Quote:
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Originally Posted by Bill Marsh
... Listen to their wonderful stories. Buy something cheap but fun. But unless you really know the pieces, odds are very great that you will buy expensive tourist pieces that were made to appeal to a "new" collector!  |
Hi Bill,
Thanks indeed for the heads-up!
Having faith in humanity in general
I do sometimes get suckered into a raw deal, thanks to those "wonderful stories".
But I do have my own counter-stories, like "My plane is leaving in a few hours" after which I make a counteroffer of half the asking price. Or "My wife will kill me if she finds out I bought this for blah blah blah" and then once again I shamelessly lowball the item's price.
You'll actually perceive by the body English of the person whether you are anywhere near the true value of the piece.
And whether it's an antique piece or a repro or whatever, it all boils down to what's a fair price as mentioned.
Normally, I look for strong emotions, even anger! Like if my half-the-price-lowballing had him/her screaming me out of the door, then I'd know that I've reached the threshold or my assumption was wrong. Either way, I was able to peel away at more layers of the onion
So indeed, half the fun is getting there!
And thanks again Bill for those tips. I'll surely keep those in mind in my next sortie.