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40% higher price in 1 hour?
- Thread starter icefly
- Start date
Yep, if I'm the seller, once cash crosses my palm, it's theirs. If I'm the buyer, once cash crosses their palm, it's mine.
There’s a youtube channel where these guys do small pranks (I know, LOTS of those channels) - one of their pranks was for the two guys to go to a yard sale as strangers. One guy buys an item, and then sells it for double the price to the other guy - collecting the money from the second buyer and handing half to the original seller. It’s a gag, but it’s not far off from what some flippers will do.
My beef is with sellers who post at one price, I say I am interested, then they change (increase) the price. I say I am interested at their original posted price but they won’t sell it for that. Then it sits on Marketplace (etc) for a month without selling.
My beef is with sellers who post at one price, I say I am interested, then they change (increase) the price. I say I am interested at their original posted price but they won’t sell it for that. Then it sits on Marketplace (etc) for a month without selling.
I certainly couldn't behave like that. I find the behaviour;
Parasitic opportunism.
Money fetishism.
Commodity mentality.
Usery.
Have I missed anything?
It's a sad state of affairs but there's not a lot one can do about it.
Parasitic opportunism.
Money fetishism.
Commodity mentality.
Usery.
Have I missed anything?
It's a sad state of affairs but there's not a lot one can do about it.
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I don’t think the issue here is the fact that he flipped it. It’s how the guy behaves in an online community. The community is there to discuss things and help each other out, not to try to make some quick money at the expense of other members.
I have no problem with it if someone does it on FB Marketplace or Reverb, but this is like flipping a bass here on Talkbass in the same thread as the original sale. Not cool.
Also, apparently this guy tried to sell the bass before he had even seen it. Also not cool. If you’re going to flip a bass, the absolute minimum you should do is inspect it before you sell it.
I have no problem with it if someone does it on FB Marketplace or Reverb, but this is like flipping a bass here on Talkbass in the same thread as the original sale. Not cool.
Also, apparently this guy tried to sell the bass before he had even seen it. Also not cool. If you’re going to flip a bass, the absolute minimum you should do is inspect it before you sell it.
Gotcha. So yeah, as I said, it only applies to specific scenarios depending on which side hustles you deem worthy.
Flipping music gear as a side hustle = reevaluate your entire career.
Playing music gear as a side hustle = perfectly fine.
Weird to tell everyone with a side hustle that they need to reevaluate their main job in a forum filled with people with side hustles related to music. Ses more condescending than anything. That's all.
All good. Live and let live.
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Playing music for people who enjoy it isn't a hustle. Taking advantage of people to make a buck is a hustle. I'm saying, take the time and effort put into taking advantage of people (calling it a "hustle") and put it into something legit. I'm not judging, just talking about being a good person. But people who do this kind of crap are usually defensive and over-react to anyone who points it out.
It's not something I do. My issue was more with the stance that anyone that needs a side hustle needs to reconsider their main hustle, which I probably overreacted to.
I'm sure it was just some quick fingers and quick typing but having worked closely with lots of people in impoverished communities when I was younger (with music rehabilitation) that's what got me. It came across judgy. But I'm sure you didn't mean it quite in that way. Ironically I think we are both trying to come from the "be a good person" camp.
All good. My bad. We move on. May we all keep on thumpin!
I'd probably scoff but that'd be about it. Mostly cause when I've seen that happen it's usually because someone is trying to be a flipper, and sell a used instrument for $50 or whatever off the price of "new". Conversely a good friend of mine used to be able to scoop up some absolutely ridiculous deals on equipment and sold for a reasonable but very effective markup. There was one year that that was his sole source of income.
No worries. I should have been more specific, it's stuff like OP described that I don't like. I've been in groups of good people where things get ruined by just a few selfish people, and they always defend themselves the same way, so I'm guilty here also of going too hot.
I sold a higher end Jazzmaster to someone locally that I knew was a flipper. He paid me what I wanted for the guitar so I didn't care. But soon afterward I saw he had advertised it at a much higher price, and had listed it as a certain model that was a higher spec higher than this guitar was.
I don't know if he just thought I didn't know what I had or if he was mistaken as to which edition it was when he listed it, but after the money changes hands it's his guitar not mine and he can do with it as he pleases I suppose.
I don't know if he just thought I didn't know what I had or if he was mistaken as to which edition it was when he listed it, but after the money changes hands it's his guitar not mine and he can do with it as he pleases I suppose.
Let's clarify the issue, shall we?
First, the incident happened at a brazilian bass players whatsapp group. We talk a lot about basses in a daily basis and everyone knows each other quite well because of such conversations.
It's a very friendly place.
Second, I was the person interested on purchasing an Epiphone Rumblekat because I had to let my Rumblekat go and I was looking for a substitute. Everyone in that WhatsApp group knew about my interest on that particular bass, an instrument quite rare (but not unobtainable) here in Brazil.
My friend (AKA as OP) found an ad with a really good price and shared it with the group. I saw it immediately but the bass was already sold.
I communicate the situation to my friend and, in less than 5 minutes, we found out that the instrument was bought by another member of our group.
Almost immediately, he offered me the bass, because he knew, as everyone else knew, that I was the lone member of that group with a interest on a Rumblekat.
But there was a catch: His price was a thousand reais (real is the brazilian currency) higher than the original ad price.
I repeat, the bass price went a thousand reais higher in less than 5 minutes. In a group of friends.
And, as a brazilian, I can assure to you: A thousand reais of difference is a big difference.
I didn't say nothing to my "friend". His offer was met with my complete silence.
Anyway, that scalper attitude wasn't well received in the WhatsApp group and that person was expelled by the mod.
That's it.
That said, I'm not mad with my "friend". I didn't say a word about the incident and he was expelled because the others were disgusted by his willingness of scalping one of us.
Personally, I wish him good luck with his negotiations. And someday I'll find a Rumblekat. I'm very patient.
I though this was a "somebody bought my bass and sold it for more" post, thats a different kind of story though, and though the seller shouldnt care what happens after they sold it, i think in your situation you have a right to be irritated by that. That was a dirty way to try and make a buck (or real).
