TOP 10 PLATFORMS TO BUY USED PRO AUDIO EQUIPMENT

Blake Hodges
TOP 10 PLATFORMS TO BUY USED PRO AUDIO EQUIPMENT
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Used Production Gear can give you years of use and save you tons of money. Here are 10 platforms to consider buying from.

Used Production Gear can save your church money and serve your church for years to come. However, you have to know the gear’s backstory to ensure you’re getting good gear. If the used gear was taken care of, you’re golden. If it’s had a hard life of traveling, touring, and playing outdoors, you may be in for an unpleasant surprise, so avoid used production gear traps and pitfalls with our breakdown on each platform below.

  1. ChurchGear
  2. eBay
  3. Reverb
  4. Facebook Marketplace 
  5. Sweetwater 
  6. Amazon 
  7. Craigslist 
  8. Musician’s Friend
  9. Music Go Round
  10. Gearsource 
Pros & Cons of buying used production gear on ChurchGear

1. ChurchGear

  • Key differentiator
    • Highest quality used production gear since it all comes lightly used from churches. This is the only platform created specifically for church tech directors and worship leaders.
  • Pros 
    1. Tested & Approved Gear
      • Gear Gurus test every single piece of gear before it is sold. 
    2. 6-Month Warranty
      • The Certified Church Owned gear pieces come with a 6-Month warranty when the gear is bought for a church. You’ll see an orange Certified Church Owned seal on this gear’s page.
    3. No individual sellers 
      • The majority of the options below are platforms that just facilitate sales. The platform isn’t the store you’re buying from.  How does this affect you? When you buy from ChurchGear, you know you’re buying your gear from a singular seller platform-wide. You know where the production gear comes from, how we safely ship our gear, and that we’ve tested every piece. With eBay, Amazon, Reverb, etc, you need to vet each individual seller before you buy from them. In 2019, 173,000 cases of online shopping fraud was reported to the FTC(reported by Wirecutter). When you buy an item on ChurchGear, you know you’re buying from us directly. 
    4. No Seller Fees
      • Reverb, eBay, and most other platforms have to charge sellers for every item listed. This could be as high as 10%! Thus, anyone selling on those platforms will have to decide to either eat that cost or increase their price to make up for this. ChurchGear has zero seller fees.
    5. Reliable, Fast Shipping
      • ChurchGear has shipped thousands of items over the past 15 years. With a dedicated shipping station and team, you know your item will arrive safely. ChurchGear ships over 90% of our orders within a single business day. but other sites can wait upwards of five days to ship an item. The biggest risk to buying used gear is it arriving damaged. Make sure you’re buying from an experienced shipper.
    6. Made Specifically for Church staff
      • Are you a church tech director or worship leader? Because ChurchGear was made specifically for you. ChurchGear was created to give church staff a trusted source for used production gear. Anyone can buy from us, but we’ve built our company specifically to serve church tech directors and worship leaders.
    7. Supporting the Church 
      • ChurchGear pays over $1,000,000 annually to churches for their gear. When you buy on churchgear.com, you are supporting our ability to serve the church. 
  • Cons 
    1. Price
      • With other platforms having a vast amount of sellers on their sites, those platforms may have lower prices. Because those sellers are competing against one another, they may drop their price. Keep in mind that every piece of gear is not the same in terms of how it has been taken care of. Nevertheless, other platforms may have cheaper-priced gear. 
    2. Options
      • When you buy from ChurchGear, you know you are buying from a singular seller. That has its benefits, but it has the negative of less options. ChurchGear might not have the exact piece of gear you need at the exact time you need it. If we don’t have the piece, use the information below to find the best platform for you to score that used production gear.
  • Conclusion
    • If you’re seeking the highest quality production gear, ChurchGear is the answer. With the gear coming lightly used from a climate-controlled building, there is zero question this is the best-used gear on the market.
    • However, you have a good shot at finding a wide selection of gear and lower-priced gear on other platforms. In a perfect world, you’d compare our prices to other sites. If the price is the same, you have a clear win with us, but if the price is lower on other platforms, you’ll have to decide if the price difference is worth the risk of buying used gear that could be used up. Check out these other 8 Reasons to Buy from Us if you’d like more benefits.
Pros & Cons of buying used production gear on eBay

