Usedkit › Selling used instruments

Selling used instruments

Players buy an instrument for how it plays. Say how it's set up, and every change made to it.

What buyers ask first

• Year and where it was made.
• Setup: action, intonation, fret wear, when it was last set up.
• Modifications: replaced pickups, tuners or other parts, and whether the originals come with it.
• Electronics: every pot and switch quiet, no crackle.
• Case: hard case, gig bag or none.

How to grade a used instrument

• Like new: no playing wear, factory setup.
• Excellent: light marks, little fret wear, plays well.
• Good: visible wear on the finish or frets; plays well after a setup.
• Fair: worn frets, a repaired crack or a fault; say which.
• For parts: a structural problem, such as a cracked neck or a lifting bridge.

A repair done well isn't a fault, but it's always something to state: buyers find out.

What to photograph

• Front and back in full, then the headstock, neck joint and body close up.
• The frets, and any repair or modification.
• The serial number, which buyers use to check the year and origin.

Pricing it

Price from recent sales of the same model, year and origin; original parts and a fresh setup move it up, modifications often move it down unless the originals come with it.

Selling them in a web shop

Each used item is its own product, sold once. Two things make that work: a condition every buyer reads the same way, shown on the product and in the product list, and a way to keep the buyer who arrives after it sold.

Usedkit adds both to WooCommerce and Shopify: a condition card with the details buyers ask about, and a "notify me" on sold items that matches by model, so the next one reaches everyone who waited.

Should I restring and set up a guitar before selling?

New strings and a basic setup cost little and make it play its best when someone tries it. Mention the date of the setup.

Do modifications lower the value?

Often, for collectors; less so for players. Keeping and including the original parts protects the value.

Write the condition text for a used instrument · A waitlist for sold items

Sell instruments without losing the next buyer

Usedkit is free during early access. On WooCommerce, the plugin from WordPress.org; on Shopify, the Shopify app (in review for the App Store; available soon).