Thinking of selling my flute.

Flute History and Instrument Purchase

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genesis
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Feb 11, 2011 11:43 pm

Thinking of selling my flute.

Post by genesis »

I'm thinking of selling my flute as soon as I can, but I need to sell it for a good reasonable price...

Can anybody give me any tips?

How much would you say a Pearl Flute Elegante 795 Series flute for? It has only been used for a year....

fluttiegurl
Posts: 882
Joined: Fri Dec 10, 2004 11:05 pm

Re: Thinking of selling my flute.

Post by fluttiegurl »

Flutes, muck like cars, tend to devalue even after only a year unless they are absolutely top of the line. You should expect to get somewhere between half to three fourths what you paid for it on the used market, that depending on overall condition and service history. Even at a good price, you still have to find a buyer.

I have sold a number of flutes online over the years and to be honest, the process is slow and somewhat dangerous. Some places that you could list it for free are usedflutes.com and netinstruments.com (at least I think they are still free). If you decide to go this route, be cautious. There are far more scammers out there than honest buyers. And there is also E-bay, which I have found to be very much a buyers market due to all of the junk that sells. However, the flute you have is pretty well known, so it may have a place there. Just don't start too high.

Anther outlet is to consign the flute, but this is usually not a very quick process. Many flute dealers will consign your flute for a small fee. Once the flute sells, they keep a portion and mail you a check. I have done this through Flute World. Overall, it was a very pleasant process, but did not happen overnight.

Selling locally has by far been the best option for me, but again, you have to find a buyer. Contact local schools (high schools and universities) to see if they will list it on a bulletin board or newsletter for you. This is free and if it doesn't sell, you are out nothing.

Sadly,, you are in the same position as I have been a few times. The flute you have is a great instrument, but it is not something a young player would need and not something a pro would be interested in, in most cases. You should be able to get what it is worth, but it will probably take time.

Good luck.

genesis
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Feb 11, 2011 11:43 pm

Re: Thinking of selling my flute.

Post by genesis »

Thank you so much for your help! :)

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