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a garage sale is not ebay

VQLT

VQLT

Active Member
local garage sale flyer advertised stereo equipment. I checked it out this morning. all the items were priced as if he was selling on e-bay. had a mint pair of pioneer CS-99A's. asking price, $250.00. Why? according to the seller, that is what they are going for on e-bay. I told him a garage sale is not e-bay. if he wants e-bay prices sell on e-bay. if you you dont want the hassle of e-bay and you are going to advertise garage sale, price accordingly. I then walked away. It is getting harder to find bargains in my area.
 
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Your upset because the guy selling the speakers wanted $250.00? Why they are his he can put any amount he wants on them. If he wants what they go for on eBay then if you buy them for that you will have saved the huge shipping cost for heavy speakers and the risk of damage.

I learned long ago that if the seller sets the price then it's simple you either pay it, make an offer, or walk.

Would you have gone the other way if they had been $25.00? thinking how you near stole them for a 10th their going rate? Would you have told the seller to raise the price?

Just curious
 
Your upset because the guy selling the speakers wanted $250.00? Why they are his he can put any amount he wants on them. If he wants what they go for on eBay then if you buy them for that you will have saved the huge shipping cost for heavy speakers and the risk of damage.

I learned long ago that if the seller sets the price then it's simple you either pay it, make an offer, or walk.

*****
as you can tell from my post, I walked. I have no problem in a free market asking for whatever price he feels is fair. It's just normally, one would excpect better pricing at a garage sale.
 
VQLT said:
local garage sale flyer advertised stereo equipment. I checked it out this morning. all the items were priced as if he was selling on e-bay. had a mint pair of pioneer CS-99A's. asking price, $250.00. Why? according to the seller, that is what they are going for on e-bay. I told him a garage sale is not e-bay. if he wants e-bay prices sell on e-bay. if you you dont want the hassle of e-bay and you are going to advertise garage sale, price accordingly. I then walked away. It is getting harder to find bargains in my area.
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No, a garage sale isn't eBay. I've been to plenty of garage sales where the prices were too steep; I figured that the items weren't worth it to me, as the seller is indeed entitled to (try to) sell stuff at whatever price he cares to set. If there's a price tag, to me, that's the price.

I've also run a few garage sales. It's unreal how people will try to knock down a price, no matter how low it is, even if a price is marked as being firm. I even offered things like switchplates for five lousy cents, and potential customers asked, "Will you take two cents for the plates?" Gimme a break.

I'd go back on the last evening of the sale to see if the speakers are still there unsold, then make your offer. If he says no, then let some other sucker overpay, or let him have the storage hassle.

Tom
 
I don't think the tone of the post was "upset".

$250.00 for that set of speakers at a garage sale is nuts. Pricing items at a garage sale based on Ebay pricing is likewise nuts. Statistically, he'll have those speakers for sale for about next 1000 Saturdays.
 
Jocko nc

you are correct, I was not upset. I'm just pointing out that if you go to a garage sale, discount store, flea market, etc. you expect to pay lower prices then a full service retailer or internet site. I just felt the person was un-reasonable asking full retail/ e-bay pricing at a garage sale which is noramlly associated with flea market/ bargain/ discout prices. His price may have been reasonable but not at a garage sale venue
 
My parents are having a yard sale this spring. I plan on trying to using it to get rid of a bunch of excess gear I've accumulated. They're happy to be able to put "old stereo; receivers, Advent speakers, etc." in their ad, knowing the traffic it will bring in.

I'm happy that that traffic will probably include audio hounds out to make a score. Am I going to give this stuff away at thrift store prices? Hell, no! The prices will probably compare very favorably to buying the same pieces on eBay.

I've used applied the same philosophy to the prices I've set trying to sell stuff on CL, but I've had piss poor luck. Would I relish the idea to bring the area's audio scroungers to my door, regardless of whether they'll find any "steals?" You bet. Am I expecting to get "eBay value?" Not a chance.

