Flipping basses for profit – fair game or not cool?

[Beedster]

42 minutes ago, LukeFRC said:

If you think back 12-15 years - the pound was fairly strong, interest rates were very low and it really was either basschat or eBay to sell things. 
it kinda makes sense that a smaller forum would have a sense of value of things that would be fairly static- so me buying a Mesa from @Beedster in 2011 for £400 and selling it again 3 years later I would probably sell it here, for about £400 - we all had ideas of value based on past sales. 
 

since then- inflation has shot up, the pound lost a lot of value because of B…reasons and general prices of new things have gone up lots-  even compared to inflation. EBay has been joined by fb marketplace and reverb as places to sell - and reverb prices asked rather than sold or auction encourages higher asking prices. Covid left a lot of musicians with no work, and a lot of other people with money to burn- all pushing some prices up… 

in that environment and a standard USA fender nearing £2k new, how much something is “worth” isn’t as nailed down. So people’s behaviour changes 

 

 

 

 

mind you there’s some stuff in the for sale forum that’s been there ages - it’s not flipping if it doesn’t flip! 

All very good points 👍

[stewblack]

Only happened to me once on BC.

Sold a bass at a very fair price - which we do here - and the buyer immediately listed it at a higher price. 

I experienced a feeling as being in the presence of an unexpected bad smell.

I just made a point never to deal with said individual in the future. No need to make a fuss.

Sure enough they were subsequently outed by another member for untrustworthy behaviour. It wasn't a shock, some folk care more for money than the good things in life. Move on and don't pay them no never mind as my old Pappy never said.

[edstraker123]

I've actually had more trouble with items bought on here than on any other marketplace : short paid,  warped necks, bridges hanging off, chipped paintwork, bulging frets and knackered electronics, sellers not turning up to meets etc. I've had lots of positive experiences too, but the BC marketplace doesn't give me a warm fuzzy glow like it did in the beginning. I don't expect the sellers on here to behave any different than those anywhere else from experience, there are some good and some bad. 

 

Edited 23 hours ago by edstraker123

[binky_bass]

59 minutes ago, edstraker123 said:

I've actually had more trouble with items bought on here than on any other marketplace : short paid,  warped necks, bridges hanging off, chipped paintwork, bulging frets and knackered electronics, sellers not turning up to meets etc. I've had lots of positive experiences too, but the BC marketplace doesn't give me a warm fuzzy glow like it did in the beginning. I don't expect the sellers on here to behave any different than those anywhere else from experience, there are some good and some bad. 

 

Oh I do... but, only with those sellers/members that I know to be relatively trustworthy! I've met a good number of the BC higher operators in person and never really had any issues, I once had a problem with a Mesa I bought from a well known member, and they were absolutely superb in terms of communication and eventual resolution. If buying from a newbie, then yes, I'd expect no more or less security than on eBay etc. but veterans of the site are, for the most part (except me, I'm a terrible human and those that have met me will confirm!) are, by in large, to be trusted more so than those you have no bearing on. 

[LukeFRC]

39 minutes ago, binky_bass said:

I'm a terrible human and those that have met me will confirm!

I’ve not met you, but imagine you have larger hands than average! 

[Misdee]

22 hours ago, Allaboutthebass said:

Hi All, 

 

Just wanted to throw something out there and see what people think.

 

Basschat’s always felt like a proper community to me, people helping each other out, sharing gear, advice, and good vibes. However, I’ve recently noticed a case where someone has bought a bass locally at a very good price, then flips it immediately for a profit on BC.

 

Now, I get that people are allowed to make money and everyone’s got their own reasons for selling gear. But it does make me wonder, is that kind of flipping really in the spirit of the community? This isn’t meant to be a shop, and I think most of us list stuff here with the idea that it’s going to another player, not just being resold for cash.

 

So I’m curious what others think:

 

• Is flipping gear for profit on Basschat fair game?
• Is there a difference between selling something you no longer need vs buying just to resell for profit?

