Guitar Center idiots!

[pearlredburst]

I brought my bongo in to guitar center (i know i know) to see what the possible trade in value of it is. (I have a 5 string Bongo HH in egyptian smoke for sale!) - Sorry, couldnt resist... anyway...

When I walked in and told what I had for sale, the guy looked at my inquisitively and said...ernie ball make's guitars??? I stared blankly and said...uh..yeah...as I stared at the sterlings and stingrays on the wall...idiots. He took 25 minutes in the back with his manager looking on ebay to find out how much the bass was worth because they'd never heard of it. When he came out from talking with his manager he told me that when they looked on ebay the bass' were selling for 400 bucks brand new, in the box on ebay. But, they had been blowing them out for 1000 bucks brand new recently, so he said he would give me 500 dollars for it. I told him he could forget it, and obviously knew nothing about what he was talking about. I just looked on ebay...there are two bongo's going for MUCH more than that. I cannot believe the ordeal I just through. While I was waiting, I played 8 to 10 electrics. 4 of which were going for over 1000 dollars. NONE stayed in tune or were setup well...ugh.

 

[timmy5strings]

UNfotunately GC or most places won't give you street value, they'll give you about 1/2 that so they can still make a profit. You should try selling it outright. As for the guys not educated about the product, you will find a few everywhere you go. Maybe he didn't know EB made MusicMan ? Or just as sharp as a bowling ball.

 

[pearlredburst]

the bass has been for sale here for about a week or so. Im starting to think i may have to go ebay...ugh

 

[Sweat]

Your story could\will happen at any music retailer, the dudes at the GC I frequent are very knowlegible and cool, your never going to get what its worth on a straight sale like that in a GC and right now its even tough on ebay!

Were you trying to trade it on something, thats were they work with you usually, when I bought my first MM a Luke from GC, I had a nice Fender 25th anniversary Strat that I wanted to trade in on the Luke, they came back with a offer that was lower than I wanted, what they ended up doing was taking the difference in thier offer and what I was looking for it and deducting it from the price of the Luke worked out great.

I have been in GC's that well lacked, but most are not that way at least around my parts.

 

[oddjob]

Fing, the Dallas GCs are heaven - the 2 I went to were great. The new Cincy GC is nicer than the old one but the salesmen are still idiots . They are what they are and that is cool (I just know I have to educate myself before I walk in - but I should be doing that anyway).

While it is easy to bash GC for what they do wrong, they more than make up for it in what they do right and what they enable the maket to do. Trade ins are tough. GC tries to do what is fair for them and quick/easy for you. As a retailer, you can't go market value on it (where is the $$$ in that) which makes the outright sale the way to go (if you can find a buyer).

 

[rhythmCity944]

Going through any sort of dealer with anything you want to sell is usually not a great idea if you are looking for a good sell. Like a car dealer, they'll low ball your car because they need to re sell it and make money and if they can't make money, they don't want it. It may take months to sell your BONGO for what you want for it. Now days if you can't find a local buyer, Ebay or something like it is your best bet...selling around holidays is also tough too. It took me almost 6 months to sell a Jazz Bass at what I wanted for it and close to 2 months to sell a Stingray...gotta be patient which is the hard part especially when the extra cash would be nice to have in the holiday season Good luck

 

[maddog]

I don't see where this has anything to do with EBMM.

Businesses are in the business of making money. If they don't, they don't stay in... (you guessed it)... business. Of course they are going to low ball you. They are going to turn around and sell it for a... (wait for it)... profit.

So maybe your new found energy should be directed in finding other avenues to sell it at a price you find reasonable instead of coming on here complaining.

Hope your day gets better.

 

[bassmonkeee]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but no one at Guitar Center is the idiot in this equation. You just have no idea what you are talking about and no idea what is appropriate in this case.

Why in the world do you think they'd give you more than half of what they could sell it for used? They aren't in the business to buy instruments at full used market value. They are in the business to make money. Considering that they can order brand new instruments at cost, what incentive do they have to give you more than $500 for your used instrument?