Have any of the rest of you ever cleared out your excess stash through a garage sale? How did you price it and did it achieve the desired result (more space for more new gear)?
 
It seems the Bay has become such a research tool
for Anything,and wanting to know the value of it.
About the same as entering a keyword into Google.
I had this conversation with a worker at my local
Habitat for humanity store,where the prices have
gone through the roof IMHO.Mainly the prices used
are the "buy it now" prices which are almost always
highier.Alot of people Price tuners from our beloved
Fmtunerinfo and cant forget to mention the lurkers
that search here for the right Tag to put on Grannys
Sansui!Its no wonder Antiques Road show is so popular,We all are looking for the "great deal".
But I feel,just to assume that because someones
selling something from out of their home
thats its gona be a steal,is wishful thinking!
Im planning to do a Cabin sale next weekend
and I hope someone will feel like they got a good deal
 
VQLT said:
if he wants e-bay prices sell on e-bay. if you you dont want the hassle of e-bay and you are going to advertise garage sale, price accordingly.
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It depends on the buyer's motivation: If you're out to find pieces to flip on eBay, of course you would not even consider paying anywhere "eBay retail". OTOH, if I found that "dream piece" I have been looking for for years (for me, that would be a SX-1250) for my collection at a garage sale, I would be more than happy to pay "full eBay retail" - in fact I would be happy to pay a premium, because I could inspect the unit visually, and avoid shipping and payment costs and risks.

A garage sale today, 4/21/07, a few blocks away is selling a pair of LaScalas for $1,500, a very full price, IMHO. However, if that's what I was after, surely I would much rather buy them from my neighbor up the street than off someone a thousand miles away.
 
VQLT said:
Jocko nc

you are correct, I was not upset. I'm just pointing out that if you go to a garage sale, discount store, flea market, etc. you expect to pay lower prices then a full service retailer or internet site. I just felt the person was un-reasonable asking full retail/ e-bay pricing at a garage sale which is noramlly associated with flea market/ bargain/ discout prices. His price may have been reasonable but not at a garage sale venue
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Just a couple of pennies from me..., I happen to agree. Garage sale is when you want to get rid of stuff that is taking up space, you have no use for it, and you're praying all through the weekend that someone will come and take it ff your hands for some nominal price, so the stuff could become his junk, saving you the trouble and cost of disposal. People go to garage sales because they are looking for junk-level-priced bargans.

Now, of course there are some fools who think that a garage is an income generating event and are looking to actually make money off of their junk. These are the ones you see go on (weekend after weekend) where the guy, after draging his junk in and out of the garage, finally learns the true value of his junk and either sells it for the going price of junk or puts it out on the curb.

I am not suggesting that that the CS-99A are junk (I have a pair, bought on e-pay, paid e-pay prices, but nowhere near half of the 250 this guy thinks they should sell for). But at a garage sale these are junk. At an estate sale they are NOT junk, on e-bay they are not junk (well, maybe), at an auction they are not junk. At a garage sale everything is junk because it is sold at a garage sale.

If it was worth anything, the seller would go to the trouble to list it on e-bay (for a fee). If the seller doesnt want to put in any work into selling it (photography, description, listing, insertion fees, in other words - ADVERTISING), then the guy is delusional.

What I'd like to know is who he thinks his market is???, a colector? :lmao: :lmao: :lmao:, a little old lady looking for buttons? :lmao: :lmao: :lmao:, a young married couple looking for furniture, baby clothes and a baby carriage :lmao: :lmao: :lmao:

NUTS!!!!

OK, I feel better now, Thanks Everyone....:banana: :banana: :banana:
 
VQLT said:
local garage sale flyer advertised stereo equipment. I checked it out this morning. all the items were priced as if he was selling on e-bay. had a mint pair of pioneer CS-99A's. asking price, $250.00. Why? according to the seller, that is what they are going for on e-bay. I told him a garage sale is not e-bay. if he wants e-bay prices sell on e-bay. if you you dont want the hassle of e-bay and you are going to advertise garage sale, price accordingly. I then walked away. It is getting harder to find bargains in my area.
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I can understand your disappointment, but you can't really blame the guy for trying to get top dollar for his speakers. If I thought they were worth that much, I would ask that much for them too, regardless of where I was selling them. Just my two cents.
 
