Wow--new side business that's taking off

Concrete Pete

Senior Member
Hey Crew,

I can't believe how lucrative this new sideline of mine has become--buying and selling drums, parts, hardware, cymbals, welding up custom hardware, etc., has turned out to be. Just today I made about $190 on parts and stuff that I had about $44 invested in.

It's weird-- the economy is pretty crappy, musicians are starving (not like that's a new thing!) and it seems like drum owners are desperate to "make room" in their homes and get rid of drums CHEAP.

On the OTHER hand, I've been swamped with Craiglist ad responders that have been picking my bones clean looking for all kinds of used heads, hardware, accessories, and you-name-it drum stuff!

On top of that, (as of today) I'm the "official" drum customizer/repair person for 4 of the 5 music stores in the Chico/Paradise/Oroville area music stores, after printing out window banners and business cards to leave at the sites. (I give a 50% discount for the music stores personal drum work)

I just wish I would have gotten into this earlier.
If anyone here needs anything as far as hardware, or custom stuff, email me--mention Drummerworld, and you can have it at my cost--my thanks back to this website, and all the input, advice, and camaradery that D. W. has given and inspired me with.

My email is: [email protected]

Rock forever,
C. P.
 
Hey C.P.!

That's awsome! You must be doing something right! :)
good luck with it all!

Ami
 
That's very clever, and what I've been trying to do these days. I recently made 300 dollars off of a kit of DWs, and got to keep the snare and hardware!

How did you get started?
 
Thanks Ami and Dwsabianguy,

Yeah, it just took off--no warning. I was just buying up whole drum sets and bunches of hardware and stands and stuff, (just to get a few items I needed) as it's WAY cheaper than buying new stuff. Next thing I know I'm selling off the unwanted stuff, and have people going "Dude, do you have a (this or that) and can you find me a (fill in the blank) 'cause I'll pay bigtime to get that".

It just snowballed, then snowballed some more, then it avalanched!
Heck, I just made another $50 on the side tonightselling a "baseball bat" snare throw-off I bought yesterday, in a pack of 2. (in a large box of parts)

Just so it doesn't sound all peaches n' cream--My living room looks like a page out of Musician's Friend, and it takes about 8 minutes to break down and move my "monster kit" to one side, just so I can roll one of my Harleys out of the garage for a ride before the rain/snow season hits.

I know one thing--once I get the bass-to-tom mounting rack for the new Tama Rockstar kit in my living room, I'm gonna bang the hell outta that kit before I sell it off. It's a real damn nice rig, and it's a beautiful white kit. Pics will follow!

Rock forever,
C. P.
 
You are one industrious fella. More power to ya Pete.
 
Hey Crew,

Thanks for the kudos and support.

Hey, if anyone needs anything, PM or email me, and if I have it, you can have it for what I paid for it (+u pay shipping), unless it's a rare or high-dollar item that I already have a local buyer for.
My way of saying "thanks' to all the great D.W. folks here that have taught me and shared so much!

Rock forever,
C. P.
 
Hey Crew,

Thanks for the kudos and support.

Hey, if anyone needs anything, PM or email me, and if I have it, you can have it for what I paid for it (+u pay shipping), unless it's a rare or high-dollar item that I already have a local buyer for.
My way of saying "thanks' to all the great D.W. folks here that have taught me and shared so much!

Rock forever,
C. P.

Have you got any 10 lug 14" Ludwig hoops?
 
Hey CP, congrats on this new found source of income.

I'm hoping you can explain something to me.

It's weird-- the economy is pretty crappy, musicians are starving (not like that's a new thing!) and it seems like drum owners are desperate to "make room" in their homes and get rid of drums CHEAP.

On the OTHER hand, I've been swamped with Craiglist ad responders that have been picking my bones clean looking for all kinds of used heads, hardware, accessories, and you-name-it drum stuff!

If you're buying stuff up for cheap, that means someone sold it to you for cheap. In the long run, how do you manage to sell things off for more than what other people are selling them for? What are you doing that makes you able to avoid becoming one of those people who sell things off for cheap because of the economy? Is it just buying parts and gear in bulk and selling individually?

I'm having a hell of a time trying to sell of a Yamaha YD kit on my local craigslist. Some guy sold the same kit I was selling, but with AN EXTRA BASS DRUM for $350 when I barely want to list for lower than $500. If the guy picking up that double bass kit for $350 thought he was getting a great deal and would be able to resell for higher, he'd have a rude awakening coming. The original seller of the double bass kit had to relist several times and drop the price before anyone bought from him.
 
