Question about the Axe-FX resale market..

jmadden5124

jmadden5124

Member
Hello all.

I have a question and was wondering if some of you all could enlighten me.

I've been interested in an Axe FX unit for a short while now. I didn't have the finances to purchase one around black Friday when Fractal had the great holiday pricing and decided to wait it out. I've been scoping out Ebay, Reverb, and the forums.. checking out the used models that pop up periodically. Quite often I've seen the Axe FX II XL + model pop up used at a respectable price range of $1400-$1500 which falls in line with what I would expect to pay for a unit that Fractal was recently selling new for about $1800 a few months ago.

What boggles my mind however are all of these used listings that price units either above or equal to MSRP.. like the $2800 Axe FX III's being sold right now, or the people thinking they'll get close to $2k for a used Axe FX II XL. Seems ludacris. Especially since there are so many units listed at these insane inflated prices. I get that supply and demand dictate pricing in a free market but how can someone expect a buyer to pay $2k for a used piece of electronics when there are other $1600 listings that pop up about every other day? And some even less. lol What are these guys smoking? Who the hell is going to pay $2k or more for an Axe FX II XL plus in March of 2019 when the Axe III is only $2250??

Being an avid electronics and home theater buyer, I shop for gadgets and electronics frequently but have never seen a market where so many people are trying to pawn off their old wares and gouge a prospective buyer by offering their used electronics at close to or equal than full retail price.. as if it were brand new. I scratch my head when I see some of these listings.

Anywho.. I have been biding my time and plan on pulling the trigger this next week hopefully. I bought a Friedman ASM-12 and an XLR cable that are sitting in the box waiting for my soon to be Axe FX to come home and keep them company. But I plan on paying a fair price for the soon to be mine Axe FX II XL + when I find her. Definitely less than $1600.

I would love to buy an Axe FX III. But unfortunately I am a recent survivor of a brain tumor and have a long history of surgery and complications that really negatively affected my lifestyle and finances. My life was nearly destroyed due to neurological problems that I have faced ever since. I nearly died a couple years ago and ever since I am forced to spend a lot of time home and have close to zero social life due to my health issues. Its depressing at times but I am limited to what I can do. Just getting through life day to day stuff is pretty challenging but I get by.

So to have a guitar and an Axe FX would mean everything to me. It would open up a whole world of possibilities that would allow me to immerse my world in total sonic bliss. Possibly allow me to forget about my problems and really thrive doing something that I can do. Make music. I've managed to save every penny for months and finally can afford a good used AXE FX II XL I figure. This is going to be life changing. Sorry if I was being drab. I have a tendency to rant. I love this forum. I don't say much but I do stop in here pretty regularly and lurk.

Anyone else agree with me about my viewpoint? Pls let me know.

Thanks.

Joe
 
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jmadden5124 said:
Being an avid electronics and home theater buyer, I shop for gadgets and electronics frequently but have never seen a market where so many people are trying to pawn off their old wares and gouge a prospective buyer by offering their used electronics at close to or equal than full retail price.. as if it were brand new. I scratch my head when I see some of these listings.
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Have you not seen what old Marantz and Pioneer receivers go for these days? You’ll drop $1000 easy to get a late 70s Marantz. Scarcity and demand, man. Someone is paying that price.
 
unix-guy said:
...You should be able to get an XL or XL+ between $1300-1500.
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Yea that's what I am hoping for. I see one on Ebay listed as NIB for about $1800 and it's about my ceiling on what I can afford. I might hold out tho and try to see if I can get one within the price range that you just mentioned. =)
 
jmadden5124 said:
Yea that's what I am hoping for. I see one on Ebay listed as NIB for about $1800 and it's about my ceiling on what I can afford. I might hold out tho and try to see if I can get one within the price range that you just mentioned. =)
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I think there's a mkII and MFC for $1500 in the For Sale section right now.

Not sure if you are set on an XL... No difference in sound, though.
 
So since no one has posted the real answer -
Fractal's products are somewhat difficult to acquire in certain other countries where the distribution network doesn't really reach. Sometimes prospective buyers in these countries are willing to pay nearly arbitrary prices to anyone willing to ship the hardware to those countries. That's why you see these wildly priced listings. They're intended for international sale.
 
unix-guy said:
I think there's a mkII and MFC for $1500 in the For Sale section right now.

