I often look at the used guitar selection (via the internet) of the three GC's in my area. Lately their selection has dropped for 11 pages to 6. I was in two locations lately and their stock of new guitars was way down also. Are they all in financial trouble, or is something else taking place?

interesting. maybe, or maybe they just sold a lot of used stock around the holidays.

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Some of the used stuff at the GC in my area is going for almost new prices. Within 100.00 difference, sometimes less. They have been doing "trade-in weekends" once a month now, and hardly ever needed to before. Guess they may not be hitting the numbers they need to.

There's still 2012, 2011, and older inventory in the pipe-line. There's dissatisfaction with what's in the pipe-line. There's dissatisfaction with some of what just came out for 2013 and, or the prices are just *way* too high. Consequently, there's a demand for good used gear due to the above and a gummed up economy.

Also, some people are just giving up on some or all of it, selling it off, paying bills, and not buying anything due to a devastating economy for some.

When I went in to sell my Hwy 1, they low-balled me and refused to budge and inquired about me purchasing something. I let them know I just bought a new guitar online for a price they wouldn't have beat or matched. So, I and many others competed with them and sold off our used gear on cl for prices well above what GC wanted to pay us and below what GC would have sold it for -- a great deal for the cl buyer and the seller!

Also, I see used junk piling up and good used gear flying off the shelf! There's no shortage of junk. Oh, and there's some fad guitars, some good, some bad, both just sitting there, getting price dropped.

'at 'll learn um!

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"The individual is handicapped by coming face to face with a Conspiracy so monstrous he cannot believe it exists. The American mind simply has not come to a realization of the evil which has been introduced into our midst." J. Edgar Hoover

i dont think they are all that good 2 years ago i went to the local one. they had an old hagstrom there . the paint was lifting off the body in 4 places so i asked if there was any discount for that . the answer was a cocky nope. the prices are set at the main location. the guitar hung there for another year . so i checked on the net . there was one at gc in connetticut for a hundred less. same color. wheni got there it was in perfect condition and with the original case. .. so i bought it.

another time i was shopping for an epiphone ej 200.. they had one for 50 bucks less. nice looking till you picked it up and the back was all cracked and pushed in at the bottom..

theres more stories i can tellyou.. anyhow that store went from a busy place at one time to pretty much a ghost town these days.

Some markets are moving, others are stagnant. Even in a large city with several GCs, it is sometimes worth a drive to see what is available and if they are selling or running a museum.

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They are started to seriously low ball on your trades. From paying too
much on certain items that now have trouble selling.

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"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present."

oogway, kungfu panda 2008

The issue that concerns me is offering pennies on the dollar for used gear you and they know will fly off the shelf, plus the shifty techniques. One guy, I mentioned this in another thread, put a bad chord into a head I sold to them, when I called him out on it, he put a good plug in and started stirring the plug to the point of potentially breaking the jack. When I called him out on that, we wrangled over the price for a bit and they bought the head for top-dollar, 75% of the cash value they and I knew the head would sell for with the potential of selling it for more or less, but still a good profit in it for them, an easy sale for them. But here again, they started out insultingly low trying to take advantage of me. No brotherhood, no fellow musician in all that, just rank exploitation.

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"The individual is handicapped by coming face to face with a Conspiracy so monstrous he cannot believe it exists. The American mind simply has not come to a realization of the evil which has been introduced into our midst." J. Edgar Hoover

Another annoying GC situation of late is dealing with trade-in guys who want your gear for themselves, with no intention of running it through the system and out to the public. I took in three amps the other day, one of which was an all-tube Crate V18 in superb condition in every way. They tried to beat me to death on all of the amps, but one of the sales guys was very hot for the Crate and I could tell he was thinking if he could really beat me down, he'd just keep it for himself.

Fat chance. I ended up taking all three to Music-Go-Round where I got better offers on all three, though in the end I kept the V18.

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Dennis in CR
Rockin' since 1963

I learned a long time ago not to sell anything to GC. Might as well just give it away because they're going to give you practically nothing for your gear. Sell it on craigslist or ebay...then if you want some gear at GC, go buy it. I like the GC in Jackson, MS as a place to buy both new and used gear because they have great prices most of the time. The only way they can have great prices on used gear, they have to rape somebody out of the gear. If you sell to GC or your local pawn shop, just know that they have to make a profit and they want to make as big of a profit as they can. It's a business. Not much of a difference between GC and a pawn shop as far as concerning prices given for your gear. Everybody needs to remember that.

It may be a sign of the times insofar as inventory and pressure to keep operating costs down, low balling used equipment buys (buy low, sell high). An article on Fender and their association with GC, which I believe was previously posted in another thread some time ago, from September 2012, indicated GC had some financial woes. Contrary to one of the replies, GC will match lower advertised prices, including Internet, if you bring the ad in. I did that recently on a buy for locking tuners, and saved $15.00 below their advertised price.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/30/busin ... wanted=all

You don't say where your "area" is. That could be a factor.

I just picked up a used 4x12 Crate speaker cab in top notch condition for $99 in my local GC (Fairfax, VA). The night before I found it in their used section on line for $150.

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Bill

Guitar Center is merely a convenience store. They make it easy to stop by and provide a service, while doing all the above, badly. There are so few places to buy anymore, it's sad.

They're circling the financial drain at the moment, with some major decisions about their future to be made in the next couple of months, when a few rather large loans they took out but haven't paid back become due.

I'd not be buying in expensive used gear in that situation either.

Just looked at Guitar Center's Used list for Fender basses, there are none in the Pittsburgh stores. I'm thinking that people are getting tired of getting ripped off.

The prices that were listed were absurd.