Sax dealers : any suggestions ?

[Adrian63]

Good Afternoon one and all...
So I've pretty much decided to try to offload at least three if not four of my horns ( all tenors ) in the hope of exchange for one very decent tenor . Better I think to go this way rather than the hassle of selling them individually. Yeah I could probably make more that way but its a lot of hassle for one..
Also I may only sell the " best two " and be left halfway with not enough cash to move and not having the horn I'd choose out of the bunch...
So who might take them ? I know there is Stuart at Woodwind in Bradford but who else ? Willie Garnett has retired I believe and I'm wondering who else there is...could anybody make any suggestions?
It's not an easy time to be doing this : the couple of people I have approached are just into straight up sales right now...
Finance is an option I will look into and that leaves the door wide open as there's a whole list of places.
So yeah any suggestions as to sax dealers . The kind of set up that may be interested in exchange or part exchange : I'd be willing to make up any defecit in cash if the offer were right....
So that's it : three or four for one
Cheers and have a Good evening !!

 

[DavidUK]

Do you know what the "one very decent" tenor is?

I've seen a few dealers who take p/ex, so let me know what you're after and I'll keep my eyes peeled.

Also, where are you based?

 

[davidk]

Hi

Dawkes in Maidenhead have sold a saxophone on commission for me. It wasn't a question of selling the horn to them and getting the money straight away though, they sold it on my behalf and then paid me minus their commission.

If you're worried about unsold saxes why not advertise them all privately and then only take the unsold ones to a webuyanysax style dealer once your patience has run out? Or a no reserve auction starting from a low price will get you the market value of the horn (again after attempting to sell privately). Viewing past completed auctions (where the item sold) will give you an idea of price.

Good luck.

 

[Dave E]

I part ex'ed my old tenor at Hansons (Marsden,Yorks) and got an LX tenor plus a few quid.

 

[Pete Thomas]

Be prepared to accept half or less of what they would be worth selling. Dealers not only have to make a profit, they cannot easily afford to use display space, insurance especially in these tiles when they can't really have people coming in the shop and trying things out.

Honestly, I'd sell them here -r ebay reverb (but I see what you mean, that way lies lots of potential hassles)

Selling on here is a lot better, people have got to know (and love) you so it's way nicer.

Honestly...

 

[DavidUK]

I've sold two horns on Facebook Marketplace recently. Both sold the same day as my ad appeared.

What's good is that buyers aren't face/nameless - you can see their profiles - and when someone messages you your phone pings so you can respond instantly (unless driving, or in a deep sleep, or a stupor).

We've sold all sorts of things there and listing a new ad is really easy, unlike the pain of eBay.

Buying there IS a different matter as most ads and descriptions are brief, few photos, scant info, mostly not sold by players, so why not make your ad stand out...?

Take 10 photos max (sorry, Ade) and add text which includes condition, playability, a little history of the model and your particular horn. Both those I've sold have been collected, the last a YAS-25, made the 12 year old's and his mother's day/week/year as it was perfect, I allowed him to play it (need to isolate if after if not bought by the player) and he needed a replacement to do his grade 4 as he'd dropped his Cousin's Artemis (on loan) irreparably damaging it, and someone had given him a Corton as a replacement!

NB. His mother suggested he try the "low notes" - he said "I haven't learned them yet."
What are grades 1-3 then... 1/ Opening the case; 2/ Putting the neck in; 3/ Playing upper register?

Oh yes, one other BIG thing. Folks are still stuck at home taking up a new hobby; No shops open to try saxophones; Buyers not wanting to go into shops... loads of buyers out there for good horns, that means it's a great time to sell privately. Go on... give it a go!

PS. Sorry Pete, and the forum fund!

 

[Jimmymack]

Dawkes will check your horns and do whatever level of service they think is required. They’ll deduct this from whatever the horn sells for, as well as their commission etc. I think any of the major shops will do this, one thing to check is their percentage of commission. Pete is right in his estimate I think. As I’ve said I’m going to have to go through this soon and I’m thinking of offering it here first mainly to a avoid the hassle and disappointment.

 

[Adrian63]

Well thankyou everybody for the great feedback...
Straight up : I'd be happy to price them and put them up on yardsale asap.
What I'm not happy about is with them being second shelf vintage they all have minor issues...
Nothing too serious but a small leak say : a solder job : a bent lyre : those kind of things . I'd put in a clause that it could only be on collection so as to give a chance to play and check out . That probably wont work as whose going to travel a 450 mole round trip for a 500 quid horn ?
I suppose I could offer a cash back guarantee if not happy but then as always there is the chance of damage in transit .
I'm thinking out loud and missing the point here...what I'm saying is I dont feel comfortable selling horns to friends that may not be 100%...
Thoughts....

