Selling gear - philosophical questions

[RunOutGroove]

It's smart to list it for a bit more because of people like me. Negotiation is part of the fun. I don't think I've ever bought something from a "firm price, I know what I got" person. Mainly because they're usually delusional about value.

I'll often make an offer on something that I'm looking at, but it'll be a respectful one, not some kind of super-lowball type thing. Often, if I feel that the item is already fairly priced, particularly if I see that the seller has already lowered the price from the original listing, I won't even bother asking about a discount.

 

[Bodyblue]

One never knows until one asks....and I always ask. If someone gets butt-hurt over it, I could care less. I just go on to the next ad.

Now do I offer .10 on the dollar? Not unless the seller has it over priced by 1000%. I usually start by offering 70% of the asking price.

 

[Mr.White]

Not gear related but on topic. In the early 90's my friend's dad was one of the biggest Jazz vinyl dealers on the east coast. He regularly did international auctions the old-fashioned snail mail way. Once I got to know him better by working with him doing record conventions he confided in me the following. He stated that he believed that 85-90% of all the vinyl ever produced in the United States was no longer in the United States. He told me that he would give preference to a lower bid if the buyer was in the United States in order to keep the record here. He saw it as an investment in the hobby for future American collectors.

 

[dbuz]

Not gear related but on topic. In the early 90's my friend's dad was one of the biggest Jazz vinyl dealers on the east coast. He regularly did international auctions the old-fashioned snail mail way. Once I got to know him better by working with him doing record conventions he confided in me the following. He stated that he believed that 85-90% of all the vinyl ever produced in the United States was no longer in the United States. He told me that he would give preference to a lower bid if the buyer was in the United States in order to keep the record here. He saw it as an investment in the hobby for future American collectors.

Good for him! I recently saw a video from Korea showing massive amounts of vintage HiFi gear being sold in retail stores, apparently for prices way lower than we're used to. I was annoyed that we don't have anything like that here. If I win the lottery I'm visiting, with a few shipping containers to come home with.

 

[motorstereo]

One never knows until one asks....and I always ask. If someone gets butt-hurt over it, I could care less. I just go on to the next ad.

Now do I offer .10 on the dollar? Not unless the seller has it over priced by 1000%. I usually start by offering 70% of the asking price.

Dusting off the memory banks here I cannot remember ever once selling anything to a lowballer. I used to reply with a "special offer" just for them that was higher than my listed price just for s+g's and some lowballers would take offense to that tactic. Now I just block them so they not only lose access to that item but to everything I list for sale in the future.

 

[Apreggiator]

These questions are for people who sell things from their personal collection (or hoard) from time to time, not so much for people who regularly sell things for profit.

I'm wondering if you care who your things are going to?

If I really care who it goes to, I gift it to the person I want it to go to.
If it has to be sold I can't choose who turns up to buy an item. But I only deal with people who are respectful in their communication and conduct leading up to the (demo and) sale.

 

[dzkfraser]

Can’t always believe the “I’ve always wanted that”, “can’t afford your asking price”.

I was selling an amp for a fair price, and an interested buyer said, I have always wanted this amp and have been looking for one I could afford. They offered me hundreds less than I was asking, and because he always wanted one, I sold it to him for offer.

Next day it was for sale for more than my original asking price.

So to answer the question, when I sell a piece of gear, which is not often, I price it so it will move pretty quickly. I will entertain offers, but ignore the sob stories.

Rob

Right - I sold a Yamaha 1029 and SL-1400 to this guy - said his sone was just getting into the vintage stuff and wanted to get him a nice system but couldn't afford what I was asking - So I gave him a break on the price and a few weeks later he was at the flea market selling what I sold him for more that what I wanted - that really torqued my nuts - so unless you know the person, stick to your guns.

 

[dbuz]

Right - I sold a Yamaha 1029 and SL-1400 to this guy - said his sone was just getting into the vintage stuff and wanted to get him a nice system but couldn't afford what I was asking - So I gave him a break on the price and a few weeks later he was at the flea market selling what I sold him for more that what I wanted - that really torqued my nuts - so unless you know the person, stick to your guns.

That would have burned my ass too. As someone who doesn't lie, I forget how much people do it. There may have been words at that flea market if I was you.

 

[onanysunday]

I usually give stuff away to friends and family instead of haggling with people online. It's more satisfying. It's not about the money for me, even though I could use it. My prices are already bargain basement deals -but it's never low enough. Meanwhile, people are spending way more on ebay for the same equipment or don't seem to bat an eye spending way more on new equipment.

 

[Bodyblue]

I usually give stuff away to friends and family instead of haggling with people online. It's more satisfying. It's not about the money for me, even though I could use it. My prices are already bargain basement deals -but it's never low enough. Meanwhile, people are spending way more on ebay for the same equipment or don't seem to bat an eye spending way more on new equipment.

I expect to pay more on Ebay because of the buyer protections that one gets on that platform. I wont pay an Ebay price from CL or FB.

I never post my rock bottom price because I expect people to offer a lower price (which is smart of them). If and when I get lowballed, I just counteroffer and see if they are serious. Its just part of the dance, I never take it personally.

 

[onanysunday]

I expect to pay more on Ebay because of the buyer protections that one gets on that platform. I wont pay an Ebay price from CL or FB.

I never post my rock bottom price because I expect people to offer a lower price (which is smart of them). If and when I get lowballed, I just counteroffer and see if they are serious. Its just part of the dance, I never take it personally.

Yes, that's usually how it works. Also, with ebay there's a much larger market that may want the item which raises the price. My prices are always advertised as firm, but people still try to haggle anyway. This just turns me off from wanting to do more of it in the future, at all, which is why I have another approach to get rid of things that works better for me and is more satisfying than letting strangers into my home and not getting what something's worth.

 

[TomD62]

I had another positive experience selling equipment today. I reluctantly posted my pristine Sansui AU-9900A and TU-9900 on CL as I am not listening to these and they should be enjoyed by someone. I priced them at what I considered a reasonable starting point, which is way less than anything listed when doing a Google search on these pieces. After a few weeks a serious person inquired about them, we agreed upon a time for him to demo them, and I took $200 off of the listed price during our correspondence so he knew what was expected before arriving. When he showed up the items were as he expected or nicer, and he left a happy camper. During the audition we discussed Audiokarma as he had reviewed threads about Sansui before this purchase. I believe he will become a new AK member in the near future and it was a pleasure to met him. I must just be lucky as this was another positive experience selling audio gear. Quality gear at a fair price probably helps.

 

[Bodyblue]

Yes, that's usually how it works. Also, with ebay there's a much larger market that may want the item which raises the price. My prices are always advertised as firm, but people still try to haggle anyway. This just turns me off from wanting to do more of it in the future, at all, which is why I have another approach to get rid of things that works better for me and is more satisfying than letting strangers into my home and not getting what something's worth.

That is one thing I NEVER EVER do....I never let strangers anywhere near my house. One of the reasons I like FB Marketplace for local sales is that you can tell a lot more about a seller/buyer because of their profile info. Sometimes they are fake as well, but CL is such a cesspool now that I rarely go to it.