Charge whatever you want

  • Thread starter Thread starter Big Kenny
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Big Kenny

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After the pipe some people take for posting prices and the pipe some people take for NOT posting prices I believe it is in the best inteerest of this forum to say SHUT UP! Let the guys post whatever they want at whatever price they want, if you think it's too high, don't buy it! That'll teach 'em.
 
Amen brother man. I agree. If it's too high, nobody will buy it. If they don't post prices...nobody will buy. That's the sellers problem.
 
I tend to agree with this sentiment, though I have mixed feelings. Gearslutz has a policy that people are not allowed to complain about the price. Of course, they have moderators to enforce that policy, as well. Perhaps we should institute something similar here.

I do get upset when someone posts an outrageous price for something, though. For example, there are a couple of e-bay sellers who regularly sell new Audio Technica AT4050's for $399.99. Most online retailers sell it for $599. If someone posts a used AT4050 and wants $475 for it, that's their perogative, but I would feel bad seeing someone pay that much when they could get the same mic new for less money. However, I think this can be more tactfully handled by sending a pm, rather than publicly blasting the person for overcharging.

Personally, either here or on e-bay, I won't pay more than 75-80% of the price of the new item (shipping included) for used gear (of course, I would prefer to pay less). I think this is a reasonable discount for the risk of buying gear used and without a warranty. That's just my personal policy, though. As always, buyer beware. It is your responsibility to check around for the competitiveness of pricing and the reputation of the seller.
 
I would hesitate to buy a "new" AT4050 online for $400. There is a really good chance that something is fishy. $400 is WAY below AT's MAP and is about, and maybe even below dealer cost.
 
I agree with Kenny. I won't buy it if someone's asking to much. I'll find out what there price is, and tell em how much I'll give him. At that point, he can either come to where I am - or closer to where I am - or the deals off.

It's a nice process, and i kinda vicariously feel like I'm in one of those Ancient marketplaces, bartering my way through to collect my daily shopping....

Sorry, I ramble.

Jacob
 
Another side of the coin - I've posted prices before and didn't get a single response. So, I started another thread without prices. Lot's of people asked about pricing and everything got sold.
YMMV
 
I tend to PM people when their prices are too high. I believe that people should be able to ask whatever they want without getting flamed. It does anger me when I see people asking ridiculous prices and I wouldn't operate that way myself, but it's a free market.

I've seen used RNCs and other things go on Ebay for $5 or $10 less than you can buy new. I don't get it, but if you absolutely cannot scrape together $5 or $10 more dollars, then I guess you have no choice.
 
Yeah, the RNC on eBay thing is a bit of a mystery. I have no idea why people pay $155 to $160 for a used RNC, but they do all the time. I don't think there are many instances like that, where people are paying that close to retail for something. I find it hard to believe that people on these boards are buying gear without investigating the price a bit. If they don't investigate the going rate for the stuff...then that's really their problem. On both sides of that debate, if the seller doesn't investigate the price, and then tries selling for too much and can't sell it, or the buyer doesn't investigate and buys too much...that's not my problem.
 
I got a pair of 'em racked for $260 and I thought it was high but I guess that's about right. I'm digging my recent acquisition of a couple dbx 160a's a bunch! They really sound fat, had to pay alittle more but I'm starting to fill out the studio and add a lot of colors to the canvas.
 
Big Kenny said:
Let the guys post whatever they want at whatever price they want, if you think it's too high, don't buy it! That'll teach 'em.
Click to expand...

yes, but far too often we see this happen:

1. someone posts a "near new" price for a used piece of gear
2. they show indignation when no one shows any interest and they add "or best offer" to the for sale ad.
3. they get annoyed (or just plain pissed off) when people low-ball them on "best offers".

where's the blame to be assigned here? to the potential buyer who wants a downright absurd deal? or to the seller who wants more than something's worth on the used, non-ebay market?


personally, when someone posts something without prices that i'm interested in, i PM or inquire about it--if the price is too high, i politely note that it's more than i was looking to spend, have a nice day.

if they post something with prices, and it's beyond what i want to pay for it, it's VERY easy to move on. it's when the seller gets publicly annoyed that no one wants their gear that someone usually says something and someone's toes get stepped on.


cheers,
wade
 
Then there's the other side of the deal - there's somebody like me, who would like to sell gear, but isn't willing to lose their ass on something they didn't even use.

I sold over 20 mic's locally (started out with 35 mic's in the cabinet), and a lot of them would be mic's people here might be interested in - but since I never even used some of them - I wasn't willing to take a big loss on them. I don't have a home studio anymore, and wasn't even recording the last year that I did have it - it just served as a band room at the time.

So I advertised them locally - and essentially waited. I wasn't in desperate need of money, so I could afford to wait. If they wanted the mic's, they would have to pay what I was willing to let them go for or near it.

And I sold all of them - and at prices that Homerec members would probably gripe about paying.




Tim
 
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Basically, I think sellers have a right to sell things for whatever they want. I also think that buyers have the right to offer whatever the want. I don't think anyone is in the wrong until they start in with some sort of attitude. If someone makes a lowball offer to me, thats fine. I will decline their offer and move on my way. If someone wants to sell something for too much, thats fine, I won't make an offer. Sometimes however I will happily pay a little more for something if it comes from someone I trust, it's kind of a piece of mind thing. I may be asking too much for some people for my AT4050. However, they sell for that same amount used quite often. If I sell it for much less than what I am asking, than it would be worth more for me to keep it. At the same time however, if it doesn't sell quickly at that price, than I am not going to complain either.

Sometimes I even see sellers selling used items for more than new. Sometimes items undergo price reductions and sellers aren't aware of that. What I do is privately message or email that person and let them know. More often than not when I do that, they lower their price. I contact those people not just for the buyers to get a lower price, but so the seller realizes that they will probably never sell their item unless they address that issue. In the rare occasion where the seller replies to me with some sort of attitude and upset because I am "ruining it for them", then I publicly post to make other buyers beware. In the end though, I will never show any ill will or attitude until the other person does first, and then my post is not so much directed at the seller, but more at the potential buyers. I mean, who would want to buy an item from someone like that to begin with....good price or no...
 
xstatic said:
I don't think anyone is in the wrong until they start in with some sort of attitude.
Click to expand...

and that's exactly what i was trying (admittely albeit very poorly) to say.


i've bought and sold several things here, and i've never had a transaction i thought was anything other than excellent. i'll continue to buy and sell things here, b/c in general this is an excellent group of folks.

in the end, it's all in the attitude and approach of the buyer and seller.


cheers,
wade
 
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