Do you keep your effects pedal's original boxes?

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Do you keep your effects pedal's original boxes?

Post by X-Ray Spex » Sat Jan 16, 2021 4:32 pm

Got a whole load of effects pedals over Christmas this year, I've never had new in the original packaging effects pedals before and I was wondering if there's any point in keeping the original boxes?

I'll be using all the pedals in a live scenario soon hopefully post-pandemic so it's not like anything will stay "mint in box with original packaging" for resale down the line.

Some of the boxes are pretty big and just seem like a waste of space, am I short-sighted in wanting to get rid?
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Re: Do you keep your effects pedal's original boxes?

Post by Singlebladepickup » Sat Jan 16, 2021 4:39 pm

I keep boxes for all that stuff. I never care about getting original boxes when I buy used, but a surprising amount of people do care and I end up selling lots of stuff because I like to try out gear. Even if the pedal is visibly worn, having the box is worth something in resale context. My wife hates it and it does take up a bunch of space, so that part sucks.

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Re: Do you keep your effects pedal's original boxes?

Post by fuzzjunkie » Sat Jan 16, 2021 5:08 pm

I have to box for a 1970s A/DA phaser that came with it which is unusual for a vintage pedal, and the wooden box for a 90s DMM, but normally I don’t keep the boxes unless there’s something inherently interesting about it. I wouldn’t keep a cardboard box for a Boss OD-1.

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Re: Do you keep your effects pedal's original boxes?

Post by daemon » Sat Jan 16, 2021 5:44 pm

Always, in fact I keep all boxes for almost everything. It's a sickness, I know. :'(

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Re: Do you keep your effects pedal's original boxes?

Post by terminalvertigo » Sat Jan 16, 2021 5:53 pm

always keep the box.

it's harder to find a dance partner if you are missing items sometimes.
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Re: Do you keep your effects pedal's original boxes?

Post by s_mcsleazy » Sat Jan 16, 2021 8:03 pm

yes but half the time they just annoy me.
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Re: Do you keep your effects pedal's original boxes?

Post by Embenny » Sat Jan 16, 2021 10:33 pm

I have a simple approach. If you have the storage space, always keep the original boxes for small, expensive items you might one day resell like pedals. If you're tight for space, don't clutter your life and stress yourself out hoarding them.

I keep stuff like that now because I have a basement where they can be stored in a relatively organized manner and never cause me stress due to clutter. I lived in an apartment for many years and didn't keep stuff like that because I didn't need Marie Kondo to tell me that filling my small space up with useless stuff was a net negative for my mental health.
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Re: Do you keep your effects pedal's original boxes?

Post by windmill » Sat Jan 16, 2021 10:43 pm

Yep, always keep the box for resale purposes if you can.

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Re: Do you keep your effects pedal's original boxes?

Post by zhivago » Sun Jan 17, 2021 12:15 am

I only keep the box if it has the corresponding serial number to the pedal...like for example Analogman or Zvex have.
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Re: Do you keep your effects pedal's original boxes?

Post by natthu » Sun Jan 17, 2021 12:24 am

windmill wrote:
Sat Jan 16, 2021 10:43 pm
Yep, always keep the box for resale purposes if you can.
I buy a lot of pedals. I also sell a lot of pedals.
I don't care about the boxes too much for myself, but I keep the boxes, as it raises the resale value (quite a lot sometimes).

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Re: Do you keep your effects pedal's original boxes?

Post by øøøøøøø » Sun Jan 17, 2021 5:57 am

Usually no. Storage is at a premium for me. But your answer may be different.

A helpful question to ask is whether, if you decide to keep them, you'd be running toward something, or away from something.

If you're afraid of some vague, unknowable future consequence of ditching the boxes (reduced resale value, perhaps), you're likely running away from letting go, and the boxes themselves can become a senseless, anxiety-born encumbrance.

But if you're kind of a collector (and seeing all of the minty pedals neatly displayed with their original boxes is a source of satisfaction for you), you're running toward having the boxes, and that's a very good reason to keep.

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Re: Do you keep your effects pedal's original boxes?

Post by sholkham » Sun Jan 17, 2021 7:24 am

it sounds dumb but I mainly buy pedals on ebay, and If an item still has it's original box I'm more inclined to think that the owner may have taken better care of it.

I'm aware of how full of holes that thinking is, but I still can't help seeing it as a plus.
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Re: Do you keep your effects pedal's original boxes?

Post by gishuk » Sun Jan 17, 2021 6:15 pm

Yes, storage isnt an issue so keeping the boxes for possible resale down the road makes sense.

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Re: Do you keep your effects pedal's original boxes?

Post by Shadoweclipse13 » Sun Jan 17, 2021 7:18 pm

My rule is that I'll keep the box for about a year or so. Usually in that time, I know if I want to keep the pedal long-term or not. If it's a pedal that I know I'll keep forever (regardless of whether it's a mainstay on my board or not), then the box goes away. Even if space wasn't at a premium, I like things to be simplified as much as possible in my home.
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Re: Do you keep your effects pedal's original boxes?

Post by shoule79 » Mon Jan 18, 2021 8:42 am

I keep them for resale. I’ve dealt with too many “collectors” over the years that won’t buy without one, or ask for a steep discount.

Personally, I could care less.

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