Jerryc41
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I've bought and sold over 400 items on eBay with no problems at all.
Keep it forever?
- Thread starter Rllink
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I've bought and sold over 400 items on eBay with no problems at all.
I didn't want to sell my instruments through eBay because of the fee they take (10% plus another 3% or so for PayPal). I like buying through eBay, though, and have 452 positive feedbacks, but only one of them was from me selling something (I received half a dozen messages from people who wanted to buy the item - a synthesizer - directly from me, bypassing eBay, but that seemed suspicious to me.). I sold my ukes to members on here and over on the German ukulele board, which allowed me to also consider their reputation. This also helped when I bought a few used instruments from folks who post here regularly.
Jerryc41
Well-known member
Yeah, those two fees really eat into the profit, but it's still better than having something sitting around gathering dust.
Selling outside of eBay removes the protection that eBay and PayPal provide. eBay keeps all the messages between buyer and seller and will even block attempts to exchange email addresses.
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Rllink
Well-known member
I don't see what a buyer would gain by doing a back room deal, unless they are trying to talk the seller into passing on a bit of the cost of fees. Regardless, I would be very suspicious of that. I'm not smart enough to keep up with all of the scams out there.
Jerryc41
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They want to bypass the fees, but some also want something for nothing. eBay is a popular place for scammers. Some buyers and sellers go to great lengths to try to cheat people.
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Rllink
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Interesting what direction this thread has gone. I don't think that I stated myself very well in the first place and it immediately went off on its own. That's okay with me, we are all just talking here. But my intent was not to talk about wearing out ukuleles and how long that might take, or even if it is possible, it was about getting rid of them as fast as you buy them. I think when I started the thread that there was a lot of chatter going on about resale values, how well particular ukuleles held their value over time, how popular they were in the Marketplace, and my thought at the time was "who the heck buys a ukulele and one of the first concerns they have, before they even buy it, is how well it will hold its value and how easy it will be to get rid of?" So I still wonder that. I'm sure there are people who take that into consideration. And when I talked about keeping them forever, it wasn't about how long it would hold up to playing it, it was about how long people plan to keep them before they dump them and get something else. So let's take it in that direction and see if it can go for at least a few more pages.
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Jerryc41
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I've sold seventeen within the past year, but I didn't buy any with the intention of selling them. Even now, when I buy a ukulele, it's because I like it. Eventually, I find something that I like a bit more. So far, I've averaged 76.4% of the purchase price for the ones I've sold.
Tootler
Well-known member
I've only ever sold one. I got about 2/3 what I paid for it and was happy with that. I've given a few to charity shops, one to a charity raffle and one to my granddaughter. I have couple I want to move on. The rest of mine are keepers either to play myself or as loan should I try starting another group.
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Rllink
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In my case at least, I have bought three ukuleles with specific purposes in mind, and none of those purposes has anything to do with getting rid of any of them, or replacing one unless it gets destroyed by some accident. So resale value or if it was something that I could get rid of quickly did not factor into my decision to buy any of them.
Joyful Uke
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Initially, it never occurred to me to consider possible resale value. But, along the way, some ukuleles didn't work out for me. (Caused hand pain, for example.) So, I now keep in mind that while I hope that any ukulele I buy is a keeper, there might be circumstances where it's the right thing to rehome a ukulele.
Since I usually can't try before I buy, I now do keep in mind how hard or easy it might be to sell something if it doesn't work out. I've not bought a few ukuleles that sounded great, but I didn't know if they'd work for me, and how hard it would be to sell them if that needed to happen. In fact, I find that limiting my UAS a bit, so in that sense, it's possibly a good thing. I have some great ukuleles, so shouldn't be looking anymore, but it sure is fun.
Since I usually can't try before I buy, I now do keep in mind how hard or easy it might be to sell something if it doesn't work out. I've not bought a few ukuleles that sounded great, but I didn't know if they'd work for me, and how hard it would be to sell them if that needed to happen. In fact, I find that limiting my UAS a bit, so in that sense, it's possibly a good thing. I have some great ukuleles, so shouldn't be looking anymore, but it sure is fun.
Nickie
Well-known member
Captain,
I didn't like the neck on my Duke, either. What is the issue with yours? Mine was way too fat, and I didn't want a finish on it.
So off to my luthier it went. He got rid of the awful shape, and produced a nicely shaped neck with no paint. He sanded it down real smooth and waxed it. I never looked back, I play the heck out of it now.
Nickie
Well-known member
I doubt if an ukulele can be worn out. I've seen some pretty trashed out electric guitars and basses that are still going. And Trigger, geezus...
Frets can be replaced, necks and bridges can be glued back on if they come off. Necks that are too big can be reshaped.
Ukes can be literally taken apart and put back together. They can be refinished (My luthier said this is a PITA). Even the fretboards can be replaced. I've started to make holes in mine where a pick guard should be, but do I care? Probably not. I'll probably replace the tuners on my go to uke someday, I can tell one of them is already wearing out.
