Guitar Center Used Gear and Trade-Ins
Guitar Center buys qualifying used gear in stores after an in-person appraisal, pays the same day, and adds 10% off one new item when you take trade credit.
By Olivia HarperContributing writer. Policy checked .
On this page
Store programs change. This is a summary in our own words of Guitar Center's Trade-In Trade-Up page, read on October 27, 2026, plus what its Return Policy and Low Price Guarantee pages say about used gear. Check the official pages before you go.
How selling to Guitar Center works
Guitar Center buys used gear only after an in-hand inspection at one of its stores, so there is no mail-in option.
- Book an appraisal (optional). The Trade-In Trade-Up page has a form to pick the kind of gear, a store, a date and a time window. Guitar Center suggests arriving at least one hour before the store closes.
- Bring the gear in. An associate evaluates each item on its condition, historical sales data, market desirability and current stock levels. Vintage gear goes to a dedicated group of experts, who Guitar Center says are available during all open hours.
- Get an offer. Guitar Center describes its offers as fair market wholesale offers, so expect less than a retail price for the same item.
- Get paid the same day, if you accept.
Guitar Center says a trade-in can take 30 minutes or longer, depending on how many items you bring and how busy the staff is.
Cash, check or trade credit
| Payout | What Guitar Center says |
|---|---|
| Cash | Up to $1,000, paid the same day |
| Check | Sales over $1,000 are paid fully by check |
| Trade credit | Use it toward new gear, plus 10% off one new item |
Because of legal restrictions, the stores in Greensboro, North Carolina; Rockville, Maryland; and Saginaw, Michigan do not pay cash.
The 10% trade-up discount
Taking trade credit instead of cash adds 10% off a single-item purchase of new equipment, up to a $500 discount. The credit must be used in the same transaction, and the discount does not combine with other coupons, promotions or offers. It leaves out discounted and clearance items, price matches, used and vintage gear, tax and shipping, gift cards, scratch and dent items, and services such as Pro Coverage, repairs, rentals and lessons. A long list of brands is excluded from the discount, including Fender, Gibson, Roland and Yamaha.
What Guitar Center buys and what it turns down
It buys used guitars, basses, drums, amps, keys and MIDI gear, folk and traditional instruments, recording gear, effect pedals, DJ gear and live sound equipment. Items that do not qualify include:
- Broken gear and items missing a proprietary power supply
- Keyboards that run from floppy disks
- Acoustic pianos and upright acoustic basses
- Instrument cables, power cords, custom cables and snakes
- Software, books, videos and DVDs
- Computers and consumer electronics
- Wireless units, lighting gear and studio furniture
- Guitar parts, strings, drum sticks, drum heads and low-end drum hardware
- Large recording and live sound mixers
- Turntables other than Technics
- Analog tape, DAT, CD and stand-alone hard disk recorders
- Band and orchestra instruments
Buying used at Guitar Center
Guitar Center also sells pre-owned gear in a Used section of its website. Two rules are worth knowing before you buy:
- Returns. Vintage instruments must come back within 3 days of purchase, far shorter than the standard 45 days, according to the return policy.
- Price match. Used and vintage gear is excluded from the Low Price Guarantee.
Sources
Trade-In Trade-Up, Return Policy and Low Price Guarantee, Guitar Center. Checked October 27, 2026.