 

Anyway, just wanted to get a feel for what others think. Maybe I’m overthinking it, maybe not.

 

Not trying to stir the pot, just genuinely interested in hearing different views. Let’s keep it friendly! 

 

 

Flipping basses for profit on Basschat is perfectly acceptable as far as I'm concerned. There's so much to consider regarding the original sale price, like did the seller need a quick sale and reduce the price accordingly, did they know the true  market value of the bass, did they bother to find out?

 

Everyone on Basschat is an adult, making their own decisions. It's a big bad world out there, and Basschat is part of it. You can't infantilize people by protecting them from themselves. It's the sellers responsibility to set a price they can live with. Providing no one has cheated anyone or been intentionally dishonest, that's it. Once the bass is sold it's someone else's property. They can do as they please.

 

If I sold an instrument on Basschat and the buyer then flogged it for more I would be delighted for them, or at worst I would blame myself not the person who made a profit, and learn from it.

Edited 22 hours ago by Misdee

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

Interesting that none of the usual suspects have commented in this thread yet 😎

[Burns-bass]

13 minutes ago, Misdee said:

It's a big bad world out there, and Basschat is part of it.

 

Sometimes wish it wasn't!

 

I remember once putting a wanted ad up for a Wolf Endpin for my double bass. Three days later, one arrived at my door after being sent by someone. That's the Basschat I like. Guy didn't even ask me to pay postage.

[SteveXFR]

My Spector came from the BC classifieds from a nice gentleman who sold it to me fir what he paid and well under market value. I could have sold it on straight away for a very nice profit but I couldn't do that. It wouldn't be right. 

Its my favourite bass so im keeping hold of it but when the time comes, someone else on BC will get a bargain. 

 

[edstraker123]

1 hour ago, binky_bass said:

but veterans of the site are, for the most part (except me, I'm a terrible human and those that have met me will confirm!) are, by in large, to be trusted more so than those you have no bearing on. 

Unfortunately I'm sad to say some have been veterans with considerable history and that's why my expectation of dealing with them was higher than it should have been given the way things turned out. 

Edited 22 hours ago by edstraker123

[neepheid]

28 minutes ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

Interesting that none of the usual suspects have commented in this thread yet 😎

 

Is it typical of me to pipe up and say "oh no, not this effing thread again"?

 

[Misdee]

1 hour ago, Burns-bass said:

 

Sometimes wish it wasn't!

 

I remember once putting a wanted ad up for a Wolf Endpin for my double bass. Three days later, one arrived at my door after being sent by someone. That's the Basschat I like. Guy didn't even ask me to pay postage.

There's nothing wrong with people being kind, either. It's just if your selling something it's your responsibility to set a price you will be satisfied with, because after that you don't really have any right to a say. That what the buyer gets for their money, the right to say what happens next.

 

Just to clarify, I have never bought a bass or anything else from Basschat, although I have sold one bass that I bought brand new and some assorted sundries over the years. I'm not trying to defend my own actions. It's just that it would never occur to me to take umbridge if anything I had sold was subsequently flipped. If the new owner doubles his money, great.  By the same token, if he sells the item on for half what he paid me that's also not my concern, so it works both ways.

Edited 21 hours ago by Misdee

[TimR]

I guess some of us are more altruistic than others. 

 

I have freinds who would only sell things for market value, there are no friends in business. I have other friends who would give away things.

 

Its really only a problem to me if I 'gave' something to someone beliveing they would look after it and care for it, only for them to sell it next day.

 

I lent one friend something I'd used twice it was effectively brand new and still in the pristine box. When he (eventually after a lot of nagging) returned it, it was scratched and scuffed and the box was lost. I won't be lending him anything ever again.

Edited 21 hours ago by TimR

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

27 minutes ago, neepheid said:

Is it typical of me to pipe up and say "oh no, not this effing thread again"?

I meant the usual suspects in the 'flipping' business.

[neepheid]

11 minutes ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

I meant the usual suspects in the 'flipping' business.