2. eBay’s Used Production Gear

  • Key Differentiator
    • Largest selection of gear and biggest name in the used products market. 
  • Pros
    1. Options 
      • eBay allows anyone in the world to create an account and sell used production gear on their site. Thus, this typically results in a large number of options. In fact, eBay typically has the most options of any platform on our list. Make sure you check that seller’s reviews to ensure they are a trustworthy source.
    2. Price 
      • eBay often has a cheaper price. Since they have the most options, they have lower prices too as different sellers compete to be the best offer.
  • Cons 
    1. Gear Quality
      • What’s the gear’s backstory? Was this used in bars? Was it used outside? Did this gear travel often? Is this piece already on its fourth owner? Knowing the gear’s backstory lets you know whether or not the piece was taken care of. With eBay, you have no idea how the gear has been treated. 
    2. Vetting Sellers
      • There are millions of sellers on eBay. While this gives you more options to choose from, it also gives you equally more sellers you have to vet. Can you trust this random seller? Does the gear still work? Will they know how to ship it? Make sure you read reviews of their profile before you order. Follow these 5 Steps For Buying Used Production Gear from Unknown Sellers.
    3. Shipping
      • Will they know how to ship the gear safely? If this is their first time sending a power amp, they won’t know you need to include protective corners on the sides to prevent damage while it’s in transit. In fact, nearly every type of production gear needs its own type of packing tactics. You won’t have 100% confidence in their gear shipping safely. 
    4. Confusing Auctions: 
      • With buy it now, auction, etc, you have to pay attention to ensure you know you’re getting the gear at the price you want. See a ridiculously low price? Read carefully. You may be seeing an auction. 
  • Conclusion
    • eBay could give you a better price. We want to be upfront and honest about that. If you’re solely looking at price, eBay would be the first platform to check. However, ChurchGear is going to have the highest quality gear, the best shipping methods, will be the easiest to buy from, and is the only platform that offers warranties. You may score the same price with us and a higher quality piece of gear at the same time.
Pros & Cons of buying used production gear on Reverb

3. Reverb’s Used Production Gear

  • Key Differentiator:
    • Made for musicians specifically.
  • Pro 
    1. Music Gear Specific 
      • Built by musicians for musicians, this site is focused solely on production gear lovers. They are often referred to as the eBay of music gear. When you buy from Reverb, you know you’re buying from fellow gear lovers. We’ve been fans of Reverb for years and have our own store over there. 
    2. Lowest seller fees 
      • Their seller fees are lower than eBay so you have a good shot of getting a better price here as compared to eBay. Check Reverb before you buy from eBay.(ChurchGear has no seller fees.). 
    3. Options 
      • Just like eBay, Reverb allows anyone to sell on their site. Anyone in the world can create an account and sell you used production gear. Thus, this typically results in a larger amount of options for you to choose from. When anyone can sell on the site, you get more options. 
    4. Price
      • Reverb may have a better price. Since Reverb has a large selection of options, there is a good chance that they have lower prices as well too as the sellers compete to have the best option. Again, Reverb might not have the best price but it’s very possible. 
  • Cons
    1. Gear Quality
      • What’s the gear’s backstory? Was this used in bars? Was it used outside? Did this gear travel often? Is this piece already on its fourth owner? Knowing the gear’s backstory lets you know whether or not the piece was taken care of or not. With Reverb, you have no idea how the gear has been treated. 
    2. Vetting Sellers
      • There are tens of thousands of sellers on Reverb. While this gives you more options to choose from, it also gives you equally more sellers you have to vet. Can you trust this random seller? Does the gear still work? Will they know how to ship it? Make sure you read reviews of their profile before you order. 
    3. Shipping
      • Will they know how to ship the gear safely? If this is their first time sending used production gear will they know they need to bubble wrap the item to protect it? Every piece of production gear needs its own type of packaging, so it is difficult to have 100% confidence in this gear shipping correctly. 
  • Conclusion:
    • Reverb could give you a better price. We want to be upfront and honest about that. If you’re solely looking at price, Reverb would be a platform to check. However, ChurchGear is going to have the highest quality gear, the best shipping methods, will be the easiest to buy from, and is the only platform that offers warranties. Make sure you check with us before hitting buy on Reverb. You may score the same price and the best quality gear at the same time.

