Post Prices Please!

[Lew]

Originally Posted by Dajak

Fernando after I did give you an price about the peduang I did get an mail that you are out of it .
Is it that you only want to now prices or want to buy seriuos an outstanding weapon.


Ben

Ben

That is why you should post prices up front. Let say you put a 750Euro price on an item then members would gauge if they can afford it without having to email you for the same price. I really don't understand why you are getting so upset at this reasonable idea. When I go to a gun show dealers have prices listed for a item they want to sell. When I go out to eat the menu has prices for each entree. So why not post prices up front? If you have a set price in mind that you will feel comfortable with just post it. Btw your comment about Fernando was really not called for. If any of us need to know prices I am sure we know enough people in the collecting community to ask for advise.



Lew

[Dajak]

Hi Lew it is difficult eating an peduang .

And the swap forum is no gunshow.


Ben

[Lew]

[QUOTE=Dajak]Hi Lew it is difficult eating an peduang .

And the swap forum is no gunshow.

Ben

You just don't get it.


Lew

[Lew]

Ben

I'm sure you have a very good idea who in this forum collects your style of weapons and who from your past business dealings with can afford to by them and not waste your time with fruitless emails. So my solution is since you have so many wonderful pieces you should just send out a private listing to those members and not bother doing a general posting. That way no one's feelings will be hurt when they ask or send you an offer they think is reasonable or affordable and you turn them down.

Lew

[ALEX]

Originally Posted by fernando

Try to start by taking into account how much you have paid for it ... an ingredient that amazingly you have failed to introduce in your above example .

Fernando, this is the most ridiculous comment one can come up with when talking about ANY antiques (I am sorry - I am saying it in a friendly way). I am sure some people do it - and this is their choice, but believe me - it's amature and very low grade. No serious antique collector, dealer or intelligent seller volunteer their cost. It is mostly used to trick a buyer as to saying "look, I am doing you a favor by selling with such a low profit", and it always irritates me. The market and individual interests should dictate the price, not what the seller paid for it! Economics 101 (and little common sense):-)
this is why I'd not put it for sale here (regretfully), I'll take it to an auction and let the market decide the price, not politics:-)

[Lew]

Alex/Ben

I am on a friendly basis with many of the members of this forum and feel like we are a band of brothers here and many times I have sold items at or below my cost because I am looking to buy something new or I have lost interest in a certain ethnographic area and I am just looking to sell off what I no longer have interest in. I don't think any member should be using the forum solely as a profit outlet. So please if a member has an item and he does not want to put up the price up front they should send out private emails to the people they think will want to buy it and sell it that way without involving the forum. I feel the mission of this forum is the persuit of knowledge not profit.

Lew

[TVV]

Gentlemen,

Let's calm down.

First, let us remember that participation in this forums is a privilege. So is advertising in the swap forum, and currently it is a free service available to all members. Eventually, it is up to the people who created this on-line place, who pay for its hosting and who invest time and effort into maintaining it to decide what the purpose of the swap forum is and therefore what the rules, including the rules in the swap section, should be.

In light of the above, I do not consider this thread a popular vote, and I hope that my participation here is not going to be misconstrued as taking one side or another. It is a mere point of view. And in my point of view, it is only reasonable that different people have a different approach to selling (or buying) an item. I understand the concern that some members may use the forum in an attempt to get a profit. It is only rational human behaviour though. Let's say that someone posts an item, but no price, in hopes of getting an offer that exceeds this person's wildest dreams. Then let's say such an offer is actually presented. In the end, both parties will likely be happy, because the buyer would have acquired the item at an amount proposed and thus perfectly acceptable by the buyer, and the seller will get more than expected. Perhaps the buyer would have over-paid for the item, but this was the buyer's decision, which he was not tricked into. And also, collecting is an irrational hobbi, and prices are determined based on too many subjective factors, so it is perfectly possible for an item to be worth more to one person than to anyone else. On top of this, most of the items we collect, are more or less unique.

I also prefer seeing a posted price, because when I shop I like to compare my options. However, sellers also want to have options to compare.

With this in mind, let me just point out that I would be happy whatever the final decision is, as long as we are able to keep this privilege of the swap forum and it is not taken away from us. Seeing the way the discussion is going, I am starting to get worried that the swap forum might be closed altogether.

[Dajak]

Originally Posted by LOUIEBLADES

Alex/Ben

I am on a friendly basis with many of the members of this forum and feel like we are a band of brothers here and many times I have sold items at or below my cost because I am looking to buy something new or I have lost interest in a certain ethnographic area and I am just looking to sell off what I no longer have interest in. I don't think any member should be using the forum as a profit outlet. So please if a member has an item and he does not want to put up the price up front they should send out private emails to the people they think will want to buy it and sell it that way without involving the forum. I feel the mission of this forum is the persuit of knowledge not profit.

Lew

Let the people decide what they want to do you don't need to decide for them .


Ben

[fernando]

Originally Posted by LOUIEBLADES

... and many times I have sold items at or below my cost because I am looking to buy something new or I have lost interest in a certain ethnographic area and I am just looking to sell off what I no longer have interest in ...

