Selling pedals - final prep?

rwl

rwl

Well-known member
I might be selling some spare pedals at a local music store. I've only built pedals so far for my own use, and if they don't work or have a problem, I can always open em up and fix em.

The last thing I want is for a pedal I sell to malfunction. I'm wondering if there's any final "touchup" you guys do as a final pass before selling. I'm thinking of hot gluing the LED to make sure it doesn't pop out of my bezels, and potentially using thread lock on the jacks.
 
Thread lock seems like not a bad idea. I built a few pedals for a working guitarist who is really rough on his gear. I think two of the four I gave him had issues. He somehow damaged the power jack on one and fried something on the board. So add the power jack to your list of things to be sure are really solid. I think the other had an IC come loose from a socket (hence the argument to not use sockets….)
 
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Honestly just treat it like its your pedal. You can’t control if a part fails. Do your best to test it and make sure it functions like it should in all settings. Thread lock on jacks and power jacks aren't a bad idea but aren’t necessary. I wouldn’t over think it. You can’t control how people treat their gear.
 
I think the main thing I would do if I was going to sell commercially, even on a very small scale, is write up an actual warranty policy.
As much for my own benefit, as for the buyer. Think about and codify:
• what do I feel like is my responsibility to fix if it fails in normal use?
• what time frame will I guarantee my work for?
• if something is outside my defined warranty period, do I want to offer paid repair services?
 
I talked to my local music store about maybe putting a few pedals there in some kind of consignment arrangement. They said if someone returns a purchase and isn’t happy with it, they’re basically going to give them their money back, and I said I would be comfortable doing the same. If something I made breaks, I’d like to get my hands on it to understand what happened.

As far as assembly techniques, I wouldn’t worry about doing anything more than what the average small commercial builder is doing. I probably wouldn’t add any adhesives.
 
I just make sure the jacks, pots, knobs, switches, and back plate are tight, everything inside is secure and won't move, and the pedal works correctly. And then make sure I present myself as open, positive, transparent, and proactive.

I agree with prickly, I'd make a warranty / repair policy. Communicate that if anything happens to the pedal, you will take care of the customer, whether it means replacing the entire pedal or just any broken parts, depending on what the situation calls for. The best thing you can do to ensure your pedals keep working is be there to fix them if something goes wrong.
 
Prickly makes a good point on a warranty situation. It makes them feel better knowing you’re not selling junk and gives you a selling point. That being said normal wear and tear and plugging in incorrect power supplies etc… may be a slippery slope and it shouldn’t last for an unreasonable amount of time. All good stuff to consider.
 
Warranties are cool, and probably a good business practice. If you’re trying to make a name for yourself and start a real business where you’re charging real living wage money for your pedals, that makes sense to me.

If you’re just looking to dump some excess builds and you’re competing with the bottom dollar clones on reverb price-wise, I don’t think you owe anyone anything in writing.
 
“None” is also a valid warranty policy. Depending on price point and what you’re trying to achieve.

My main point was, decide beforehand, communicate it clearly to (potential) customers, and stick to it. Whatever “it” is.
Don’t just start improvising when you get your first complaint/refund/repair-request.

Rwl may have already figured out a policy.

This is just general advice for anybody selling whatever.
 
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