What are the Pros and Cons of buying a used Ukulele?

cyber3d

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 29, 2017
Messages
507
Reaction score
16
Location
West Los Angeles, California
Hi all, so just returned my Kala . . . again. So, I am without a Ukulele. Very sad. Maybe I should get a used one instead of a new one. But, what are the pros and cons of a used ukulele?
 
I've had good experience buying from folks here on the marketplace
 
pros: a worn fretboard and signs of use across the soundboard is, to me at least an excellent indication the instrument has been played a lot and loved; often you will find a great deal on an instrument that may be essentially in like new condition, but by virtue of being second hand, might be sold at a bargain price.
cons: well, you need to be able to trust someone you don't know who is selling it. why are they selling it? have they disclosed all - if any - the issues the instrument might have in terms of action, fret wires and so on? how can anyone really describe the sound in words when our hearing and preferences as individuals are so inherently subjective?
In an ideal world we would all buy our instruments in person but that is not possible for many of us.
I do echo what igor said above; the vast, vast majority of sellers here are reputable, upstanding people.
 
Get on Craigs list and see what is available in your area. Out here there are lots of ukes available for very reasonable prices. (under $80 for sure) Are they K brand quality? Not hardly but hey, they play pretty well. For a couple of hundred you can have your choice of some pretty nice ones too. I'd only consider the ones I could try first, so that might restrict you choices in the "Heart Land" but in LA there should be a bunch available.
 
I have never received a bad uke from the reputable dealers that I have dealt with, & I've bought a few. :)

Why not buy from Mim or HMS, these are reputable dealers in the USA, or Southern Ukulele Store if in the UK or Europe.

Buying a pre owned uke is not a bad idea if you are sure you can trust the description, & you often get a better quality uke for your money.

Buying from people on here seems like a good idea, because you know that they know & like their ukes, & I've not read any complaints from the buyers, only compliments.
 
So, Igorthebarbarian and Mountaingoat, would you say the ukulele community is a tight community? I'm getting the feeling uke people are cut of different material. Maybe the aloha spirit.
 
So, Igorthebarbarian and Mountaingoat, would you say the ukulele community is a tight community? I'm getting the feeling uke people are cut of different material. Maybe the aloha spirit.

I wouldn't generalise like that, no.
Human nature is human nature.
I can only speak from personal engagement
having bought and sold here for over 7 years now.
I've not had a negative experience.
 
I haven't heard any problems with purchasing from this group. I'll be honest, I haven't purchased a uke yet from this group but I planning on it. Waiting for the opportune time (when my partner is not looking and when I have some extra cash to burn) to get a Pono RTSH-C when one comes around. Everyone seems to be extremely respectful, friendly and helpful. I think another plus is that you will be getting a broken in uke at a pretty big discount. Most of the ukes that I have seen here are quality ukes and hold their value pretty well. Worse case senerio, you could repost it. I have also noticed that ukes seem to circulate. UAS is pretty rampant in these parts (I have recently relapsed).
 
Last edited:
Hi, I see you live over the water in the USA. Maybe Kala are different over there, all of mine have been very good. Modest prices and very playable. I could buy an expensive uke, but I can play my Kalas and get good sounds from them, especially fingerstyle, so why change?
 
A couple of questions.......why did you return the Kala's, what is your budget and what is important to you in a ukulele.

If you don't need something that is perfect in everyway then by all means buy used from here. Buy from an established member, someone who's Marketplace post is not their first one and just joined to try and sell something. Most used ukes in good condition are discounted 25%-40%. That is the biggest pro......cheaper price.

Cons......can be, high action and harder to play then a new uke set up by HMS, Uke Republic or Mims ( highly regarded retailers here). Might have slight defect that has gone unnoticed. Scratchs, dings and dents that may or may not really bother you once you see them in person. No warranty, you buy it, you keep it. Some people here will allow you to return it after a short initial inspection period if you pay the return postage.

I have bought and sold over 25 ukes here in the marketplace and have always been happy. If you can live with something "not new" it is a great way to get more uke for less money
 
Hi, I see you live over the water in the USA. Maybe Kala are different over there, all of mine have been very good. Modest prices and very playable. I could buy an expensive uke, but I can play my Kalas and get good sounds from them, especially fingerstyle, so why change?

My experience echoes the above.

The posters on UU certainly are a different set to those on other forums. I've found folk here to be virtually all really helpful and friendly, broadly they give the impression of folk that you can rightly trust - buy here with confidence.

I tend to buy 2nd hand rather than new when I can, it's cheaper and more ecological. A small percentage of the purchases on eBay haven't been good deals but overall I'm happy and have saved quite a bit against new prices.
 
One big pro is if you don't like it you can always sell it for hopefully what you paid so you won't be out any money. Buying new you lose value right away so if you don't like it you will lose money.
 
One big pro is if you don't like it you can always sell it for hopefully what you paid so you won't be out any money. Buying new you lose value right away so if you don't like it you will lose money.
that's a great point brother. thanks.
 
So, Igorthebarbarian and Mountaingoat, would you say the ukulele community is a tight community? I'm getting the feeling uke people are cut of different material. Maybe the aloha spirit.

I've bought two ukes from folks here on UU, and sold only one, directly to another UU member, and all 3 transactions were completely painless.