4. Facebook Marketplace’s Used Production Gear

  • Key Differentiator
    • A platform that’ll let you buy gear locally and show if you have any mutual contacts with the seller. Thus, the “mutual contacts” is the biggest differentiator with its most similar counterpart: Craigslist. 
  • Pros
    1. Local pick up 
      • Since you’re buying from people nearby, you’ll be able to meet the seller and physically pick the gear up yourself. This will eliminate shipping costs and opportunities for the item to be damaged in transit.
    2. Cheap Prices
      • Facebook marketplace is typically the place people sell things when they are emotionally done and just looking to move on. Compared to a giant like eBay, Facebook Marketplace will likely have a much better price. There are entire businesses running off of eBay whereas Facebook Marketplace is just casual people trying to clear out their closet space. 
    3. No Seller Fees
      • Facebook doesn’t take a cut of the sale from sellers like Reverb and eBay. This also drives down prices on the platform.
    4. Mutual Contacts
      • What really sets Facebook apart from Craigslist is the “mutual friends” option. Oftentimes, you’ll have a friend in common with the seller so you can make sure they are a trustworthy person by asking your mutual friend. 
  • Cons
    1. Limited Availability 
      • If you need something quick or specific, you’re leaning on lady luck. Facebook Marketplace is just a network of people nearby so it’s unlikely the platform will have the specific item you are looking for. If you need anything outside of a broad category, it’s going to be tough to find the used production gear you need. This is a good platform to casually look at items but not a go-to spot if you need something quickly.
    2. Reliability: 
      • Did the seller test the gear beforehand? This isn’t a store with a return policy. Most online platforms have return policies but Facebook Marketplace isn’t that easy. If you get home, plug the gear in and find out it’s busted, you could have a headache on your hands.
      • Pro tip: Ask the seller to send you a video of the gear working before you meet up, and then check out these 9 Online Production Gear Traps to avoid for additional protection.
    3. Picking it up
      • While you can save money on shipping costs, you’ll have to find the time to meet the seller and pick the gear up from them. Additionally, you’ll need to make sure you do this safely. We recommend you meet up somewhere public. Many people recommend meeting in a police parking lot. 
  • Conclusion 
    • Finding the gear you need will be tough, but you could score a great deal if someone is selling what you need. Finding the exact piece you need right in your neighborhood is a special type of win.
Pros & Cons of buying used production gear on Sweetwater's community board.

5. Sweetwater Community Board’s Used Production Gear

  • Key differentiator
    • An industry-recognized brand name facilitating gear between buyers and sellers without any seller fees applied. 
  • Pros
    1. Website Ease of Use
      • Since Sweetwater is geared specifically for production gear, their site is easy to navigate. They’ve been in the game for four decades, so they know how to make a great used production gear page. 
    2. No seller fees
      • Sweetwater doesn’t take a cut of the sale so that helps decrease the cost for everyone. 
  • Cons
    1. This is just a community board on Sweetwater’s site
      • Sweetwater is very clear that the used gear platform is here to simply facilitate people buying and selling from one another. Sweetwater is not selling any of their own gear here. They aren’t managing the payments. They aren’t ensuring nor managing any disputes that arise. Thus, the Sweetwater name there in name only. You’re interacting with all types of sellers here like you would on Reverb or eBay. 
    2. Unknown Sellers
      • Anyone can sell on this platform so you have no idea who you are buying from. You’ll need to vet them before you buy. 
    3. Post Purchase Leg Work
      • When you read the “How it works” page, there are quite a lot of steps to completing the purchase. This platform will require more work buying/selling than others. You’re on your own here. You will need to set up payment with the seller outside of Sweetwater. 
    4. Shipping
      • Will they know how to ship the gear safely? For example, if they are shipping speakers, will they know how to ship them safely via freight shipping? You won’t have 100% confidence in this gear shipping correctly. 
  • Conclusion
    • With zero seller fees and a good website, Sweetwater’s platform could get you a better price than Reverb and eBay. However, the platform still comes with all the standard negatives of having a vast amount of sellers that you just do not know. And the work after the purchase is a bit much. Unless this is the only place you can find the gear you’re looking for, we’d recommend buying elsewhere.
Pros & Cons of buying used production gear on Amazon

