The Price of Used Ukes

If you want to get more for used ukes, start asking for more. Stop posting comments about how cheap they should be and start posting comments about how the prices should be higher. Market used ukes at 90% of MSRP, no matter what you paid. "The going price for used ukes is 90% of MSRP, don't try and low ball me". I doubt it will happen, the reason why used ukes are not getting a return is that most sellers will undercut each other instead of supporting each other. A rising tide floats all ships.

I cut out a little square of masking tape and put a date on it and stick it inside my ukes so I know when I bought them. No need for a Dremel.

Sellers can price things as high as they like and support each other in doing so. Buyers will still feel that 10% off is not sufficient and just buy a new uke. With a new one from a reputable store, you KNOW it will have a good setup and won't have repaired cracks or have been dried out and rehydrated. Unless it's a collectible. it will ALWAYS be a buyer's market. Ask whatever you want and let it languish or price to sell.
 
Although demand for any particular brand/builder seems to wax and wane, I’ve bought and sold my 2nd hand purchases for about 60ish to 70ish percent of their new price, which I considered fair as both a buyer and a seller. Prices seem to vary between those two goal posts with a few notable exceptions.
 
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I have all the info about my ukes in a word processing file - six pages.

I use spreadsheets for instruments, one for 'hunting', and one for 'gathered'. Individual sheets for each instrument, with dates, hyperlinks, pictures and cost calculations to crunch build costs and exchange rates. Spot the nerd.
 
The first step to getting higher prices for your used uke is believing that you can get a higher price for your used uke. Its no use complaining about low prices and doing nothing, do something to change the existing paradigms which are barriers in the market. A lot of sales is about belief.

Just curious how many ukes that weren't "hot" that you've sold for 90% of the new price? Someone's personal beliefs of worth can't magically transform someone else's beliefs when there is an equal new uke for virtually the same amount, often with free shipping.
 
Just curious how many ukes that weren't "hot" that you've sold for 90% of the new price? Someone's personal beliefs of worth can't magically transform someone else's beliefs when there is an equal new uke for virtually the same amount, often with free shipping.

Interesting though, I look at new ukuleles on the internet and most everyone is selling a particular brand and model for the same rock bottom price, just dozens of them or more. But then there are some selling them for ten dollars more, then a few for twenty dollars more, and so it goes. It is easy to search for the best prices. I wonder how those people sell them at the inflated prices and who buys them at that price. I mean, those people are in business selling those ukes, so someone must be buying them.
 
Interesting though, I look at new ukuleles on the internet and most everyone is selling a particular brand and model for the same rock bottom price, just dozens of them or more. But then there are some selling them for ten dollars more, then a few for twenty dollars more, and so it goes. It is easy to search for the best prices. I wonder how those people sell them at the inflated prices and who buys them at that price. I mean, those people are in business selling those ukes, so someone must be buying them.

This may be a bit peculiar, but sometimes someone might trust some vendors more than others.
If you are browsing through the ukuleles on a well assorted ukulele webshop, and find one you like, perhaps you don't spend the time to search for cheaper prices - perhaps you find a ever so slightly cheaper price somewhere, but trust the first shop more. Perhaps they do setups better, have better service, or you want to support a good shop I don't know.
But a 2. hand ukulele you are not finding listed on an ukulele web shop. You dont have the simplicity of buying with your credit card from a place with a return policy. You need to find that particular listing somewhere, you need to trust a complete stranger who doesnt necessarily have a shop reputation to keep up, you need to figure out paypal or something, and you run the risk that someone carved their name into the ukulele somewhere. So that trust of getting a brand new ukulele from a well reputed shop is something that people value.

I am not saying that I could not buy a 2. hand ukulele at a high price, but I needed to have some advantage over buying new. Perhaps if it is a model that I cannot buy in Europe and wont have to worry about import taxes when buying. If it was listed in Copenhagen so I could try it live before buying and didn't need to pay for shipping. But there has to be some advantage more than a $20 saving before I buy 2. hand over a new one.

When I have sold ukuleles, I have priced it on the principle: What is the highest prices where I, if I were the buyer, would still choose to buy 2. hand in stead of paying for a new one. If I wouldn't accept that price, perhaps I should not sell. That may not be the lowest I am willing to go on that ukulele either, but then there is room for bargaining.
 
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That would be a great way to spend an afternoon. Fascinating for sure.

If he's interested in selling some of his collection, you might refer him to Dave Rogers of Dave's Guitar Shop in La Crosse, WI. https://davesguitar.com/ He owns one of the largest independent guitar stores in the Midwest. And has a huge collection of important and historical guitars and other instruments and amplifiers. He might be very interested in the Martin or other items. Who knows? At the very least, it's a contact and they could swap stories.

I am 99% sure if Dave deals in acoustic guitars, or mandolins, Charlie knows him. He knows more pickers than I've ever met.
Unfortunately, Charlie wasn't doing well yesterday, he didn't feel like talking at all, and he's a known chatterbox.
 