 

My bad, I thought you meant opinionated malcontents. My bad, as you were...

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

25 minutes ago, neepheid said:

 

My bad, I thought you meant opinionated malcontents. My bad, as you were...

Now where would Basschat be without them?! 🤣

[Bagman]

England is a Capitalist Economy 

 

 

[Bagman]

1 hour ago, edstraker123 said:

Unfortunately I'm sad to say some have been veterans with considerable history and that's why my expectation of dealing with them was higher than it should have been given the way things turned out. 

sorry to hear that 

 

location means I don't trade on this site but reading contributors to here I think buying and selling would be something I would engage in 

 

"The Vibe" 

[Count Bassy]

9 hours ago, jonnybass said:

Its a tough one, if I sold a bass at around market value and for some reason the market changed and it was worth 10 times more and it was resold at the new price I'd curse my bad timing but not the other seller.

 

If someone gave me a sob story and convinced me to sell under value then the next day had it on at market value id not be best pleased and be unlikely to deal with that person again.

 

However, we've all dreamed of or managed to snap up that 59 les paul at a car boot for £10.  if you did and sold it would you go looking for the seller to give them a share?  or would you pocket it?  Or if they had a 54 p bass for £20 would you offer them market value or buy it at the bargain price?

 

 

Jonny

If it was a 54p bass for £20 I'd tell them to stuff it. 😄

[tegs07]

I’ve sold two basses here. Both for less than I would have been able to sell them for on fleabay or Reverb. I can’t claim that it was altruistic. I would far rather sell an instrument cheaper to someone who wants to play it and knows what they are looking for than deal with tyre kickers and general numpties on ebay in particular. Hopefully they were well received. If they were sold on well it makes no difference to me either way.

 

As far as the need to help musicians out vs profit all I would say is as countless threads on BC have pointed out a very decent instrument can be bought used these days for £200 or less. Most expensive purchases are luxury rather than necessity.

 

Edit: Just as I finished typing this I spot an Ibanez Roadster for £250 and a Squire Bronco for £135 on marketplace!!

Edited 12 hours ago by tegs07

[Stub Mandrel]

I still feel guilty about getting a Thunder 1 at a knockout price from @stewblack. I see them being advertised (not sure about sold) for twice the price or more.

 

But as I'm congeitally incapable if selling a bass...

[AndyTravis]

I’ve become an artisan of selling sometimes at a profit, mostly at a loss (after modding for modding sake)…and on occasion selling at a break even.

 

I’ve seen stuff I’ve sold sell for more and less than I’ve let it go for.

 

I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything I’ve sold go for 2/3 times what I’ve sold it for - which would nark me.

 

At the moment, selling anything at any price seems a case of pot luck so fair play to anyone who’s managing it.

 

I have 3/4 things up for sale now and I’m just getting trade offers…

 

 

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

23 minutes ago, AndyTravis said:

I have 3/4 things up for sale now and I’m just getting trade offers…

….and why is it always a trade for something you not only don’t want, but you would not look twice at 🤷‍♂️

Edited 10 hours ago by hiram.k.hackenbacker

[AndyTravis]

15 minutes ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

….and why is it always a trade for something you not only don’t want, but you would not look twice at 🤷‍♂️

Yeah. Done that a few times…

 

I think an Ibanez BTB676 was the most 🤷🏻‍♂️

[Machines]

I am late to the party here, but definitely consider myself an opportunistic flipper.

 

My most recent was a Cort A6 listed as faulty for £200. I had it repaired within 30 minutes at home (new pot and switch) and then PX'd  for £350 a couple of weeks later. The buyer even said in person it was worth more repaired, but they didn't want the hassle. I felt no guilt here. 

 

I have calmed down recently, as the continual carousel is tiring (maybe I could play what I have?!), as well as the market drying up as people are more aware of what things are worth. I also know in the past certain well known shops have acquired stock privately on FB etc.

Edited 10 hours ago by Machines