Only one person looks bad in this scenario. Wanna guess who it is?

 

[BluesBassPlayer]

I probably shouldn't say this in print, but the only time I off something at Sam Ash or Guitar Center is when the product isn't a solid piece of equipment.

I recently bought a used G&L signature L2000 bass in tranny green. What a dog it was. I couldn't in good faith sell it to anyone on eBay or another bass site. So I moseyed on down to GC and gave it to them. I didn't loose much, but I didn't cost anyone in the bass community a problem. Anyone who bought it either didn't know it was a dog or was too new at bassing. The GC s responsible for what they sell. Not what they buy.

Jimi

 

[Aussie Mark]

GC were blowing out Rolls Burgundy Bongos for $850 recently, so their $500 offer to you for a used bass was a good deal in light of that fact. If they're selling new Bongos for $850, they might be able to sell your used Bongo for $700 max, which makes $500 a fair offer.

Don't they teach basic economics at school any more?

 

[pearlredburst]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but no one at Guitar Center is the idiot in this equation. You just have no idea what you are talking about and no idea what is appropriate in this case.

Why in the world do you think they'd give you more than half of what they could sell it for used? They aren't in the business to buy instruments at full used market value. They are in the business to make money. Considering that they can order brand new instruments at cost, what incentive do they have to give you more than $500 for your used instrument?

Only one person looks bad in this scenario. Wanna guess who it is?

wow, I was under the impression that personal attacks weren't ever used here at the Ernie Ball Forum. Apparently I was wrong and an idiot. No offense, but I'm sure the point of your post could have been presented in a much less offending fashion. Anyway, they weren't idiots based on what they were offering me for the bass, they were idiots because they had 1: never seen/heard of the bass before and 2: didn't even KNOW that ernie ball made guitars. You would think that they would at least have SOME idea. Thanks for your version of holiday cheer.

 

[maddog]

The negativity of your original post didn't do much for my holiday cheer.

 

[pearlredburst]

i realize that. I fortunately was not trying to ruin anyone's mood, I just felt the need to express my frustrations with guitar center. Maybe I went overboard, but there was a lot that was said even before what I responded to in my previous post that gave me the same opposing reaction, but not in a way that later posts did. I apologize for my initial post, frustration can be a tough animal....

 

[Grand Wazoo]

wow, I was under the impression that personal attacks weren't ever used here at the Ernie Ball Forum. Apparently I was wrong and an idiot. No offense, but I'm sure the point of your post could have been presented in a much less offending fashion. Anyway, they weren't idiots based on what they were offering me for the bass, they were idiots because they had 1: never seen/heard of the bass before and 2: didn't even KNOW that ernie ball made guitars. You would think that they would at least have SOME idea. Thanks for your version of holiday cheer.

Relax matey, the problem with internet chat & discussion boards is that you never get to see the facial expression of the writer, nor his mood at the time of typing, surely the man was having only an inncent giggle at your expense but I doubt he was in any way direspectful to you, why would he, after all he doesn't know you and should have no reason to belittle you.

I am in UK not in the US and I've never been in a GC as a result, but we have our oun monkeys minding shop floors down here too! rest assured of that. Your bad experience doesn't mean they are all thick, and you know maybe they were pretending not to know EB guitars just for a laugh, c'mon even my mom knows about Music Man and F&nders etc etc. She has seen me going through a large number of them in my youth.

 

[pearlredburst]

yeah, you're right. Im over it, and no longer upset even in the slightest. Carry on, nothing to see here!

 

[maddog]

Carry on, nothing to see here!

That is actually very easy for you to fix.

 

[RobertB]

At one of the locations in the San Diego area a while back, when the sales boy came over to ask what I was looking for, I told him "a single H Bongo" (which they didn't have, so I was checking out other stuff). What surprised me was not the fact that what he was referring to when he said "there's one right there" was a dual H; it was the fact that it was a Stingray 5.

 

[maddog]

seriously, this has been hashed over many times. Not really worth it. Drink up some Nogg and be of good cheer!