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"my loss is your gain"

SaturationPt

SaturationPt

Big Woofer Club
Why do people post ads for used equipment with lines like: my loss is your gain, selling at a loss, I paid more than this for it, I have more into it, etc.?

Am I supposed to feel that it is a good deal for me because you paid too much? I need to jump on it before it depreciates further? That it's normally your method to make a profit on me but today you're going to be generous?

If you've bought it and used it I don't really care what you paid or "invested", only the condition and asking price.

o_O
 
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SaturationPt said:
If you've bought it and used it I don't really care what you paid or "invested", only the condition and asking price.
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Bada-boom, bada-bing. You win the Internets for the day. :D

Yeah, we're supposed to think they are making a huge sacrifice by selling it at the listed price. Maybe a bit of a pity party happening there? I always figure something sells at whatever price the market will bear, so the pity play won't work with me.

There is currently a pair of speakers I want on our local CL, but way out of my budget. Is the price fair? On Audiogon, I've seen the same pairs sell for a similar price, give or take $1k or so. But CL? The type of buyer looking for these speakers is probably not someone who frequents CL. And I'm sure this poor fellow will get all sorts of insulting offers. "Give ya $750 for 'em. I can buy 'em cheaper all day long on eBay." At least all he says in the ad is, "Circumstances force sale." That makes me think there is a bit of room to negotiate a price when things get more desperate. I don't quite get the same "pity" vibe from that ad.
 
I honestly don't know--but some people seem to think the "actual value" of something is what they paid for it--however long ago. They don't understand the concept of depreciation, so if they do a little research and find out the "real market value", they think they are making a huge sacrifice.

"Motivated seller", "circumstances force sale", "family emergency"--I can understand--and usually things are priced at or below fair market value. Unemployment, divorce, medical issues, job relocation often force people to give up things they love, but can't afford to hang on to--but that doesn't mean that I'm going to go beat them up on price, just because of their situation--I like to sleep at night.
 
There are innumerable types of sales pitches of which this is just one. The implication is there a value benefit.

Naturally whether the claim is legitimate or not rests with the prospective buyer.
 
savatage1973 said:
Unemployment, divorce, medical issues, job relocation often force people to give up things they love, but can't afford to hang on to--but that doesn't mean that I'm going to go beat them up on price, just because of their situation--I like to sleep at night.
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I agree. For the sale I saw, I would wait for the inevitable price drop if things truly are desperate, or make a kind offer that is maybe a percentage off of the item that is sane. (Maybe 10-15%? The speakers I see now are $5k, so offering $4500 wouldn't be too much of a stretch. Anything below $4000 would be an insult.) You figure someone like this is getting all sorts of lowball offers and scams thrown his way. No sense in being branded the same if we are genuinely interested. Sometimes just opening a nice dialog discussing the system is a foot in the door.
 
It is always seller's gain.

SaturationPt said:
Why do people post ads for used equipment with lines like: my loss is your gain, selling at a loss, I paid more than this for it, I have more into it, etc.?

Am I supposed to feel that it is a good deal for me because you paid too much? I need to jump on it before it depreciates further? That it's normally your method to make a profit on me but today you're going to be generous?

If you've bought it and used it I don't really care what you paid or "invested", only the condition and asking price.

o_O
Click to expand...
 
I think verbiage like this is reflexive; people add it because it sounds good to them. There's no way to prove it one way or another.

When I car shop on Craigslist, about half the ads say "high highway mileage", as if there's any way to prove that the car was only driven on the highway as opposed to being used for Uber...
 
The worst selling word is "reduced" or "price lowered". It tells me the seller is eager to sell so I will make a even lower bid for it.
 
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