Seeking Advice: To Sell or Not to Sell

Swiftsailor98

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I have my sights set on a Martin C1K, but I want to honor a one-in-one-out philosophy to limit the number of ukes I have sitting around--more to lessen my wife's annoyance with my uke accumulation.

My early workhorse and learner is a Lanikai (MA-S) Mahogany Soprano. A brand new one can be found on Amazon at $99, but that is straight from the factory--no set up, no tuner, etc. Mine is only about 16 months old with a set up, but otherwise in outstanding condition.

I've considered listing it along with a Planetwaves Micro headstock tuner, bridge beads and a UkeCrazy hard foam case.

I would consider it a great beginner's package, but any thoughts on whether it's worth trying to sell it here? Any thoughts on pricing?
 
Why not just say to your Wife that you are considering selling one of your Ukes to buy a Double Bass.

Bet that will change the one in one out philosophy.

Anyway back to your question. Why not list it at $150 or thereabouts and see what happens, you can always reduce the price. Set it to low and it is snapped up and you will kick yourself.
 
I would look in another direction IF you do not need the funds since a $99 new uke would likely do well to sell for $50. And then adding shipping makes it almost unsaleable.

Instead, look to sell or donate locally to a beginner that would put it to good use and maybe catch uke fever from having it. Are there any uke groups in your area that can facilitate this?
 
honestly, you're not likely to get much for the MA-S. With shipping costs what they are now, you could probably expect $50 plus shipping, maybe a little more with the case, $80 plus shipping? Maybe. If you list at higher than new, it is unlikely to sell as beginners aren't usually thinking about the extras.

you can certainly try to sell here or FMM. Craig's List might be a good avenue for this as well.

ETA: last post beat me to it. :p
 
The last previous posts beat me as well. You will be lucky to get half of what you paid new. Why not keep it as a beater/travel uke. Better still donate it to a school or children's organization that needs them. Your wife will be so impressed and grateful she married such a wonderful man, she will let you buy two ukuleles
 
I agree with Rainbow and Dave. If you don't need the funds, donate the ukulele to a person or organization that needs and will appreciate it. For example, the Ukulele Kids Club is a charitable organization that donates ukuleles to children in hospitals who have benefited from music therapy as part of their hospital stays. It's possible that a hospital, school, or library in your area would be thrilled to receive a donated ukulele.
 
I’m guessing you will have better luck selling it locally than anything. I live in a very small town and it’s surprising how well cheaper ukuleles sell even around here. I usually list mine on the Facebook marketplace. Also I have found many people on there are interested in tuners etc as they are first time players and don’t exactly know where to start. It works out good because you are able to establish a bit of a relationship with them pretty easily without having to hassle with emails. In most cases I express my love of the uke and what all they need to start if they are looking to take it serious. I have contributed to making quite a few dedicated players in my area that in many cases were mainly just looking for a hobby to keep them busy. Can’t beat that!
 
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I'd try and sell it locally. I had a starter Lanikai LU-21C I listed on Craigslist. It was the uke, a case, a tuner and a cleaning cloth. After I had it set up and put new strings on it I was probably all in for about $130.00. I listed it for less than $100 and got no responses. I had to lower the price a couple of times and I ended up getting $65 for it. Looking back, I kinda wish I still had that uke. It didn't sound as nice as any of my current ukes but it sounded good enough and what it really had going for it was a feel. It was just so comfortable and easy to play like a nice breeze on a warm night. I can't even put that special feeling into words but I haven't experienced it with any uke since.
 
Here is two cents, coming from someone who only started to play ukulele about six month ago, but has 30+ years of playing guitar on almost daily basis.
Realistically you can't get a whole lot of money for your Lanikai, since it's pretty cheap uke to start with. Why not keep it for dragging around, if you ever play outside? Or if you don't, may be you'll start. Six month ago I bought a slightly used Mainland Tenor for $200 and thought I will play it for a while and then upgrade to something fancy.
Well, after taking it to a couple festivals and playing a few gigs I already see some pick scratches and a few dings on it. May be it's just me, but I never had that much damage on the guitars after playing just 5-6 gigs. So, I'm keeping my Mainland and probably installing a pickup in it. Will use to to carry around and new fancy uke will stay home.
Just something to think about...
 
I agree with others who suggested donating it why not donate it to a worthy music program/cause (locally or get in touch with Ukulele Kids Club).

Or, maybe gift it to somebody who makes a $50 or $100 donation to UKC.
 
Another alternative is to seek a trade - $$$ + current uke for the uke you want. There may be someone(trustworthy) out there willing to deal. Have done trades here on UU. A UU marketplace listing, followed by a couple phone calls, maybe a Skype call as well, and some due diligence may make two folk happy.
 
Entry level ukuleles are best gifted to people who you like and who show an interest.

Kids or super enthusiastic adults, maybe.

Selling is a lot of work and not worth while if there is no return.
 
An added incentive to donate it, is a tax-deduction at the end of the year. There are so few left now.

No, it's not a primary reason to do so, but it might sway your decision if you're evenly split between donating or selling.
 
Here's another angle: if for some reason, you don't bond with the Martin, are you going to be okay with one in, two out? If not, maybe wait to sell the Lanikai until you know you like the Martin.
 
I agree with others who suggested donating it why not donate it to a worthy music program/cause (locally or get in touch with Ukulele Kids Club).

Or, maybe gift it to somebody who makes a $50 or $100 donation to UKC.

Eddie, this is a wonderful idea!
Now I know what to do with this little concert uke that was gifted to me, in a pretty blue gig bag...
Thanks for the idea....
 
To all -- Thanks for some great suggestions. I like the idea of gifting it to someone who has the musical spark, but needs an ukulele to express it. Between church, family and the local uke club, I'm sure I can find the right opportunity.

Again, thanks for all the responses.
 
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