Does a crack in my uke really bring down it's value THIS much?

iamdanielle

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 2, 2009
Messages
323
Reaction score
2
Location
Denver, CO
I am currently trying to sell my Pono PCO which I originally bought for $375 on EBay. I was asking $250 and someone e-mailed me and said that due to the 2 inch crack he would only be willing to pay $125.

Is that really a fair price because of the crack? What do you guys think?

You can kind of see the crack in the second picture...
 

Attachments

  • IMG_5004.jpg
    IMG_5004.jpg
    82.9 KB · Views: 54
  • IMG_5007.jpg
    IMG_5007.jpg
    79.4 KB · Views: 96
Hmm... my rule of thumb is that if I'm buying a used uke, then I like to see it at 75% or less of new price. I would say the crack would bring down the value a bit, but not down to $125. I think this potential buyer is testing you and wants to see how little he can pay. Your uke is definitely worth more than that. With a crack, I'd offer it for $200 at least, no less than that.

There might be others who disagree with me, but if this buyer is that turned off by a crack then he should probably move on. :)
 
If that's all you can sell it for, I suggest getting the crack repaired and then trying again.
 
I am currently trying to sell my Pono PCO which I originally bought for $375 on EBay. I was asking $250 and someone e-mailed me and said that due to the 2 inch crack he would only be willing to pay $125.

Is that really a fair price because of the crack? What do you guys think?

You can kind of see the crack in the second picture...

People always try that when I sell things on eBay, I hold out every time and end up getting a decent price. Just ignore it and keep trying to sell it at your original price. If it doesn't sell after maybe two listings then I'd either have it repaired or reduce the price.
 
As the previous poster said, it's very common to get extreme low-ball offers whenever selling something online. It costs people nothing to send an email for every listing they see, hoping for a bonanza. Just ignore the ones that are insulting.

Personally, I would gladly pay $250 for a used Pono concert in newish condition or with minor scratches. But with a crack like that I would demand a discount in the neighborhood of 50% of the retail price. But I'm a picky person.
 
Be patient. Remember, they gotta want to buy it worse than you want to sell it.
 
Sounds too low to me, but you have to find the right person for it.

I bought a $375 guitar (with case), dropped it after a week :( and cracked the neck, paid $65 to have it repaired and then traded it a year later for a brand new Lava Flea.

Some may say I got ripped off, but I think it was the best trade I ever made!!
 
People always try that when I sell things on eBay, I hold out every time and end up getting a decent price. Just ignore it and keep trying to sell it at your original price. If it doesn't sell after maybe two listings then I'd either have it repaired or reduce the price.

I don't even respond to people who email me offers on eBay. I believe it's actually against the terms of use... Anyway, they're hoping you're naive - if they want it they can bid for it. If your starting price is too high for them, they should move along. Not worth my time to communicate with them.
 
Number one rule of making an offer and bargaining: never start with your real price.

Of course, that doesn't mean making a ridiculous lowball offer that could offend the seller, but I don't think his offer was that bad. You could probably talk him up from that. And to some people, repairing cracks is a pain, and getting it professionally repaired can be expensive, like I've heard around $50 per inch. So he might not be willing to pay too much on a personal level, and was just wanting to see if you could negotiate down.
 
I have never sold anything on EBay. I have sold lots of musical instruments via Craig's List, however. I have always known what I was willing to accept in an offer and I have sometimes sold for less, depending on the circumstances. But, I have always done pretty well by it.

I have sold several guitars and ukuleles for pretty good prices. People always offer less and I have told them that "it is worth $xxxx whatever the amount was. Then, some went ahead and bought the item from me at the asking price. I have also made a counter-offer and settled for less than the original asking price, but I knew ahead of time that I could and would.

$125 is too low and he knows he is low-balling you.
 
Top Bottom