I'd like to sell a vintage Fender Bassman Amp. Local Craigslist is not getting it done. I've never sold anything on Ebay, so there's a lot I don't know. Any tips would be appreciated.

I've found the prime time for sellers is the period from Jan 10 thru March 31. People are indoors and Christmas is over, and many folks have tax return and gift money to blow.

Worst time is Thanksgiving to Christmas period.

All depends on the item for sale, there are high demand items that bring a steady market value all year long.

But, for average audio stuff i totally agree with Gibsonian. As soon as the "spend shock" of the christmas holiday is over, the "season" for selling kicks in. Although with certain stuff things really seem to pick up in early november as the outdoor hobbies are forced indoors.

Just my .02 y'all understand...................

You might try the member classifieds here too: http://audiokarma.org/ads/

I was gonna say the winter months are usually more beneficial to the sellers. Every one is stuck inside rather than being out by the pool with a barbecue and a beer.

things that compete with sellers
a. back to school shopping - aug/sep
b. utility bills - july/aug and jan/feb
c. holiday spending - unless your item can be a gift
d. home improvements done during warmer months
e. cash flow for summer out door travel and spending
f. college/private school costs - aug/sep, dec/jan
g. other sellers
h. illusions of getting a steal like the one that they read about on audiokarma
i. etc

opportunity windows
a. tax return season
b. christmas bonus time
c. major holidays in which gifts are exchanged - fathers day, mothers day, etc.

I'm holding my items for sale til november or so....have been donating alot of it if new list was less than 500.

I typically find that selling he first week of the month on Ebay is best. Seems most everytime I sell mid month I get low balled so I have to put reserves on everything!
Ebay is very fickle at best I have sold Larger Advents for $500 and perfect JBL 123a woofers for $70 as lessons learned.
Good luck- you'll probably need it!
DC

I think a fender bassman would sell good at any time of the year. Guitar players don't time off for the summer. JMHO.

I think a fender bassman would sell good at any time of the year. Guitar players don't time off for the summer. JMHO.

I would agree, maybe your price is TOO high, or your amp may have issues.
I've seen vintage Bassmen go for crazy money, anytime of year.

As long as I know what it is worth, I have always had the best luck by just deciding what I want for the item and putting it up with a "Buy it now" price. I think that a lot of folks who might be interested, for what ever reason, don't make it back to bid near an auction's end.

The amp's in great shape and I've got it priced fairly in the midrange of what I know they sell for because I hate to pack and ship it. Of course it is 40 years old, but I don't think that's the problem. Well, I can see I've got some learning to do. Thanks for the ideas.

Just after Thanksgiving for me is the best deals ---people needing to get extra money for Christmas shopping and that is when I strike !
I always put some extra money away for that time,because not to many people are bidding ,instead there Chrismas shopping for their family and can't afford to invest in their own hobby.
James

The amp's in great shape and I've got it priced fairly in the midrange of what I know they sell for because I hate to pack and ship it. Of course it is 40 years old, but I don't think that's the problem. Well, I can see I've got some learning to do. Thanks for the ideas.

What they sell for locally? Or on that auction site? And I don't think it's age has ANYTHING to do with why you haven't sold it yet. You have to know what your local market area can bear.

The thing that bugs me about people that use ebay as some sort of ertzat price guide, is this.

If you're selling something LOCALLY. You market is infintesimally SMALLER. Especially, for something as rare/unique as a 1957 Fender Bassmen. Most people who really want one, have found one by now! That leaves, how many people are there in your local nearby area who, really, really, want one bad enough to pay YOUR price? You MUST find that one, out of maybe 2-3 people, in your area that are willing to spend $xxxxx.xx on a 40 year old amp. It really is a tough sell.

You can NOT go by ebay closing prices, because that is almost an international market. The pool of people checking/shopping/bidding, on ebay is exponentionally much, much larger and and willing to spend more, than what you can even reasonablly expect if you're only willing to sell locally.

Some things sell for big dollars on ebay because all the conditions exist that allow those unquie/valuable items to garner that big money!

As a subscriber, you can also post In Barter Town here ON AK at no additional cost. Even if none of the members are interested, they may know of someone who is.

I will say that summer seems to be bargain-hunting time as well as less people sitting around a computer for all of the factors previously mentioned. I say anytime between September 15 through Thanksgiving and after the ist of the year through the first part of May are the best times. At this time, I have nothing posted because it appears as though there is certainly a slowdown on the auction site. I will just wait it out and start listing again later.

The advise of putting up a BUY IT NOW only auction is the best way to avoid a low selling price also. If priced properly, it WILL sell! feedback also play a part so if you don't have very much, maybe a friend who is local can help you out.

You have a piece that is desired but again, the local market is probably limited.

Good luck,

Barry

You have a piece that is desired but again, the local market is probably limited.

Good luck,

Barry

I can remember not all that long ago, when I could find a Bassman locally for $300-$500. And when they started commanding prices of a $1000.00, and over. I thought people were crazy to pay that much for one. And that was about 15 years ago. So everything is relative. It's all supply and demand!