Not sure if you are set on an XL... No difference in sound, though.
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For some reason I feel quite compelled to buy an XL or an XL plus. Its probably psychological because of the listed upgrades the wiki names off.. expanded memory, new I/O ports, better flux capacitor, etc. I feel that I need it

The mkII would probably be okay but why not go for the better model since they are about the same price usually? I doubt I'd use the MFC but who knows.. I think if I am a little patient it'll pay off.
 
jmadden5124 said:
Hello all.

I have a question and was wondering if some of you all could enlighten me.

I've been interested in an Axe FX unit for a short while now. I didn't have the finances to purchase one around black Friday when Fractal had the great holiday pricing and decided to wait it out. I've been scoping out Ebay, Reverb, and the forums.. checking out the used models that pop up periodically. Quite often I've seen the Axe FX II XL + model pop up used at a respectable price range of $1400-$1500 which falls in line with what I would expect to pay for a unit that Fractal was recently selling new for about $1800 a few months ago.

What boggles my mind however are all of these used listings that price units either above or equal to MSRP.. like the $2800 Axe FX III's being sold right now, or the people thinking they'll get close to $2k for a used Axe FX II XL. Seems ludacris. Especially since there are so many units listed at these insane inflated prices. I get that supply and demand dictate pricing in a free market but how can someone expect a buyer to pay $2k for a used piece of electronics when there are other $1600 listings that pop up about every other day? And some even less. lol What are these guys smoking? Who the hell is going to pay $2k or more for an Axe FX II XL plus in March of 2019 when the Axe III is only $2250??

Being an avid electronics and home theater buyer, I shop for gadgets and electronics frequently but have never seen a market where so many people are trying to pawn off their old wares and gouge a prospective buyer by offering their used electronics at close to or equal than full retail price.. as if it were brand new. I scratch my head when I see some of these listings.

Anywho.. I have been biding my time and plan on pulling the trigger this next week hopefully. I bought a Friedman ASM-12 and an XLR cable that are sitting in the box waiting for my soon to be Axe FX to come home and keep them company. But I plan on paying a fair price for the soon to be mine Axe FX II XL + when I find her. Definitely less than $1600.

I would love to buy an Axe FX III. But unfortunately I am a recent survivor of a brain tumor and have a long history of surgery and complications that really negatively affected my lifestyle and finances. My life was nearly destroyed due to neurological problems that I have faced ever since. I nearly died a couple years ago and ever since I am forced to spend a lot of time home and have close to zero social life due to my health issues. Its depressing at times but I am limited to what I can do. Just getting through life day to day stuff is pretty challenging but I get by.

So to have a guitar and an Axe FX would mean everything to me. It would open up a whole world of possibilities that would allow me to immerse my world in total sonic bliss. Possibly allow me to forget about my problems and really thrive doing something that I can do. Make music. I've managed to save every penny for months and finally can afford a good used AXE FX II XL I figure. This is going to be life changing. Sorry if I was being drab. I have a tendency to rant. I love this forum. I don't say much but I do stop in here pretty regularly and lurk.

Anyone else agree with me about my viewpoint? Pls let me know.

Thanks.

Joe
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I'm an FC shipment away from putting my AxeFX II and MFC up for a very fair price. However, mine is not an XL. I'm Sure your patience will pay off and you ll be set.

Unfortunately, I know first hand how much of an impact Neuro issues can have... Immersing yourself in music is great decision. recent studies have shown very promising results to those who actively challenged both side of their brain though activities such as music.

Who needs a social life when you have music?
 
unix-guy said:
I think there's a mkII and MFC for $1500 in the For Sale section right now.

Not sure if you are set on an XL... No difference in sound, though.
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That one for sale with the MFC for $1500 has a broken ethercon jack, otherwise I'm sure it would be a few hundred bucks more...I personally wouldn't buy a unit that isn't in mint condition and 100% functional.
 
It hasn't been mentioned yet, but:

- sellers want the most return
- buyers want the best deal

Sometimes both get what they want, usually it meets in the middle. Just wait until you find the best deal for your situation. Good luck!
 
Promit said:
So since no one has posted the real answer -
Fractal's products are somewhat difficult to acquire in certain other countries where the distribution network doesn't really reach. Sometimes prospective buyers in these countries are willing to pay nearly arbitrary prices to anyone willing to ship the hardware to those countries. That's why you see these wildly priced listings. They're intended for international sale.
Click to expand...