Part of that is that honest folks are easy to deal with, and the other part I believe is due to a combination of my own paranoia and OCD that forces me to do due diligence and make sure that my expectations are set according to reality, and not according to some fantasy or some ignorance.

If the first post from a new member is a for-sale post, I personally will avoid it, no matter how good the deal, and if a seller person has less than maybe 50-100 posts but has been on the forum at least 6 months to a year, then IMHO, they are not really active here and part of the community so it is hard to judge their character or integrity.

The advantage to Craigslist, OfferUP, Kijiji and similar local online 'want-ad' type sites is that you usually can meet the person and try the instrument out and inspect it before any money leaves your wallet.

Otherwise you are buying blind from an online vendor, and that is WHY reputable vendors (all of the following include expert setups with every instrument, but GUITAR CENTER does NOT) are worth using such as HMS, Mim's Ukes and Uke Republic, especially since their sole business is ukulele and NOT geetars, trumpets or kazoos that are simply drop-shipped from an Asian factory, and then sent to you without ANY inspection what-so-ever like Amazon and a few other places.

Some of the more experienced sellers here on the UU Marketplace will also allow for a 48-hr inspection period (and return window) from the time the shipping/tracking shows that it has been delivered and the seller might offer a full refund if returned in the same condition, with the caveat that the buyer pays the return shipping.

I find this policy quite generous and very considerate. I do not know how it is on other forums like the Acoustic Guitar Forums, TalkBass BanjoHangout or MandolinCafe, but on UU, there is a lot of grace and compassion here.
 
Last edited:
Everyone, especially Dave and Booli, have offered important information. I've sold one uke here and traded for one, and have had no issues at all. I believe that you can trust UUers, who offer some pretty neat ukes in our Ukulele Marketplace forum. If you're gonna buy new, stick with Mim's Ukes, Uke Republic, HMS (Hawaii Music Supply), or Elderly Music.
 
Thanks Nickie, I forgot about Elderly, and +1 for Elderly Music.

In the past 4 yrs, I've bought a guitar and two ukes from them that were all marked as 'used' but were in great shape and exactly as in the photos and description in the listing on their site, and the customer service on the phone has always been top notch.

I have a high level of trust and confidence with Elderly, that what-you-see, is what-you-get based upon their web site's store listings.
 
When I first started playing, I didn't know what I didn't know.

I bought a Kay ukulele from a secondhand store thinking could replace the frozen friction peg and reglue the top to the sides, and a camp uke that needed some neck work and set up. I can learn to do that, but three years on, they are still needing these things. My lack of free time and poor mechanical skills keep me from it.

I did get a nice Silvertone and Harmony secondhand, but it was more luck than anything on my part.

I have made the decision not to buy from eBay, Craigslist etc. because it likely will need a set up or minor repair. Maybe I am missing some gems.

But, in the same three years, I have purchased a second hand Brueko from here and a 2011 Mainland and 1930's Globe from Antebellum Instruments. All are wonderful and are played and loved.
 
Last edited:
For me at least, this is not an easy question to answer. I've bought a lot of used stuff in my life, and been thrilled to save a little money. I've bought tons of Vintage Motorcycles and sold them. I was a collector of firearms for most of my life. But as I have gotten older I have gotten less so. Discovering the ukulele to me has been a journey of self discover, and ukuleles are somewhat personal. So I look at them from a different perspective than some I think. I don't have a lot of them and I don't buy, trade, or collect them. To me, a used ukulele is someone's cast off. Even if it is in pristine condition. I know that a lot of people here buy them, play them once or twice, and then get rid of them to make room for the next one. My logic tells me that there is a deal there, but in my gut tells me that it is the one that they didn't want. It is the one they were most willing to get rid of. I feel that way, even if it is something that I want. I just want a new one. I might save twenty or thirty bucks, maybe even more if I bought one used, but I'm past that point where it is going to make any difference in the long run. So for me the con is simply that it was someone else's ukulele and they are casting it aside.

So that is my feelings on your regular factory made ukuleles. I look at vintage ukuleles all of the time, and sometimes I think that I want one. But then I think about what I would do with a vintage ukulele and decide that I don't need a vintage ukulele setting around gathering dust. I would never buy a used custom built ukulele. Not only is it a cast off, but it is a ukulele that was custom built for someone else. I don't care if it cost $5000 and it is being sold for $500. At one time someone else said this is exactly what I want. If I were to get a custom built, I would have one custom built exactly the way I want. I don't want to settle for someone else's custom ukulele.

Okay, all that said, I don't buy ukuleles anyway. I've bought two, my Makala to begin with and my Mainland a year later. I look at ukuleles all the time, and while I have looked at both new and used over the last three years I have not bought one, so my opinion here is pretty much just BS. But it is my opinion. So it just seems to me the pro is that you can save money and that you will get it back if you resell it, and the latter is not a benefit is you don't plan to turn it around. I would never buy a ukulele that I planned to get rid of before I even bought it.
 
Last edited:
Rollie-

Please don't take this the wrong way...

I can't help but have the feeling that for you to receive someones used ukulele, is almost like you seeing someone toss chewing gum on the ground, and what it would be like for you to pick up the discarded gum and begin to chew it yourself.

I am sorry you feel this way and I am also sorry if I am incorrect.

Please understand that I am not judging nor criticizing you, but merely just making an observation.
 
Top Bottom