The Postal Penalty of Moving Things On

[flyfisher]

Fair enough. Time does make a big difference because fashions can change and the value of items with them, but if you're talking weeks or a few months then I'd agree it would be cheeky to expect to profit and losing £10/£20 for what is effectively an extended evaluation period seems pretty reasonable.

Unless a collector suddenly pops up who needs what ever you're selling to complete the unique collection they've been building up for a lifetime . . .

[planer]

You could say the cost of having it delivered is the price you pay for buying something without trying it first...

I don't think there's any 'should I, shouldn't I?' argument, it'll sell for whatever it's worth. Whoever buys it won't know (or care) what you paid for it.

I bought a little Vox T-25 combo a little while back from eBay. I paid £54 iirc, and collected it from the guys house as it was 'sort-of' on the way home. I sold it recently for £100 + postage, having decided on a whim that I wanted something LOUDER! Result.

I was very very happy indeed to sell it for more than I had paid. I advertised it honestly, presented it neatly and it found it's own value.

[neepheid]

[quote name='planer' timestamp='1398862375' post='2438382']
Whoever buys it won't know (or care) what you paid for it.
[/quote]


Whoever buys it might not care, but there's a few folk on here who do care, will find out and will bust your chops about how much you paid for it. Not that it's any of their bloody business, but hey ho.

[ambient]

If its not too big then postage should be pretty cheap.

I posted a MB head recently for about £5, use MyHermes and drop it off.

[RhysP]

If somebody is selling something for £100 including postage & that postage is £15 then the item itself is in effect being sold for £85.00 as that's all the seller is going to have after paying the postage costs.

Surely you'd just figure that into the price you want for the item - if you want £100 for it & postage is £15.00 then you advertise it as £115.00 including postage, or as £100 + £15 P+P.

[discreet]

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1398862692' post='2438388']
Whoever buys it might not care, but there's a few folk on here who do care, will find out and will bust your chops about how much you paid for it. Not that it's any of their bloody business, but hey ho.
[/quote]

Yes, I suppose I meant buying and selling on BC. I'd have no qualms about buying something on here and selling it on eBay at a profit, but would be more reluctant to do it here - though in fact there's nothing stopping anyone from selling at whatever price they want, as has been said.

[sykilz]

I always think of the amount I'd have to spend on petrol and also time spent going form Essex to, say, Peterborough, to get an item, this would be more than compensated by just paying out £15 postage. I'd rather take a small loss, hate driving! Of course the whole damage in transit thing is another thread!

[lojo]

[quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1398853638' post='2438208']
Surely if you bought the item for £100 plus postage, there is no problem in re-advertising it at £100 plus postage?
[/quote]

This

Although what it sells at maybe less if you don't get an initial bite from a buyer

[fretmeister]

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1398856429' post='2438273']
Put it up for whatever you want. No one knows what you've done to it. If it's a bass you could have put new strings on or set it up properly etc. If it's an amp you could have cleaned the pots etc.

People will only buy it for what it's worth. That's the nature of buying and selling and speculating.

You speculated that you would get a good deal, buying second hand. You didn't. You now have to try and make good.

I don't think anyone thinks you're being opportunistic if you put it up for more than you bought it for. People don't have to buy it. They're at liberty to knock you down based on the price they think it's worth with the knowledge of what they think you might have paid for it.
[/quote]

This.

Market price is market price. An item will either sell or it won't. People can buy at the advertised price or they can make an offer. Or they can not buy at all.

[Count Bassy]

Always seems odd to me that you might buy something and then expect, as a god given right, to be able to move it on without any loss!.

When you buy something (via auction/E-bay at least) it you pay what you think it is worth, when you sell it you sell it for what someone else thinks it's worth.

Take E-bay as an example, say you win an item at £100 that implies that you thought it was worth £100, but no-one else did. If the second highest bidder dropped out at £95 then if you put it back on E-bay the next day then you will likely only get £95!. (unless some new desperate buyer has entered the market).

If you get a bargain via a private transaction then the above does not apply of course.

[karlfer]

Be nice if more sellers actually gave you the OPTION of postage/courier.
"Can't send it by courier because............................" How the f*** do you think it got here from America/Mexico/Japan in the first place you lazy sod

[planer]

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1398862692' post='2438388']Whoever buys it might not care, but there's a few folk on here who do care, will find out and will bust your chops about how much you paid for it. Not that it's any of their bloody business, but hey ho.[/quote]

That's one of the unfortunate things about forums, a lot are like an episode of Eastenders - some shouty people telling other people what they think they ought to do.

If I'm selling something, it's my thing and I'll set the price.

[TimR]

[quote name='planer' timestamp='1398873800' post='2438547']


That's one of the unfortunate things about forums, a lot are like an episode of Eastenders - some shouty people telling other people what they think they ought to do.

If I'm selling something, it's my thing and I'll set the price.
[/quote]

I guess that's what the op is asking. How many of us are the Eaatender types and what kind of reaction is he going to get from us.

I say just stick it up for what price you want and just ignore them. If it doesn't sell then drop the price.

[flyfisher]

[quote name='Count Bassy' timestamp='1398872172' post='2438517']
Take E-bay as an example, say you win an item at £100 that implies that you thought it was worth £100, but no-one else did.
[/quote]

Interesting perspective, and quite right of course for an open auction. By definition, the winner cannot get a bargain as they have to pay top price. Their only solace is that they've got what they wanted.

