SELLING: the *most* controversial aspect: PRICING !! (:^0)

[rocksanddirt]

I mostly agree, and would add that except in very rare cases, people can always wait, shop around, or do without a new tuba/new to you tuba. So, even motivated buyers are not as motivated as people replacing a car or house.

[Donn]

Look, folks, this is supposed to be a very controversial subject! I know you can do better.

[Donn]

Arrgh

OK, see here: You have to aim high when you sell a tuba, because as a tuba player you're not going to get the money any other way, and because potential buyers will respect the tuba when they see the price you put on it. This happens all the time in real estate, reasonably priced houses languish on the market until the owner replaces the realtor with a more savvy one who inflates the price! Unbelievable, but it's true, and you can make big bucks too when you know this trick practiced by experienced salesmen of all kinds!

[Donn]

- Two tubas of the same model are luxuriously easy to compare, *particularly* with the internet.

To compare two tubas, for anything that matters:

• transport them to the same place at the same time, which place must have suitable acoustic properties (not the seller's bedroom or a Denny's parking lot.)
• assemble the current owners, the prospective buyer, and a confederate who can reliably discern possibly subtle differences, and communicate them to the prospective buyer.
• the prospective buyer must be reasonably skilled in the operation of the tubas he or she proposes to buy, even though they may be quite unfamiliar.

I'm guessing that far from luxuriously easy, it's a rare miracle when these conditions are met, and we end up often buying tubas on superficial appearance, hunches and wishful thinking. You need to make the buyer respect your tuba.

Particularly in recent times, 99% of "lookers" simply laugh at would-be sellers of over-priced houses.

Well, in recent times, we might laugh at anyone who needs to sell a house, but that's another story.

[cjk]

I had a major problem with pricing when I was selling my MW 2000 several years ago. I had it on sale here starting at $11,500, which at the time was probably too high. No one was biting obviously, so I gradually lowered the price to $9000 (which is low, IMO). It sat at $9000 for about six months. I take it up to Baltimore Brass and put it on consignment for the original $12,500. I ended up selling the horn for $12,000.

This tells me that one could possibly get a a little more for the horn if you sell it through a reputable dealer.

Just my 2 cents.

Sorry, but your advertisement just wasn't very good.

Edit:
Sorry if that sounds harsh. I'm REALLY not trying to be rude, but,
Here's your ad:
viewtopic.php?t=13825" target="_blank

Here's a good ad for a more expensive tuba than yours that sold in just a few months:
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=29074&hilit=yorkbrunner" target="_blank

See the difference?

[TubaRay]

OK, see here: You have to aim high when you sell a tuba, because as a tuba player you're not going to get the money any other way, and because potential buyers will respect the tuba when they see the price you put on it. This happens all the time in real estate, reasonably priced houses languish on the market until the owner replaces the realtor with a more savvy one who inflates the price! Unbelievable, but it's true, and you can make big bucks too when you know this trick practiced by experienced salesmen of all kinds!

This should prove to be important information for all the rest of us to remember in the event that you list a tuba for sale.

[Donn]

This should prove to be important information for all the rest of us to remember in the event that you list a tuba for sale.

In fact I have listed a tuba for sale, but, alas, I did not follow my own advice given above and instead listed it at a price based on what other similar tubas have sold for elsewhere, etc., a very reasonable price and indeed quite a bargain. Of course it was dismissed for this reason by people looking for a tuba that they could have more respect for, and I have learned my lesson now. If it comes back at twice the price, I hope I can count on your discretion.

[TubaRay]

I have learned my lesson now. If it comes back at twice the price, I hope I can count on your discretion.

But, of course.

[Rick Denney]

Sorry.....

Looks like I really messed up totally now....damn it

No, you just assumed the guy who bought the tuba in question was morally obligated to act like a pawn broker, but without a pawn broker's fee.

I once tried to trade a bit of photographic equipment back to the used camera store dealer from whom I'd bought it, and for another item of that same price I'd original paid. "I don't trade retail for retail, or I'd soon be out of business" was the correct response. I was young and foolish like you, heh, heh.

Rick "whose pricing strategy usually involves keeping the tubas he buys" Denney

[Uncle Buck]

A while back, I bought a tuba off Ebay for a ludicrously low amount (I'll call it $X). It was risky: a brand new seller, and only one distant, very poor quality photo, bad description, etc.

I knew I was taking a risk, and that I might lose my entire $X. I was prepared to live with that.

I got the tuba, and it was not in horrible shape. Some valves and slides were stuck, which could have been very expensive problems, but turned out not to be. A little over $100 in repair work, and all valves and slides were in great working shape.

At that point I decided to re-sell. I posted an honest and descriptive ad here, with reasonably good photos (I'm not the world's best photographer), and eventually sold for an overall profit (after what I spent on repairs, shipping, etc.) of about $300.

When I posted my for sale ad on here, another member immediately responded with a comment of "Hey, isn't that the tuba you outbid me for on Ebay recently for $X?"

I thought that poster was an A$$ for doing that - he wasn't interested in buying the horn. The person who ended up buying the horn was someone who had followed the original Ebay auction (and I presume was unwilling to take the risk with that auction, but was later willing to pay a higher price with less risk.)

