Please Who Would Pay These Prices? (1 Viewer)

[gk5717]

This is not a knock on this particular secondary market dealer. If I could get these prices I would be clicking my heals. Let me just identify him with the letter X.
My question is who in their right mind pays these prices? There is the K&C Corsair listed at $795, another K&C early DAK set at $500. Apparantly he is getting enough buyers to sustain his business, but I cannot believe people who have that amount of disposable income did not get in that position by spending foolishly.
Explanation please!
Gary

 

[mikemiller1955]

This is not a knock on this particular secondary market dealer. If I could get these prices I would be clicking my heals. Let me just identify him with the letter X.
My question is who in their right mind pays these prices? There is the K&C Corsair listed at $795, another K&C early DAK set at $500. Apparantly he is getting enough buyers to sustain his business, but I cannot believe people who have that amount of disposable income did not get in that position by spending foolishly.
Explanation please!
Gary

can you post a link?

 

[Mitch]

Gary

Plenty of people still listing really crazy prices and hope there are enough fools to believe the really rare, limited editions, blah blah that is spouted with these. If your stupid enough to fall for that then your parted with your money soon enough.

At least he is up front about it more of the unscrupulous sellers and dealers often try and hide the fact. You know the type... I am selling for a mate... I have one left.. really means I have twenty

I don't think they have a huge collector base its just like fishing hopefully, you will nab the big one sometime. As these sets would have been bought really cheaply its not like its burning a hole in their pocket. I note things are sold cheaper so, that is what is keeping them afloat.

Having said that if it were me then I would rather sell a steady stream at a lower price than a few at a high price. Still it shows that some are still living in the days when certain manufacturers were able to command such prices which, is in reality back in days gone by
Mitch

 

[ROUGH RIDER]

Gary

Plenty of people still listing really crazy prices and hope there are enough fools to believe the really rare, limited editions, blah blah that is spouted with these. If your stupid enough to fall for that then your parted with your money soon enough.

At least he is up front about it more of the unscrupulous sellers and dealers often try and hide the fact. You know the type... I am selling for a mate... I have one left.. really means I have twenty

I don't think they have a huge collector base its just like fishing hopefully, you will nab the big one sometime. As these sets would have been bought really cheaply its not like its burning a hole in their pocket. I note things are sold cheaper so, that is what is keeping them afloat.

Having said that if it were me then I would rather sell a steady stream at a lower price than a few at a high price. Still it shows that some are still living in the days when certain manufacturers were able to command such prices which, is in reality back in days gone by
Mitch

I agree would rather sell alot at reasonable prices then one and make a killing. I think that they are looking for the uninformed collector or newbe to survive. My wife had bought me a set online as a Christmas gift. I love it but she paid double what it was going for. I couldn't tell her without hurting her feelings but she didn't know.

 

[johnnybach]

I agree would rather sell alot at reasonable prices then one and make a killing. I think that they are looking for the uninformed collector or newbe to survive. My wife had bought me a set online as a Christmas gift. I love it but she paid double what it was going for. I couldn't tell her without hurting her feelings but she didn't know.

There you go - there's a good example of how such sellers make a quick buck. They know that relatives will sometimes want to buy a "surprise" present for a loved-one - and buy without knowing the true value of the pieces on offer.

One of my daughters, knowing that I like repairing and restoring Cowboys and Indians, bought some for me from an e-bay seller - and gave them to me for a past birthday present. My first question was "I hope you didn't pay a lot for them?" - and in this instance was relieved to find out that she hadn't. ( NOT all sellers are unscrupulous).

I gave her a quick run-down on the sort of money that she should consider parting with - if she ever did it again in the future - but it does show how SOME can make big bucks. Most collectors will know the true value of things - many of their loved ones don't. jb

 

[DMNamiot]

Johnny,

Raises a great point about the need for educating yourself on the values or relative values you as a collector place on items. Some of the sets I am looking for, old imperial, will be really heavy on the cost because I was too slow in the past or waited too long. But others, new Britain's and others, especially items made in the past year or two are very easy to find on places like ebay and you or who ever is buying something for you can do some research and figure out what right looks like. But as was also pointed out there are always those dealers out there who will capitalize on the ignorance of the masses with catch phrases like rare or one of a kind etc.

Still I am also amazed when a relatively new sets goes for stupid money...

