The price in AUD is $666, fitting somehow
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Well the problem with buying as an investment is you usually buy then when you see a good deal and it’s usually when you don’t need them. Plus you have to sit on it for a few weeks to a month before list it back up. If not some people will call you on it, don’t ask me how I know, 
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If you are buying for turning a profit, the actual quality of the instrument doesn’t matter so much. All that matters is how desirable it is for your market.
Unfortunately, regardless of how good a value they are, Benton just doesn’t have that market draw. When you can buy one new for under $200, this is not a used market you want to get in to.
Similarly, every upgrade you put in to the instrument has dramatically diminishing returns, and increases your cost and directly carves out of your profit. So while an upgrade may make it sell for a bit more, you had to pay for that upgrade to begin with, and if you bought those parts new, you won’t usually get that much money back out of them.
As @Al1885 said, you want to focus on models with high market demand more than your own personal feelings about a line.
There are some exceptions to this. One is for instruments with a strong cult following; for example, I turned a profit on my SBV-550. But that’s because despite being niche, they are in high demand by that niche.
But in general, every time you move away from the collective most popular brands and models, you limit the potential buyer pool and thus your chance at profit, outside of niche cases.
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Oh yeah that’s the special project. There’s a prototype EMG PVX (when you spend enough money with them they’d entertain your request) and DIY JVX that I sanded off the tabs and glue it together. The electronics are pretty custom too. I split the control of the north and south coils on the double J pickups.
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I have always bought new, except for one rare bass that’s out of production, so I had to buy mintly-used.
If I never see that money again, it’s OK by me.
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Sure, but you’re not trying to turn a profit on the instruments.
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Oh yeah, LOL, I was joking 
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The funny thing is it’s not obvious it’s a bad plan
It seems like you should be able to buy one new cheap, add some upgrades and flip it for profit, but it doesn’t work that way.
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Man I’ve been thinking about this. Gear retains value for the most part. I get ragged on for GAS and rightfully so I’m unemployed, but my wife will spend $15 at Starbucks and that money is instantly gone forever. Or worse it makes your butt bigger (mine not hers 
)
I had a crap $100 used Yamaha acoustic guitar that I got in college trade for at least $100 20 years later.
Stuff can collect dust for decades and still sell.
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I learned this with pickups. Nobody wants to pay for upgrades unless you take them off and sell them separately.
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So, do I understand it correctly: your wife spends $15 at Starbucks, but YOUR but gets bigger?
What’s the science behind that?
My girlfriend is gone out for some kickboxing - how can I get fitter, using your trick?
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She keeps my man parts in her purse, I own that thang 
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It’s all depends. I get full value on my pickups upgrades, it’s just how you list things. That’s one of the reason why I don’t use Seymour Duncan I love them but they are so well known it’s almost generic to new comers.
EMG is easy sell because it’s quiet. More people looking for second bass because their first one hum like a mofo regardless of hundreds spend on fixing it.
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Well what signature basses would you pay more than the original asking price for? The only one I can really think of is the Joe Dart signature that sold in very limited quantities for something like 350$ and basically doesn’t exist in the secondary market.
Any successful collectible investment is going to look something like that.
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The Harley Benton MV-4MSB Gotoh sold/sells for almost double the price in Germany (original 229€, used 400€), as everybody thinks it’s great (it is) and you could not get it after the first limited batch.
The successor is called Harley Benton MV-4MSB (without the Gotoh) as it lacks the Gotoh tuners.
It’s hard to find, but you will not get more than 200€ for it.
It’s not something to invest in, but nice to know
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These are interesting. I own a SBV-800MF (Miki Furukawa signature model) and it sells for considerably more than its retail price, but it also hasn’t been made for 20 years.
The Peter Hook signature BBPH had a small limited run and it can’t even be found, but sells for over its list price when it does.
The Steve Harris P-Bass? Nah, still in production, you will lose money on new.
@Al1885, the BBNE’s are still in production, how well do they hold up?
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And the Glen Huges O Bass?
Is it just a purple bass made by an amp company?
I have two BBNE2 one from 2006 and another 2023. I can still sell my 2006 (which I never will) for almost the same price as the 2023 which is more that what it originally cost, I didn’t pay for the first one but I’d have made the profit.
Japanese Yamaha are pretty much killing it, my other favorite the Motion bass MIJ are holding value like crazy. The BB2000 and 3000 are doing well too.
My 3 Steve Harris build are doing really well I traded my first one to a 5 string EBMM Sterling the seller listed $2000 and it was a straight up trade. My second one sold with markup above the parts upgrades, I was very happy.
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I paid $500usd for my black 79 P Bass in 1995 , I’m hoping to turn a profit when I want to move it on.
I paid $3000usd for the 73 J bass on the left.
I paid $1200usd for the 73 mustang.
I think I paid around $600aud for the 75 Rick🤔 around the mid 80s the maroon 79 Rick I have was around $1800usd,I bought it in the 2000,s just shows the difference in price over around 20 years.
I can’t remember what I paid for the73 P bass on the right, 
And the Harmony H22 laying on the bed, I reckon I paid around $500 usd for it , and around the same for another one I have.
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Soooooo, I need to get the Purple Orange Bass, keep it good and stroke it and play it occasionally and wait for the profits?
Right so far?
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