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Why Trade or Sell With Us?

If you're looking to sell your gear, Guitar Center makes it safe and easy. Our team of experts will evaluate your gear, make you an offer on qualifying items and pay you same-day.

We’ll Pay up to $1,000 in Cash*

*Transactions totaling over $1,000 are paid fully via check. Or, use your trade-in credit toward an upgrade and get a discount on something new.

Same-Day, Hassle-Free
When You Sell With Guitar Center

  • You don’t have to worry about packing or shipping gear
  • There’s no waiting for potential bids or buyers
  • We don’t have any secret fees like some other sites
  • No sketchy meetups with a stranger in a parking lot


Plus, Save 10% on Something New

when you trade in your American-made guitar or bass for trade credit
***View Exclusions and Limitations Below

Due to legal restrictions, cash payment is not available at these stores: Greensboro, NC; Rockville, MD; and Saginaw, MI.

How It Works

1. Get Your Gear Ready

Before you bring you gear in, give it a good clean and make sure you have all of the parts gathered and ready to go.

2. Bring in Your Gear

Next, you’ll come into your local store so we can get a closer look at your gear. We’ll give it an expert evaluation, then potentially make you an offer on qualifying items.

3. Get Paid

We’ll pay you for your gear same-day. Depending on your location, you’ll get either cash, check, prepaid card or trade-in credit. Make sure to bring a valid ID, too.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of gear can I sell or trade in?

We buy used guitars, basses, drums, amps, keys and MIDI, folk and traditional instruments, recording gear, effect pedals, DJ gear, live sound equipment and more.

However, the following items do not qualify for trade-in:
Acoustic pianos, instrument cables, power cords, custom-built cables or snakes, copyrighted material (software, books, videos and DVDs), computers and consumer electronics, snakes and switching systems, analog tape recorders, wireless units, guitar parts, strings, drum sticks and drum heads, upright acoustic basses, large recording and live sound mixers, studio furniture, lighting gear, drum hardware (low end), turntables (other than Technics), stand-alone digital hard disk recorders, DAT and CD recorders, and band and orchestra instruments.

How do you determine the value of my gear?

Guitar Center has decades of experience fairly evaluating used and vintage gear for purchase. When you bring your instrument in, an associate will evaluate the piece based on several factors, including condition, historical sales data, market desirability and current stock levels.
For vintage gear, we have a dedicated group of experts who are available during all Guitar Center open hours to assist in evaluations. We take pride in our acquisition process and are firmly committed to making fair market wholesale offers.

How much does Guitar Center pay for used gear?

All payments for gear sold at Guitar Center are made same-day. We pay up to $1,000 in cash* for used and vintage gear. Transactions totalling over $1,000 are paid fully via check.

Does Guitar Center pay cash for used gear?

Yes, Guitar Center pays up to $1,000 in cash* for used and vintage gear. However, because of legal restrictions, these stores do not pay out cash: Greensboro, NC; Rockville, MD; and Saginaw, MI.

How long does it take to get paid for my gear?

You’ll get paid on the same day that you sell your gear. You can also apply your trade-in credit to upgrade to something new.

I don’t have a Guitar Center near me. Do I have to come into the store to get my gear evaluated?

Unfortunately, Guitar Center does not buy gear without an in-hand inspection at one of our locations.

How does the trade-in or selling process work?

Once you’re at the store, an associate will evaluate your gear and assess the item(s) based on condition of the piece, historical sales data, market desirability and current stock levels. If we make an offer and you accept it, we’ll pay for your gear same-day.

Can I trade in my used or vintage gear for something else?

Yes, if you want to trade in your gear for something else, you can use the credit toward your purchase.

***View Exclusions and Limitations Below

Products from the following manufacturers are excluded from discount offer: A Designs, ADAM, ADAM Audio, Aguilar, Allen & Heath, Alvarez, Ampeg, Antelope Audio, Apogee, Apple, Arturia, Ashdown, Ashly Audio, Avantone, Avid, BAE, Barefoot Sound, Beetronics FX, Blackstar, Bose, Boss, Burl Audio, Caparison Guitars, Catalinbread, Chapman, Crate, Cusack Music, D'Angelico, D.W. Fearn, Dangerous Music, Dean Markley, Deering, Duesenberg USA, Earthquaker Devices, Earthworks, Electro-Harmonix, Elysia, Empress Effects, Epiphone, Ernie Ball Music Man, EVH, Fender, Fender Custom Shop, FOCAL, Focusrite, Fostex, Friedman, Fulltone, Fulltone Custom Shop, Gallien-Krueger, Gibson, Gibson Custom, Godin, Golden Age Project, GoPro, HeadRush, Heritage Audio, iConnectivity, ISP Technologies, iZotope, JHS Pedals, Johnson, Keeley, Kemper, Korg, Kramer, Kurzweil, Kush Audio, LaChapell Audio, Lag Guitars, Lakland, Lauten Audio, Lewitt Audio Microphones, Lindell Audio, Lucida, Mackie, Manley, Marshall, Martin, Meris, METRIC HALO, Millennia, Milkman Sound, Mojave Audio, Moog, MOTU, Native Instruments, Neumann, Nord, Novation, Orange Amplifiers, Paiste, Pettyjohn Electronics, Phoenix Audio, Primacoustic, PRS, Palatino, QSC, Radial Engineering, Randall, Rane, Reloop, Reverend, RME, Rockett Pedals, Roland, Roland Cloud, Royer, Ruach Music, S.E. Shires, Savannah, se Electronics, Seagull, Sennheiser, Sequential, SERATO, Shure, Slate Digital, Slate Pro Audio, Slate Media Technology, Softube, Soundbrenner, Source Audio, Spector, Squier, Steinberger, Steven Slate Drums, Strandberg, Studiologic, Supro, Suzuki, Taylor, Teenage Engineering, Telefunken, Teletronix, The Loar, Toft Audio Designs, Tone King, Tube-Tech, VHT, Voodoo Lab, Vox, Walrus Audio, Wampler, Warm Audio, WESTONE, Xotic Effects, Yamaha, ZT, Zvex.

You are changing the Ship-To country.

Our product catalog varies by country due to manufacturer restrictions. If you change the Ship-To country, some or all of the items in your cart may not ship to the new destination.