6. Amazon’s Used Production Gear

  • Key Differentiator
    • The biggest name in all of retail with the biggest seller fees to boot. 
  • Pros 
    1. Payment saved: 
      • You’ve likely got an account with Amazon already so that’ll save you some time in the purchasing process.
    2. Quick Shipping 
      • If the item is marked as “prime”, you could get the item shipped to you quickly, and we are all familiar with Amazon’s speed.
    3. Options 
      • Anyone in the world can create an account and sell you used production gear on Amazon. Thus, this typically results in a larger amount of options for you to choose from. Whereas ChurchGear could only have one Roland piano, Amazon could have twenty. In fact, ChurchGear might have zero of that piece you’re looking for whereas Amazon has multiple options.
  • Cons 
    1. Inconsistent Sellers
      • There are hundreds if not thousands of sellers on Amazon. While this gives you more options to choose from, it also gives you equally more sellers you have to vet. Can you trust this random seller? Does the gear still work? Will they know how to ship it?
    2. High Seller Fees
      • Compared to other sites like Reverb and eBay, Amazon typically has the highest seller fee of all three platforms. The seller will either have to eat that cost or pass that cost onto you via the price of the item. 
    3. Reliability: 
      • Did the seller test the gear beforehand? What’s the gear’s backstory? You’ll want to make sure the gear was taken care of and that this isn’t the gear’s fourth owner.
    4. Shipping
      • Will they know how to ship the gear safely? For example, if this is their first time sending a piano, will they know how you make a safe piano box? Shipping a piano is an entire ordeal. If the item is big, you’ll want to make sure they know how to ship it, but you won’t have 100% confidence in their shipping skills. We’ve shipped thousands of items and have a dedicated shipping station with supplies. 
  • Conclusion
    • With a return policy and a proven track record as a platform, Amazon is a solid choice. If your item is big though, you may be better off shipping with a more experienced seller. And always price check against other platforms since Amazon’s platform carries the highest seller fees.

7. Craigslist’s Used Production Gear

  • Key Differentiator
    • Best place to get a basement level price if the item happens to be available nearby. 
  • Pros
    1. No seller fees. 
      • Craigslist doesn’t take a cut of the sale from the seller like Reverb and eBay. Therefore, Craigslist typically has cheaper prices.
    2. Local pick up 
      • Since you’re buying from people nearby, you’ll be able to meet the seller and physically pick the gear up yourself. This eliminates shipping cost and any concerns about the item being damaged in transit.  
    3. Cheap Pricing 
      • Most people on Craigslist are just looking to move on from their production gear. Thus, you’ve got a great shot at scoring a deal. 
  • Cons
    1. Limited Availability 
      • If you need something quick or specific, you’re leaning on lady luck. Craigslist is just a network of people nearby so it’s unlikely the platform will have the specific, used production gear you are looking for. If you just want a guitar and are not particular about the brand or color, you could probably find that. Anything outside of a broad category will be tough.
    2. Reliability: 
      • Did the seller test the gear beforehand? This isn’t a store with a return policy. If you get home, plug the gear in and then find out it is busted, you could have a headache on your hands. Pro tip: Ask the seller for a video of the gear working before you buy it. 
    3. Picking it up
      • While you can save money on shipping costs, you’ll have to find the time to meet the seller and pick the production gear up from them. Additionally, you’ll need to make sure you do this safely. We recommend you meet up somewhere public, preferably in a police parking lot.
  • Conclusion
    • You’ll need a good deal of luck to find what you are looking for on Craigslist, but you could potentially score a great deal here. However, if you need something specific or need it quickly, start with other platforms.
Pros & Cons of buying used production gear on Musician's Friend and Guitar Center

8. Musician’s Friend / Guitar Center’s Used Production Gear

  • Key Differentiator
    • The “Stupid Deal of the Day” could score you a sweet piece at a great price.
  • Pros
    1. Guitar and Base Warranties
      1. They have a two-year warranty on their guitars and bases. 
    2. Stupid Deal of the Day
      1. They have a daily deal that is dramatically discounted. If this happens to be what you’re looking for, you could score a great item.
  • Cons 
    1. Guitar Center
      • This is a branch of Guitar Center, so any feelings you’ve had towards them in the past will guide you.
    2. More Musical Instruments, not Audio Gear
      • This site is more focused on musical instruments. If you’re strictly looking for production gear, you’d be better off with the platforms higher up on this list.
    3. Rentals
      • The used gear is typically their rental gear that they are now looking to move. Buying used gear from a single owner is fine. Buying used production gear that has been rented out to multiple people is another matter entirely.
  • Conclusion
    • With their focus being more on musical instruments and not production gear, this store has a limited selection of items in the category you’re searching for. And with a lot of their used gear being rentals, we would recommend buying from another platform.
Pros & Cons of buying used production gear on Music Go Round

