Guitar Shop morals

RobDavies · September 2023

I am currently away with the missus, spending a few days in Brighton which is one of our favourite places.

Obviously, when you’re in Brighton it’s polite to check out the guitar stores, so we went into one and had a wander around - looking specifically for an SG standard. While we were in there, a very young lad walked in, looking to sell a nice looking Epi SG. The fella working there offered him 200 quid and the lad accepted. I knew instantly that the guitar was worth way more than that and lo and behold, twenty four hours later, the shop is selling it for £499.

I know they’re running a business and the lad should probably have done more research as to the instruments worth, but I felt so bad for him. I wish I’d offered him more - even though it wasn’t the SG I’ve been after.

Maybe I’m just a big softy these days but it doesn’t sit right with me. AND they didn’t have any SG standards in stock.

Dominic · September 2023

Seems harsh but that's business;
Firstly ,they wont get that .....so let's say they get £440
By the time you amortise rent,rates,salaries,insurance ,light and heat ....allow 20% of the differential for VAT etc etc etc that probably nets down to £100 profit (they may also have to re-string and set up etc ....so possibly even less
It has to be valued against what a bulk purchased New Epi SG costs them and what profit they make selling a customer one of those instead .
A Pizza in Pizza Express costs £20 these days .......it's not worth being in business for less than 5 Pizzas

RiftAmps · September 2023

Epi SGs are selling for roughly £150-£200 on eBay. Cash Converters would have offered him 25% of that price. He got himself a good deal for quick cash.

Image: https://i.postimg.cc/wxcJcKYv/Screenshot-2023-09-28-at-09-07-25.png

goldtop · September 2023

#97 rule of business: A good sale starts with a good buy.

Sporky · September 2023

goldtop said:

#97 rule of business: A good sale starts with a good buy.

I heard the same thing worded as "you make the money when you buy".

Rocker · September 2023

I don’t see the problem, the seller was happy with the cash offered for his guitar, what the shop values the guitar is their business. The guitar is theirs now...

theatreanchor · September 2023

Tis what they do, I guess. Met an ex-employee of Anderton's yesterday who said it's pretty much a 100% markup on everything.

p90fool · September 2023

I think the £200 is way more realistic than the £499 is, and I bet the shop know that too.

PolarityMan · September 2023

The shop need to but another £200 Sg though so they can cellotape them together and make an LP

Fishboy7 · September 2023

Sounds reasonable for a trade-in at a shop.

FelineGuitars · September 2023

theatreanchor said:

Tis what they do, I guess. Met an ex-employee of Anderton's yesterday who said it's pretty much a 100% markup on everything.

It may be on brands that they own or import exclusively but not on general music industry stuff - more likely a 30-55% range on most stuff.

guitars4you · September 2023

Sporky said:

goldtop said:

#97 rule of business: A good sale starts with a good buy.

I heard the same thing worded as "you make the money when you buy".

Correct

purchasing the right gear at the right price is the hard bit - get that right and the rest is easier

LionAquaLooper · September 2023

Also have to take his circumstances into account. I wouldn't automatically assume he hadn't done his research and got ripped off. Maybe he needed a quick sale, or is uncomfortable with selling it himself privately online. Maybe it's even a stolen guitar.

FelineGuitars · September 2023

LionAquaLooper said:

Also have to take his circumstances into account. I wouldn't automatically assume he hadn't done his research and got ripped off. Maybe he needed a quick sale, or is uncomfortable with selling it himself privately online. Maybe it's even a stolen guitar.

I've heard it said that some shops in certain areas (like Brighton) where many musicians sadly fall into drug addiction means that shops often get offered guitars for just enough money to get their next fix.

Offset · September 2023

I don't think £200 is an unreasonable offer for a bog-standard Epi SG, especially given there was no p/x.

I do think £499 is an unreasonable re-sale price though :-)

Cols · September 2023

Unless there's something very special about it, £200 is pretty much what I'd expect to get for an Epiphone SG.