Bill,
I've never thought of it that way, but since you bring it up, my favorite uke, there's no way I'd sell it for less than I paid for it. It's been worked on, and it plays way better now. Plus, there are no more like it.
The uke I just bought, it's going to be better too, so I wouldn't sell it for the same or less either.
The other two ukes are, well, they have sentimental value, one has 'famous' ukers autographs almost all over it, it ain't for sale, and the other one, it's beat up, been worked on, and was the 1st uke I ever played for hospice work. My daughter has it now, but I told her she can't buy it.
I do believe that if an ukulele is a good one, and a one of a kind, it should go for a very steep price to a new buyer.
If you don't like a uke that you have, is that a good reason to 'dump' it on the market for less than it's worth?
I've done that, I'll admit, and I won't do it again. Thanks for the bird's eye view, Bill.
 
I have not sold many ukes. 2 I think, both sold for the price I paid for them. I have sold a few houses and shares at 150% of the purchase price as well. And had a few losses.

The used ukulele market is a market. If you keep pushing prices down and looking at past sales you will never improve the market for used ukuleles. If you want to improve the market you have to stop putting down our favourite instrument. Its not good enough to "bond" with your "treasure" and then almost give it away when you sell. If its a treasure, sell it like its a treasure. Stop using terms like "beater uke". Improve your playing so it sounds much better. Keep the image of having fun with music, but put a lot more value on the instruments we use. As a playing population change the perception of the instrument. Lute students will actually pay a lot to rent a nice lute, then they save up or take out a loan to buy their own nice lute. Maybe ukulele players shouldn't have to do that, but there is not a lot of difference between a nice lute and a nice ukulele, apart from the attitudes of the owners.

So maybe you wont get exactly 90.00000% of the MSRP every time, maybe you get 84% or 79% or 120%. The goal is to raise the market for used ukes, not to have a perfect statistic.

I bought a used National. I probably paid more than the going rate, as the market for any resonators, including used Nationals, is less than the general ukulele market. I was willing to pay more because I liked the finish - blue like yours. Still, I paid about 75% of the price of a new concert - they don't make sopranos any longer. If the price had not been low enough, I probably would have either not purchased one, or purchased a new Concert. As prices go up, if it is a good brand, it is often possible to sell an older uke for close to what was paid for it as that can still be 75% or less of new. But newer ukes would are harder t recoup costs and, for the reasons others have stated, no amount of trying to raise the market will work. The risks of the unknown will always result in a demand for compensation for that risk, plus the deprivation of being the first to own the uke. That compensation is normally 25 - 30% off the current price of a new uke. Stores will be happy to sell more new ukes if sellers foolishly try to raise the market. Stocks and real estate have completely different forces governing their prices. I could easily sell my house for 500% of my purchase price, no need to try to push the market. It is just the market. People can be convinced that a good or service is worth X amount in the absence of data showing the value. If new versions of a product are available, that data is readily obtainable.
 
Yeah, my impression is that there are really picky players out there, and perhaps UAS makes one more concerned about appearances.

I've had great luck with seconds, b-stock.
 
Interesting though, I look at new ukuleles on the internet and most everyone is selling a particular brand and model for the same rock bottom price, just dozens of them or more. But then there are some selling them for ten dollars more, then a few for twenty dollars more, and so it goes. It is easy to search for the best prices. I wonder how those people sell them at the inflated prices and who buys them at that price. I mean, those people are in business selling those ukes, so someone must be buying them.

You're talking about dealers? I've wondered about that, too, but with hundreds of items to sell, I guess they can't spend hours on the Web checking everyone's price for a particular ukulele. There could be certain reasons why they are charging a slightly higher price - something about bookkeeping. Just guessing here.

Believe it or not, many people have preferred sellers everything, and if they want something, they go to their preferred seller. I enjoy searching and comparing prices, so I'll spend time on that. Of course, if it was costing me $20/hour to do the searching, it wouldn't be worth the effort.

If you want to see ridiculously high prices, look for ukes on eBay that are being sold by people in Japan. Why do they even bother to list them?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Magic-...562172?hash=item23ca84e43c:g:WyMAAOSw4fhdygH5
 
The goal is to raise the market for used ukes, not to have a perfect statistic.

That depends on whether you're buying or selling. I prefer low prices when I'm buying. When I decide to sell a uke, I look at what others are charging. I'm not out to make a killing. I no longer want it, but someone else does, so I sell at a fair price. When I'm bargaining over a price - buying or selling - I have to ask myself if I'm willing to pay a little more or sell for a little less, or would I rather wait indefinitely for a better price. My impatience always wins.
 
That depends on whether you're buying or selling. I prefer low prices when I'm buying. When I decide to sell a uke, I look at what others are charging. I'm not out to make a killing. I no longer want it, but someone else does, so I sell at a fair price. When I'm bargaining over a price - buying or selling - I have to ask myself if I'm willing to pay a little more or sell for a little less, or would I rather wait indefinitely for a better price. My impatience always wins.

That sounds like the voice of reason to me. At the end of the day any item is only worth what the current market will pay for it and you have two options: wait for a more favourable market or accept the current price. If you want to buy an item then there’s a price point at which others will buy the last remaining item before you do (so bid a bit more than them) and if you want to sell then there’s a price point at which others will sell to the last remaining customer before you do (so accept a bit less than them).

The elusive art is in knowing what’s the right market time for your intended transaction and what the right price in any market is. Generally I watch and wait before buying selling but a richer and wiser man might have better things to spend his time on and just accept some financial inefficiencies in his transactions.
 
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