I would venture to say with near certainty that those speakers didn't sell at that garage sale. So, at the end of the day before he shuts down, you go back and make an offer, reminding him what a pain it is to ship those puppies after you sell on eBay.

Then if he caves you can either use them or resell at a profit.
 
thisOne said:
Just a couple of pennies from me..., I happen to agree. Garage sale is when you want to get rid of stuff that is taking up space, you have no use for it, and you're praying all through the weekend that someone will come and take it ff your hands for some nominal price, so the stuff could become his junk, saving you the trouble and cost of disposal. People go to garage sales because they are looking for junk-level-priced bargans.

Now, of course there are some fools who think that a garage is an income generating event and are looking to actually make money off of their junk. These are the ones you see go on (weekend after weekend) where the guy, after draging his junk in and out of the garage, finally learns the true value of his junk and either sells it for the going price of junk or puts it out on the curb.

I am not suggesting that that the CS-99A are junk (I have a pair, bought on e-pay, paid e-pay prices, but nowhere near half of the 250 this guy thinks they should sell for). But at a garage sale these are junk. At an estate sale they are NOT junk, on e-bay they are not junk (well, maybe), at an auction they are not junk. At a garage sale everything is junk because it is sold at a garage sale.

If it was worth anything, the seller would go to the trouble to list it on e-bay (for a fee). If the seller doesnt want to put in any work into selling it (photography, description, listing, insertion fees, in other words - ADVERTISING), then the guy is delusional.

What I'd like to know is who he thinks his market is???, a colector? :lmao: :lmao: :lmao:, a little old lady looking for buttons? :lmao: :lmao: :lmao:, a young married couple looking for furniture, baby clothes and a baby carriage :lmao: :lmao: :lmao:

NUTS!!!!

OK, I feel better now, Thanks Everyone....:banana: :banana: :banana:
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You say these are junk, then you say they aren't junk depending where they are being sold? WTF is the difference where they are being sold? Maybe the guy isn't in need of the cash and doesn't feel that he should give them away. If you don't like the price, offer him less for them.

It seems that everyone that hits all these garage sales expects the people to give their stuff away because you say everything is "junk". If that's all people had for sale at garage sales I wouldn't go. Yet when people buy stuff that they can't even physically check out they are willing to pay a premium. I've bought stuff on ebay I thought was for a decent price because it looked good in the pictures and they said it was in beautiful condition but when I got it the stuff was junk and this was with ebayer's that had very good feedback. I would be pissed though to win an auction that ended up being slightly less after including the shipping costs and have it turn out to be crap or have it bashed in during shipping.

That's what's nice about local garage sales, craig's lists, ads, etc... You can barter on prices if you think they are too high and can walk if you think it is too much! But most importantly you will know the EXACT CONDITION of the item and not have to worry if the item is as nice as those ebay pictures show or have the item trashed by the shipper and have to go through the headache of trying to get your money back. I think it is worth it even if it is a little more and I usually include what I would typically have to pay for shipping the item. If it's less, then pat yourself on the back, you got yourself a good deal. If it's more, leave smiling knowing how nice the item is that you just bought and not have the typical worries that go along with the auction you just won on EPRAY!!!:thmbsp:
 
My opinion is that the OP is being just plain old bottom-dwelling cheap. He was so confident of walking away with a "steal". And when it backfired on him, he got PO'd. The effect is greatly magnified especially if he had "Ebay flipping" in mind at the time. That's the beginning of it and the end of it.

-Which begs the question......would he have been willing to pay $250 if he found them somewhere other than a yard sale?

