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Ethics and Morality

cassanova

cassanova

Sep 4, 2000
8,419
748
Florida
#1
I sold my Ibanez Sr506 today. Thats not what bothers me. I didnt need the money or anything, but someone made me an offer on it that just seemed too good to pass by, so I sold it.

My ethical dilema is, I only paid $300 for it. Its in excellet condition very close to like new. The guy that was interested in it asked me how much, so I said $500 and he jumped at it. I feel like I took advantage of him.
 
#3
Diggler said:
You didn't take advantage of him. To him, that bass was worth $500 or he wouldn't have paid it. Did you force him to buy it? Was there anything wrong with it that you hid from him?

No? Then it was just good business.
Click to expand...

nope, its in like new condition. not a thing wrong with it.
 
#9
If your guilt moves you to action, donate the extra $200 to a local food bank or animal shelter.

I had a similar experience. I tried to sell an Ibanez BTB405 here a while back. I kept lowering the price to just under what I paid, no bites. I put the bass up for sale on musiciansforum for a couple hundred more than I paid hoping to haggle down to what I paid. Five minutes after I offered it for sale, some guy paid me exactly what I was asking, no questions asked.

-Mike
 
#12
Gard said:
I've more than doubled my cash on a sale of a used bass, never felt the least bit guilty of taking advantage of either side of the sale: I got a SCREAMING deal to get it, I sold at a fair price.

Capitalism at its finest.

:cool:
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Amen. I've bought and sold many a bass for profit (don't worry, I give you guys a break)

It's capatilism. Gets 3 happy parties. Original seller wants cash, you want more cash, and buyer wants the bass.

Free trade.
 
#14
MJ5150 said:
If your guilt moves you to action, donate the extra $200 to a local food bank or animal shelter.

I had a similar experience. I tried to sell an Ibanez BTB405 here a while back. I kept lowering the price to just under what I paid, no bites. I put the bass up for sale on musiciansforum for a couple hundred more than I paid hoping to haggle down to what I paid. Five minutes after I offered it for sale, some guy paid me exactly what I was asking, no questions asked.

-Mike
Click to expand...

This has happened to me before as well. I've tried to sell gear that I purchased at a great price, keeping my selling price low. No bites until I raised the price.
 
#16
Yeah, no stress on this one.

I don't see where there's any ethical or moral issue. When you bought the bass, you didn't agree to only sell it for less than you paid, did you? You didn't misrepresent the sale either.

I personally find that the price I paid for an item to be a private matter. No bidness of the guy I'm going to sell it to down the line.

I don't usually turn around gear, but here are a few little ones:

-I bought a late 60's or early 70's Custom 200 head (sparkle blue) along with a 3x15 cab. I paid 200 bucks for the whole setup. When I sold the amp, I sold it in pieces (to the same guy). He bought the cab for $200 bucks. And then a few months later, he bought the head, for $200 bucks.

-My first bass, an old Ibanez roadstar II, I bought for $125. I sold it a few years later for $200.

When I bought my 73 P back in 2K, I paid $700 bucks shipped. Now, if I wanted to turn it, I certainly wouldn't think of selling it for near that...probably double.

Its the BUYER'S job to know what he's buying and how much it is worth.
 
#18
yeah, i put all that guilt i was feeling aside. I got to thinking, Ive got a business degree and what i did was good business. Especially when it made my bank account a little fatter.

Im going to try and hoard the money for a either a Lakland 5594 or a Roscoe Century 5 string.
 
#19
I mostly agree with everything said here, but it does become unethical if you advertise it with untrue statements(perfect condition when there are dents, posting the wrong picture, etc.) if not, his problem, not yours, it is NICE however not to ask too much from somebody who doesn't have much of a clue as to the worth of the item in question
 

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