Getting out of business....

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LoudspeakerDJ

LoudspeakerDJ

New DJ
Nov 16, 2006
116
0
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Well, it has been a lifetime since I have been here. Since about 18 months ago, we have been transitioning our wedding DJ business over to a photographer business. Well last night we did our last wedding. Turned out to be a great one too.

Now that being said, It's time to sell everything. How do you guys go about selling, and coming up with a cost? I'm sure there has got to be some ideas out there. I don't think i would be interested in selling pieces. I'd like to sell the trailer full of stuff. Do you think i would lose some by going that route? Seems like maybe it would be worth more if sold in parts. Anyways, to give you an idea of what we are talking about, I really don't have any pictures but here is a time lapse video of my largest set-up. I have another, smaller sound only setup that we use. Tell me what you guys think I should do!

http://tandjphoto.smugmug.com/Personal-Family-and-Business/Videos/7396968_UexcL/1/#505784552_Wh25R-A-LB
 
If you bought it and took it out of the box it is already worth half what you paid for it!

After that take another 10% off for each year you have had it! If it has already been outdated drop another 50% and you have a price you may be able to get, other than that try E-bay for your best return. I have seen some items sold at auction for as much as they cost new! I once saw a pair of speakers which sold for $100 more than I could get them online new for!
 
What if it didn't come in a box, like the trailer! Just kiddin!!

Thanks for your input, but I hope your a little off. All of my stuff is in great shape, and everything is current. In fact just bought a new controller for it about 4 months ago.

Thanks again.
 
You'll be VERY hard pressed to sell the equipment for 50% of what you got for it. The trailer should have an excellent resale value.

What would have made it very attractive, is if you would have kept putting gigs on the book and sold it as a business with income expected in.
 
the age old question...

You will make more piece by piece.... but more hassle also...

Thunder is right,,,, the old saying "you can't get s*%t for used gear" is very true, no matter how great of shape it is in... way save $100 on something used, when for a tad more you can buy new with a warranty and so on.

I have seen guys try to sell speakers in mint condition for $100 less than new, at that price, buy new...

As far as selling the business as a whole you could, but if you are a single system op, and have a clientele build on YOU,,, the gear and business isn't worth a whole lot. I have personal experience on this one. Long story so I wont go on.

So you only have a couple of options - Keep the gear, throw a party once in a while for fun - Piece it out, be happy getting what you get knowing it was more than you had.

Good luck..... If you do piece by piece, free shipping to Maui?
 
In my opinion, speaking as a used equipment purchaser, sell individual components on Craig's List. You won't have to deal with packing and shipping large/heavy/fragile items. I see plenty of people trying to sell entire setups at outrageously high prices on Craig's List. Some people leave their listings up until they expire, then repost it with a slightly lower price each time. I have followed a couple of people that gave up on selling intact systems and sold off individual components. I would ask 50% of MAP and not say "best offer" or "make offers" which demonstrate that you are unsure of your pricing. People understand that your price is negotiable unless you state pricing is firm. The exception to 50% pricing would be older generation lights which have been superseded by LED models. They would be closer to 25% of their old MAP. Most people don't want to deal with duty cycles, replacement bulbs or the high power requirements except the extreme bargain hunters or the newbies who don't know any better. For instance, if you are selling an old Kinta, I don't want it, even if it's $25, but I might buy a used LED Kinta X for $75. LED scanners don't seem to have bit into the 250 watt units yet and they seem to sell at 50%.

Try to be very specific about models but vague about years unless something is 2 years or less old and hasn't been used much. Many buyers understand the inherent age of a Yamaha S115iv or a QSC USA series, but a QSC RMX could be weeks old or years old - let people assume that it's newer. If something is still under warranty, definitely mention that. Also mention the condition of each individual piece unless everything is about the same. People expect some rack rash and wear on corner protectors and mounting points, so that would not take something out of the very good category. Like new (to me) means it has very little mounting wear. If you still have the original packaging and manuals mention that also.

If you can't sell it locally on Craig's List and are ready to deal with shipping and false bidders, sell it on ebay. That's when you really want the original packaging.

Good luck, and definitely post the listing here to give us a shot at your gear. :)
 
It's kinda strange...I know many photographers that are doing the opposite, Some are becoming mobile DJs.

