Thread: A Moral(ish) Question

I wanted to pose a question to you all, and before I do, I should say that in no way am I trying to pass any judgement on anyone or call anyone out. I'm just curious regarding people's thoughts on this...

I've noticed (not a ton) but some sellers who are members here that tend to ask the absolute maximum or (IMO) over what a razor could possibly be worth...very often only as a "Buy It Now". Most of the time they are unrestored, probably in the condition they were found at for significantly less. So here is my question...it seems like most of the SRP folk truly love shaving and are happy to help out others who share (or are wanting to start out) this hobby, does it seem strange to you guys...considering the spirit of what SRP seems to be about, to be charging the max (or more) and not even letting the market determine what it is worth by making it a BIN?

I'm trying to put all this as delicately as possible, and absolutely do not want to specifically call someone out, but I think you guys know what I'm getting at. I know of one in particular where I will see a nice razor posted and then see the price and say 'oh, pfft, i bet it's that guy'...and it normally always is. I can always tell by the overpriced BIN's. I don't begrudge anyone making a buck, but it just seems to be against the spirit of what this place is about...which I suppose is why they do it there opposed to the classifieds here...

Thoughts?

Are you talking about ebay?
I usually filter out all the "buy it now" ads when I'm on ebay. It's rarely worth the time.

Yes, sorry...talking about ebay.

I can agree with you on one hand but on the other I am a capitalist and would never begrudge someone making a buck but but buying a razor for 30 bucks only to hone it up and try and sell it for 200 is a wee bit much. I can see marking it up 20-30 percent after all like i said making a profit. All I can suggest with a buy it now situation is send an email with a offer and see what happens.

Have you ever tried to make a reasonable offer on any of these razors. I've found that a lot of the time, sellers will put the BIN on the high side just in case some one will be willing to buy it at that price, but will usually take less if someone makes an offer that is fair and reasonable.

I am definitely for someone being able to make money on finding something for a deal...especially considering the time it takes to hunt for these types of things, 20-30% seems totally reasonable to me.

While there isn't a certain posting I'm currently interested in buying that prompted this, I typically don't even bother making an offer for the same reason I no longer haggle with antique dealers...when someone grossly overprices something, I feel like it is almost bad manners and I don't want to reward them by showing interest. It sounds a little more heavy handed than it really is...but you probably get my jist...but I think it goes especially for SRP members. At least antique dealers (and my grandmother, for that matter) think that EVERYTHING old is "worth a fortune", but SRP members actually KNOW what these things are worth and what they can be found for. I just kind of find it bad form.

A fool and his money are soon parted.
I start alot of my auctions at 99 cents,be it a $10 razor or a $200 razor,it all averages out,win some lose some.

It is a free market and Caveat emptor applies.
I tend to steer away from BIN myself most times though.
A little patience will usually bring other, similar items up as open auctions.

Once they do show up, examine the photos thoroughly and bid accordingly.
The "MAAS slappers" are out there, but are usually easy to spot and thus avoid

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

A fool and his money are soon parted.
I start alot of my auctions at 99 cents,be it a $10 razor or a $200 razor,it all averages out,win some lose some.

It's true...it just seemed strange considering how often people here are warning people and looking out for people, for other SRP folk to be taking people to the cleaners on eBay...

Originally Posted by Birnando

It is a free market and Caveat emptor applies.
I tend to steer away from BIN myself most times though.
A little patience will usually bring other, similar items up as open auctions.

Once they do show up, examine the photos thoroughly and bid accordingly.
The "MAAS slappers" are out there, but are usually easy to spot and thus avoid

Yeah, I never bother and have learned the hard way on what to look for, this post was more just about the idea behind it other than me venting about "why is this guy charging so much for this razor I want"

IMO and IOO (in our opinion) because I think thats all this can be. It really is the free market! Should one be upset with the seller, or with the buyer. If someone wasn't paying what they were asking, the piece would adjust to reflect the market. It upsets us when we dont get something we want because the market is supporting it at a higher price. I can understand that because I've seen a lot of items I wanted, but wasn't willing to spend that much, but somebody else was. And, I'll stop here or this will turn into a free-for-all and probably go a little !!

Regards,

Howard.

Edit: No, I don't sell on eBay and never have!