I agree completely. From a cost perspective, if everyone consistently hits the previous version button, FM's traffic spikes up. I think one reason Fred instituted the one bump per 24 hour rule was because all the traffic was costing him.
scorpio1 wrote:
I would disagree with Ebay being more reliable. I have seen items go for much higher than average due to bidding wars and the gamsmenship of Ebay.
On the flip side there have been items that have sold for less than fair market value as well.
A better gauge may be places like KEH, B&H & Adorama for used pricing.
The only problem with looking at KEH, B&H and Adorama is that buying form a dealer is different than buying from a private party. Just like car dealers can usually get a bit more for a car because they clean, inspect and use there name to stand behind it if something does go wrong.
I remove the price if I sold it locally. That's because I discounted it since I didn't have to ship or have paypoo fees. Otherwise I'll just leave it in the post.
G Ric wrote:
maybe they take it down so the wife doesn't find out how much he sold or paid for his gear
so not to be in the dog house
Confucius says
Wife who puts husband in dog house will soon find him in cat house.
While the posted price may not reflect that actual sale price it does represent the point at which interest was triggered. I do agree that the actual sale price is a private matter the listed price was public before the sale, what makes it private after? It does help a great deal for those listing to establish a fair going rate prior to listing. Personally I dont ever go to fleabay. The prices there seldom reflect fair market prices, especially now with the M$ rebate prices are getting inflated so sellers can get more than market value. Again I can only speak for myself that when I see a post here or anywhere else that practices price gouging for the sake of exploitation of M$ cash back or rebates I move on to another sale. To me this speaks a lot of the persons charactor, not being far off from nigerian scammers.
Heh...I was removing the price because I thought it was the way to do things around here after something is sold. I think a note in the rules to sellers that it would be a courtesy to future sellers to not remove the price from their sold listings would be appropriate. I think making it a requirement is not fair to the seller since he or she is paying for the listing. (and it's in the history anyways)
The feedback section doesn't instruct folks to mention the item sold, or have a field where it has to be entered. So feedback often just says "great", with no weight whatsoever.
Posted feedback could be for a $5,500 body or a $10 UV filter, who knows. So I often have to go back to the buyer and ask them to revise their feedback to include the item, which is a waste of my time and their time.
bobjames wrote:
I suspect a good percentage of items are sold at sustantial discounts from the advertised price. Would the seller leave the original price posted or would he reveal the actual selling price and acquire a reputation for being a pushover?
In other words, posted prices are often misleading and fairly useless information; eBay is much more reliable for gauging real selling prices.
I have sold a ton of gear and RARELY get less than 95% of my ask price (in fact, I probably get my ask price 80% of the time ). It depends on how long I want to wait - if I'm patient I always get my price, sometimes I find the quick sale worth a small discount.
I don't see so many ads with out of line prices which would indicate substantial discounts on the final sale. I find the pricing here consistent and realistic.
Anybody want to know the price of the items that I've sold here. Please feel free to PM me ANYTIME this will be faster than searching( save you some time) and I'll try my best to give you my selling price. Or if you need pricing help, you are all welcome too, and I will be glad to help you.
People can do what they want. List the price, or delete it. It is their business, in my view, and unless they choose to share it, they should not be villified for it.
It is not up to individuals to provide market research for other sellers, sorry. KEH.com is your friend.
What I list an item may well not be what I sell it for...in fact, it almost never is. So I need to list what I listed it for and what I sold it for? IHMO, it is nobody's business what I do with a private transaction.
That being said, I have often PM'ed people and asked what they sold an item for. Sometimes they reply, and sometimes not...that is up to them to say and certainly no hard feelings on my part if they just ignore that PM or simply don't want say.
And I will tell people if they ask, but that is just me...a personal decision.
Wickedfn4u wrote:
It belongs in this area but may not be allowed but I will still ask.
Why do people take off the price they were asking for equipment after they sell it? ...
I have not noticed that people take prices off...maybe they do, but I don't. But then again, what is listed as what I want for it may not have anything to do with what it is worth. I suppose that may be useful in a way, but very limited.
No do a search for 70-200mm 2.8 and see how many have deleated the price or put SOLD where the price was.
Usually most sell for 80-95% of what someone post it for. If you overprice an item that stands out too. If it is priced fair it sells closer to what it was listed for if over priced maybe a heavier discount.
I just went to B&S and looked at the first four items marked sold, regardless of brand or product...all 4 still had the price on the original post, and one even have the sold price added.
Looked again...make that all 8 of the most recent sold all list the price...?
Maybe something weird with that lens, but not seeing a trend here...
Furthermore, you can't even do that search on any item...as far as I can tell, marking an item as 'sold' means it does not return in a search. The only exception is if someone changes the text to add the word 'sold' and does not mark it as sold.
