$550 Flipping Guitars on Craigslist (plus my dream guitar)

I made $550 and got the guitar of my dreams on Craigslist and FB Marketplace.

I’ll tell you a story about how I found some cool guitars, bought them, flipped them for a profit, and had a blast. I’m going to do it more because I’m having fun finding and playing the guitars. I can’t believe I’m making money.

I’ll share how you can do this, too — with whatever you’re obsessed with. I’ll keep referring to guitars, but it can be anything you can buy and sell on Craigslist.

Before I get to the juicy details, here’s what’s coming your way:

Today, I’ll tell you the key to making a profit when flipping goods.

Later this week, I’ll share the marketing techniques to make negotiating easier when you sell so everyone wins.

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The cool part about flipping guitars from Craigslist or FB marketplace is that you can use your online marketing skills.

You’ll really stand out because normal people are bad at buying and selling. 

• I used marketing skills from working online (that you probably have) to sell.

• I used negotiating skills from buying and selling sites and domains.

• I used interviewing and communication skills from podcasting to make sure I know what’s important to people. Plus, it’s helpful when people like and trust you.

Here’s how it started….

During covid, I decided to get a high-end, expensive guitar like many other people stuck at home. It’s a Gibson LG-2 for the guitarists out there.

It was about 10x more expensive than my first guitar that was 20 years old. I got interested in guitars when I was 7 after we got MTV and I saw Slash on his Les Paul.

I loved the new guitar I got during Covid and started looking for more cool, high-end guitars on Craigslist.

The KEY to Making a Profit

I’ll tell you the key to making a profit today.

You really enable the profit when you buy the guitar. So you need to get a good deal on the guitar. Pay less than the value.

It’s too hard and speculative to assume appreciation of a specific guitar.

This is just like real estate. It’s best to get a wicked, good deal, i.e. pay less than the value.

In 2022, I found a Martin 00-15 on Craigslist. A brand new 00-15 was about $1,400 in 2022. The used one was listed on Craigslist for $800, and I would have expected to see it listed for $1,100 to $1,300.

I emailed the guy asking if he was a little flexible on the price. He said yes.

When you buy and sell on Craigslist or FB Marketplace, it’s expected for people to make offers and negotiate.

We planned to meet up in a public place - ALWAYS smart for safety. We met at a city Rec Center.

Everything checked out. He said he told another person that he would accept $700. So I offered him $620. He countered with $680, and I came back with an offer of $650, which he accepted.

So I got this Martin 00-15 for $650 that costs $1400 brand new.

I was stoked! And this wasn’t even my dream guitar! A few weeks ago I sold the 00-15 to someone else to fund my latest guitar. (I’ll tell you the rest of the story later this week.)

You might be thinking:

“Yeah, Doug, getting a good deal is obvious…But how do you find these deals?”

You have to:

Search often and see what’s out there. You can do this manually or save searches. I usually look manually. The more you look, the more you know about what’s out there.

Know what the going prices are for your niche. You want to be an expert about what guitars cost. (Again, it can be anything, but I like guitars.) I look at completed sales on Reverb or eBay — that way you know what guitars sold for, not the listing price.

Focus on just a few makes and models. There’s so much out there, so narrow it down in the beginning. You can learn about more products over time. For me, I looked for Gibsons, Martins, and all brands of Les Pauls. 

In the next email, I’ll tell you about my new guitar and detail the marketing techniques that I used in the listing, and I’ll show you the listing exactly.

Thanks,

Doug

PS: What SIDE HUSTLES are Working Right Now?

A few weeks ago, I realized I was doing something silly. I have a print on demand (POD) shop on Red Bubble. It's here — sometimes people buy something.[https://www.redbubble.com/people/dougcunnington/shop] 

But then I talked to Emily, a newbie online, and in just 2 years she hit $500,000 in sales! 

She worked in the education field, had no online experience, and in 2023 she started POD on Etsy.

Emily has been featured in places like:

I've made a mistake because I have a shop on Redbubble, which hardly anyone knows about.

Yet Etsy is a FULL, GIANT marketplace with hungry buyers.

Why don't I have a shop on Etsy??!

So, I have some ideas to get my shop up and running on Etsy in the next 6 weeks or so. It'll be tough, since I have a lot of previous plans and meetings. But I think I can do it!

If you missed the interview with Emily, check it out here on YouTube. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbNkyQmOHlQ]

🚀 She has a free workshop. 

[https://goldcityventures.com/gifting-gold/?affiliate=nichesiteproject]

I've enrolled in the Giftlab Course, which you can do after the workshop. I've thought about sharing some behind-the-scenes stories with people who enroll in Giftlab via my affiliate link (so I get a commission).

If you're interested in working alongside me, let me know.

A POD on Etsy with giftable items seems like the best side hustle for people getting started in 2025.

Coming up…

Part two from Doug tomorrow!

Stay awesome,

Shawna

P.S. If you’re looking for high level discussions or tips on things like local SEO and Rank & Rent, I highly recommend Jacky Chou’s Advise community. I’ve been in it for several months and there’s tons of value in it, including a SOP for local SEO.

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