Do not, repeat NOT put a buy it now on any auction, it inhibits bidding. A fender Bassman will bring decent money, you really do not have to worry. Make sure you take lots of pictures and probably the most important thing, end it on a Sunday between 11am-1pm.
Thats my 2 cents from 8 years of Ebay. You will get more money on Ebay than practically any other place, including on AK's sites, sorry, but it is true.

I have had my worst auctions on eBay that ended on Sundays and there is nothing wrong with a BUY IT NOW if you have a set price in mind. You can also offer a BIN or BEST OFFER option.

I am not agreeing or disagreeing bit I have been selling for quite some time myself and it really depnds on the sellers objectives. He apparently already has a price in mind and would be happy if he got it. At $6.00 max to post, what's the harm? It's just like fishing-throw the line out and see what bites. Maybe nothing but at worst, you have lost very little.

My .02

You will get more money on Ebay than practically any other place, including on AK's sites, sorry, but it is true.

Yes, sad but true!!
As a seller there is NO better way to maximise your market. Or the amount you can expect your item to generate. The sheer amount of people you have the potential to reach is staggering. Ebay is almost like Microsoft! lol They ARE that huge.

http://cgi.ebay.com/1960-Fender-tweed-bassman-vintage-amp-old-amp-NO-RESERV_W0QQitemZ290141230093QQihZ019QQcategoryZ118 989QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

nuff said

Well, mine's a '68 silverface head, so I won't be getting that kind of money!

Well, mine's a '68 silverface head, so I won't be getting that kind of money!

Now that's a horse of different color! That's why you're having trouble selling it. That version really is a tough sell.

Not to knock your amp, at all. As I know nothing about which variation you have. But the ONLY really collectible Fender Bassman's are, the 4-10" tweed combos. And to a lesser degree the 4-10" tolex combos. Those are the ones that bring big bucks!
The silver faced heads just aren't in the same leauge. At least not in a collectors eyes. Sorry to say.

It like calling a 1960 Chevy Bel-Aire, a 1957!! Not even in the same league collector wise.
A '60 Bel-Aire might be a close vintage and it may be nice. But it ain't no '57.

Funny enough I have a similar situation.

I have owned late 70's Vox AC-30 top boost for 25 years. Collectible? Yes!! As collectible and valuable as a 1965 JMI Vox AC-30, with the blue bulldog speakers? Not even in the same leauge! The '60's JMI's go for $3-5K easily. Yet, I can't get $1k for my very similar, yet slightly newer version.

But that's the collectors market for ya.

What about the length you run the ad? 7 or 10 day? Is the general concensus that the weekend is the best time to end an auction? Late afternoon or evening after dinner?

Any ideas of crating and shipping items overseas? Seems like a willingness to do so will increase prices as well.

I like 5 day or 7 day auctions. 10 is too long. I like to end mine at 8:00 PM East Coast time. West Coasters can bid at work and East Coasters can bid right after dinner. I would not suggest "BIN" since a well-done auction will generally net more than any BIN you choose.

Good pictures = more $$. Especially for an item like yours. Let folks drool...

Ken

For me, there is no selling season, nor is there a buying season.

From my selling experience on ebay I tend to get the most $ when I run a 7 day auction and end it either on Sunday through Friday evening at about 10pm est which is 7 pm on the west coast. That way most of the would be bidders are home from work and have finished dinner. Dont start or end your auction on Saturday as people are busy doing other things on Saturday and tend to stay away from their computers. If you havea certain price in your mind then put a reserve price in the auction to protect yourself. I genrally do my homework and figure out what something is worth ahead of time and then let the market determine the selling price. If the item is rather rare and you cannot determine the market price or if bidders will be interested, then a reserve price is the way to go. :yes:

I used to think there was a selling season on ebay, but in the last few years I have determined in some categories such as that audio there are generally fewer bidders in the warmwer sumer months, however there are fewer items listed so they kind of balance each other out.

The silver faced heads just aren't in the same leauge. At least not in a collectors eyes. Sorry to say.

Well, the aluminum drip edge marks the 1st two years of silver face production, and it's got the AB165 circuit that some people like. So maybe that's a little bit of collectible. Anyway I hope someone buys it and puts it right to work. It's a great sounding robust classic Fender amp and it deserves to be heard. I guess I'll let Ebay do its thing, but for what I had it listed for on CL you couldn't come close to buying as good an amp new.

You can watch if you want to.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Fender-Bassman-Head-Silverface-1968-1969-Vintage-Amp_W0QQitemZ200140134570QQihZ010QQcategoryZ38074Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

They have been going for $350 to $400, which I think is fair. Gosh there are lot of these babies for sale. And this one is a good playing amp known to be in good shape. I hate that someone will have to pay for shipping, but same as speakers off of Ebay, I guess it's just the cost of getting what you want. It just wouldn't move on CL, except people who wanted to trade.

I was gonna say the winter months are usually more beneficial to the sellers. Every one is stuck inside rather than being out by the pool with a barbecue and a beer.



My best time, period!