Ways That You Can Sell Musical Instruments for Cash

Introduction

If you’ve found recently that you’re not playing your musical instruments very much, then you should probably ask yourself whether you’ll make a genuine effort to play them more in the future.

Hopefully, the answer to this question will be yes. Rediscovering your love for an instrument can be a lot of fun and a great way to pass some time.

But if your honest answer is no, then you may want to consider looking into how you can sell musical instruments for cash.

We’ll just say up front that if you’re set on selling your instruments for cash rather than store credit or a digital payment, you’re not likely to get quite as much in total.

Stores tend to not want to pay cash for used instruments. If you’re interested in buying a different instrument at the same store, then it may be advisable to simply take the store credit.

Regardless, we will explore a few different options for selling instruments for cash, as well as some alternative means for selling instruments that won’t pay in cash but can be beneficial for other reasons.

If you’re looking to sell some art instead, check out this article on the subject.

Your Local Pawn Shop

Taking an unwanted instrument to a nearby pawn shop is definitely one of the easiest and most immediate ways to sell an instrument.

Advantages:

As we’ve already mentioned selling an instrument to a pawn shop is easy, quick, and typically convenient.

You can walk out the door with cash in hand.

Disadvantages:

Pawn shops make their profits by selling items at a markup compared to what they paid for them.

They can typically take advantage of the fact that sellers want cash immediately, and that desperate sellers will willingly sell an item for much less than it’s worth.

So don’t expect to make a significant amount of money by selling an instrument to a pawn shop. But if you need some cash right now, then it may be your only practical option.

Craigslist

Many Craigslist sales are made in cash, mostly because it’s made up on individuals selling to other individuals.

Advantages:

Posting a listing to Craigslist is quick and easy, especially if you already have some pictures of the instrument ready to go.

It’s also easy for potential buyers to get in touch with you and make offers for the item. Whether you accept an offer lower than your asking price is entirely up to you.

Just keep in mind that buyers on the site are already accustomed to haggling over price. Their offer may also depend on how much cash they have access to at the moment.

Disadvantages:

Craigslist almost always requires the buyer and seller to meet in real life to exchange goods and payment.

In other words, looking after your own safety is up to you. There will not be any company representatives present to assure the transaction goes smoothly.

Buyers are looking to get a good deal, and so they may not offer a fair price. If you want to get the price higher, you may have to be creative with your methods.

Music Stores

Music stores sometimes offer buyback programs where you can be given cash or store credit in exchange for any of your used instruments.

Advantages:

Music store employees will be able to accurately assess the value of your instrument. And many stores are eager to have a supply of used instruments to offer to customers who can’t afford brand new instruments.

And if the instrument is unique, then stores may be more motivated to buy it from you.

Disadvantages:

The type of instruments a music store accepts is entirely up to them. They are not required to bring any instruments that people bring through the door.

So depending on the instrument, the store may just refuse to pay anything for it.

The cash offer for the instrument may also be significantly lower than you were expecting.

Alternative Options

If you’re not married to the idea of getting cash for your instruments, then you have a few more options to choose from.

Reverb

Reverb is a music-centric resale website that offers robust tools to both buyers and sellers.

Best of all, when you’re first listing your instrument, the site will compare sales of similar instruments to give you a better idea of how much you can expect to sell it for based on the instrument’s condition.

The site also makes it easy for potential buyers to make offers for your instrument, which you can then approve or counter with your own price point.

Once someone has finalized their purchase for your instrument, all you need to do is pack and ship the item to the buyer’s address.

To help safeguard against potential mail theft, make sure to insure the package for the full purchase price of the instrument.

eBay

We all know about eBay at this point. It was one of the first websites to offer selling tools to the public.

More than ten years later, eBay remains one of the best places to sell items online, especially when it comes to specialty items like musical instruments.

And don’t forget that eBay’s central mechanic involves the option of letting customers bid on your item.

If your specific instrument is highly sought after, then you’re more likely to see a bidding war for your item, which can greatly increase the payout of the transaction.

As with Reverb, once your instrument has officially sold, all you need to do is pack and ship the instrument to the buyer.

For higher ratings from buyers, try to ship the item as quickly as possible.

Closing

There are definitely plenty of reasons to sell your instruments for cash. Just make sure that you’ve finalized your decision before making your move.

You don’t want to realize two weeks later that you wish you hadn’t sold the instrument in the first place.

Above all else, when selling an instrument, don’t be afraid to haggle. There’s certainly a limit to how much you can negotiate a price, but a little back-and-forth is never a bad idea.

You’ll quickly get a better idea for how badly someone wants to buy your instrument. The more they want it, the more you can charge.