Why custom drums are sometimes hard to sell...

BertTheDrummer

BertTheDrummer

Gold Member
Someone must have thought this was a good idea... but how many others do?
zNnoiuG.jpg


I just saw this up for sale... thought it was interesting.
 
Simple answer is they don't have the name attached to them and if you have a custom build for your specs why would you sell it?

I have a couple of custom kits both by Richmo (Alan Gilby who designed the Premier Resonator) I got them both from a guy who was endorsed and played the same setup as me for a stupidly cheap price considering the build quality. I've had the main one since 05 and wouldn't sell it for the world. It records beautifully. I'm not a fan of the powder coated hoops mind!
 

Attachments

  • WP_20141213_001.jpg
    WP_20141213_001.jpg
    161.3 KB · Views: 830
Those Spaun drums are a great example. Much of the value (and cost) of a custom drumset is that it is hand built specifically for you. When they are sold used, they are not built for the customer, and likely not to their exact specs, so that part of the value vanishes. More customized=Less Resale value.

From a supply/demand standpoint, the demand on a kit like that is minimal, because a VERY small fraction of drummers would be interested in something that looks like that.
 
Tommy_D said:
Well, when you build something as ugly as that, of course it's going to be hard to resell.
Click to expand...

When I talk to the drum manager at GC,he tries to avoid custom drums for resale as they are over priced and sit for quite a while.

We've got quite a few on Craigslist that sit for months at a time unsold.

This one has be on and off for over a year.

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/msg/d/rare-cc-custom-drum-kit/6398274889.html

This one for a few months now

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/msg/d/cc-cc-custom-maple-drum-set/6397815216.html
 
pgm554 said:
We've got quite a few on Craigslist that sit for months at a time unsold.

This one has be on and off for over a year.

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/msg/d/rare-cc-custom-drum-kit/6398274889.html
Click to expand...

Ha, I remember in my ebay seller days, I could put 'Rare' in the title and sell it for more. I was an avid CD collector and knew what was hard to find. But as an experiment, I did add Rare occasionally to see what would happen. Most of the time... nothing.

I dunno, maybe that kit is Rare. Define Rare.
 
BertTheDrummer said:
Someone must have thought this was a good idea... but how many others do?
zNnoiuG.jpg


I just saw this up for sale... thought it was interesting.
Click to expand...

I’m sure the bride would love that at her wedding!

Actually, I think it’s hard to sell Customs because by nature, only one person wanted them to begin with. So they are unloved by others out of the box. Those guys buying those weird DW drums suffer the same thing.
 
I think brand recognition and bragging rights play some role into why custom drums don't hold value as well as some of the big names. Who here doesn't enjoy touting their preferred brand? I know I do from time to time. Having a custom set that fewer people have heard of diminishes the appeal of bragging rights. In addition to bragging rights, it's inspiring to see ads, videos, reviews and testimonials of products we have or want. You'll see more from the big drum guns on social media, ads, concerts...etc than you will a boutique/custom maker. People like to see their stuff in action and to be reminded of how awesome their purchase is/was or will be. (me included)
 
In my experience, very unusual finishes take longer to sell because you have to wait for the right buyer to see them. On the other hand, they always fetch a good price because when the right buyer sees them and falls in love with them, there are no options to shop around.
 
Groov-E said:
This one had to have been re-wrapped, I doubt C&C would let that out of their factory ?
Click to expand...

I doubt it’s the wrapping that’s preventing their sale. That’s an easy fix. I’m betting it’s the fact that the seller says he’s gig hard with them for three years and still wants 2k for them!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top