Admin Marketplace Topic Discussions

[kkimura]

Reminds me of the Saab 900 by General Motors I used to drive.

 

[badhabits]

Opios are Koalohas, not a sub company...they have the Koaloha logo on the headstock, the bridge says Koaloha and the label says "Koaloha Opio", so not a good example. But yeah, "Koolau Pono" or "Kanilea Islander" is bad salesmanship (albeit Kanilea calls Islander a sister company and they might even say "Islander by Kanilea" on the label).

 

[Neil_O]

Opios are Koalohas, not a sub company...they have the Koaloha logo on the headstock, the bridge says Koaloha and the label says "Koaloha Opio", so not a good example. But yeah, "Koolau Pono" or "Kanilea Islander" is bad salesmanship (albeit Kanilea calls Islander a sister company and they might even say "Islander by Kanilea" on the label).

There is a lot of gray area and overlap. In the example you note, I would imagine the Opio is a sublevel so the omission of the Opio would be the shady move.

I'll try to ignore this, as it makes me fret.

I brought this up because I was tempted by a Pono on the site, but when I realized they were marketing it as made in the "same factory as Koolau" I lost interest in pursuing the transaction.

 

[badhabits]

There is a lot of gray area and overlap. In the example you note, I would imagine the Opio is a sublevel so the omission of the Opio would be the shady move.

I'll try to ignore this, as it makes me fret.

I brought this up because I was tempted by a Pono on the site, but when I realized they were marketing it as made in the "same factory as Koolau" I lost interest in pursuing the transaction.

That's a flat out lie. Ponos aren't even made in the same country, let alone factory!

 

[Ernie]

I think if the sibling model is clearly named in the listing (i.e. "Koaloha Opio", "Kanile'a Islander"), that seems completely above board and legit.

 

[dirtydom]

Hello! New to the forum and excited to learn more - hoping to buy a baritone on here soon

 

[montunojack]

Hi There, first time poster here, long time fan of the podcast. A question regarding selling a uke, I hope I've posted in the right place.

I'm thinking of selling a uke. What is the safest process that ensures a good experience between buyer and seller. I live in Australia and I would think that the prospective buyer would probably live in another country as its a vintage collectable instrument - ie the US or Japan, somewhere where there are more likely to be collectors rather than mainly hobbyists as we have here. What's the best hassle free way to ship a ukulele to another country.

Am I better off to try and sell the instrument here, or should I look at a service like ebay or a ukulele dealership. How do I go about finding an approximate value for it so I can set a fair asking price?

 

[Ernie]

Hi, and welcome to the forum! A lot of folks sell internationally here. It certainly adds to the cost of doing business. Apart from this site, eBay and Reverb are two popular selling platforms that help you to reach a global audience. Reverb even has shipping assistance (though I have no experience with it).
As for determining the value, I would search for similar items on those sites, but focus on auctions that have already ended with a sale. A lot of people list instruments with completely unrealistic or delusional prices (especially sellers from Japan, for reasons unknown to me). Look for a wide cross section of sold listings and derive your likely sale price range from that info.
Good luck with the sale!

 

[Joyful Uke]

Hi There, first time poster here, long time fan of the podcast. A question regarding selling a uke, I hope I've posted in the right place.

I'm thinking of selling a uke. What is the safest process that ensures a good experience between buyer and seller. I live in Australia and I would think that the prospective buyer would probably live in another country as its a vintage collectable instrument - ie the US or Japan, somewhere where there are more likely to be collectors rather than mainly hobbyists as we have here. What's the best hassle free way to ship a ukulele to another country.

Am I better off to try and sell the instrument here, or should I look at a service like ebay or a ukulele dealership. How do I go about finding an approximate value for it so I can set a fair asking price?

Regarding shipping from AU to the US:
I had a Barron River ukulele built for me, (AU luthier), and shipped to me in the US. He shipped via the regular postal service, which apparently works well for him when shipping around the world. Just thought I'd pass that along in case you do end up shipping outside of AU.

 

[montunojack]

Hi, and welcome to the forum! A lot of folks sell internationally here. It certainly adds to the cost of doing business. Apart from this site, eBay and Reverb are two popular selling platforms that help you to reach a global audience. Reverb even has shipping assistance (though I have no experience with it).
As for determining the value, I would search for similar items on those sites, but focus on auctions that have already ended with a sale. A lot of people list instruments with completely unrealistic or delusional prices (especially sellers from Japan, for reasons unknown to me). Look for a wide cross section of sold listings and derive your likely sale price range from that info.
Good luck with the sale!

Thanks for the reply. I've bought and sold a lot on ebay over the years but I've sort of gone off them a bit because I get a such a shock when I get the bills for all the fees. Reverb I've never used. Was probably hoping to do a private sale but was wondering what the norm was here.