 

[Adrian63]

450 moles is roughly the same in miles...

 

[Adrian63]

But for moles..

 

[DavidUK]

That's an issue. I always try to make sure horns I sell are 100% playable even if that involves a trip to the tech prior to sale.
I've sold a few needing a complete overhaul but they tend to be £100-200 jobbies.
If they're little things, don't you have a local tech who can do you a bulk deal on fixing them?
Trouble is some techs don't know when to stop, so I can see the dilemma.

 

[Jimmymack]

Well thankyou everybody for the great feedback...
Straight up : I'd be happy to price them and put them up on yardsale asap.
What I'm not happy about is with them being second shelf vintage they all have minor issues...
Nothing too serious but a small leak say : a solder job : a bent lyre : those kind of things . I'd put in a clause that it could only be on collection so as to give a chance to play and check out . That probably wont work as whose going to travel a 450 mole round trip for a 500 quid horn ?
I suppose I could offer a cash back guarantee if not happy but then as always there is the chance of damage in transit .
I'm thinking out loud and missing the point here...what I'm saying is I dont feel comfortable selling horns to friends that may not be 100%...
Thoughts....

The only way you are going to know, believe, they are 100% is if you take them to your tech and have them serviced and even then you can't guarantee somebody else's 100%. Price them accordingly taking into account that some people will want or think they need to spend money getting them up to some sort of spec. This is something that the internet nonsense. If it plays and you know it plays then price it according to that, if you know it needs some work then say and price it according to that. Leaves the moles to work it out for themselves, they have there own priorities and moles don't play saxophones, that's the truth.

 

[Adrian63]

Yeah that's about the bones of it Jimmy...price them accordingly : will do .
Thanks mate....how's the Zeph ?

 

[Pooleman]

Leaves the moles to work it out for themselves, they have there own priorities and moles don't play saxophones, that's the truth.

You're plain wrong, well at least I'm trying!

 

[Adrian63]

Good Morning...beautiful day..
So : Im going to continue getting these horns tweaked until they are in the best possible shape and then I'll put them up on yardsale . Meantime I've been looking at Thomann and considering going into a finance agreement with them . Of course it would mean getting a new horn rather than vintage but they have a couple of nice
R & C and another few bits including their own Thomann horns probably Tai made : so yeah...I'll check it all out .
Thanks for your replys and please keep any more ideas coming..
Enjoy your day..
Can't say I'd go for a Thomann horn unless the " pro" models were outstanding . Nice to take a look though..

 

[nigeld]

For me, a £500 horn that needs “some work” is not very interesting (unless it is a Selmer). I would be more confident buying a £600 instrument that is guaranteed playable.

 

[Jimmymack]

Yeah that's about the bones of it Jimmy...price them accordingly : will do .
Thanks mate....how's the Zeph ?

The Zeph and I are getting along fine. I'm still getting used to the spacing of the bottom keys which, although there isn't that much difference, need to be got used to, but it's not that much different from adjusting to, say, the Keilwerth. Having played the S20 for at least 10 years I play it without thinking and have developed appropriate bad habits, the S20 is a compact horn to me although I know some people don't like the ergos but a week with the Zeph isn't long and every day it gets better. I've more or less cracked the pinky table, or at least as much as I ever crack the pinky table, so it's just the low C. The octave key was a bit strange for a while but that's more or less sorted now.

A curious thing is that I find it easier with a slightly lighter reed which I put down to a bit more resistance due to the neck. I was thinking of trying a harder reed with the S20 so who knew?

 

[Adrian63]

Thanks Nigel exactly what I was thinking :
Good one Jimmy ; keep putting in the time it will all come good...

 

[GaryF]

I part ex'ed my old tenor at Hansons (Marsden,Yorks) and got an LX tenor plus a few quid.

How’s the LX? And did you blow the Series VIII?

 

[Dave E]

The LX is great. Easy ergonomics and blows well for me. Took it busking more or less as soon as I got it, and 7 or 8 times since. All genres, no problems and have great confidence in it. Practised with a new band last night and they liked the sound. Nigel from saxschool has a Youtube review on it. Stephen Howard also has now reviewed the LX and has posted it on Cafe sax. Think I tried a Series 8 last year but cant remember details except I gravitated to the LX. Mine has a black nickel finish which I like a lot.