Selling your guitar privately gets you more money. Selling to a shop gets you faster money. Here's how to think through which makes sense — and how to get the best outcome either way.

Know What You Actually Have

Before you price anything, look up completed sales on Reverb and eBay — not asking prices, sold prices. Filter by condition and model. That's what the market is actually paying right now. Don't price based on what you paid, what you saw it listed for in 2021, or what a price guide says. Look at what sold recently.

If your guitar has original parts, original case, and documentation, note that — it matters on vintage instruments. If it's been modified, refinished, or repaired, that affects value in the other direction. Be honest about condition. Buyers who feel misled leave bad feedback and return guitars.

Selling Privately (Reverb, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace)

Private sale gets you the most money — typically 20–40% more than selling to a shop. The tradeoff is time, effort, and risk. You're writing the listing, answering questions, managing shipping or meetups, and handling payment.

Photos matter more than anything. Natural light, clean background, every angle, close-ups of any wear or damage. A listing with good photos sells faster and with fewer disputes. A listing with bad photos attracts lowball offers and skeptical buyers.

Price to sell, not to anchor. If you price 20% above market hoping to negotiate down, you'll sit. Price at market and you'll move it. If you're not in a hurry and the guitar is desirable, you can price slightly above and wait — but know that's a different strategy.

Shipping is a skill. A poorly packed guitar can arrive damaged and become your problem. Hard case in a double-walled box, bubble wrap around the case, strings detuned, neck supported. If you're not confident shipping, sell locally or in person.

Selling to a Shop

Selling to a shop is faster and simpler. You bring the guitar in, we look at it, we make an offer. No listing, no waiting, no shipping. The offer will be less than private sale — that's the cost of convenience and certainty. We need room to make a margin when we resell it.

We buy guitars at Paul's Guitar Hideout. We look at condition, originality, current market demand, and what we already have in inventory. We'll tell you what we can offer and why. If it's not something we can move, we'll say so rather than making an offer that doesn't make sense for either of us.

Players come in from Glens Falls, Queensbury, Lake George, Saratoga, and across the Capital Region. No appointment needed — bring it in during shop hours and we'll take a look.

Trading vs. Selling

If you're buying something else at the same time, trading often gets you better value than selling outright. We apply trade-in value toward whatever you're buying. See how trades work at Paul's Guitar Hideout.

When to Sell Privately vs. to a Shop

Sell privately when: you have time, the guitar is desirable to a national audience, and you're comfortable with shipping or local meetups.

Sell to a shop when: you want it done quickly, you're not sure what it's worth, or the guitar is the kind of thing that moves better locally than online.

If you're not sure what you have or what it's worth, bring it in. We'll tell you what we'd offer and give you an honest read on what it might fetch privately. No obligation either way. See also: Should I Sell or Trade My Guitar?

Paul's Guitar Hideout is located at The Shirt Factory in Glens Falls, NY. Use the Cooper Street entrance and take the stairs up. If you need assistance, give us a call and we'll come down.

The Shirt Factory
71 Lawrence St., Suite 201B, 2nd Floor
Glens Falls, NY 12801
Wednesday–Sunday, 12–5pm
(518) 217-8695 · info@paulsguitarhideout.com