About 18 months ago, I opened a small acoustic instrument store in east Tennessee. I don't do any internet sales. I see lots of old gibsons, kalamazoos, and martins. These are guitars, mandolins, and banjos. From the sellers' standpoint, they don't know what they're worth; and, there are all kinds of people ready to take advantage of them. I do several things. The first is that I figure out what they have, while they rae still in my shop. Then, together, we call Elderly fro an estimate of value. Then, we hit the internet, especially ebay. That way, they have s a good idea of what they have. This happens several times a week. Often, the customer will ship it to Elderly, and they will either buy it or consign it. From the colector and re-sellers standpoint: I'm a fool for not buying these instruments and making money on them. For these dealers, shops like mine are a primary source for their inventory. For the sellers though, and the new buyers, two levels of middlemen are eliminated. Steve Daugherty Mountain Music Red Bank, TN. USA
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