DETAILS FOR HILA'S CONSIGNMENT SALES & USED LISTINGS


There are two ways in which HILA can help you sell your harp. Please read carefully the information below. If there are any questions, contact Heidi directly by phone /text at: 818-495-4652 or email infoharpinla@yahoo.com

1. CONSIGNMENT HARPS WITH HARP IN LA
HILA is always happy to take a harp on consignment. The harp is placed on our studio floor in Pasadena, CA. for anyone interested to come see and play. HILA will create a used listing, which includes a short sound-byte of your harp played by Paul, as well as all the benefits mentioned below for a Used Listing (less the price).

Before being placed on our floor, the instrument must be fully strung, in playable condition, include at least one workable tuning key, and if a pedal harp, have received a regulation by a certified technician within a decent amount of time prior to being placed on consignment (contact HILA if there are questions about this). HILA will not accept any instrument showing obvious structural damage, such as cracks, broken soundboards, bases, etc.

The fee for a consignment harp on our floor is 15% of the end sale price. Payments are made payable to you, the owner, by certified check, personal check or ACH, if possible. Once payment has cleared your account, you can then send HILA our payment fee by check made payable to HARP IN LA.

Your harp will be well-cared for in our studio. Temperature and humidity levels are monitored. We will tune it regularly and replace any strings that break during its stay in our studio (billed to you when the instrument has sold or been released). We do not allow visitors to play the instruments unattended. It is advised that any insurance policy connected to your harp continue until the sale of the instrument.

When establishing a re-sale value for your instrument, we can help by evaluating what the current market value is for your model harp, adding a careful inspection of the instrument with regard to it’s wear, repair history (if known), and age.

Evaluation aside, your asking price should always be something you feel comfortable in receiving. See further below for more about evaluating a price for your harp.  


2. USED LISTINGS FOR YOUR HARP
By placing your instrument through our Used Harps Listings you will have a written web post with up to fifteen images appearing on our web site. If you wish, you may create a short sound clip of your harp which we will include in the listing, so people can get an idea of its sound.

The Used Harps Listings also appears as a sidebar link in our weekly newsletter THE GIG. As well, your harp will appear in our special Used Harps newsletter that is sent bi-weekly nationwide. Anyone interested in your instrument is to contact you directly.

The cost per listing is a one-time fee of $65.00 and is payable when the created listing has been approved by you, prior to posting live. Your harp can be located anywhere, so be sure to note whether or not you are willing to help arrange shipping elsewhere, or prefer local contacts only.

Please note that each instrument listing and consignment harp must include the following information, when appropriate:

Harp model, manufacturer, serial number.
Year built and/or year purchased.
Condition of the instrument (be honest)
Lever harps; include type of levers (Camac, Bunker, etc) and if full, partial, etc.
Last regulated and by whom.
Last time played, tuned and re-strung.
Environment harp normally kept in (i.e. smoke-free or climate-controlled, etc).
Up to 10 high resolution images sent as a j-peg, This is extremely important.*
Optional sound byte no longer than 60 seconds.
What is exactly included in the asking price.
Asking price.
Contact information and city/state where the harp resides.
If you are willing to ship the instrument or local interest only.

*IMAGES OF YOUR HARP:
Make sure your images are high pixel.  Be sure to include at least one image each of the following:

Full view from front
Full view from back
Full 3/4 view
Full view from side (either side view or both)
Close-up side view of the action or levers.
Close-up front view of the base
Close-up side view of the base
Standing behind the harp, a full view from the knee block to the top of the neck.
Anything else which will help people get an idea of the condition of the harp, including obvious damage, large dings or other issues.
If your harp is smallish, an image of someone sitting/standing by the harp helps to understand the size. 

Again, make sure these images are at a high enough pixel rate to be clearly seen.

READY TO SELL? 
HILA has helped many individuals sell their harp. Be it through a private used listing or on consignment, there are a few things we have found to ring true for someone's harp to help find its new home:

1. ASKING PRICE:
Please give serious thought to what you would like as an asking price. We are not certified technicians, and can only suggest an estimation. Your asking price should be an amount you feel comfortable in receiving.  Then consider what price you would pay if you were in the market for a used harp. Take into account our commission fee, and a fair medium amongst all these factors should make everyone happy, and find your harp a new home.


2. BE HONEST:
If creating your own listing, the more clear and honest you are with your information and images, the more certain you will be in selling your harp. People are not interested in how great the harp looks in your living room or next to your dog. They want to see good, high pixel images of your harp. If there are any serious issues with the harp, scratches, or dings, say so. Being vague about your  harp's condition only avoids your harp from selling.

3. ARE YOU REALLY  READY TO SELL?
Don't brush this off, it's important. Do you really want to keep your harp, but feel guilty because you rarely play it? Is there a family member who you were hoping might want your harp? Would you prefer to maybe just rent your harp for a while?

If for whatever reasons you are on the fence about selling your harp, then the harp will not sell. It's a strange phenomenon, and we see it take place all the time. There is a harp out there for everyone and some harps take longer to sell than others. But if you are not willing to let go completely, it will be difficult for your harp to find a new home.

There is no magic formula for how long it takes a used harp to sell. Much depends on availability in the new harp market, even the playing level of the current market (student, novice, pro, etc.). Again: Be fair with your asking price, your description of the instrument, be willing to let it go, and it will sell.