UAS sustaining theory.....how to keep it going

uketanzon

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another thread made me think.....how I sustain my UAS

1. Basically if you buy high or Brand New and try to sell high and recover your investment, you have a long long wait...maybe forever....

2.If you Buy high sell low......Great for buyer, not so great for seller who takes a beating.

3. If you buy Low (great deal) and sell low ( great deal to someone else)
we all benefit...passing the deal around to uke community to help us all with trying new stuff....( lets face it, most UAS aquistions do not stay forever in the uke stable, sooner or later, we kick them out to make room for a new member, ha):

I am a bargain hunter, not ashamed of that... but if I get a great deal...I should offer a great deal to someone else on the forum when its time to move it out ......so if I buy a great uke for $300 shipped as an example, I should sell it for $300 shipped.
 
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Hmm, I bought all but one of my ukes new, I gave away a few of the cheaper ones that I started out with, but the rest, I don't intend giving away or selling any time soon, probably never. :)

But then again, I have stopped buying them. ;)
 
If anything I spent years (and succeeded) in quashing UAS. Happy with what I own now and don't need any more.

Each to their own!
 
If anything I spent years (and succeeded) in quashing UAS. Happy with what I own now and don't need any more.

Each to their own!

Easy to say when uke makers send you their wares to try out. ;)

That's most of UAS for me - a desire to try out ukuleles I can't find in brick and mortar stores in my area. For that reason, I typically buy second hand ukes exclusively. Otherwise I'd lose my shirt trying to sell the ukes that don't work out for me.
 
It took me a few years before I thought I should get a better uke than the $25 instrument I bought at an ABC store in Hawaii. : ) That led me to KoAloha. After buy a couple of new ukes, a friend told me about used ukes on UU and Reverb. A whole new world opened up.

I used to look at what ukes were for sale online every day. Now, I'm more concerned with which of mine I should sell. I think bargains are few and far between. Why would someone be willing to sell an expensive ukulele at a low price unless he doesn't realize it's worth a lot? I think an unusually low price indicates ignorance on the part of the seller, although it can be a windfall for the buyer. I sold twenty-two ukes last year, and I aim at getting 70% of the new price I paid. If I bought it used, I try to sell it for that price. All my ukes (54) are in as good condition as when I bought them, and most are like new. A couple I have are old, and they show the signs of years of use, but that's fine with me.

I'm a bargain hunter, too, but ukulele bargains are rare. Basically, I try to avoid over-paying, and I'm willing to wait for a reasonable price. I'm through buying unless something special comes along - like the M-M resonator I bought recently.
 
It depends a lot I suppose on disposable income. For some buying a ukulele is a huge chunk out of the budget that could be used for more important things. For others, they don't have to be worried about coming up with the money to pay the bills. It is all relative.
 
I'm pretty sure Baz actually buys most, if not all, the ukes he reviews on his site, (sells them off afterwards, to fund the next ones). :)

No that's incorrect - the vast majority are loaned to me and get sent back. Some are bought but they are in a very small minority. I have 7 lined up for review in coming weeks - only one was bought by me.
 
In my two years of playing the ukulele, I've gone through about a dozen of them. Primarily new, one very nice used one I got from a member of my local uke group. The nice used one was a gift from my mom. I'm frugal in my life in general, but I do like nice toys (whitewater raft, sea kayak, good camping gear, and ukuleles). My ukes have ranged in price from under $100 to over $1000. I've gifted several to friends who wanted to learn to play & sold several here on UU. I sell for a reasonable price, based on how long I've had the uke & it's condition. Most of the time I've had 4 ukes at once. Right now I'm in downsize mode with my ukuleles & enjoying the ones I have. I've found that having a nice ukulele sitting in my office that I'm not playing a ton bothers me. I'd rather sell to someone who'll enjoy it & play it more. But I'm always on the lookout and all those NAMM videos aren't helping. I do have a little Christmas money tucked away, but nothing specific in mind at the moment.
 
If anything I spent years (and succeeded) in quashing UAS. Happy with what I own now and don't need any more.

Each to their own!

I spent the better part of the last hour reading thru reviews on your page. I was delighted to see that you have reviewed one of the ukuleles I own, and saw another review for a pineapple I would like to get. Their were other reviews on straps etc. that I found useful. Thank you.
 
Oops :eek:, sorry for the mis info, (thought I remembered reading it somewhere) - I stand corrected. :)

I try to keep a balance - Recognising that if they were ALL loan instruments, it's naturally in the dealer / brands interest to send me their best example. So I buy a proportion (randomly). Take Kala for example - 75% of those reviewed are loaned, the rest were bought blind from random stores (to randomise the setup quality). Thankfully for Kala, they all score rather well which indicates to me they have good QC at the origin point.

Weirdly, some brands loan me them and they have been terrible! Never fails to amaze me.

But yes - some are bought.
 
I spent the better part of the last hour reading thru reviews on your page. I was delighted to see that you have reviewed one of the ukuleles I own, and saw another review for a pineapple I would like to get. Their were other reviews on straps etc. that I found useful. Thank you.


My pleasure entirely. Glad they helped
 
I spent the better part of the last hour reading thru reviews on your page. I was delighted to see that you have reviewed one of the ukuleles I own...

For me, it has worked just the opposite. I read one of Baz's reviews, and I buy the uke. :)
 
another thread made me think.....how I sustain my UAS

1. Basically if you buy high or Brand New and try to sell high and recover your investment, you have a long long wait...maybe forever....

2.If you Buy high sell low......Great for buyer, not so great for seller who takes a beating.

3. If you buy Low (great deal) and sell low ( great deal to someone else)
we all benefit...passing the deal around to uke community to help us all with trying new stuff....( lets face it, most UAS aquistions do not stay forever in the uke stable, sooner or later, we kick them out to make room for a new member, ha):

I am a bargain hunter, not ashamed of that... but if I get a great deal...I should offer a great deal to someone else on the forum when its time to move it out ......so if I buy a great uke for $300 shipped as an example, I should sell it for $300 shipped.

I have made and lost money on ukes and have gifted them.. most of these are purely emotional decisions.. if I know the need I adjust.. there is also the fondness for a uke, some ukes that I have have a profitable price tag cause that is the price at which I will be open to selling, then there are others that I just want to hand over to the next person since I don’t have any attachment.. Some one reached out to me for my Moore Bettah and they did not like the price tag..
Also, thank you for the pointer for the Martin 3k.. it is a great instrument!!!
 
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