How to Sell Your Guitar Online Fast? [5 Tips]

Unfortunately, there are times when you need to get rid of things fast. 

Usually, it is a matter of needing some quick cash. But for those who rent their homes or live with housemates, living situations can change quickly, and sometimes you have to downsize your belongings. 

Luckily guitars and music gear tend to hold their value better than a lot of consumer electronics and things that are outdated a year or two after they are released. 

So if you find yourself in a pinch it can make sense to take a look at your guitars and ask yourself “When was the last time I actually played that one?” 

If you can’t remember then perhaps it is time to put it on the chopping block.

When you need to sell a guitar online quickly there is no substitute for offering a great deal. But you also need to make sure people see it so it’s advisable to list the guitar on several websites. And the more professional your listing’s photos and description are, the better chance you will have of selling.

Usually, patience is key to getting the best profit from selling something. On the other hand, there are plenty of ways of “liquidating” stuff but they rarely pay well. 

Let’s examine some ways of selling guitars and try to find the sweet spot for quickness and profit.

Fastest way of selling your guitar

The worst-case scenario is when you only have a day or two to sell a guitar. 

Your quickest bet is probably to sell to a pawn shop or guitar store that buys used gear. But you will only get about 40% – 60% of what the shop will sell it for. 

So for something that you purchased new for $500 you will probably only get back $150 – $200. So if the guitar you want to sell is worth a lot of money, that’s not a great option. 

Craigslist can be another viable option here. It doesn’t take much time to post a listing and you can ask for more than you would get at a shop while still offering a good enough deal to make a quick local sale. 

If it doesn’t work out you can still sell to a shop but remember to cancel your Craigslist post if you sell elsewhere. 

Let’s move on to situations where you have a little more time to sell online.

5 tips for selling your guitar online fast

If you have decided to sell online there are a number of tricks you can use to make your guitar the most attractive option for buyers so you can sell quickly. 

And even when you are using a smartphone or computer I usually find it helpful to have a notebook, pen, and calculator at hand.

1. Price 

Price is by far the most important factor but I bet you already knew that. Search for similar guitar models online or use Reverb.com’s pricing guide to determine what other people are selling for.

Calculate how much you would likely get for selling to a local shop and choose a price between that amount and the price of other online listings. 

If you undercut other sellers sufficiently you are almost guaranteed the quickest sale.

2. Professional listing

Make your online listing look professional. 

People can be funny and sometimes when they see a great deal, they immediately become suspicious that something is wrong. 

Prove them wrong by providing plenty of well-lit and high-quality photos of your instrument. 

Take the time to list all pertinent details about the guitar and anything that you have done to prepare it for sale (new strings, recently conditioned fretboard, etc.). 

And if potential customers still have further questions, respond as quickly as you can. 

After all, they may just be trying to gauge if you are a responsible seller, especially if you are new to the selling platform.

3. List your gear in several places

Another recommended method for selling quickly is to list your guitar on more than one website. 

Try to find sites without listing fees that allow you to cancel the sale as needed (no auctions). Some buyers are loyal to certain sites so this will really increase your exposure. 

You may want to adjust your price according to the difference in fees but that isn’t hard to do. If you use this strategy just be sure to cancel the leftover listings immediately when your guitar sells.

4. Consider bartering

If clearing out space is your main concern you may have better luck bartering. 

A lot of people are short on cash due to increases in the cost of living but they may have some extra gear.

Using a forum or website to sell a few guitars or amps and accepting trades for smaller or more expensive things can be cool if you live in a metro area and you can work out an equitable deal. 

This way you can escape having to pay fees too.

5. Use highlighted listings

Many sites also offer some sort of way to boost your listing for an extra fee or increased percentage if your guitar sells. 

The terms vary according to the platform you are using but “highlighted”, “featured” and Reverb’s “bump” are all ways to get better placement in their search results. 

You may think this sometimes has the opposite effect on some people that quickly scroll right past the promoted items. 

However, you would be surprised at how big of a deal is showing up higher on a listing.

Hey, you probably clicked on this article on Google because it ranked high!

Where to sell your guitar online fast

So the heavy hitters for selling guitars online are obviously eBay, Craigslist, and Reverb. 

There are some others that I have never used, but if you want you can try Facebook’s marketplace feature or the OfferUp/Letgo app (free for local sales but almost 13% in fees for non-local). 

And music forums/groups are an option if you want to do things on your own.

In order to increase your chances of selling quickly just list your guitar on several different forums. 

You can choose to sell/trade, local-only, or whether your price is firm or open to offers. 

If you have to sell fast just adjust your price to give someone a good deal or wait for an offer that suits you.