[discreet]

[quote name='planer' timestamp='1398873800' post='2438547']
That's one of the unfortunate things about forums, a lot are like an episode of Eastenders - some shouty people telling other people what they think they ought to do.
[/quote]

Right - that's because it's FAAAAHHHHHMMMLEEEE, INNIT??

[LukeFRC]

[quote name='planer' timestamp='1398862375' post='2438382']
You could say the cost of having it delivered is the price you pay for buying something without trying it first...

I don't think there's any 'should I, shouldn't I?' argument, it'll sell for whatever it's worth. Whoever buys it won't know (or care) what you paid for it.

I bought a little Vox T-25 combo a little while back from eBay. I paid £54 iirc, and collected it from the guys house as it was 'sort-of' on the way home. I sold it recently for £100 + postage, having decided on a whim that I wanted something LOUDER! Result.

I was very very happy indeed to sell it for more than I had paid. I advertised it honestly, presented it neatly and it found it's own value.
[/quote] The Vox T-25 was my first ever amp - bought it brand new at £90 or so from sound control - when I went to move it on I found it going secondhand for £150 on ebay! odd item!
I gave it to a mate as a wedding present in the end.

[Skol303]

This has more to do with psychology than economics.

It comes down to whether you consider the postage to have been truly "free" in the original purchase (eg. a £100 product sold for £100 with the postage for gratis), or whether you consider it to have been "included" (eg. an £80 product sold for £100 with the difference covering the shipping fee).

Only the person who originally sold you the product knows whether the postage was truly "free" or simply "included", and they'll always claim it was the former

So weirdly... if you're a glass half full kinda guy and think the original postage really was free, then you'll feel out of pocket if you sell it on for the same amount and have to pay postage on top.

Whereas if you're a cynic like me, then you'll think the original postage was actually paid for in the initial deal and won't mind selling it on for the same amount.

And now my head hurts!!

Edited April 30, 2014 by Skol303

[discreet]

So that means I'm a glass-half-full kind of guy. Typical! Just my luck.

[Prime_BASS]

I usually include postage in the price as it looks like to buyers "free postage" so are more inclined to look at your add which increases the chances of a sale sooner.

If I want rid of something quick I'll even knock a fair bit off the price to get it gone sooner.

[TimR]

Ok. If you want to look at it in simple terms. The postage is a service and the item is a good.

You've used that service and it's now gone. You can't technically sell it again.

Although you could argue that you're just the middle man so the next user should pay the initial cost of getting the goods to you and then for you sending the goods on to him.

You still have the goods and they're worth exactly the same as they were when you bought them.

Morally; did you buy it to sell it on, or did you use the postal service so that you could try out the goods?

[discreet]

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1398891257' post='2438818']
Morally; did you buy it to sell it on, or did you use the postal service so that you could try out the goods?
[/quote]

I generally think I want the goods, then discover that I don't, so want to move them on. I buy things with the intention of owning and using them, not to audition them or have them on approval or to make a profit from them.

[quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1398890453' post='2438803']
If I want rid of something quick I'll even knock a fair bit off the price to get it gone sooner.
[/quote]

Me too - I can't stand having something hanging around the house I don't want, and also can't stand having a 'for sale' ad hanging around on Basschat for longer than about two days, either! Once I've decided I don't want something I have to shift it quick.

[spinynorman]

Morally doesn't come into it.

You can put it up on eBay with a BIN set at what you paid + postage + handling charge + restocking fee and have hoards of stinking scum wave their genitals at your magnificent offer.

Or you can put it in an eBay auction starting at 99p, so stinking scum can force you to sell it to them for half what you paid.

Or you can put it on Basschat, where fragrant angels will sing of how they would buy it if only it was something it isn't; or if only they had some money, which they don't; or if only they hadn't bought exactly the same thing yesterday from their local music shop for twice what you're asking.

It's amazing anyone ever sells anything.

[uncle psychosis]

[quote name='spinynorman' timestamp='1398897267' post='2438928']
Morally doesn't come into it.

You can put it up on eBay with a BIN set at what you paid + postage + handling charge + restocking fee and have hoards of stinking scum wave their genitals at your magnificent offer.

Or you can put it in an eBay auction starting at 99p, so stinking scum can force you to sell it to them for half what you paid.

Or you can put it on Basschat, where fragrant angels will sing of how they would buy it if only it was something it isn't; or if only they had some money, which they don't; or if only they hadn't bought exactly the same thing yesterday from their local music shop for twice what you're asking.

It's amazing anyone ever sells anything.


[/quote]

Genuinely lol'd at that. Top work!

[Gazza 2905]

[quote name='planer' timestamp='1398862375' post='2438382']
Whoever buys it won't know (or care) what you paid for it.
[/quote]

Oh believe me, - they will!
Most buyers will 'do their homework' before making a purchase; I know I do!

Personally, If I was moving something on, secondhand, (I rarely do!), I would probably ask for the same (ie. take the postage 'hit'), or slightly less than I paid for it.

Of course, any seller is entitled to ask whatever price they like for something.
But they shouldn't necessarily expect to get it!....

[discreet]

[quote name='spinynorman' timestamp='1398897267' post='2438928']
...on Basschat, where fragrant angels will sing of how they would buy it if only it was something it isn't; or if only they had some money, which they don't; or if only they hadn't bought exactly the same thing yesterday from their local music shop for twice what you're asking.
[/quote]