How to Make Money Selling Guitars on eBay
Sell anything on eBay on a regular basis and your chances of making decent money there are good. The world of selling guitars on eBay has become a major goldmine, but making it a lucrative business could be more of a challenge than you might think. To be successful, you must invest both time and money to make your guitar a highly saleable item.
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Instructions
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Inspecting & Repairing
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1
Take the strings off the guitar and inspect every inch of the body for any damage that could potentially bring lower bids during an eBay auction.
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2
Inspect particularly for dents and cracks in the main body of the guitar. Be aware of any missing parts, such as the nut holding the strings together at the guitar's top or knobs and switches that won't turn.
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3
Make sure the guitar is clean. Buy buffing compound, some Pledge or something as basic as WD40 to get grime spots off the guitar's body.
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4
Check to make sure an electric guitar works properly. Test it out by plugging it into an amplifier and testing out the pickups, the magnets that the strings go over. Use a screwdriver to touch the pickups as a way to see if they work. They'll make a popping sound in the amp if they're in good shape.
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5
Hold the guitar up straight to see if the fingerboard is straight. Take the guitar to a professional guitar repairer--a luthier--to take care of any repairs if you don't know how to fix them yourself.
Preparing for eBay
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6
Find a suitable location to photograph your guitar so it looks enticing to a buyer. Choose a blank table or other location that doesn't have clutter so your guitar stands out in the picture. Have natural light in the room.
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7
Make the first picture the base of the guitar as a way to grab instant attention to eBay buyers. Take additional pictures of the rest of the guitar, including its back and serial number. Be honest and include photographs of any damage so you won't get negative feedback for lying about the guitar's condition.
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8
Create keywords during the eBay auction that give a thorough description of your guitar. Use their topic search feature that allows serious buyers to search for guitars using specific keywords, ultimately giving serious buyers a better chance of finding your guitar.
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9
Be honest in how you describe the guitar.
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10
State in your description that you'll ship anywhere in the world. European buyers are typically more likely to pay top dollar for expensive collectibles, perhaps as a consequence of a better economy. List your auctions late at night American time so the European crowd will win the auction.
Shipping
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Always state your shipping charges in the product description.
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12
Keep in mind that extra shipping charges may be necessary to make sure the weight of the package is fully covered. Refund your customers the extra shipping charges if the charges were more than necessary.
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13
Ask the buyer to buy postal insurance for the item so you won't be held responsible if the mail service somehow damages the guitar during shipping.
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