Even though he was being an A$$, that A$$ poster wasn't doing anything unethical or illegal. He was providing true information, which I confirmed with a response posting. But he was still being an A$$.

[Uncle Buck]

In a forum like this, I guess there is no avoiding some who will ask questions, then gang up on those who provide honest answers.

Bloke definitely is not the A$$ to whom I referred in my previous message.

(However, only slightly off topic, I imagine Bloke probably is the source of at least 30% of the daily traffic on this site - meaning that at least 30% of visitors would no longer visit as regularly if Bloke's posts were not here to read. Sean has Bloke to thank for probably at least 30% of the site's traffic-based revenue.)

[Mitch]

My $.02...feel free to skip.

I think one of the fundamental issues is that a considerable portion of the motivation for purchasing an instrument (or a house, for that matter) comes from personal taste. People do or don't like particular brands, models, pistons, rotors, wraps, etc. If you agree, then logic dictates we must also recognize that a considerable component of the process cannot be defined or standardized for future reference.

A few months back, I was offered, for one of my horns, almost triple what I paid for it. Would I owe anything to the person from whom I bought it? Absoultely not. When I bought it, I bought the horn and every right and privelege of ownership thereto appertaining, including the right to resell at a profit (or loss, for that matter).

Pricing a tuba, like a home, though, isn't rocket science if you separate fact from feeling. As mentioned, it doesn't matter what you want to get for your horn. It's doubful you'd find a single buyer who'd offer to pay you more out of concern for your personal financial situation or emotional well-being. If you take a hint from the home-selling process, it shouldn't be difficult to arrive at a price that's: a) reasonable; b) justifiable and c) protects your interests.

If you are attempting to sell a mass-produced horn, it may be easier than one-of-a-kind horns. You have the benefit of searching old ads for that model horn, seeing what they were listed for, and even the possibility of contacting the seller and asking if they'd share with you the final selling price. Of course, there's no guarantee they will, as it's entirely personal, but if they do, you've got more factual information. If you can collect information from 3 or more sales in the last 6 months to a year, you've got a small collection of information that can begin to serve as a reference point.

YOU CANNOT USE THE NEW SELLING PRICE AS A REFERENCE IF YOU'RE TRYING TO SELL A USED HORN. Apples and oranges. If you're comparing to new, and list your price is too high, you make it that much more justifiable for the buyer to go buy the NEW horn, not yours. Besides, your horn is NOT new. If a new horn is $6k, and you're asking $5,950, why wouldn't the buyer just go to a store where he/she can try out 4 or 5 of the same horn and have their pick? If you're comparing to new, and really need to sell, marketplace tendencies dictate that you may have to price your that much LOWER in order to convey a really good deal.

Back to personal taste...If you're trying to sell your horn, and want to get a lot for it, you must be able to show how your horn is the exceptional one, has attributes or accessories no other horn has, as you must be able to capture the attention of that one buyer who wants THAT attribute. For example, were I to sell my 6/4 Martin, I might mention its exceptional resonance, rafter-rattling low range, and the ability to extract stand rapping from string sections. That may appeal to a buyer more than "Big old tuba. Finish not great, some dents here and there. $50,000."

Pictures, good description, provenance (if applicable, as some people would prefer to know they were paying more for an instrument had it belonged to 'someone important'), intonation tendencies. In short, FACT, not feeling. "This is a great horn," is not qualifiable. "Solid, no rattled, quiet valves, main tuning slide out 3/8" and it's A=440, new springs and bumpers, case is 5 years old with 2 loose hinges and new handle..." is a qualified statement. If you're remotely located and are not offering a trial period, you reduce the pool of prospective buyers. If you're going to offer shipping, for $1,000, you reduce the pool of prospective buyers.

Item
"Tuba for sale, $3,000" Pool of prospective buyers (popb) = 500 (Theorectically, of course)

BBb popb = 100

Conn popb = 50

3 valves popb = 20

valves need replating popb = 10

bell is crushed popb = 3

no trials popb = 1

no shipping popb = 1

tuba is in Nunavut, Canada popb = 0

The first rule of selling real estate? Price overcomes all objections. Whatever it is, there's a price at which objections override price (i.e., no one wants it), and there's a price at which people will jump all over it.

I'm certain the same is true of selling tubas. Responsibly assessing your instrument based on fact ought to enable the possibility of find a price that will get the horn sold.

[cjk]

...
YOU CANNOT USE THE NEW SELLING PRICE AS A REFERENCE IF YOU'RE TRYING TO SELL A USED HORN. Apples and oranges. If you're comparing to new, and list your price is too high, you make it that much more justifiable for the buyer to go buy the NEW horn, not yours. Besides, your horn is NOT new. If a new horn is $6k, and you're asking $5,950, why wouldn't the buyer just go to a store where he/she can try out 4 or 5 of the same horn and have their pick? If you're comparing to new, and really need to sell, marketplace tendencies dictate that you may have to price your that much LOWER in order to convey a really good deal.
....

Care to explain that again? I think you have used the new price as a reference in your example. You have used it as a piece of information, a price above which one should not go.