickel hoops looks really good.

"I bought it new for $2500, selling used for $2500" Wow. Where do you get your pants made? Surely you must get them tailored somewhere. How else could you get balls that big into your pants? Have you never bought a car and had something tragic happen 30 minutes later only to have the insurance company inform you of depreciation? When you buy something new. Its shiny and new. Even if its still shiny when you try to sell it, it's still used and been handled. This is why big box stores give discounts on open box items - and those items arent even used... Simply opened.

PDP tomtoms, Pearl Kick, CB snare, and Gajate bracket $900- No. Just stop. This could not be more wrong. This is three levels above "snare guy" and that is not a compliment. The musician heirchy goes like this: Snare guy, overpricer, backout guy, mixed up kit, stolen gear guy, counterfiet guy, legit guy, under pricer, "moving away so must sell today" guy, and I'm getting a divorce-come get my stuff so she doesnt get a dime-guy.

And I will close saying it doesnt matter how many pieces your kit has, no PDP, Pulse, Rockstar, CB, post 1980s Ludwigs, or first act drums are worth $1000-not even 700 actually, but I'll assume its a really cool kit so I'll give you up to $1000. Save yourself some time, look up Ebay.com and type in what you intend to sell. Now click completed listings (its on the left). This will show you what the other items similar to your actually sold for and which ones didn't even get a bid. Now keep in mind that Ebay is world wide with access to 7 billion people, whereas CL houston has approximately 400,000 logging on. Just because something sold on Ebay for $1.9 million dollars does not mean someone in Houston will spend that kind of money here.
 
Wait, wait, wait a minit!!

You mean to tell me that the ol' crack'd PDP snare drum that I baut is not, I repeet, not made by DW??

Damit. Now I need to write my own Craagslist ad.

Hmmm? Let's see.

Vintige Drum Workshop Corperation (this will handel the "made by DW" thing) snare drum fer sale. Comes from Americun Mapel Cell Divishun (better than sayin' crack'd). Top head is very broken in - like an old pair of shoes. This gives the drum a very yuneek sound. Call or txt ###-###-#### for more infermashun & pitchers.

I should have it sold by mornin'


;-) ;-) ;-)
 
yes indeed, craigslist. source of many stories. i sometimes write sellers to point out their over-pricing.

Then rarely on the flip you see the odd person ' Ludwig snare, $30" (and you get there and its an old Suprphonic). They knew not what they had and you feel like you robbed them.
 
This list makes perfect sense to me.Rule one,should be,don't be a lazy ass,and not do some research ,to find out the current resale value for your items,and the best source for that is Ebay...completed auctions.Just take say 5-10 listings,and average out what the sale price was...and bingo.

So many people log on to this site,and a few others and just ask...how much is my drum kit worth..with no pics,no decription of condition.no model,..in short....no nothing(yes, I'm aware grammer police)

Do some basic research,so you don't sell a vintage supraphonic for 30 bucks.There are plenty of places that can tell you exactly what you have.There are some actual bonafied experts on some drum forums,that will tell you exactly what you have,and if it's rare or not.Old ....does not mean valuable ...or rare,so when you're told gramp's old drum kit is not valuable or rare,don't hold your breath and pout,and then ask some outrageious price for them anyway.

That list is really just good old common sense.

Steve B
 
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But why moan about 'over-pricers'? If someone owns something they're perfectly entitled to try and sell it for whatever they want. Of course, it won't sell, it's their waste of time. Nothing more obnoxious than someone mailing a seller to tell them they've overpriced. Make them an offer, don't whinge at them.
 
But why moan about 'over-pricers'? If someone owns something they're perfectly entitled to try and sell it for whatever they want. Of course, it won't sell, it's their waste of time. Nothing more obnoxious than someone mailing a seller to tell them they've overpriced. Make them an offer, don't whinge at them.

Very true, any time I list something, and I know what my price range should be, you always get an initial wave of 3 or 4 out to lunch lowball offers, which frankly I find insulting.

I also hate the "14 piece drum kit" ads that are counting every cymbal and stand as a piece.
 
But why moan about 'over-pricers'? If someone owns something they're perfectly entitled to try and sell it for whatever they want. Of course, it won't sell, it's their waste of time. Nothing more obnoxious than someone mailing a seller to tell them they've overpriced. Make them an offer, don't whinge at them.

Ya I guess I can be obnoxious. lol No really, you're right, they have a right to post a ridiculous price, like 17K for a Gretsch Catalina and its cymbals/hardware. I'm not nasty about it, no moaning, I simply write a polite email trying to help them out, so they don't waste their time. Most have thanked me... go figure.
 
But why moan about 'over-pricers'? If someone owns something they're perfectly entitled to try and sell it for whatever they want. Of course, it won't sell, it's their waste of time. Nothing more obnoxious than someone mailing a seller to tell them they've overpriced. Make them an offer, don't whinge at them.

No moaning here,just common sense,and offering common sense advice ,dosen't come close to being obnoxious,though I've never told a seller his price was,just plain greedy..But I have called out sellers on being deliberatly deceptive,and asking outragious money,to snag a not so in the know buyer.There ARE,two sides to this coin.

There's a guy in Canada,that sells phony vintage Rogers drums.All fakes.People like that need to be called out,for their dishonesty,and inflated prices,which also by the way,atificially drives up the fair market prices on used drums.Again,two sides to this coin.

Steve B
 
yes indeed, craigslist. source of many stories. i sometimes write sellers to point out their over-pricing.

Then rarely on the flip you see the odd person ' Ludwig snare, $30" (and you get there and its an old Suprphonic). They knew not what they had and you feel like you robbed them.

The opposite happened to me six months ago when I found a Craigslist ad for vintage New Beat hi-hats selling for $120 only five miles from where I live. The seller was a bass player and occasional drummer who was selling his cymbals before he and his band moved to greener pastures, and his other cymbal offered seemed legit. I still assumed they were going to be a pair of '80s or '90s hats loaded with patina. However, when I made it to the guy's apartment, I learned that they were a lighter pair from the early '70s, free of scratches and dents, and they had that warm tone that only well-aged older hi-hats can produce. Needless to say, I have been enjoying my New Beats since then.
 
No moaning here,just common sense,and offering common sense advice ,dosen't come close to being obnoxious,though I've never told a seller his price was,just plain greedy..But I have called out sellers on being deliberatly deceptive,and asking outragious money,to snag a not so in the know buyer.There ARE,two sides to this coin.

There's a guy in Canada,that sells phony vintage Rogers drums.All fakes.People like that need to be called out,for their dishonesty,and inflated prices,which also by the way,atificially drives up the fair market prices on used drums.Again,two sides to this coin.

Steve B

Of course, selling counterfeit goods is fraud, do as you want with criminals. But there's no such thing as outrageous money on a genuine item. If some fool wants to hand over the cash, then so be it. As long as the seller is completely honest in the details then 'buyer beware'.
 
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