The ukulele in question is a 1929 koa Kamaka painted pineapple. I've not been able to find much at all on the net about past selling prices, seems that either there wasn't many made or the people that have them like to hang on to them. Or both.

 

[montunojack]

Regarding shipping from AU to the US:
I had a Barron River ukulele built for me, (AU luthier), and shipped to me in the US. He shipped via the regular postal service, which apparently works well for him when shipping around the world. Just thought I'd pass that along in case you do end up shipping outside of AU.

Wow Australia Post eh? I've never had any problems with them but I've heard so many stories from people who work there. Going postal is not a US specific catchphrase.

 

[Neil_O]

Thanks for the reply. I've bought and sold a lot on ebay over the years but I've sort of gone off them a bit because I get a such a shock when I get the bills for all the fees. Reverb I've never used. Was probably hoping to do a private sale but was wondering what the norm was here.

The ukulele in question is a 1929 koa Kamaka painted pineapple. I've not been able to find much at all on the net about past selling prices, seems that either there wasn't many made or the people that have them like to hang on to them. Or both.

How did you date this so specifically? I couldn't get Kamaka to date mine more specifically than a general decade.

 

[montunojack]

How did you date this so specifically? I couldn't get Kamaka to date mine more specifically than a general decade.

Well I actually emailed them about getting a case for it, whether the new cases would fit an instrument this old (which turns out they don't). In the process I sent them some pics and quoted what looks to be a serial number handwritten on the label and they were quite specific, going to the extent of saying "mid 1929". So they must have records there on at least some of the ukes anyway. Other than that, it has the blue label specific to the painted pineapples which would have dated it within a few years.

I ended up buying a roadcase for microphone and cutting away the foam to use that as a case for the instrument.

 

[Joyful Uke]

Wow Australia Post eh? I've never had any problems with them but I've heard so many stories from people who work there. Going postal is not a US specific catchphrase.

It worried me but the luthier said that he had never had a problem, and fortunately all went well. I think all shippers have problems so it’s a gamble no matter how something is shipped.

 

[montunojack]

It worried me but the luthier said that he had never had a problem, and fortunately all went well. I think all shippers have problems so it’s a gamble no matter how something is shipped.

Yes. A story that really spooked me that I came across while trying to research an asking price is that in one case Fedex left a similar uke outside someone's house in Hawaii without getting a signature and it disappeared.

 

[SleepyheadRooster]

How do people feel about “local only” listings?

I listed something this way recently, and admittedly I hadn’t thought about whether that would be welcome. I have one other uke I would list here, but I don’t want to list it if it is unwelcome. As much as possible, I’m done shipping instruments.

I realize shipping expands your market/audience exponentially. I just don’t like shipping instruments. I have had a couple past problems with guitars, and it isn’t worth the stress and extra expense for me. I’d rather just meet someone in person, maybe even making a friend in the process.

Thanks in advance.

 

[bilbo56]

If that's your preference I don't see why anyone else should care. I wouldn't.

 

[Neil_O]

How do people feel about “local only” listings?

I listed something this way recently, and admittedly I hadn’t thought about whether that would be welcome. I have one other uke I would list here, but I don’t want to list it if it is unwelcome. As much as possible, I’m done shipping instruments.

I realize shipping expands your market/audience exponentially. I just don’t like shipping instruments. I have had a couple past problems with guitars, and it isn’t worth the stress and extra expense for me. I’d rather just meet someone in person, maybe even making a friend in the process.

Thanks in advance.

I tend to use Craigslist for local sales and purchases, but I'm tempted to try starting with a "pickup only" for a uke I plan to sell. Even if UU is a nice place, you still get weirdos here, so an in-person transaction could still go poorly.

If someone posts a UU local pickup for something I really want, I would be annoyed, but I wouldn't tell anybody or complain!

 

[SleepyheadRooster]

I tend to use Craigslist for local sales and purchases, but I'm tempted to try starting with a "pickup only" for a uke I plan to sell. Even if UU is a nice place, you still get weirdos here, so an in-person transaction could still go poorly.

If someone posts a UU local pickup for something I really want, I would be annoyed, but I wouldn't tell anybody or complain!

Neil, this is all true. I suppose it’s also true that there’s always someone who will find a reason to be annoyed, but I’d like to not unnecessarily annoy folks if possible.

What I have to sell is rather pedestrian. It shouldn’t be a major disappointment to anyone that I won’t ship it.

I’ve met two of my best friends in Portland through Craigslist transactions. Kind of funny when I think about it…

 

[Neil_O]

Neil, this is all true. I suppose it’s also true that there’s always someone who will find a reason the be annoyed, but I’d like to not unnecessarily annoy folks if possible.

What I have to sell is rather pedestrian. It shouldn’t be a major disappointment to anyone that I won’t ship it.

I’ve met two of my best friends in Portland through Craigslist transactions. Kind of funny when I think about it…

I also have made friends through craigslist musical instrument purchases!