As some of the above posters mentioned, I don't see how the LOCATION of where the item being sold should have much-if any bearing on the items worth. For example, why would a 2005 Honda S2000 'Roadster' be worth more at Honda of Newport Beach as opposed to...say...."Larry's Used Cars" of Santa Ana?

EDIT:
I think another source of angst on the part of these "bargain hunters" is their resentment of the fact that, thanks to the Internet and forums suck as AK and Ebay, the days of finding "secret" and "hidden treasures priced for pennies of what they are worth" are largely over. Indeed, anyone who actually has something decent and worth more than $10, has to have by now heard of the Internet. Thus it will often get listed on CL, Ebay, or wherever. And with the amount of people who could cover far more places in one hour of surfing than one could in one DAY of driving around, the REALLY good stuff will get snatched up in a heartbeat. Or else at least bid up to a hefty $$$ amount. If I were to list one of my Teac X-2000R decks for sale....even for a grand or $1500, chances are, it'll sell.....because there will be hundreds if not thousands of people that would WANT it. But very few (and it only takes one) that would be willing to PAY for it. On the other hand, if I were to list something else.....such as a nonfunctioning Teac A-4010S.....I'd have to practically GIVE it away....assuming I could even find someone who would want it.
 
If they were in good shape, I would have offered $200 and felt I got a steal. If they were in excellant shape $250 was a good price with no shipping. The buyer is always in control since they can walk away. The 99a are good speakers!
 
It just depends on what you are trying to do. . .Garage/Yard sales are fine for bottom feeders as is eBay for the most part.

I'll tell you that you'll never see my CS-99As in a yard sale or on eBay. I will get top dollar which will be at least double your 250.00. Matter of fact I have 3 buyers waiting right now for me to say yes and at a top dollar price.

If you want top dollar for anything you only show the item to those willing to pay top dollar.

I can see me with my 99As at a yard sale justifying my 500 dollar price. . .it just wont happen. But on the other hand there are buyers out there willing to pay that price. The trick is finding that buyer. Might take a year or it might take a phone call or an email. . .

I do agree that typically yard/garage sales are for excess junk for the most part with a few not so junk items thrown in out of ignorance or what have you.

On the one hand the guy asking 250 for those 99As at a garage sale is a fool. On the other hand in the right circles that 250 price would still be foolish. . .

Time and place. . .
 
garage sales

Free Market is Free Market, weather at a garage sale, car dealer, or your local wally world, the consumer is eventually the one who sets the price. If the price starts too high it will eventually come down or the seller is going to own it for a long time. Of course in OUR (AK) world, if the seller owns it long enough the market may come up to meet his price "cause they ain't making any more of them"
 
I am not sure I understand the reasoning that someone selling something at a garage sale should expect to get less than a fair price of it or a price similar to eBay's average? In fact, I expect to pay a premium if buying something locally as I factor in shipping on eBay items and bring the bid down to what I consider reasonable with shipping. So if I'm willing to spend $250 on something including shipping, I have little expectation of spending less locally as that is the value I've placed on the unit. An added advatange of local purchase is a chance to look, feel and test the unit and that in itself is worth a premium compared to the chance taken when buying remotely.

As to whether a garage sale or retail store or whatever, it matters not as it is the value to me of the unit and not the profit made by the seller that is the issue.
 
thisOne said:
Just a couple of pennies from me..., I happen to agree. Garage sale is when you want to get rid of stuff that is taking up space, you have no use for it, and you're praying all through the weekend that someone will come and take it ff your hands for some nominal price, so the stuff could become his junk, saving you the trouble and cost of disposal. People go to garage sales because they are looking for junk-level-priced bargans.
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I was going to say this, but you beat me to it. It's a garage sale. The idea is getting rid of junk you don't use at low prices rather than throwing it out. Having said that, if he wants to ask too much, that's up to him, but that's not how a garage sale is suposed to work. People don't drive all over the city going to garage sales to see if there's stuff for sale at the same price they could have bought it for in their living room on e bay.
 
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