Feb

24

Why I love and loathe Craigslist…

Filed Under Babbling 

One of the links I have in my Firefox on both my Portable Firefox on my USB drive and on my home computer is for the Orlando Craigslist Musical Instruments for Sale section… Usually a hotbed of activity with numerous new instruments posted daily, I’ve seen a lot of really neat guitars that I wish I could have picked up. Of course, I say that about half of the guitars I see, even though all I really want in my hands is a ‘52 Telecaster and a Gibson J45.

Needless to say, I won’t buy those off of Craigslist. I’d probably buy the reissues from a vendor direct, but that’s beside my point…

My point is, on the site, I get really frustrated with some of the things I see posted. The same folks come back daily to advertise cheap overpriced guitars, or things at or above retail value. Take today, for instance. Someone posted a kit and wanted $260 for it. If you googled the same exact guitar kit? Either $199.99 or $249.99 depending on what color you wanted and if you wanted a 10 or 15W amp with it. I post my rebuttal as a new thread saying he’s ripping them off, and mine gets flagged and removed, not his. Yesterday, someone else was asking $250 for some guitar, and another gentleman came on and commented with a new post that the same guitar retails new for $175. Neither was removed. The world is out to get me. Or not. Hah!

Or, take the instance where I saw someone posting two vintage guitars, very distinct guitars that you wouldn’t see very many of, wanting $150 for both of them. I messaged the guy and got more pictures and he told me that someone already was interested, but he’d hold them if I really wanted one. I was just curious, so I passed. But two days later? Someone who posts tons of guitars and obviously looks like he works at a pawnshop is selling guitars that look exactly like these two, asking $100 for one and $150 for the other…

I have no doubt that folks do mark up grossly. I’ll admit to it myself, because I’ve bought guitars and other things for cheap off of there and other sites and turned around and marked it up a little and resold it. But never above retail price.

Then again, it comes down to business, ethics, and what I can relate to and how I feel about things. You see, I like to be an honest businessman, and I can’t sell something I don’t believe in. Thusly, if I know what something’s worth? I won’t sell it for more than what it’s worth, no matter how much value I know I personally assign to something. Just how I am. But I’m not going to knock folks who can mark it up and do so and feel good about it.

No, I’m just going to feel sorry for the suckers who buy into it and buy the crap… Especially whoever buys that strat kit.

See, the biggest rip off in the music world when it comes to buying electric guitars? Are these entry kits. They’re worth what you’re paying for them when you first buy them, but you’d better be using it to learn. Depreciation on entry level guitars is sad… Pay $150 or so for it, and because the market is so saturated with people who want to learn how to play? Expect $75-100, unless its in really good shape. Same goes for these kits; pay $260-300 for one? Expect to get maybe $175 or so.

But that’s an entry for another time… For now? I think I’ll head back to Craigslist, and try not to be too frustrated…

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    About The Site


    Thanks for stopping by, folks! My name is Adam J. Cohen, and I'm a guitarist/songwriter in Champaign, IL, recently relocated from Orlando, FL where I'm a UCF grad. Here, you'll find vignettes on my life, setlists from open mics and reviews, and whatever else crosses my mind. Enjoy!