Believe it or not, we are already coming up on preparations for NEXT school year! We here at Paige’s are hard at work getting ready to make the process as easy as we can for our customers. One question I often get here in the shop around this time of year is whether I buy or consign instruments at the intermediate level. Here are some answers:
The Indy Flute Shop does not operate on consignment business. We are also not able to make an offer to buy an instrument that is not part of our current rental pool. Here’s why: our market for used instruments is determined primarily by our rent-to-own program, in which customers may return their instrument to us. These are instruments that will be repaired and returned to our rental pool. Given the high caliber of our repair department, used instruments are actually only, on average, $100-$150 less than a brand new instrument of the same model. While we do sell high-caliber instruments in the semi-pro to professional range, there is a relatively low demand for used instruments at that level, so we are not currently able to buy them at that level.
If you DO have a step-up flute that was rented or purchased from Paige’s Music or the Indy Flute Shop and are wanting to sell it back to us, there are still several things you should be aware of. First of all, if the flute has been sitting in storage or has not been played much in a year or more, there is a very good chance that it will need some significant repair in the way of pad work, which is cost prohibitive for us to make an offer. When a woodwind instrument (particularly flutes, unfortunately) is not played frequently, the pads start to shrink and come unseated. Repadding an instrument generally costs between $250-$350. Depending on the condition and quality of your flute, it may still be worth it to pay that and consider selling it yourself.
Which brings me to my final point. If all of the above points check out and we ARE able to make an offer on your instrument, do know that we make offers at a wholesale rate: our offer will be around 50% of the current market value, minus the cost of any repairs. In most circumstances, that is significantly less than what a customer has paid for it. These decisions are always made on a case-by-case basis, and quotes or estimates will not be made over the phone. All this being said, I am always happy to help a customer determine their best route for selling an instrument back to us. Call or email Erin to see about having her take a look!