Best way to go about selling cymbals? If I put them on craigslist, should I put a set price?

ba dum tish

Member
And how do I figure out what that price should be? Or should I do something like give them to the best offer? Also, should I sell them individually? I have a full cymbal set (all the same brand and style) and I only ever used the ride. The rest of them have been unused since I got them about 6 years ago. I've never done anything like this before. I'm guessing craigslist is the way to go from looking over past threads.

Also, I need new cymbals. Should I talk about possible trading?
 
Craigslist is not a bidding site and I ignore ads that say OBO. Tell me how much you want, I make you an offer and you take it or leave it or make a counter off. I have seen people really pissed because they drive an hour for an item and when they get there they are told the seller has a better offer. If you set a price on the phone or by mail and it is agreed to, stick with it. You can sell them here for no fee or pay a fee and watch a bidding war on eBay, or sell the at a set price or Make an Offer which you can accept or not.
 
Do a search on eBay for "completed listing" to see how much your cymbals are selling for in the auction format. Craigslist is great, because it's a local sale (no shipping involved), you get cash, and it's free to use. However, your audience is pretty limited to the people in your area and you can expect an offer much less than what you're asking in most cases.

I start on Craigslist, then if they don't sell there, I move them to eBay where the audience is a million times bigger. Of course, you have to pay eBay and PayPal fees going that route, but if you really want to sell them, it's a good way to do it.

I've tried selling in a set and separtely before, so think about that when you're doing searches.

Another word of advice, people have been in the habit of looking for "steals" for many years now. They will likely only sell if you give someone a really good deal. Kinda depends on how bad you want to sell them and how desirable they are...
 
If you're not sure where to start, then Ebay can get you in the ball park with their completed auctions.

Dennis
 
The advantage of craigslist is that you don't have to deal with packing and shipping. The disadvantage is you have to deal with someone in person, and set up a time for them to come visit your house. Some don't feel comfortable having total strangers visiting their house.
I've sold many items over craiglist, so I would start there. Definitely give them a price for either each cymbal separately or as a group - give them the option but don't use the OBO alternative.

When someone comes to look at my items, I expect them to offer me 10% or so below my price, so be ready for that. And make sure your cymbals are as clean and as new looking as possible. If the item looks overly used and beat up, they will either decline to buy or use it as an excuse to negotiate a much lower price. Also - make sure you post as many pics as CL allows - some pics showing everything and others showing details of the cymbas. List as much info as possible about your cymbals - showing you are a serious drummer. If they suspect that you don't know much about your items, they will again try to get them for a steal.
 
craigslist.
ebay is a good reference but some ebay auctions end up ramping up the value (bidding fury) of a cymbal and others are low as bidders have gotten steals.
I would search other nearby city craigslists to get a ballpark price fro the cymbal in question.
Sell individually to max your return BUT the added hassle of having to arrange more sales.
 
If you are going to do a "or best offer" option, you might as well just put your bottom dollar amount on it and be done. "OBO" tells me you are already going to take less than the price you advertise, so I am going to ignore it. BUT...although I believe in just setting a price and being firm, you will likely sell it quicker if the buyer thinks he can get you to come down by haggling, so I usually set the price about 10%-15% above my bottom dollar. Guarantee no matter how good your price is and how firm you are, an interested person is going to make you a lower offer, so you might as well pad it a little, come down some when they want to haggle, make them think they are the master wheeler-dealer, and get the thing sold.
 
Figure out what the local music/pawn shops will offer you. If it sounds reasonable to you, do it. If not, throw them up on craigslist, and prepare to be low-balled. I've listed items on craigslist before that have not sold, only to take them to a local drum shop and be offered more than I was asking for them on craigslist...
 
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