I dunno, maybe when G66 still sold them maybe, they're prohibitively expensive. But these days you can get a 2nd hand XL+ in Europe for around €1400-1600. Paying $2K and then to add shipping and custom duties is not really cost effective.

I reckon many of these listings are from people who feel they paid full price for their units and now they deserve to recoup some of that. Maybe because back in the days the Standards/Ultras did keep their values better. Also maybe because back in the days the competition consisted of the Pod XT or 500HD, but these days there's the Helix, Kemper and even Boss has some good units. The competition has stepped up its game. People these days have more options then between Fractal or just the Red Bean. So 1400-1600 US/EU is probably the best thing you can currently expect to get these days.
 
Well today I decided to take all of my guitar pedals and list them on Ebay. If I can make a few bucks doing that, I should be able to afford an Axe III instead of a 2 XL+ from the used market. I don't know why I never thought of this before. But here I am at the end of the day and nearly every pedal has been scooped up. Now if the Fractal website would just list the Axe FX III in stock I would be all set. I think I'm gonna do this!

It's either that or a used XL + with a MFC 101 mark III midi controller.. I'm still undecided.
 
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jmadden5124 said:
Well today I decided to take all of my guitar pedals and list them on Ebay. If I can make a few bucks doing that, I should be able to afford an Axe III instead of a 2 XL+ from the used market.[...]I'm still undecided.
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If I were in your shoes I would head to the III at warp speed
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Budda said:
Decide what features you need, then buy that one.
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True, but then again you never know what the future may bring. The III might serve you in ways in the future that you cannot think off today. The II on the other hand, while perfectly fine by today's need, will not receive anything new that will make it more useful in new ways.

Then again, making do with what you have instead of wishing for what you don't have has been a time honored tradition in making people more creative.
 
Muad'zin said:
True, but then again you never know what the future may bring. The III might serve you in ways in the future that you cannot think off today. The II on the other hand, while perfectly fine by today's need, will not receive anything new that will make it more useful in new ways.

Then again, making do with what you have instead of wishing for what you don't have has been a time honored tradition in making people more creative.
Click to expand...

If everyone thought future-forward, they probably wouldn't be buying most of today's gear.

Most people will never use 20% of what a II is capable of, letalone a III.
 
Well I did it.

I finally pulled the trigger.

I found a New, Sealed, Never Opened Axe FX II XL+ listed on Ebay for $1700.

I tried to throw a couple offers between $1500 and $1600 but nearly 12 hours later the seller hadn't budged so I just bit the bullet and paid the full $1700 asking price.

It was a long day waiting for him to answer my offers but he didn't flinch and I respect that. I maybe paid a little more than I wanted to but hey, its never been used. Now if it only arrives all safe and sound, I'll be all set. Fingers crossed.
 
jmadden5124 said:
Well I did it.

I finally pulled the trigger.

I found a New, Sealed, Never Opened Axe FX II XL+ listed on Ebay for $1700.

I tried to throw a couple offers between $1500 and $1600 but nearly 12 hours later the seller hadn't budged so I just bit the bullet and paid the full $1700 asking price.

It was a long day waiting for him to answer my offers but he didn't flinch and I respect that. I maybe paid a little more than I wanted to but hey, its never been used. Now if it only arrives all safe and sound, I'll be all set. Fingers crossed.
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Well, good for you that you got what you wanted, but you sure as hell aren't going to survive for a day on a middle eastern market with those bargaining skills. ;):p
 
Muad'zin said:
Well, good for you that you got what you wanted, but you sure as hell aren't going to survive for a day on a middle eastern market with those bargaining skills. ;):p
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Yes I am quite pleased with what I pulled off.

A "New" Axe XL + and Friedman ASM-12 .. paid $2350 for both.

..and then today I snatched a Fractal EV1 expression pedal mere minutes after it was listed on Reverb for $80.

I also have a winning bid on a MFC101 controller right now on Ebay.. hopefully I'll score that for less than $300.

Grabbed all the cables one would need and a power conditioner.

Life is good but next week is going to be amazing!

I'm stoked! I'm about to get Axed! Goin to Axe town! Joinin the Axe fam! lol
 
Ladies and gentlemen.. I am proud to present to you.. my very own.. brand new, never opened.. Fractal Axe FX II XL+!!!!!!!!

This was the one listed in FS that someone here called a hallmark scam or something like that. lol

Whoo hoooo!!!! :grinning:
Its finally mine!!!!!! Wasnt so scammy after all.


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