How not to sell a guitar on eBay

I came across this beauty, and thought it would serve as a good example of what to look for when buying or selling a guitar on eBay and other auction sites.

Because I care, I’ve taken the liberty of formatting the item description so it can be read.

SX VINTAGE
VINTAGE SX ELECTRIC GUITAR with HUMBUCKER PICKUPS
SOUNDS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!
fabulous wide mother of pearl inlay inbetween Guitar frets
Requires rapair to neck- please see all extensive pictures here ; thankyou!

First off, take note – this seller has a big advantage over most guitar listings, they have large clear photos showing all the main parts of the guitar in detail. That’s where the good stuff stops though.

The pictures clearly show that this guitar has been through the wars. There’s massive finish chips on the headstock and body, and the “rapair” required to the neck looks like there’s a crack right through it from being dropped headfirst onto a hard surface. SX guitars are a cheap brand, although decent quality for a starter guitar – reflected in the fact that you can pick up a new one for around £100. To ask for a minimum of £49 plus over £30 postage shows that the seller has over-valued this guitar. There doesn’t seem to be any part of it that isn’t scratched, cracked or dinged, it’s missing parts and overall in a terrible state. If they started it at 99p and marketed it as a project guitar, they’d probably be able to sell it for around £15-30 with £15 postage on top, but as it currently stands I can’t see this selling.

To paraphrase:

“here’s my cheapo guitar. I want a minimum of £80 for it. Oh, and it’s been smashed about a bit. Well, a lot, actually. And a couple of the knobs came off. Oh, and the neck’s cracked near the headstock. But only £80+ and it’s yours!”