Anyone who bounds into the shop afterwards and pays £499 for a secondhand Epi SG is a bit of a mug. A brand new SG Standard should be under £400.

CavemanGrogg · September 2023

Out of curiosity if the guitar shop had offered the guy £2k for his Epiphone SG instead of £200, would the OP have told the guitar shop that they where over paying for the guitar, would they have started a thread about it? Or would they have kept quiet about it, maybe even considered grabbing any or all the Epiphones they own to sell to the guitar shop?

Greatape · September 2023

CavemanGrogg said:

Out of curiosity if the guitar shop had offered the guy £2k for his Epiphone SG instead of £200, would the OP have told the guitar shop that they where over paying for the guitar, would they have started a thread about it? Or would they have kept quiet about it, maybe even considered grabbing any or all the Epiphones they own to sell to the guitar shop?

This is absolute fantasy and a bit out of order in its inference.

CavemanGrogg · September 2023

Greatape said:

CavemanGrogg said:

Out of curiosity if the guitar shop had offered the guy £2k for his Epiphone SG instead of £200, would the OP have told the guitar shop that they where over paying for the guitar, would they have started a thread about it? Or would they have kept quiet about it, maybe even considered grabbing any or all the Epiphones they own to sell to the guitar shop?

This is absolute fantasy and a bit out of order in its inference.

Ok, so instead of £2k, say the shop offered the guy £400 for his Epiphone SG?

Axe_meister · September 2023

I've had Andertons pay way over the odds for my old G-system. They paid £600 quid (ok part exchange) only for them to buy a pallet of them and sell them for £300 a piece a few months later.

scrumhalf · September 2023

Just because something is for sale at a certain price doesn't mean it's going to sell at that price.

However, it could be that it might go for £400 a few weeks later with a 20% off note on it.

richardhomer · September 2023

I did a deal at weekend which involved part-exchanging a mid-priced Les Paul for a more expensive one. The deal was not the one I wanted - but my choice was to do it, or walk away.

One of the points the dealer made to me (and one which I fully accept) is that it is getting harder to buy desirable instruments in at ‘the right price’.

So, I ‘may’ have paid a bit more than I wanted to and I ‘may’ have got less for my guitar that I’d have liked but - and this I think is really important - I got to play my guitar back to back against the one I bought, in order to make a meaningful comparison. And I had a pleasant chat, in a lovely shop.

Ultimately, for those of us who value bricks and mortar shops, we shouldn’t really begrudge them the chance to make money.

guitars4you · September 2023

theatreanchor said:

Tis what they do, I guess. Met an ex-employee of Anderton's yesterday who said it's pretty much a 100% markup on everything.

I bet they wish !!!!

LionAquaLooper · September 2023

Well I'm pretty sure everyone already knows Anderton's are generally more expensive than some other online retailers anyway. I don't think I've ever bought anything from them because a quick google for the item I'm after always leads me to another store that sells it cheaper.

roberty · September 2023

LionAquaLooper said:

Well I'm pretty sure everyone already knows Anderton's are generally more expensive than some other online retailers anyway. I don't think I've ever bought anything from them because a quick google for the item I'm after always leads me to another store that sells it cheaper.

Some screaming deals from them though, occasionally

notanon · September 2023

Agree with @Dominic IF they make that sale it ain't a good business unless they do several sales every day.

Costs of a business are silly especially bricks and mortar. Then the government want blood and have closed down most small business benefits.

SPECTRUM001 · September 2023

Hang on - he got 40% of the projected sale price - when I worked in used retail, the rule was to buy in at 33.33% of what you hoped to realise with the resale.

GuitarGuitar told me they work on a 25-30% basis.

So 40% ? Reckon he did ok, and to get more £££ would need to go down the private sale route.

Nice that you looked out for him though…

Dominic · September 2023

Too much 'looking over the fence'

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Guitar Shop morals

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