Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

A question re. overpriced ads...


prowla

Recommended Posts

If someone's trying to sell something for more than it's worth, then in my opinion it's the buyer's look out. Anyone who buys without making simple checks on line is not doing their homework. 

Plenty of people put things up for sale at up to 50% more than they realistically expect to get simply to allow the buyer some bargaining wriggle room.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, mep said:

Posting publicly is not acceptable. PM the OP is.

I agree with this above. As soon as you go public you risk provoking a response which could rapidly turn into a slanging match and that's not in the spirit of this lovely site. The fact that the potential purchaser is already on this site and looking at classifieds would indicate that they are capable of exploring/researching the internet for similar items and consequently are able to draw their own conclusion if its overpriced or not.

And I wouldn't want a price policeman getting publicly involved in one of my sales - surely it would really boil down to a difference of opinion regarding what something was worth? 

There has been a recent flurry of sales classifieds on the site of a particular type of bass that i keep a bit of an eye out for - i owned one a few years back and regret selling it (it was worth about £500 then and i sold it happily for £450 i think). They've popped up for up to £700 recently on here for various reasons. On other auction sites there are currently a few at about £500 now but they don't take long to sell on there. The ones on here are still here months later and no one has upset anyone it seems (publicly at least!). It's probably best left like that imho

Edited by Mudpup
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My post was not about making a profit, thats not what this thread is about IMO, it was about pointing out it can be brought for much less new (and with the being it’s new brings). 

This has nothing to do with vintages gear, a bass that has been sold 3 times and each time the cost creeps up etc, it’s about pointing out the item is currently available for a lot less brand new.

I don’t intend to break any rules here, I’d stay out of any of this sort of thing, but I also don’t have to agree with the rules. I prefer to warn people if they are getting ripped off or scammed. 
 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would say that collectable, vintage, etc. are quite different to a current mail-order item; however, if someone wishes to sell me a '62 Precision for 25 Guineas, then I would be more than happy to do the deal.

But where it relates to current models is a different matter; I've seen Harley Bentons priced above what they are new from Thomann.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, dave_bass5 said:

My post was not about making a profit, thats not what this thread is about IMO, it was about pointing out it can be brought for much less new (and with the being it’s new brings). 

This has nothing to do with vintages gear, a bass that has been sold 3 times and each time the cost creeps up etc, it’s about pointing out the item is currently available for a lot less brand new.

I don’t intend to break any rules here, I’d stay out of any of this sort of thing, but I also don’t have to agree with the rules. I prefer to warn people if they are getting ripped off or scammed. 
 

But that’s the whole point of this thread. Who is getting ripped off or scammed? If something can be had for less new you’ve found it out presumably by doing a search online. Any prospective buyer who cannot be bothered to do the same is hardly being ripped off.

New prices are fluid, and sales come and go, so not every seller wants to/can be bothered to go checking everything on the market - and they’re very likely to have a commensurate level of success selling. I tend to do my homework and/or realise pretty quickly if I have something up for sale that isn’t going to sell, and will either drop the price or withdraw it if I’m not prepared to sell any lower. Other sellers list at very high prices and they generally don’t shift.

Someone recently sent me an offer of something that was so much lower than my lowest estimate, even in these desperate times, that I just had to laugh and sent him a reply to quit dreaming - can you imagine if that were on the thread for everyone to read?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's not always cut and dried. I have a bass which I got in a trade. I think the bass I traded was worth what I had originally paid. I have come to suspect the one I received may actually be worth less, by a bit of a stretch. 

I don't know much about these things but I've learned a bit since the trade. If I try to sell at what the previous trade suggests it's worth and it doesn't and no one says anything do I reduce? Is it the price too high or is it just that no one is interested or is someone waiting to see if I reduce so they grab a bargain. No way of knowing. 

I suppose the simple thing would be to invite people to tell me - am I pricing this correctly. 

Either way this is all just hypothetical. I restate - the rules are clear and no one is holding a gun to my head and making me sell on Basschat. I'm merely enjoying the discussion. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Caveat emptor has to be the rule. If people in the market for something don't do their research (as others have pointed out), they may well end up paying over the odds. I see plenty of items for sale on here, on eBay and on many other for sale sites that I would consider over-priced. So I don't bother with them. Many people have an inflated idea of the worth of things they are selling and for myriad reasons, which range from naivety to chancing their luck. That's fine. They are unlikely to make a sale. The market is pretty good at deciding these things.

Edited by Dan Dare
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Are we not at risk on conflating price and value here?  The price set by the seller presumably reflects their perception of the item value, but the value the buyer places upon the item will dictate ultimately what they are prepared to pay for it.

Whilst the seller must surely be free to price items as they see fit, in these days, as others have said, price research is not exactly difficult so there must also be an element of caveat emptor.

YMMV of course.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Dan Dare said:

Caveat empotor has to be the rule. If people in the market for something don't do their research (as others have pointed out), they may well end up paying over the odds. I see plenty of items for sale on here, on eBay and on many other for sale sites that I would consider over-priced. So I don't bother with them. Many people have an inflated idea of the worth of things they are selling and for myriad reasons, which range from naivety to chancing their luck. That's fine. They are unlikely to make a sale. The market is pretty good at deciding these things.

In my defence I was typing as @Dan Dare posted.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you see something you fancy and the price seems too high, just make the seller an offer,  most sellers will meet you  around half way. If you aren't interested in the item for sale, then keep your thoughts to yourself.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

34 minutes ago, ped said:

Two things that always get mentioned when talking about private sales on the internet:

- ‘Caveat emptor’

- ‘Buy the seller’

All threads must have both by law! 

But what if the seller doesn't want to  be bought.?

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I’ve always been reassured by the fact that those who frequent the BC marketplace are a canny bunch and as the rules state, market forces will dictate.
 

With sales ads in general there are always things you see that boil your p155. I’ve had a sales thread completely derailed by somebody posting publicly trying to compare my item to a newer range that wasn’t shall we say ‘eggs for eggs‘ (I should have reported his post but alas didn’t). 🙄 I’ve also seen someone list a bass I sold to them just a few months earlier for several hundred pounds more. Again the canny folk of Basschat tend to remember who’s had what, when, for how long and how much it sold for.

Edited by Deedee
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, ped said:

Two things that always get mentioned when talking about private sales on the internet:

- ‘Caveat emptor’

- ‘Buy the seller’

All threads must have both by law! 

Yes, but the classifieds also say

Quote

The best place in Europe for selling your basses. Private sales only. An incredibly safe way to shift gear within a tight and trustworthy community.

Does "buyer beware" and all that tally with the "trustworthy" and "community" aspects there?

(BTW, I did contact the seller and he revised his price, so there can be no doubts about his genuineness.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...