Posted by iBuyLesPaul.com
March 16, 2026
So you’ve got a Les Paul to sell and you’re trying to figure out where to take it. I get asked this all the time – “should I just take it to Guitar Center?” or “what about that pawn shop down the street?”
Look, I’m obviously biased since I want to buy your guitar. But let me just lay out the actual numbers from each option because honestly? The math speaks for itself.
Let’s use a real example. You’ve got a 2015 Gibson Les Paul Standard in good condition. It’s worth about $1,800 if you sold it privately to someone who knows guitars. Here’s what you’d actually walk away with depending on where you take it.
Pawn Shops: The Fast Cash Trap
Pawn shops are banking on you being desperate. That’s their whole business model.
I called three pawn shops in my area last week and asked what they’d give me for a Les Paul Standard. The offers ranged from $400 to $700. For an $1,800 guitar.
Why so low? Because they need to:
- Make a huge profit margin (they’re aiming for 200-300% markup)
- Account for the risk that it might sit there for months
- Cover their overhead on a storefront that sells everything from gold chains to Xbox games
They’re not guitar experts. They’re loan sharks who happen to take guitars.
What you’d get: $400-$700 What they’ll sell it for: $1,600-$1,800
The only time a pawn shop makes sense is if you literally need $500 in the next hour and have no other options. Even then… it hurts.
Guitar Center Trade-In: Slightly Better, Still Rough
Guitar Center will give you two options: straight purchase or trade-in credit.
For that same $1,800 Les Paul, here’s what actually happens:
Straight cash offer: $700-$900
They run it through their system, check “used Les Paul Standard,” and spit out a number. It’s better than a pawn shop but not by much. They’ve got corporate formulas and they’re not negotiating.
Trade-in credit: $900-$1,200
They’ll give you more if you’re buying something else from them. Sounds great until you realize you’re buying gear at full retail price, so they’re making money on both ends of the deal.
And here’s the thing about Guitar Center – the person behind the counter? They’re not a guitar expert who’s been buying Les Pauls for 20 years. They’re a part-time employee following a computer system. They don’t know if your particular year is desirable or if that finish is rare. The system just says “Les Paul Standard, good condition, here’s the number.”
What you’d get: $700-$1,200 Your loss: $600-$1,100
I will say this though – if you need gear and you were going to shop there anyway, the trade-in isn’t terrible. You’re still leaving money on the table but at least you’re getting something you want.
Guitar Center Consignment: Better But Frustrating
GC also does consignment now in some locations. They’ll put your guitar on the wall and take a percentage when it sells.
Sounds good in theory. In practice?
They’re going to price your $1,800 guitar at $2,200 because they want retail pricing. It’s going to sit there for 3-6 months. Maybe it sells, maybe it doesn’t. Meanwhile you can’t sell it anywhere else because they have it.
When it finally sells (if it sells), they take 30% commission.
What you’d get: $1,540 (if it sells at $2,200) Timeline: 3-6 months, maybe longer Your loss: $260 plus months of waiting
Oh, and if it doesn’t sell? You gotta go pick it up and figure out plan B.
Reverb/eBay: The DIY Nightmare
I wrote a whole blog about this but let’s run the numbers again.
You list your Les Paul for $2,000. It sits for a month. You drop it to $1,850. Someone finally bites.
Here’s what comes out:
- Reverb fees: $148
- Payment processing: $55
- Shipping (you’re covering most of it): $100
- Your time: 10-15 hours dealing with questions, lowballers, listing, packing
- Risk of scams/damage: pray you get lucky
What you’d get: $1,547 Timeline: 4-8 weeks if you’re lucky Stress level: high Your loss: $253 plus your sanity
And that’s assuming everything goes smooth. No scammers, no damaged guitars in shipping, no chargebacks.
Facebook Marketplace/Craigslist: The Wild West
Local sales can work but man, it’s a grind.
You’ll get:
- 50 “is this available” messages with no followup
- Lowball offers (“I got $800 cash right now bro”)
- People who want to meet at 11pm in a Walmart parking lot
- No-shows (count on at least 2-3)
- Scammers with fake cash or fraudulent payment apps
If you’re patient and you know how to screen buyers, you might get $1,600-$1,700 for your guitar. But you’re gonna work for it.
What you’d get: $1,600-$1,700 (if everything goes right) Timeline: 2-6 weeks of active hassle Your loss: $100-$200 plus tons of your time
I know people who’ve had great experiences with local sales. I also know people who’ve been robbed, scammed, and ghosted so many times they’ll never do it again.
Selling to Me: Here’s My Actual Offer
Alright, so what would I give you for that same Les Paul?
My offer: $1,350-$1,450 depending on exact condition and year.
Yeah, it’s less than you’d get selling it yourself on Reverb (if everything goes perfect). But here’s what you’re getting:
- Cash in your account in 48 hours
- Zero fees
- Zero shipping costs
- Zero risk of scams or damage
- Zero hours of your time answering tire-kickers
- I come to you or pay for shipping
- No stress, no hassle, no games
What you’d get: $1,350-$1,450 Timeline: 2 days Your actual loss compared to Reverb: $97-$197
So yeah, I’m paying you about $100-$200 less than you’d net selling it yourself online. But you’re getting it in 2 days instead of 2 months, with zero effort and zero risk.
Let Me Be Real With You
Could you make more money selling it yourself? Maybe. If you:
- Have the time to deal with it
- Don’t mind the risk
- Know how to spot scammers
- Can wait weeks or months
- Are okay handling shipping and insurance
- Won’t get lowballed into accepting less
For a lot of people, that’s worth the extra $100-$200. And that’s fine! I’m not trying to talk you out of it.
But for most sellers I talk to? They’ve already tried Reverb, or they’re tired of Facebook lowballers, or they just want this handled quickly so they can move on with their life.
That’s where I come in.
The Bottom Line (Without The Sales Pitch)
Here’s what that $1,800 Les Paul actually nets you:
- Pawn Shop: $400-$700 (you’re getting robbed)
- Guitar Center cash: $700-$900 (still pretty rough)
- Guitar Center trade: $900-$1,200 (better if you need gear anyway)
- Guitar Center consignment: $1,540 (if it sells… eventually)
- Reverb/eBay: $1,547 (after fees, shipping, stress, and time)
- Local sale: $1,600-$1,700 (if you survive the experience)
- Selling to me: $1,350-$1,450 (fast, easy, done)
I’m right in the middle. Not the highest offer, not the lowest. But probably the best combination of fair price + zero hassle.
Look, I make my living doing this and I’m not ashamed of that. I buy guitars below retail and sell them at market value. That’s the business. But I do it honestly, I pay fair prices, and I make the process as painless as possible.
If you want to squeeze every last dollar out of your Les Paul and you’ve got the time and patience, go for it. Sell it yourself.
But if you want a fair offer, a fast transaction, and zero headaches? That’s literally what I do all day.
Got a Les Paul to sell? Send me some photos at iBuyLesPaul.com and I’ll tell you exactly what I’d pay for it. No obligation, no pressure. Just real numbers so you can make an informed decision about where to sell.
Play what inspires you.
Sell what doesn’t.
That’s how great guitars keep making music.