By Jeffrey Zagaria

Are you looking to sell a guitar or cello that is not being played?    Looking for a used piano?  Want to get a nice used P.A. system or microphone?

People often ask me what an instrument is worth.  Price is subjective for any used instrument.  However, I would recommend looking on websites such as Ebay for comparable instruments and equipment and finding current asking prices.  Craigslist is also a great reference point on product availability and what others are asking.

A search for used instruments/music equipment for sale on the internet with the exact same model and year of the instrument in the search is valuable.  A search can bring up some instruments for sale that are the same model and close to the same year if not exact.  You will then begin to have a good basis for a fair price.

There are some guitar shops that will sell on consignment as well… they usually ask for some percentage of the selling price.  One looking for used instruments/equipment can see and play with them before making a decision.  This can be an advantage for both the buyer and seller.

( Voice lessons, Accent Reduction, Music Lessons, workshops, instructional videos, mp3’s books, music lessons can be found at: http://www.zagariavocalacademy.com )

It’s always a risk buying something used directly over the internet.  I prefer consignment shops and used gear in local stores.  In the perfect situation and with a little prayer I believe that it is possible to have success with used online purchases.  However, there is nothing like trying the item out for oneself before purchase.

Some people elect to pay a person with knowledge to take a look at the instrument/equipment. This is certainly an even safer method.  Sometimes it’s better to pay a little extra to make sure we are getting a fair deal.

Shopping for used gear has been a really fun passion and hobby of mine since I was a young teen.  It’s still like a treasure hunt for me to go into a local store or find something nice online and dream.  Sometimes the dream gear ends up in my studio, but most of the time it remains just a dream.