Very disappointing when TBers try to make more than they should on a sale

[eyeballkid]

does that mean youll give me the hook up on that '62 P bass?!!!

[Lonesomedave]

Originally Posted by SBassman

Forget the way below market. I'd be happy if I saw the end of:

- People with plenty of disposable income, buying frequently, then quickly flipping - adding to the original cost.

- People buying when there are blow outs, then selling later at the original non-blowout price.

If you can sleep at night doing things like that, great for you.

suppose that was why i bought it in the first place? maybe i use some of my disposable income (i wish!) to buy things when they are cheap, in hopes of selling later and making a profit. that is, after all, what stores do. sometimes things work out and sometimes they don't.

if an item is mine, and i am not holding a gun to anybody's head, and if i have in no way misrepresented anything about the item....i can sell it for whatever the market will bear. and yes, I could sleep very well at night if i did such a thing.

after all, the buyer thought the price was good too, or they wouldn't have bought it....mutual agreement.

[Epitaph04]

Exactly. Something is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.

[Lackey]

I think we should all be honorable and not completely besottled by a mercenary mindset when we sell gear. But come on, all profit is not evil.

I've bought basses that have gone up in value when the line is discontinued. Fair market price tends to tick upward if demand outstrips supply. Why should I feel obligated to sell it for less than what I paid for it when people will happily give me more? Like I observed in a recent Pedulla thread, I remember when GC was blowing them out for little over a grand some years ago. But I certainly wouldn't expect buyers to feel obligated to resell them now for under that purchase price... come now.

Perhaps theres a contingent here that constantly buys and immediately flips gear for a profit. That kinda sucks if it does occur, but I guess I don't troll through the classifieds enough to be aware of it.

[mjac28]

Originally Posted by SBassman

Forget the way below market. I'd be happy if I saw the end of:

- People with plenty of disposable income, buying frequently, then quickly flipping - adding to the original cost.

- People buying when there are blow outs, then selling later at the original non-blowout price.

If you can sleep at night doing things like that, great for you.

You must not work for a major corporation?

- "People with plenty of disposable income, buying frequently, then quickly flipping - adding to the original cost". I don't understand this one how does it add cost?

-" People buying when there are blow outs, then selling later at the original non-blowout price". Once again how about the retailer that still made money on that blow out price now charging full price? and your option is wait for another "blow out" sale or pay the price you would have anyway?

This is a buyers market with so many ways to buy "anything"these days if your gear is overpriced and people can find it cheaper somewhere else it won't sell period unless someone is too lazy to do some research or desperate.

[mjac28]

If someone is constantly buying and flipping gear god bless them we don't blink an eye when retailers do it?(Guitar Center) you can still be a good TB'er and make money for yourself and your "real" family.

[pedulla-2007]

If you don't like someones' posting, keep on going. Kinda like pornography, You have a free will not to look at it. This has kept me down to four suspensions, HeeHee!

[Maz]

Originally Posted by vishuddha

Unfortunately, we are in a free market.

That's not unfortunate.


As others have said, keyword "free" and we all have a choice to buy or not. I've been known to browse ebay for basses going cheap because of minor flaws that I can fix, with the pure intent to resell them for a profit. I don't have enough guts/disposable income to speculate on the used market generally, but more power to anyone who does.

I find the idea that we "should" practically give things away here offensive. -Not offensive like I'm spiritually wounded about it mind you, but offensive like someone farted.

[bluesblaster]

This aint no free love hippie commune, the classifieds are a marketplace just like any other where goods are bought and sold ( or traded ) for whatever the seller wants to ask. If your an informed buyer than you should know what the going value of anything your looking to purchase there. If not, than thats your fault. Its call due dillegence and the free enterprise system

[walkerci]

Don't forget what the massive runup in Neodymium did to driver prices.

Neo loaded cabs are worth a lot more now than they were 2 years ago.

[eyeballkid]

is there a tongue in that cheek, or is that true?

[My name is Mudd]

People can ask whatever they wish for their item...doesn't mean that they'll get it, tho.

I believe that an item has a certain monetary value that should be observed and 'maintained' (for lack of a better way of putting it), which is why I research prices here in the class-ads when I list something and usually ask an average of other recent prices for it. By doing this, I'm hopefully helping to maintain an even/fair/stuff value for the item(s) in question for all of us.

[6jase5]

I have an amp that a lot of folks like here on TB. I happened to have several of them and one I got for $165 and could sell for $300 pretty easily on TB, more on CL. I don't feel any obligation to sell it one day for $165 because I did my homework, pounced on a great deal and drove 100 miles to get something at a great rate (I don't pay for gas so not a consideration, only my time).

I'm always fair in my dealings but to me price isn't ever "someone's fault" unless they are misrepresenting the item for sale.

I also have a pair of Mike Inez's old bass cabs that I got for $100....and if I sell them it just might be for more than $100. Fair warning.

[singlemalt]

Neodymium drivers are a great example, they just about doubled in price over the last couple years. How do you price that driver now? That fEarful with the 3015LF and the 18 sound mid is worth more than when I built it, just in parts.

I doubt anybody is making big dough flipping stuff on TB, but if they can, more power to em.

My rule of thumb: buy used at a price I can easily flip, without losing more than the shipping. Unless I want it gone to free up some cash, then it's priced to sell, and I use the TB classifieds to help me find that price. But, every once in a while, I might make a few bucks. Helps offset the pedal habit.