9. Music Go Round’s Used Production Gear

  • Key Differentiator
    • They buy the gear used from other people and test it. Thus, you can buy gear on the platform that you know is being sold specifically by them. You won’t need to vet multiple sellers as you would on a Reverb, eBay or Amazon.
  • Pros
    1. Singular seller
      • You buy your gear from their store so you know who you are buying your used production gear from.
    2. Testing
      • They test all of the gear they get before they sell it. 
    3. Reliable Shipping 
      • They’ve shipped a good deal of gear over the years so you can be confident they will know how to ship it safely. 
    4. Local Pickup
      • If the production gear you are searching for is at a local store, you can pick the gear up in person and avoid shipping costs.
  • Cons
    1. Unknown Quality
      • Anyone can trade in their used production gear here. With no way to talk to the original owner, you won’t know this gear’s backstory.
    2. Ghost Listings
      • With a physical store and an online store, you’ll need to pull the trigger on the gear you’re eyeing quickly. There is always the potential for the gear to sell in the store before you can purchase it online. 
    3. Pricing
      1. With brick and mortar stores, you may face higher prices. Storefronts face high rent payments and have to be staffed with employees. Make sure to check other platforms before you pull the trigger here.
  • Conclusion
    • Since Music Go Round is the singular seller you’re buying from and they test all of their gear, you can trust that the production gear is working. However, you can’t get the full scope of what the gear has been through, so check other sites before coming here.

10. GearSource’s Used Production Gear

  • Key Differentiator
    • This platform is actually on the list as a warning rather than a recommendation.
  • Pros
    1. N/A
  • Cons
    1. Slow Shipping speed
      • Sellers have up to 5 days to get an item shipped out. 
    2. Rookie Shippers
      • Will they know how to ship the gear safely? If they’ve never shipped production gear before, you’ll likely have a piece of broken gear on your doorstep, and you won’t have 100% confidence in this gear shipping correctly. We’ve shipped thousands of items and have a dedicated shipping station with supplies. 
    3. Inconsistent Sellers
      • The hardest part about buying on a platform like this is that you’re seeing tons of sellers, and you’ll have to vet their profile to make sure they’ve delivered for others before.
    4. Unknown Sellers
      • Anyone can sell on this platform so you have no idea who you are buying from, if the gear works, and if they’ll know how to ship it safely. 
    5. Waiting on your money
      • Lots of times it takes you 90 days to get your money if you sell something here. Thus, this alone makes us very wary of ever recommending this platform.
  • Conclusion
    • We’d recommend different sites. 

Honorable Mentions for Used Production Gear Sites

11. Solaris Network

Similar to us, they buy used gear so you know you’re buying your gear from a singular seller. Therefore, this means the gear has a much better chance of working and they’ll know how to ship the gear correctly.

12. Bexel Sales

They have new and used gear, and you can check out their used section but they have a limited amount of production gear available. 

13. Media Concepts

Similar to Gearsource, this is a middle man website, so you will need to vet who you’re buying from to make sure they can ensure the gear works and ship it safely. 

14. Sound Broker

This is another website that links buyers and sellers. They are the middle man in the exchange. You will need to vet who you’re buying from to make sure they can ensure the gear works and ship it safely. 

15. PRG Pro Shop

PRG is affiliated with VER Used Gear as well if you’ve been on that site, and they primarily rent their gear to production companies on tour and then sell the used gear afterward. With that being the case, you know this gear has traveled, toured, and seen heavy use. If you buy from here, make sure you’re getting gear that still has some life in it. 

16. Broadcast Store

The website is so difficult to navigate that you’d be better off checking other platforms.

17. Production Hub Used Gear

This is mostly a site for networking within the industry. They have a tab on their site though to buy used gear. When we wrote this article, they only had 3 listings on the entire site. Unless every single platform you’ve checked doesn’t have the item you’re looking for, we’d recommend skipping this platform. 

Want to get the rarest used production gear easier?

If you’d like at shot at the best, rarest gear, sign up for our Early Service here.

You’ll have exclusive access to our best gear 48 hours before anyone else.

Our top gear can sell as quickly as an hour on eBay and Reverb. Join the Early Service to ensure you get a shot at it before the entire world gets to it.

Did we leave any platforms off?

Tell us in the comments below. We are always happy to add more information to make this list as comprehensive as possible.

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