I agree. I just don't have time to go through 20-30 pages in TB classifieds to look for something that might interest me.
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Do those overpriced basses ever sell on ebay?
- Thread starter Nate74
- Start date
I agree. I just don't have time to go through 20-30 pages in TB classifieds to look for something that might interest me.
Blue books are used to find out the value of a particular item in any given condition with certain absent or present features. Much like the Kelley Blue Book for car sales.
We don't just "think like that", it's a survival tactics
Just kidding, I belive in honesty in marriage but sometimes we even deceive ourselves with intention to sell bass
Those guys understand that they don't have to catch every fish in the lake, just one.
Caveat emptor.
Caveat emptor.
I used to sell a lot of gear on eBay, and then buying activity really slowed to a crawl. I think people got sick of the fees and how unfriendly eBay became to individual-level sellers. The company has generally shifted its focus to be an e-commerce site that competes with Amazon and Alibaba. These days some of the better deals are to be found on Craigslist - if you can deal with the nonsense - and haggling with people on Reverb. (Although I am starting to hear more stories about people getting burned on Reverb, which sucks.)
Can't speak for everyone, but after being married for 27 years I would have to say that if I did think like that, I probably wouldn't have been married for 27 years. Being deceptive with your spouse doesn't generally end well, at least that's my two cents.
I use eBay basically to buy small accessories I need, like pickups, knobs, but/saddle blanks, soldering iron, etc. It's pretty much the same sellers on eBay or amazon now, so I use eBay if I want to use paypal and amazon if I don't. I have sold some things on eBay recently but not too much. I use eBay if it's something that I can't sell here, meaning not bass oriented.
Married guys don't think. We evade and make excuses, but it's all done on instinct.
The internet in general has ruined this phenomenom. Pawnshops have gotten more evil than they even used to be. They offer $25 for items worth hundreds and then re-sell at eBay prices.
When I bought my 5-string fretless electric/acoustic Epiphone El Capitan, I saw a bass with no price tag and when I asked they said they'd take $400 for it as it was some oddball thing that was just kicking around the factory floor. This was when that bass was in production, so I drove up the street to another music store and saw a row of the 4-string fretted versions of the same bass priced at $1000.
I may never get that feeling again 8(
Buying and selling used equipment of any given type follows its own particular standards and practices, which may even vary regionally or between various types of businesses. Blue Books are only a starting point and nothing close to writ in stone. Though it is largely based on precedent and an OK place to begin if you know nothing at all, do not be surprised at all if the pricing info you glean from a Blue Book has little or no bearing on your actual experience making a deal. In fact, if you openly cite the blue book value of something in an honest negotiation, you will likely squander much of your credibility.
As we used to say in a business I was in that traded heavily in used equipment, "The item I can't get you is free." Value is personal. Price is not.
PS,
And one last thing: Ninety-percent of everything ever made is completely worthless as used merchandise.
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I have found when I sell on Ebay, I always find an average of the last 10 sales and price my item about 10% below and it will sell, however many folks just think their bass is worth more than anyone elses. Some folks get hung up on sentimental value or they remember the hunt for that piece and how they found it... that is all worthless. I bet many of those overpriced basses eventually get sold by offer. As someone else stated, if the seller is willing to ship overseas they can get their price by waiting. It is very difficult to price something that is rare. For instance, in my market their is a guy selling a Heritage Bass, none have sold in quite a while and their is very little sales history even here on Talkbass, so how does he know what a fair price is? He over prices it and waits to see what the market will accept.
I think it depends on the bass. If it's something you can get anywhere, it will need to be priced accordingly.
If on the other hand it's rare, hard to find, old, etc, someone somewhere is going to be wanting one, and if they find it, and have the money, they are most likely going to buy it, and while they may feel they paid too much, the price won't even enter into the decision, at least not as a deal breaker if it's "the one".
I paid too much for an old Ithaca Model 37 Deer Slayer shotgun a while back because it was a presentation grade in like new condition and was an early model that does not require the trigger be released between rounds. You just hold the trigger, pump, and spray. Not anything particularly special about that feature except the (relatively) small production numbers of guns that had it and I just like the idea of being able to do it. I had to decide to either pay what I thought was too much for the gun or let it get away because the guy who had it is in the business of buying and selling old guns so if I didn't take it, he'd just keep calling people until someone did. Had I been able to go down to the local sporting goods emporium and pick up the same thing from them new in a box I'd not have given it a second look, but because it's something I wanted and may well never see another example of, I took it and was glad to get it even though I believe I paid a bit more than I should have. Since I have no plans to sell this shotgun it really doesn't matter what I paid so long as it didn't cause me trouble with my money.
So an item being overpriced I believe is as much a matter of it's context to the market as a whole as it is the actual relative value as an individual piece.
If on the other hand it's rare, hard to find, old, etc, someone somewhere is going to be wanting one, and if they find it, and have the money, they are most likely going to buy it, and while they may feel they paid too much, the price won't even enter into the decision, at least not as a deal breaker if it's "the one".
I paid too much for an old Ithaca Model 37 Deer Slayer shotgun a while back because it was a presentation grade in like new condition and was an early model that does not require the trigger be released between rounds. You just hold the trigger, pump, and spray. Not anything particularly special about that feature except the (relatively) small production numbers of guns that had it and I just like the idea of being able to do it. I had to decide to either pay what I thought was too much for the gun or let it get away because the guy who had it is in the business of buying and selling old guns so if I didn't take it, he'd just keep calling people until someone did. Had I been able to go down to the local sporting goods emporium and pick up the same thing from them new in a box I'd not have given it a second look, but because it's something I wanted and may well never see another example of, I took it and was glad to get it even though I believe I paid a bit more than I should have. Since I have no plans to sell this shotgun it really doesn't matter what I paid so long as it didn't cause me trouble with my money.
So an item being overpriced I believe is as much a matter of it's context to the market as a whole as it is the actual relative value as an individual piece.
It's not just eBay. I'm amazed by how many people will buy a $500 bass, ding the heck out of it, and try to get $475 out of it 2 years later. But they wouldn't do it of there weren't legions of fools out there willing to pay $180 for a used chipped Epiphone EB-0 instead of buying it new for $199.