They tell me the photography business is a dying industry. It's over-saturated with rookie low-balling wannabe photographers with digital cameras & the journeymen photographers say you can't make a decent living at it anymore.

(jeez..sounds like the DJ industry)
 
Big Dan said:
The grass is always greener on the other side, or so they say. :confused:
Click to expand...

The grass may be greener on the other side but you still have to cut it! :sqrolleyes:
 
No offense to the guys on here, but if given a choice of a $1500 photographer and a $600 DJ or a $1500 DJ and a $500 photographer, I am going with the $1500 photographer and I think there are still a lot of people out there that feel the same way.

Mike
 
I have to disagree with the comments about selling gear for half of what it's worth. I guess it only applies when you buy cheap gear.

I purchased my Technic 1210's back in 2000 for 850.00 and I sold them in 2007 for 600.00..

Rane MP44 purchased new in 2004 for 1200.00 and sold it in 2008 for 900.00.

I bought 2 Yorkville subs in 2006 package came out to 1800.00 for both. Sold one in 2008 for 900.00.

These are just some examples. It all depends on where you sell it, how good you take care of it and the quality of the gear. The gear all paid for itself from gigs and it still held excellent resale value.
 
Before selling anything, definitely check Craig's List and eBay for current pricing. The 50% MAP price is pretty much the average that I have seen for lower end pro audio & lighting gear. As you say, high end gear may get different prices as there is probably less churn due to the economy in that end of the market. But your examples are from more than a year ago when the prices were higher and more DJ's were employed. The last year has changed pricing on the used market. Many bands seem to be selling off their practice equipment and running single set of gear and lower end DJ's that started up in the last few years seem to be looking for more traditional employment and dumping their gear.

People that have money seem to be selling their amps and speakers and buying Bose. :sqrolleyes:
 
Esoteric said:
No offense to the guys on here, but if given a choice of a $1500 photographer and a $600 DJ or a $1500 DJ and a $500 photographer, I am going with the $1500 photographer and I think there are still a lot of people out there that feel the same way.

Mike
Click to expand...
Now that doesn't have anything to do with this thread. He's talking about selling gear, not looking for cheap part time entertainment.

I would say ebay or craigs list as well. I've sold most of my older stuff on ebay with good return.
 
Esoteric said:
No offense to the guys on here, but if given a choice of a $1500 photographer and a $600 DJ or a $1500 DJ and a $500 photographer, I am going with the $1500 photographer and I think there are still a lot of people out there that feel the same way.

Mike
Click to expand...

Yet another DJ bash :sqmad:

Most brides do choose to go the cheap route with their DJ (not that $600 is necessarily cheap) and they're reception sucks, people don't dance let loose and have fun, so they're fancy photographer has nothing but crappy shots all night...thus wasting the bride and grooms money. Just one more reason it pays to spend a couple hundy extra and hire a true professional DJ.

Using the same rational, since the Chiefs beat the Raiders two seasons ago, and the Raiders have beaten the Superbowl champions of the last 6 years at some point in their history.....my Chiefs are going to win the Superbowl for the next 12 years running.
 
My response wasn't a bash it was a response to this....

"They tell me the photography business is a dying industry. It's over-saturated with rookie low-balling wannabe photographers with digital cameras & the journeymen photographers say you can't make a decent living at it anymore."

Mike
 
DJ JohnThe1 said:
I have to disagree with the comments about selling gear for half of what it's worth. I guess it only applies when you buy cheap gear.

I purchased my Technic 1210's back in 2000 for 850.00 and I sold them in 2007 for 600.00..

Rane MP44 purchased new in 2004 for 1200.00 and sold it in 2008 for 900.00.

I bought 2 Yorkville subs in 2006 package came out to 1800.00 for both. Sold one in 2008 for 900.00.

These are just some examples. It all depends on where you sell it, how good you take care of it and the quality of the gear. The gear all paid for itself from gigs and it still held excellent resale value.
Click to expand...

John that holds true for some gear but not the majority!

My 1200's from back in the 80's I could still get $400 on the one I got left (already sold the other) The Rane 24s and 44s are clasics they last forever and will hold up like the 1200s and old Peavey amps (which were not extremely expensive and hold their value because they are known for their reliability)!

The sub you got lucky on!
 
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