Dave

 

[johnnybach]

Johnny,

Raises a great point about the need for educating yourself on the values or relative values you as a collector place on items. Some of the sets I am looking for, old imperial, will be really heavy on the cost because I was too slow in the past or waited too long. But others, new Britain's and others, especially items made in the past year or two are very easy to find on places like ebay and you or who ever is buying something for you can do some research and figure out what right looks like. But as was also pointed out there are always those dealers out there who will capitalize on the ignorance of the masses with catch phrases like rare or one of a kind etc.

Still I am also amazed when a relatively new sets goes for stupid money...

Dave

Good point Dave. I usually don't care what notional "value" any of my figures hold - as after I have them in my collection - I normally don't intend to part with them. If I like something - I invariably keep it, unless it was intended as a gift for someone else. It's always worth remembering that ANY piece is only worth what someone is prepared to give you for it though. You may WANT to sell it for "X" - but does anyone else actually want it???

However, if I'm after something in particular , I have a good look around to see what I'm likely to have to pay to get it. E-bay is a good place to start - and it's amazing at what really large differences in prices you can find there - but you can usually pick up a feel for what an "average" price might be for what you want.

Then there are Auction Houses - which are also useful for price-guides ( and actually having a look at what pieces- or sets actually look like) - as there are usually pictures too.

Lastly, there are a few books around which give price guides - although these can rapidly show their age with prices. Better ones give a "rarity" guide - though these too can change over time.

jb

 

[Larry Allen]

I also have a hard time understanding how "X" stays in business. I thought it costs $$$ to list and time, but possibly he does a large volume and has a special deal with eBay??? I find it amusing when "X" has a figure for $150 and two items away is the EXACT same figure for $59.

I must admit, there are figures that I would love to have but it would tear me up to think I paid 2x or 3x the true value.

Like JB I do not intend to sell my collection so "values" have little meaning.

Still "X" has a huge number of feed backs so people do buy ... go figure????

--- Larry

 

[zblang]

Is x two people or just one?

 

[Prussianattack]

by the way: Mr X buys here on the Forum and the resells on ebay for double prices. I've been trapped here, too .... not good for a collector's Forum to have sharks around

 

[tdubel]

I usually avoid these threads because I am a free market believer, any given day, any given price, buyer beware, educated buyer, educated seller, etc. etc.

That said, I think it behooves forum sellers to knowing who you are selling to. I dabble in ebay and there are times where I will buy a lot of items and there may be an item I am going to resell out of the lot to "recycle"/further my own collecting dollar. I have in the past bought a collection in order to obtain one or two or 10 items, thus selling the rest to again recycle my dollar. In my opinion once I buy an item at a agreed upon price, it is mine to with as I please. I also have a good time selling items I no longer want, duplicates, etc on ebay, it is fun.

All of that said, again, understand that if you are selling an item to a pure dealer, know that it is going to be resold at a price higher than they paid you. WHY? Simple, they are in the business to make money. Who are we to judge how much of a mark up they ask for? I always say, "Hey, if you can make that margin, why not?"

Now, for me, I consider myself an educated buyer, so NO, I would not pay those type of prices. Have I sold an item to a few who have resold it for much more? SURE, I was happy with the price I got, so how can I complain, nobody knocked me over the head and stole the item from me, I sold it for a price, they then sold it for 4 times that price, good for them.

TD

 

[Jack]

If it was life saving medicine I would be concerned at high prices. TS are a luxury item. If you own it legally, advertise it accurately and someone wishes to buy it, good luck to everyone concerned. If I was selling a car, house or shares I would not stop for an instant to consider what price would be 'fair' for a purchaser. I would consider what I could get and how long it might take me to get it. I do not negotiate my wage with any sense of altruism so I do not expect others to adopt a different practice. My labour is my 'product' and I am entitled to seek the best price. Though I have usually liked my places of employment (for a while), if someone had come along and offered me considerably more money for the same job, I would have been a fool to knock it back. If people can get a good price, they would be fools to ask for less on the basis of not wishing to 'gouge'.

 

[zblang]

I am a true capitalist and if you can get it, go for it.

I do have an issue with someone buying something on here and selling it for profit. It seems unwritten to me that we are selling to each other as friends and collectors. If the point was to make the most money possible, I could have listed it on Ebay myself and made the money. when i sell here I assume that it's bc the person has been looking for something specific and I will try to help them out if I can.

I collect wine as well and I once sold a bottle to a friend at my cost. The next week he told me how much he got for it the next week. That really ticked me off - that only happens once!

