How to Sell a Used Drum Set for Cash – Most Practical Ways

If you’re thinking about selling your drum set, you’ll be glad to know that the secondhand market for kits is massive. Since drum kits don’t lose their tone or sound quality over time, even professionals sometimes opt to buy secondhand to save some cash.

There are a few things you need to take into consideration before selling. There are also ways of selling that are practical and efficient. Without further ado, here is my definitive guide to selling a used drum set for cash.

Before Selling

You need to make sure your drum kit is in pristine condition before selling it. You’ll be able to sell it for more this way. Drum sets can get incredibly dusty and grimy over time, so give it a good wipe down to clean away all the dirt.

Once the set is clean, you need to establish exactly what you’re selling. Are you just selling a shell pack? Or are you selling a full drum kit setup with hardware and cymbals as well? Knowing exactly what you’re selling will help you focus on a particular market and you’ll be able to sell the kit faster.

Decide whether the kit you’re selling would be suitable for beginners, intermediate players, or pros. Once you have the answer to that, you’ll know exactly who to approach.

Approaching Potential Buyers

Music Stores

Most physical music stores like Guitar Center and Sam Ash have secondhand sections. You can take your drum set to them and bargain a price to sell it for. The downside to this method is that the music store will end up making a profit on the kit. They’ll sell it for significantly more than what you sold it to them for.

The benefit of this method is that it’s the easiest and most trustworthy way to sell your kit. A music store will take your kit without hesitation in most cases, meaning it’s arguably also the fastest way to sell a used drum set.

Music stores will accept drum kits of all kinds, whether they’re for beginners or pros. If you’re looking to make as much money as you can from selling your drum set, I’d suggest you approach a local music store as a last resort after trying the other methods.

Music Schools and Teachers

One of the best ways to market your drum set is to talk to some drum teachers. Drum teachers will have several students who may need a drum set and yours may be the right fit for them.

I often get people messaging me to ask if I know anyone who wants to buy their kit. I’ll take that message and broadcast it to my network of parents and students. The kit usually gets sold very quickly.

This method mostly works with entry-level kits or kits that have hardware and cymbals included. Since most students in these networks are beginners, they’re going to need the complete setup to play with.

Another reason for entry-level drum sets getting sold quickly with this method is because parents are reluctant to spend too much money on a kit in case their children lose interest over time. So, cheaper kits are very attractive to them.

Churches

Another fantastic place to approach when selling a drum kit is a church. Most churches have a drum set in them. They may be wanting to upgrade, and your secondhand kit may be better than the one they have.

Churches also have worship teams that may include several drummers. The network of drummers in churches is a great community that may have many potential buyers. So, if the church doesn’t buy the kit for themselves, they may lead you to one of the drummers in their worship team who will.

It’s not uncommon for a church to buy a secondhand drum kit and bless one of their members with it.

Bringing Buyers to You

Online Platforms

One of the best ways of selling secondhand things nowadays is through online platforms. If you want to sell your drum kit from the comfort of your couch, hop onto the web and make a listing on a secondhand retail website.

The best ones to use are Craigslist, eBay, and Facebook Marketplace. When making the listing, make sure that you put as much detail about your drum set as possible. Tell the potential buyer how old it is, what it comes with, the clear price, and what condition it’s in.

The downside to selling your kit online is that it’s a bit risky. Be careful of scams and people with bad intentions. If you’re giving someone your address to fetch the kit, make sure the person seems trustworthy.

A cool benefit of selling online is that you can do trades. Some people like to barter their secondhand products in turn for another product. You may be able to trade your drum kit for something you really need.

If you’re selling a high-end kit for a large amount of money, this may be the only way you’ll be able to sell it. A pro drummer will specifically search for it on an online platform and see your listing.

Garage Sales

Garage sales are a time-tested method of selling anything. If you’re thinking of selling your drum kit, perhaps you’ll start realizing that you have a lot of things in the house that you don’t need anymore.

Do a garage sale on a Saturday afternoon and you may be able to sell a lot more than just your drum kit.

Conclusion

Anyone who has sold a drum kit before will tell you how effective these methods are. As most people tend to have several drum kits over their lifetime, it’s important to take good care of your current kit so that it will sell easily in the future.

Approaching people to sell your kit can be very convenient, but they probably won’t match your asking price. I’d suggest you start with listing the kit on an online platform, then approach people if it hasn’t been sold after a while. Good luck!