Selling your guitar to a shop, explained honestly

The number a shop offers you is not an insult and not a scam — it's arithmetic you can learn in five minutes. Here's how quotes actually work, what makes them go up, and the honest math on cash vs trade vs consignment vs selling it yourself.

How shop quotes actually work

Start with the number that anchors everything: not what you paid, but what the guitar currently sells for used — the "street" resale value you'd see on Reverb or a shop's used wall. A shop buying your guitar has to clean it, set it up, warranty it, let it sit on the wall for weeks or months, and still make margin. So the standing rule of the industry is:

• Cash offer: roughly 50–60% of used resale value. A guitar that sells used for $800 gets you a $400–480 cash offer at most shops. Guitar Center's used-buy program works the same way and is usually at the lower edge of that band.
• That percentage drifts up for gear the shop knows will sell fast (clean Fender/Gibson/Martin staples, current-model pedals) and down for oddballs, entry-level gear, and anything that needs work.

Two implications worth sitting with. First, "I paid $1,200 for this" is irrelevant — new guitars lose 30–40% the day they leave the store, so a $1,200 purchase is often an $700–800 used guitar, which is a $350–450 cash offer. Second, the quote genuinely isn't personal. The shop up the street will land within $50 of it, because they're all doing the same math on the same Reverb sold listings — often right in front of you.

Cash vs trade credit

The same guitar is worth two different amounts at the counter, and the gap is your leverage:

• Cash: 50–60% of resale value, as above.
• Trade credit: around 70% — sometimes more during trade-in promotions. The shop can pay more in credit because their cost on the gear you're buying isn't the sticker price.

So if you're selling and buying, always trade. On that $800-resale guitar, trading turns $440 of cash into roughly $560 of credit — $120 of free money for doing the deal at one counter instead of two. If you're just raising cash, the trade number is a mirage; compare cash offers only.

What raises an offer

You can't change what your guitar is, but you can change how it shows up. Each of these genuinely moves the number:

• Original case and parts. The factory hardshell case, trem arm, extra saddles, even the case candy — original everything can add 10–15% to what a buyer pays, and the shop passes some of that through. Bring it all.
• Clean it. A ten-minute wipe-down — fingerprints off the finish, gunk off the fretboard, polish the hardware — changes the first impression from "neglected" to "cared for." Shops quote the guitar in front of them, not the one you remember.
• Fresh strings and a current setup. A guitar that plays well in the appraiser's hands quotes better than one with dead strings and high action, because it's sellable today instead of after a bench visit. If it needs a setup anyway, $60 spent can return more than $60 in offer.
• Know your model. Year, country of manufacture, and exact model matter — a Made-in-Japan or USA version can be worth double its overseas sibling. Serial-number lookup sites take five minutes and stop you from selling a $900 guitar as a $400 one.
• Honesty about repairs. Disclose the headstock repair or swapped pickups up front. Appraisers find everything anyway, and a caught surprise craters trust along with the offer.

Consignment math

The middle path: the shop sells your guitar on its wall and you split the proceeds — typically 70/30 to 80/20 in your favor, with better splits on higher-value gear. Run the numbers on the $800 guitar:

• Cash sale to the shop: ~$440, today.
• Consignment at 75/25, sells for $800: $600, in one to three months (sometimes longer).
• Private sale at $750 (private buyers pay a bit under shop-retail): ~$750, minus your time, and minus ~5–8% in fees if you sell through Reverb instead of locally.

Consignment shines for higher-end and vintage gear, where the 50% cash haircut is a lot of dollars and the shop's foot traffic includes actual buyers for a $3,000 instrument. Ask about the split, who sets the price, whether there's a minimum term, and what happens if it doesn't sell. Shops that specialize in vintage often run serious consignment programs for exactly this reason.

When a private sale wins

Selling it yourself nets the most money, full stop — usually 30–50% more than the cash offer. It wins when the guitar is desirable, you know what it is, and you're not in a hurry. It loses when you factor in what it costs: photographing, listing, answering "is this still available," no-shows, lowball opens, meeting strangers, and on shipping platforms, packing a guitar properly and eating fees plus the occasional return. For a $250 guitar, the shop's $130 today beats three weeks of Marketplace messages. For a $2,500 guitar, the private-sale premium is real money and worth the friction — or split the difference with consignment.

Walk-in etiquette

How to sell at the counter without either side wasting an hour:

• Call first. "Do you buy used gear, and is the buyer in today?" Not every shop buys, and the person authorized to quote isn't always working. Our sell-your-gear directory lists stores confirmed to buy and trade.
• Know your bottom number before you walk in — the price below which you'd rather keep it. Decide calmly at home, not at the counter.
• Let them inspect in silence. The appraiser will sight the neck, test the electronics, check the frets. Narrating history at them doesn't help; answering their questions honestly does.
• It's fine to say "let me think about it." Good shops expect it, and quotes are typically good for days. Getting a second quote across town is normal, not rude.
• Bring ID. Shops are required to log used-gear purchases in most places — it's an anti-theft rule, not suspicion of you.

The bottom line, by situation

Upgrading? Trade it — the ~70% credit rate is the best percentage you'll get from any shop deal. Need cash this week? Take the 50–60% cash offer from whichever of two shops quotes higher and don't look back; speed is what you're buying. High-end or vintage piece, no rush? Consign at 75/25 or better, ideally at a vintage specialist whose walls attract the right buyers. Desirable gear, patience, and tolerance for strangers? Sell private and pocket the whole spread.

Start with the directory of stores that buy and trade used gear, or check the best-rated shops in your state — reviews mentioning "fair trade-in offers" are flagged on our listings. Curious what the used market looks like from the buyer's side? That's the used gear shopping guide.