Hey Naveed,

I think the answer is that I've been filling the gap between starving musicians that don't want to pay retail for stuff, and people that are just looking for hardware and components. It's like I started doing a "junkyard" for drum stuff. The custom fabrication stuff I do (welding, machining, etc.) is pretty much non-existent up here in butte County, so there's another void I have filled. I can buy a crap drum set for $100, and sell the hardware off it for 20 times what it cost me, and still charge 1/2 (or less ) than retail.

The one drawback I've encountered is storing all the "yet unsold" shells, components, and hardware--my living room looks like the back room of Musician's Friend, garage is already overstuffed, and I might have to buy or build a storage shed pretty soon! Oh, well...

I think one of the secrets that I never realized before now is that people buy drums (for themselves, or kids, etc) and find out later that when the thrill is gone, those drums tale up a BUNCH of space, then people just want them gone for just about any price, as they "need the room." (been seeing a LOT of that scenario)

I never thought it would be this successful, just a "hobby gone wild", I guess. I do have to say-- it's really fun, and doing one of the things I like best--DRUM STUFF!

Hey Wy Yung,
Nope, not at this time, but keep checking in or P.M. me-- I get new stuff (and leads) all the time.

Rock forever,
C. P.
 
I'm glad things are going well for you Pete. This may have been said, but I hope you don't get into what I see a lot of on ebay. Destroying perfectly good vintage drums because the parts are worth more then the whole. It's a shame to see perfectly good vintage Rogers, Ludwig, Slingerland or whatever kits broken down into shells, lugs, mounts, rims\hoops, etc. to put a few more dollars in someones wallet. It makes finding these old kits that much more harder to find.
 
Hey DonV,

Worry not, my friend-- There's no way in Heaven or on Earth that i would sink that low, or compromise either my standards, or prostitute out a nice vintage kit.

Remember, I own ONLY classic Harleys, and would never put one single foreign part on them, or even let someone else work on them. Even all the nuts and bolts are American made--NOT kidding.

The classic stuff I get is for rebuilding, restoration, and resale as a whole unit. I still have that Tama Rockstar kit taking up my living room, waiting patiently for the bass-to-tom mounts.

I WOULD however used parts from a vintage kit that was thrashed (as in NO redeeming value--like hit by a train) to rebuild another, WORTHY vintage kit.

Hope that helps.

Cheers,
C. P.
 
Hey DonV,

Worry not, my friend-- There's no way in Heaven or on Earth that i would sink that low, or compromise either my standards, or prostitute out a nice vintage kit.

Remember, I own ONLY classic Harleys, and would never put one single foreign part on them, or even let someone else work on them. Even all the nuts and bolts are American made--NOT kidding.

The classic stuff I get is for rebuilding, restoration, and resale as a whole unit. I still have that Tama Rockstar kit taking up my living room, waiting patiently for the bass-to-tom mounts.

I WOULD however used parts from a vintage kit that was thrashed (as in NO redeeming value--like hit by a train) to rebuild another, WORTHY vintage kit.

Hope that helps.

Cheers,
C. P.

I'm glad to hear it Pete. It just hurts to look on ebay and look at an entrie list of what a seller has and see that a perfectly good vintage kit has been cannibalized for the extra $ that comes from selling parts. I wish you all the luck with your entrepunerial adventure. Since it has to do with drums, you have the good luck to check out everything that passes through you. That has to be fun.
 
I accept with information:You think the answer is that you've been filling the gap between starving musicians that don't want to pay retail for stuff, and people that are just looking for hardware and components. It's like you started doing a "junkyard" for drum stuff. The custom fabrication stuff I do (welding, machining, etc.) is pretty much non-existent up here in butte County, so there's another void I have filled.You can buy a crap drum set for $100, and sell the hardware off it for 20 times what it cost me, and still charge 1/2 (or less ) than retail.
 
Hey Naveed,

Damn!
Last night I sold a set of six floor tom leg brackets with 3 floor tom legs to a guy that drove up here from Oroville for $60 bucks.

I was only asking $35 for all that, and he called me, said he was "desperate" and would give me the $60 if I promised I wouldn't sell them to anyone else. Done deal, but I told him when he showed up that $40 would be sufficient--he still gave me the $60 cash, and thanked the hell outta me...Go figger! I don't have any floor tom legs or brackets, right now.

Keep me in mind, and I'll be buying more stuff after Thanksgiving--I'm putting buying stuff off until after then, as I'll be driving south for the holiday.

Best way to keep up on my current inventory is email [email protected]
(put "not spam" in the subject box, so my spam filters let it thru)

Remember, I'll sell only to DrumerWorld folks at MY cost + you pay shipping. Everyone else pays my already discounted prices.

Hope I can help folks out here, as D.W. has been a HUGE help to me over the year that I've been here!

Rock forever,
C. P.
 
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