How To Get More Money For Used DJ Gear

The lifecycle of a piece of DJ equipment often ends due to an upgrade to a new piece of gear – meaning lots of working-condition stuff sits around waiting for a new home. Today we’ve got tips on how to get more money when you sell used DJ gear on eBay, Craigslist, Facebook, etc.

Set A Smart Price For Your Used DJ Gear

One of the first things to consider when selling anything is the expected amount of money that you’ll get from the sale. It’s very important to set realistic expectations for your gear. List too high and you might end up having to re-list it multiple times and waste a lot of your time fielding lowball offers. List too low and you might end up wasting hundreds of dollars.

If you want to know how much people are willing to pay for your used gear, we recommend going on eBay, searching for your DJ equipment, and then selecting the “Sold Listings” option on the left hand column. This allows you to see, for instance, all the Kontrol S4s that have sold recently and how much money they sold for, if they were an auction or flat price, etc.

Once you’ve got a good range, choose a higher end price that you think will sell. If you’re on Craigslist, remember that your local market for used DJ gear might be much different from the eBay average. If you’ve got the time and patience for it, mark your listing as “Best Offer” and field offers – but especially on eBay, people commonly offer absurdly low prices in hopes that someone might say yes.

In An Urban Area? List On Craigslist First

One of the biggest advantages to Craigslist (or any local classifieds site) is that they’re only starting points for a sale. On eBay or other buy-than-ship sites, they take a percentage of the sale. Sometimes this can be up to 20% of the final sale price!

If you live in a place where there’s likely to be an active demand for used DJ gear, list it on your local sites first and do the deal in person.

Be Descriptive

Especially on Craigslist, there are many times that we see 3+ difference pieces of used DJ gear in one listing. The issue is that this means you won’t show up in search results or people scanning down the page as easily – so we recommend listing each unit individually.

As a bonus, be sure to write down everything about your gear that you might want to know if you were the buyer. A few things to think about:

• Does it come in the original box?
• Is there a power adapter? What country?
• Are there stickers/skins/custom knobs?
• Do you still have the manual?
• Is there software included?
• Any major scratches or damage?

Take Great Photos Of Your Used DJ Gear

For our own used gear section on the DJTT webstore, I found that one of the things that made a big difference in if it sold was paying careful attention to how the gear was pictured. Here’s a few simple suggestions for a great shot:

• Clean It Up: Take a soft towel or microfiber cloth and wipe down your gear, particularly the surfaces that collect dust and smudges. If you need to, use a small amount of isopropyl alcohol on the cloth to remove any pesky marks or stains (make sure your gear is off when you do this)
• Focus and Background: A clear shot of your gear from overhead often looks great and allows the buyer to see details easily. Make sure you have it focused on the controller – many listings have out-of-focus photos. A solid color background or simple texture (wood, concrete) looks great behind gear.
• Use A Real Photo Of Your Gear: This should go without saying, but never sell your used gear without a photo of what it actually is. It’s bad karma, and people are less likely to take you seriously when looking through listings.
• Turn It On: Want to make sure a buyer know your gear works? Show it turned on! (better yet, include a video)

Sell Your Gear For Credit Before You Upgrade

Many DJ stores that sell used gear are actually going to give you a much better deal in store credit (DJTT does this with some select pieces of gear- chat with one of our live chat team to find out more). This won’t always be as lucrative for you, but if you’re planning on upgrading your equipment anyway, it’s a good way to get a lot of value for something that might just be sitting around.

Thinking of selling your DJ equipment? DJTT has a buy/sell forum that is incredibly popular – you just have to take part in our forums for a bit to list something.