Posted by Rick Denney on June 20, 2002 at 14:52:24:
In Reply to: Re: Value of a 5/4 Willson BBb used? posted by Normal Resale on June 20, 2002 at 13:58:21:
I agree with this assessment in general. If you trade to a dealer, you'll get credit for about half its retail value, unless you pay more for the new instrument.
But you can also trade retail for retail with another retail buyer. So if you find someone who has a $7000 horn, and they'd rather have the Willson, and you'd rather have their horn, you might work a deal that both of you will think advantageous. No dealer would work that way.
Here's the basic point: When you buy a tuba with the intent of turning it around in a few years, you are in fact a dealer. If you buy a used tuba for a good price and maintain its condition, you can be pretty sure you'll get your money back out of it if you sell it in two or three years. But if you expect to make a profit, then you have to buy at wholesale and sell at retail.
I once traded a Sanders BBb tuba and a Musica F tuba for a Miraphone 186 BBb tuba. In terms of retail, it was about the same--Miraphones at that time went for about $3000 used, and I traded a couple of tubas that went at that time for about $1500 each on the used market. More importantly, the other guy wanted a C ultimately, and he got more in trade for the two tubas than he would have for the single Miraphone. We both got what we wanted.
It's all a matter of waiting for the right deal, and being ready to move on it when it happens.
Rick "sometimes an opportunist" Denney