Help me come to terms with giving stuff away...

Recording Techniques, People Skills, Gear, Recording Spaces, Computers, and DIY

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Snarl 12/8
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Post by Snarl 12/8 » Thu Nov 13, 2014 11:40 am

Nick Sevilla wrote:My rule is :

If it sits for one year, it goes out the door.

Cheers
OK, that sounds like a pretty good rule, but I'm asking "how." What are your rules about how it goes out the door? Do you use eBay? Will you ship anything huge? Do you give it away if it won't sell for a reasonable price? What's your algorithm for getting things out the door?
Carl Keil

Almost forgot: Please steal my drum tracks. and more.

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Randyman...
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Post by Randyman... » Thu Nov 13, 2014 4:17 pm

I'll gladly hand down older/idle gear to DESERVING MUSICIANS that will actually get some benefit out of it. Pass on my years of mistakes of purchasing cheaper pro-sumer gear that is still sitting around :)

I've literally given away 2 complete DAW PC's (one i7-950 LGA1366 with an SSD and one e8600 C2D LGA775) both with RME Multifaces (!), two Digimax-LT's, a Digimax-FS, a DBX386, more than a dozen of mics, and who knows what else. Granted most of this stuff was either purchased used to begin with, or had PC parts left over after upgrading to build a whole 'nother PC. Even just gave my buddy my brand-new unwanted pair of Equator D5's!

Seems easier (and less stressful to me) to take a monetary loss and help a buddy out than to deal with the undeserving schmucks on eBay trying to scam you.

To counter the perceived monetary loss, the recipients of this gear have then come back into my studio with more recording chops and one hell of a good attitude :) Makes me look and sound better in the end, and lets them become more fluent on the engineering side of things (and more appreciative of what I can provide for them - the struggles of getting clean tracks and good mixes becomes a first-hand experience for them).

I'm glad to know the gear is being used by some less fortunate and very deserving musicians than collecting dust or selling it for pennies on the dollar on eBay (and then letting eBay and PayPal take their fees, too).

I wish I had friends like me when I was a budding engineer! :lol:

:cool:
Randy V.
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vvv
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Post by vvv » Thu Nov 13, 2014 4:26 pm

I wish I knew any other local recordists ...
bandcamp;
blog.
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blungo2
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Post by blungo2 » Thu Nov 13, 2014 6:16 pm

Offering stuff for free here (or other forums you like) and charging just shipping is a good way to get stuff into someone's hands who will use it.

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Nick Sevilla
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Post by Nick Sevilla » Thu Nov 13, 2014 8:23 pm

Snarl 12/8 wrote:
Nick Sevilla wrote:My rule is :

If it sits for one year, it goes out the door.

Cheers
OK, that sounds like a pretty good rule, but I'm asking "how." What are your rules about how it goes out the door? Do you use eBay? Will you ship anything huge? Do you give it away if it won't sell for a reasonable price? What's your algorithm for getting things out the door?
As an example, I gave a set of microphones to a studio that got trashed by a hurricane back east. That was, I think, about 6 mics, of different types.

Sometimes I find an artist that I am working with, in need of something I have, which I do not use much, if at all. Off it goes to them.

I don't have rules as far as prices / value. Unless it is a collectible mic or guitar. Then I try to announce it here and on other forums first, so my friends can get dibs on the items.

As far as how much I am willing to part with something? I dunno, the going rate for whatever "it" is. I do a little research, and give a fair price. Othewrwise it just sits there.

Cheers
Howling at the neighbors. Hoping they have more mic cables.

biasvoltage
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Post by biasvoltage » Thu Jan 08, 2015 7:31 pm

Last month I decided it was foolish to continue to pay $100 a month to store $1000 worth of gear. I gave my 1/2" 8 track and some reels to a friend who runs a media department at a high school, but donated a Behringer eurodesk, a couple of busted ADATs, a 4x10 with a blown speaker, a couple of beat up monitors with blown tweeters, a couple of keyboards that kinda worked, to a charity thrift shop and got a tax deductible receipt for my donation. So somebody gets to think they got a rad score at the thrift shop on an Adat XT, the charity makes money, and I get a break on my taxes equal to what the stuff would have sold for without the hassle of haggling over every last nickel, and the thrift shop picked all the crap up so I didn't have to load it into my truck. win-win-win-win.

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