I'm probably spoiled, there are two very good luthiers near me, but for the life of me I can't understand why people keep swapping, looking for a "dream uke", when it is way more financially feasible to have something repaired or modified, unless the dang thing just sucks so bad nothing will help it.
On the other hand, once you "mod" your uke, you have an ice cube's chance in hell of reselling it.
But then, I'm not much of an ukulele shopper, I'd just as soon keep what I got and go dress shopping. All of my clothes put together cost less than my most expensive uke, so clothes shopping is cheap fun! And I'm not constantly training my hands to get used to another uke.
I'm pretty darn sure my ukes, short of a major fire, will outlast me, and the person who gets them next.
Frets can be replaced, necks and bridges can be glued back on if they come off. Necks that are too big can be reshaped.
Ukes can be literally taken apart and put back together. They can be refinished (My luthier said this is a PITA). Even the fretboards can be replaced. I've started to make holes in mine where a pick guard should be, but do I care? Probably not. I'll probably replace the tuners on my go to uke someday, I can tell one of them is already wearing out.
I'm probably spoiled, there are two very good luthiers near me, but for the life of me I can't understand why people keep swapping, looking for a "dream uke", when it is way more financially feasible to have something repaired or modified, unless the dang thing just sucks so bad nothing will help it.
On the other hand, once you "mod" your uke, you have an ice cube's chance in hell of reselling it.
But then, I'm not much of an ukulele shopper, I'd just as soon keep what I got and go dress shopping. All of my clothes put together cost less than my most expensive uke, so clothes shopping is cheap fun! And I'm not constantly training my hands to get used to another uke.
I'm pretty darn sure my ukes, short of a major fire, will outlast me, and the person who gets them next.
Oldtoolie
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Wear out? Here's a guitar from 1679..... https://forgottenguitar.com/2016/02...n-the-world-the-sabionari-made-in-1679-video/
sculptor
Well-known member
I guess I'm in that mode too but kind of by default. It's not in my nature to keep buying more of the same thing when what I've got works well enough. Note, I was careful to avoid the beginner instrument trap knowing those beginner instruments can be wasted money.
-- Gary
-- Gary
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Rllink
Well-known member
Like I said a few posts ago, when I started this thread I wasn't really talking about wearing one out. But as long as it keeps going that direction, wore out is just another one of those subjective things. I mean everyone likes to point to poor trigger as an example, no matter that it is a bit extreme. But I've known people to get a couple of scratches in a uke, or a guitar, or a car, and it is time to dump it and get something else. So it isn't always a matter of whether it is playable or not. Some people just can't stand a ukulele with a scratch.
True. I try to consider this when making the purchase. For example, I wouldn't buy a ukulele with a walnut fretboard, and when I was briefly into banjos and guitars, I quickly learned about normal (nickle?) vs. stainless steel frets (apparently the former can wear within a few years, with steel strings). I may never actually "wear down" an instrument, but I don't want to buy one where I feel (justified or not) that it may need repairs/maintenance work in five years. This includes finishes that are likely to go brittle or turn yellow.
I think what's more likely though is that people want something new (a new experience) and they don't want to hoard instruments or simply can't afford to. I recall some posters who'd get a used uke, play it for a year or so, and then sell it to buy another used uke that offers a different experience or sound. I admire this agile, flexible, and adventurous mindset, though I'm not yet at the point where I would comfortably take that approach. But it impresses me nonetheless.
Jan D
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You read my mind, Campbell.
Jan D.
Jan D.
raffrox
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I was given a little Ohana SK-38 which has sentimental value so I upgraded to tuners to gotoh planetary tuners and I'll keep that as a bit of fun and as a keepsake.
Otherwise I find it really hard to hold onto my uke's to see if they even get wear and tear!! For me, there are some many wonderful uke's in this world and the only way I am going to get to play more of them is by buying and re-selling. You also get to meet quite a few uke players that way as well.
Although a recent purchase of a Pono MCPC might have me keeping this one for a very long time (or at least until my playing improves enough for a ultra premium uke of some sorts).
Otherwise I find it really hard to hold onto my uke's to see if they even get wear and tear!! For me, there are some many wonderful uke's in this world and the only way I am going to get to play more of them is by buying and re-selling. You also get to meet quite a few uke players that way as well.
Although a recent purchase of a Pono MCPC might have me keeping this one for a very long time (or at least until my playing improves enough for a ultra premium uke of some sorts).
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Rllink
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I was thinking about this thread while I was stripping the MiSi and the tuners off of my broken ukulele this morning.
Jerryc41
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Interesting idea. I guess "if something happens" is the key to your statement. You'll keep your ukes, but if one is broken beyond a simple repair, you'll replace it. I've never bought a ukulele with the idea of selling it. I bought it because it appealed to me somehow. However, I've sold about twenty ukes this year, and I hope to sell more over the next few months. Something similar but more appealing comes along, and I realize I can part with the first one.
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