We're all (mostly) rational adults here, we can handle making a deal or two. Like everything else, some deals are winners and some are losers and a bunch fall right in the middle.

[Brad Johnson]

Originally Posted by SBassman

I get very disappointed when I see fellow TBers try to make Much more than they should on a sale.

When a sale happens at TB, it should be like selling to family.
Meaning, giving a superb, almost-give-it-away price.

Any time I have sold things here, I have sold them at Far Less the price I paid. It's the only way I know how.

I see people here occasionally buying something, and then trying to flip it for the original purchase price, or, sometimes, more than it. N.G.

I love this topic.


Honestly, no offense... this is ridiculous. There's a simple formula for getting a killer deal. It bears no resemblence to what you posted. What you do is what the person who found the killer deal did, just do it before them.

Simple, right?


Sometimes killer deals are the result of dumb luck but more often than not they're the result of people putting in work. That's typically frequent perusals of anywhere that killer deals exist. And being ready to pull the trigger when you find it. What you're describing is the equivalent of you combing the beach for weeks at a time, you find something and give it to someone else who couldn't be bothered to do what you did.

"Hey, I found a nice watch. You can have it".



I remember when TB was so small we practically knew everyone onboard. That was a long time ago. TB is definitely a great place but this post is a sign of how some folks get it twisted. This is not a family. Some people will screw you for no reason at all. Making a fair profit is not my idea of screwing anyone..

You are free to trade between your internet friends but actually thinking that everyone should act the same way is fairly naive. Here's why:

Things are worth what they're worth. And that's tied to what people are willing to pay. I've had more than any ten guy's share of crazy deals and one still sticks out in my mind. I got a brand new high end bass on ebay for 1/3 of what it was selling for new. From a dealer. After I got it a TBer mentioned that if I decided to sell it a friend of his had bid on it and lost (because he wouldn't bid more than 1/3 of the street value). I said cool but just so we're clear, if I sell it it won't be for what I got it for.

And suddenly I was a bad guy. Why did I want to screw people? I got a genuine chuckle about that. I was told the same thing, about the TB brotherhood and how we should all stick together. I said cool, if someday I happen to come up short on my mortgage I'll check in here and see whose willing to help.


I just found THROUGH RESEARCH another ridiculous deal on a bass. About 1/4 what it went for new. I cleaned it up, got it refinished and just sold it and doubled my INVESTMENT. Was I wrong? Should I have sold it for...

what I bought it for + refinish cost + my clean-up time+ shipping?

BTW by doubling my investment the bass still sold for well below market. Is that a good or bad thing?

I treat any transaction I do as a business one. I pay what I think is fair and I don't expect anyone to give something away to me because that's how they got it. I really don't care how they got it because it's really not relevant. That's probably why I have no problem telling potential buyers how little I paid for something... either they understand the value and my good fortune or they don't. If they don't, cool... they'll probably miss out on some nice gear.

I once bought a Brubaker bass off of ebay for around $800... absolutely stupid deal. When I decided to sell it I put it on consignment, my end was $1100, the store's was $1400. I was going to make $300 and someone was going to get a absolute steal (I already have a couple ). A guy I knew told me he went to the store every day for couple of weeks to play my bass. He knew the store's price was a steal but he wanted to get it for what I paid for it. I laughed. Someone else ended up with the bass.

I'll never fall prey to that kind of frankly silly logic. If I find a $20 bill, should I give it to you for a dollar... obviously I didn't even have that much invested in bending over and picking it up. That's the logic at play here. So don't look at acquisition cost, it has absolutely nothing to do with the buyer. The buyer should be concerned with how much they're willing to pay. Period. I know guys who miss killer deal after killer deal because they can't seem to figure this out.


BTW when you see people commiting these "offense", don't buy from them. That'll show 'em... and the person who ends up owning it will likely appreciate your stance.

[5StringFool]

I'm a patient guy. I see pedals in the classifieds all the time that I'd like to buy, but I feel like the owner wants too much so I don't. That's the beauty of the free market I have the ability not to buy if I don't like the price. That being said, I have found some great deals and made some great trades where both parties were well pleased with the results.

What more can you ask for?

[Brad Johnson]

Originally Posted by Epitaph04

Exactly. Something is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.

And that is what a buyer should concern themself with IMO. The rest is soap opera fodder.

[lfmn16]

Originally Posted by eyeballkid

The only thing I get disappointed about is when TB'ers are misleading or "forgetful" about the condition of things. I buy and sell on TB because I EXPECT it to be a refreshing change from the craiglist circus or the ebay great swindle. A higher level of integrity and humanity is my only expectation here.

We aren't selling food, gas or shelter here. We are selling and buying luxury items that we can live without.

Tell us the truth about the item you are selling and let the market determine the price.

[NorCal Dog]

carrots

[WokenDeer]

I understand that you would think that because we're all in the bass playing community that we should help each other. But you have to think, who really, besides the aforementioned bass playing community, is buying this bass gear.

I don't think anyone should be ripped off, but there's nothing wrong with selling something for what it's worth.

Can't give major discounts to your primary target consumer. I mean, unless your a business doing a special or something. But we're all just individuals.

I've never bought or sold anything here so maybe my opinion is invalid, just felt the need to reply to that statement.