A prime example of how "NOT" to join a forum and become a respected member on it.

Rich - you are confusing the manufacturer's "list price" with the price that these actually sell for new. The list price on the Fender website for the Highway 1 is $1,000. However, they usually sell for $700 new at dealers (that is the "minimum advertised price" or "MAP" on that guitar). $500 is a reasonable used price.

Here is how it works - like almost all musical instrument manufacturers Fender sets the "list price" and they sell the guitars to their dealers for a "wholesale price" that is a percentage of the "list price". You can estimate that the "wholesale price" is going to be about 50% of the list price; therefore the dealer can sell the guitar for 30% less than the list price (in this case list is $1,000 and selling price is $700) and still make a profit. When selling a used mass-market instrument like a Fender you have to figure the used price will be about half of the list price - thus the $500 offers you're getting.

Frankly our local Craigslist is a real low-baller's heaven; if I had a Highway 1 for sale here I would be fielding a lot of $400 offers for one.

Besides if you go to the products section of this Fender site you'll see the guitar AND the price of $1,000.

Couldn't agree more. I came looking for help and got it. The nitpicking over semantics is not helpful and a waste of time. Besides if you go to the products section of this Fender site you'll see the guitar AND the price of $1,000.

Bill this is A Fender website, not the only one on the world wide web. Thanks to all who make comments. Very helpful

Rich

list price and the actual street price are two different things. No one pays list price and the list price absolutely does not affect resale price. Also I was not being anal, just informing you that there is a difference between " A Fender site" and "The Fender Site", you didn't seem to know the difference, just as you obviously don't know the difference between List and MAP/street prices

Used Hwy 1 (yours) = $550.00

End of story.

This tedium is killing me! I know that the retail price is not the same as a street price. I simply didn't realize there was such a vast diff between the two. I was asking for an explanation on that difference and not a grammar lesson. THIS Fender website, in the products section, lists a brand new Highway 1 (and I never indicated that it wasn't brand new) at $1,000.

Why indeed. You're not a very friendly sort are you bill? I'm not at all bored by the input of the others. I am new at this and really appreciate the input. I see now that my used strat is only worth a much smaller sum than I thought. This is how we learn. YOU on the other hand bore me to death and have already wasted way too much of my time.