 

[ivanmoe]

Some of my favorite pieces were purchased during what I'd characterize as a "collectibles panic." My last experience with such an event occurred after the 2012 presidential campaign in the USA. Buyers were so freaked out about the prospect of another four years of ******* that a lot of stuff was left for the picking in Ebay auctions. The 2008 financial crisis provided another such opportunity. I guess the point is that sellers who accumulate inventory are taking a risk when they do so. Should they be put in a position where they MUST sell, they may well lose their shirt. That's the breaks, I suppose. Oh, and I hope that no one thinks that I'm a jerk for shopping fire-sales during a crash.

-Moe

 

[hotel3alpha]

Gents,

Yo, here we go again with all the noise about "worth" and crap. If "Agent X" is selling too high for you, don't buy from him. I have bought pieces and paid waaaay to much, sold pieces for waaaaaay too much and lost pieces for waaaay to much than I can afford (ask high roller ZB Lang). I have also picked up steals and deals and fair and squares on ebay. I have also had one dude frankly admit to me that he was trying to high gross me "just cause" he believed he had a super rare piece. Now, he does have a rare piece but I found another one that is rarer...so how 'bout them apples.

Anyway, I digress a bit, but the truth is that anyone can sell anything for any price. However, if you rake someone over the coals maliciously then it is you who has to look your sorry *** in the mirror and say "**** I'm a sexy beast!". If you can that in the morning then you suck and shame on you and I hope your blade cuts you.

Zach, you need new friends bro. That dude who you hooked up with the wine and then turned around and did the braggadocio about how much he sold it for is a sorry ***. I would tell him too. As a matter of fact, allow me to help you out with some revenge.

Here's the story:

Tell your buddy that you got a very weird phone call the other day from a potential client who like to meet you about a case. You recognized his voice but honestly could not place it. The conversation was very weird, i.e. that he needed to speak to you in person, after hours and it was about all things...wine.

So, you set up a meeting at your office and wait for the client. A nondescript Cadillac pulls up out walks of all people-Francis Ford Coppola. Your like...what the hell? You open the door and you are just giddy inside, but stay professional and act like you don't know him. He has gotten old and grey and you introduce yourself and he replies "Hi I'm Francis". You lead him to your office and you sit and make him comfortable. "So" you start off "how can I help you". He goes into this story about he heard from the grapevine that you are a collector of fine wine and have a passion for the vino. "Plus, as you know Zach, I own Coppola wines" and begins to tell you that he has an idea about creating a limited edition wine whereby he only wants to make about 100 bottles of. "Go on" you say, "Well, this wine" he says, "I want to make my self personally, smash the grapes myself, walk on them barefooted like in the wineries in Sicily, squeeze, them and ferment them my self in my house". "Where in your house" you say, and he replies "My basement. You see I have a tub down there and plenty of space where I can rig up some distilleries...now Elenanor thinks I am crazy, but I believe that this hand made wine...by my hand...will be one of the most collectable wines on the market...I have already made 5...what do you think?" Now you ponder on this and are careful, but you say "well how can I help you on this from a legal point of view?". "Exactly" he says, "I want you to represent me on this special edition wine and be the sole curator and historian on this line. One day I am going to die and I would like for you to have say 10 bottles of this wine and auction them off to ten charities of my choice every few years to make money for them and as payment I would like to give you give you 10% of each sale and 5 bottles of your own to have. And as a deposit for this meeting I would like to give you one of the my first hand made Coppola wines...made by me...here. He hand over a magnificent bottle of wine that has a gold label on entitled "Memories of the Marlon". You accept the case and the rest is "hush-hush"

So, you take a bottle of Wine and fill it with grape juice and prune juice and lemon juice. Have it corked and sealed like it was brand new. Go to a printer and have a Francis Ford Coppola Sticker made with the "Memories of Marlon" Signature Reserve Edition Wine Collection of 2014 whatever on it. Tell him the above story and now you have three options:

-Invite him over for a taste testing...cause his is your bro...and see how he reacts to the grape/pruce/lemon/juice brew.

-Sell him the Coppola foot mashed special edition wine made in his basement brew for a thousand (friend prices)

-Or leave it on your mantel at the office or you home and the let the story ride. Every time he sees that bottle he will eat his shorts WISHING he had that bottle and you will enjoy a lifetime of him begging for it.

Revenge is served muy frio (very cold) in spanish,

John from Texas

 

[zblang]

Haha! You're insane and I love it! We gotta meet one of these days!

 

[hotel3alpha]

Yes ZB we will and then turn me loose on the puto who jacked your wine and sold it for a profit. What an arse....bet he was a lawyer.

John from Texas