Do you buy, with selling in mind?

for me, strap button is a plus, not a minus - but i would consider who installed it, and set up the uke to start with...

I have either installed a strap button myself or had one installed on all my ukes as I really need a strap to comfortably play. That is except for the Soprano that I currently own as I am not sure if I will keep it as I find a small uke very difficult to play. It is such a great uke, sound and looks wise and I noticed that many Soprano players don't use straps, I therefore thought it best not to alter it. If this was a tenor I wouldn't give installing a strap button a second thought.

hollisdwyer said:

I have either installed a strap button myself or had one installed on all my ukes as I really need a strap to comfortably play. That is except for the Soprano that I currently own as I am not sure if I will keep it as I find a small uke very difficult to play. It is such a great uke, sound and looks wise and I noticed that many Soprano players don't use straps, I therefore thought it best not to alter it. If this was a tenor I wouldn't give installing a strap button a second thought.

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If you haven't already, consider giving a Uke Leash a try on that DaSilva. I can't play well at all without a strap, so even my sopranos have strap buttons. But right now I'm in the process of buying a new uke that I don't fully own yet, and when I play it at the shop the Uke Leash has made all the difference in the world! Once it's fully mine I'll get that strap button installed, of course.

janeray1940 said:

If you haven't already, consider giving a Uke Leash a try on that DaSilva. I can't play well at all without a strap, so even my sopranos have strap buttons. But right now I'm in the process of buying a new uke that I don't fully own yet, and when I play it at the shop the Uke Leash has made all the difference in the world! Once it's fully mine I'll get that strap button installed, of course.

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I have tried both the uke leash and the möbius strap. They both help quite a lot but I am still not comfortable with either. This is probably all down to me, the worlds most clumsy and un-coordinated person. I have some wonderful leather straps from Italia Straps in the USA that I had custom made for all my tenors. They are very comfortable, balance the uke perfectly for me to strum and finger chords with no effort what so ever and look great. Everything I want a strap to do. So now, when I play my DaSilva, I sit down, cross my legs and hold it like a classical guitar. I am getting the feeling though that I may let it go in favour of another Tenor. Anyone want to propose a trade?

I do not buy with resale in mind.
If I did, then I'd be telling myself I'm buying something I'm not going to want, and if that's the thought, I wouldn't buy it.
My first uke I bought to see if I liked uke, with the idea that it was throw away. I still have it but if I were to re-home it, it would be a give away. I wouldn't feel right selling something I thought was bad, because I wouldn't want to buy something to find out it was bad, and I think Karma is a real thing.

I always buy with re-sale in mind because I have an agreement with my wife to keep my number of ukes to ~3 (I temporarily go above this, but work my way down -- hope to get the "line" moved up to 5-7 in time). My nature when I get interested in something is to really dig in. And I really enjoy truly experiencing a lot of different ukes. To me that means really playing it for at least a few weeks.

To accomplish this, I have my "Rotating Uke Program" (RUP). I have to think about re-sale value when I buy. In the 18 months or so I've played, I've acquired 23 ukes. I'm made a little money on some, I've broken even on most, and I've lost money on two of them. Nearly everyone of the transactions has been smooth and enjoyable. A few hiccups when I was buying where somebody didn't adequately represent what they were selling, but otherwise it has been fun hunting, buying, experiencing and lovingly re-homing.

I've made a few low offers to sellers here on UU but I always explain that I'll likely re-sell it myself and need to protect my downside. And I usually offer that my offer is good for some reasonable period of time. The last thing I want is somebody feeling badly about selling me their uke. For the record, my own personal standard is if I buy it here on UU and then sell it on UU, I won't try to make money on it.

I expect my pace to slow a bit because I'm honing in on my preferences. I'll still buy occasionally with the sole intent to enjoy it for a month or two and then re-home it. For example, on a whim I just bought a Timms (hey, maybe I'll write a song!) which will be here this week. I have no worries about re-selling it if/when I need to because they move quickly.

Primarily when buying used ukes, I generally get them at a price that nearly guarantees I won't lose money on a resale.

I will admit to buying with resale in mind. Not that I intend to immediately resell an item. I intend to play something for a while to see if we get along OK. If not then it is off to the next owner. This process can take years as I try different strings, different styles, different situations, etc. And sometimes a situation that I intended to use an instrument for changes. Jam session disbands, band breaks up, etc. Buying on-line is always a risk since you have not had a chance to see, play, and hear the instrument before spending your hard earned cash.

Funny thing we often have different standards of tolerable loss depending on the item. I think I've lost more resale value for my motor vehicle in one day than I've lost in all my instrument purchases. And sometime we cannot tolerate the large loss, so we keep it forever (like the motor vehicle I still drive after 12+ years). Personally I'm OK with taking a little loss in return from the enjoyment an item has brought. That loss can be more or less depending on who the buyer is - which brings in the emotional component of buying and selling.

Isnt that more... selling with buying in mind

The last instrument I purchased with any thought about resale was a Rickenbacker bass I bought in the early 80s. It was going to be a quick flip since it was a bargain at the pawn shop. I still have it and play it a lot...

Not one thing have I EVER bought with resale value in mind, (unless I bought it specifically to "flip"). Cars, houses, motorcycle, instruments.. whatever. I buy them to own them, and sell them when I'm ready. The market at the time I sell dictates the price. Whatever the difference between buying and selling was the cost of ownership for however long I had it, and THAT was worth it to me. No matter what - with this attitude, I've never lost.

Nope. The last two, a Favilla Soprano and Kamaka Pineapple were bought on the cheap without a thought of 'flipping'. All of my ukes fill a nitch in my playing style for whatever song I pick. Within a week I pick them all up.
Cheers,
R

Nope, I buy with buying in mind and try to sell with selling in mind to not mix things up too seriosly.

I buy for the sole purpose of my own personal enjoyment. In other words, no.

Yes, I do buy with selling in mind.

Oh, and taste. I buy with taste in mind, too.

coolkayaker1 said:

Yes, I do buy with selling in mind.

Oh, and taste. I buy with taste in mind, too.

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Ha ha! I buy with hiding the purchase from my wife in mind. Not that she even cares after the third uke (long time ago).

NewKid said:

Ha ha! I buying with hiding the purchase from my wife in mind. Not that she even cares after the third uke (long time ago).

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That is good. I've always wondered why so many people get something, and then feel like the have to run straight to their spouse and show it to them. That's just asking for it.