How Did You Figure Out The Offer?
We buy and sell hundreds of guitars, pedals, and amps a month, so we already have a pretty good idea what this stuff is worth. But just to be sure, we research the current market every time we quote anything and we offer as much as we can for every piece. Although online marketplaces like Reverb and publications like the Vintage Guitar Price Guide are great tools that we use every day, there is nothing more valuable than our own sales data. We consider all those resources and we offer between 60%-70% of what we think the resale price is for most guitars and basses, and 50%-60% for most amplifiers, synths/keyboards, pedals, and most electronics.

How does shipping work?
In this industry, shipping is typically the responsibility of the seller, but we can provide prepaid and insured shipping labels for a flat fee for most but not all items. We do not provide labels for larger amps or most pedals.

How Do I Ship A Guitar Safely?
We’ve put together a great video to show this. Check it out here!

*Please keep in mind that during the colder months, we wait at least 24 hours to open boxes to not shock and potentially damage items.

How Does Payment Work?
If you’re physically in our store, we research the market, make you an offer, and if you accept it, we either trade or cut you a check on the spot after inspecting and assessing the items.

If you’re shipping the gear to us, once the item is received and inspected (typically within one to three business days of delivery), we can either pay via a mailed company check or Paypal. We cannot do “friends and family” payments via Paypal, so a small Paypal fee (typically 3%) may apply as well as whatever income taxes you may have to pay (which changes from state to state and also can change from year to year.)

How Long Does It Take To Get My Payment?
We receive between 20-60 boxes a day, so it typically takes us between one to two business days to get to a box, open it, receive the items into our system, and get them thoroughly inspected by our techs. (Add one business day to that if it's during the very cold months to let the box acclimate before we open it.) Once that happens, the payment is usually initiated the same day. If a check is being mailed out, it may take up to 10 business days to arrive, but typically it’s significantly less. If payment was arranged via Paypal, it's typically instantaneous, but that all depends on many factors beyond our control that are typically related to the account holder and Paypal.

What Happens If My Check Gets Lost In The Mail?
No worries! After we wait the appropriate time to make sure the payment did indeed get lost, we simply stop-payment the original check and send you another one. Most checks arrive between 3-5 business days, but sometimes it can take up to 10 (or two weeks).

Is Their Any Gear That You Don't Buy?
Although we sometimes make exceptions, here are some categories that we typically avoid buying:
- Very large and inexpensive amplifiers or keyboards
- Inexpensive solid state practice amps
- Very inexpensive pedals
- Pedal boards
- Pedal power supplies (especially if they don’t include everything they came with)
- Accessories like stands, headstock tuners, cables, etc.
- Loose cases and gig bags-woodwind, brass, or orchestral instruments
- DJ equipment and lighting
- Most pro audio and recording equipment (with exceptions)
- Instruments that require a lot of work to be functional
- Many inexpensive entry level instruments that simply do not have very much resale value

Do You Need Something From Me Before We Transact?
By law, we need a copy/picture of your photo ID before we can do a transaction of any kind. This is because we are required by law to report all transactions to law enforcement via LeadsOnline. As a result, we can only cut checks to the names as they appear on the photo ID.

Do You Offer Appraisals For Insurance?
No we do not, but we can recommend a couple options.

What If I Decide I'm Not Ready To Transact But Decide To Do It Down The Road?
Our offers are typically good as long as the market doesn’t change drastically and we still have a need for the gear. Please contact us and we can research the market again.

Do You Do Consignments?
Yes we do! We typically prefer to buy outright, but there are some occasions when consigning makes more sense. Details can be discussed once we receive information on the items you’re looking to sell through our online form. Our consignment commission is a sliding scale based on what we think the item is realistically worth and can be seen below:

- $1-$5K = 30%
- $5.1K-$50K = 20%
- $50.1K-$100K = 15%
- $100.1K and up = 10%

Do You Buy Collections?
All the time! Multiple times a year, in fact. We love collections. Depending on the size and value of the collection, we can even arrange transportation. We've picked up collections from Florida, Georgia, Texas, New York, Boston, Arizona, Colorado, Californa, and all over the Midwest. Please call or email us at vintagebuyers@chicagomusicexchange.com to discuss.

Do You Buy Internationally?
Unfortunately, due to negative experiences beyond our control (primarily with shipping companies), we are not buying internationally until further notice. Thanks for understanding.