Your statement gives me some confort, for i am glad i'm not alone in that issue.
Fernando

[Norman McCormick]

Hi,
I don't understand why some sellers are so coy about posting the price they want for a particular item, if they are knowledgeable enough then they will know the true value of their goods. Maybe they should take into account that potential buyers may not be comfortable with making an offer on an item that they are not totally familiar with. Remember a buyer neither wishes to appear ignorant or insulting by offering a price that is too low but then again is understandingly reticent in offering a price that may be over the right and proper market value. I don't think any Forum members would knowingly take advantage of another in either direction. The price a seller originally paid for an item has absolutely no bearing on subsequent sales, the marketplace is full of swings and roundabouts. What's wrong with a guide price, something the seller would be more than happy with and take it from there, haggling is an ancient and respectable method of reaching a price that both parties find acceptable.
Regards,
Norman.

[fernando]

Originally Posted by ALEX

Fernando, this is the most ridiculous comment one can come up with when talking about ANY antiques (I am sorry - I am saying it in a friendly way). I am sure some people do it - and this is their choice, but believe me - it's amature and very low grade. No serious antique collector, dealer or intelligent seller volunteer their cost. It is mostly used to trick a buyer as to saying "look, I am doing you a favor by selling with such a low profit", and it always irritates me. The market and individual interests should dictate the price, not what the seller paid for it! Economics 101 (and little common sense):-)
this is why I'd not put it for sale here (regretfully), I'll take it to an auction and let the market decide the price, not politics:-)

I should thank you for your opinion, Alex, once you consider it a friendly one
You might either find my coment ridiculous, as a result of having reasoning over it, or just call it so, as a reaction, which is a different thing; or you just didn't get my point, due to my poor english.
I was only trying to remind you that you were demonstrating a recipee vocationed to profit speculation, and not at all an intention to let go something without loosing the money you invested plus the costs involved in its timely maintainance, inflation and that kind of eventual added values.
It is realy hard to exchange opinnions with someone who atributes a marketing identity to the articles they want to sell, as their intention is not to pass the said article on to the next guy for collecting reasons, but indeed a purpose of making good money with it ... eventually including to buy the thing in the first place with the idea to sell it, and never to keep it.
I don't think anybody is considering that being a dealer is wrong, for what matters; what could be wrong and is (i think) under discussion is the place where dealers want to exercize their skills ... like in this comunity swap forum.
Fernando.

[Dajak]

Originally Posted by LOUIEBLADES

Ben

I'm sure you have a very good idea who in this forum collects your style of weapons and who from your past business dealings with can afford to by them and not waste your time with fruitless emails. So my solution is since you have so many wonderful pieces you should just send out a private listing to those members and not bother doing a general posting. That way no one's feelings will be hurt when they ask or send you an offer they think is reasonable or affordable and you turn them down.

Lew

Lew don't tell me what I have to do I am not your son .


Ben

[Norman McCormick]

Hi,
To possibly satisfy all parties why not have an " Offers Over " system as advocated by Radleigh, e.g. an item is advertised at Offers Over a price selected by the seller, those who are interested will know roughly what kind of price is anticipated and can offer what they want over that price, the seller can either accept immediately or set a closing date for offers i.e. a date after which no more offers are sought, and then decide which offer to accept on the proviso of course that they, the seller, is not obliged to accept the highest or indeed any offer. This is still a form of closed auction but is has been the way Scottish real estate has been sold for a very long time and seems to work well for both buyer and seller. In the case of property, of course, most people would seek independent 'expert' advice on price.
Regards,
Norman.

[David]

I have no authority as a moderator in this particular forum....but i do have some close friends who do.
I strongly suggest that this conversation gets civil fast or this topic might very well become one that you might only be able to discuss one-to-one in PMs.

[Dajak]

Originally Posted by LOUIEBLADES

Ben

I'm sure you have a very good idea who in this forum collects your style of weapons and who from your past business dealings with can afford to by them and not waste your time with fruitless emails. So my solution is since you have so many wonderful pieces you should just send out a private listing to those members and not bother doing a general posting. That way no one's feelings will be hurt when they ask or send you an offer they think is reasonable or affordable and you turn them down.

Lew

This says solution not suggestion a way different or do I see this wrong



I really don t need your solution on what I do or not Lew I tougth I made this clear .



I think everyone has to be free in his choice with or with out price that is my point .


And I not intend to take things personal to anyone but it is only my reaction what I think .

I don't think it is normall to put anyone your will on that he has it to do the way you want and nothing else .

It is an free world . (at least overhere in the Netherlands)


It also would hurt people if they see an nice weapon that priced 10,000.00
and they see it sold in 2 days.


Ben

[Lew]

It also would hurt people if they see an nice weapon that priced 10,000.00
and they see it sold in 2 days.


Ben[/QUOTE]


Ben

It would not hurt me at all I am quite aware of what I can afford to spend on an item so if someone with deep pockets buys it good for them and I hope they are happy with there purchase. At the Timonium auction this past March many swords went for over 25,000 USD and that is fine with me I did not loose any sleep over it.

Lew

[CourseEight]

Originally Posted by LOUIEBLADES

It would not hurt me at all I am quite aware of what I can afford to spend on an item so if someone with deep pockets buys it good for them and I hope they are happy with there purchase. At the Timonium auction this past March many swords went for over 25,000 USD and that is fine with me I did not loose any sleep over it.

Lew

Ditto Lew; I see stuff sold on for sale sites and Ebay everyday I can't afford. Some of it, I wouldn't want to spend that price even if I could. Doesn't mean it isn't worth what was paid for it to the seller or to the buyer, just that I have no interest in being a part of that particular market.

[Rick]

Here's how I feel; I apologize if anyone takes offense; it is not meant .

I have a problem with viewing Swap as a 'strictly commercial' zone of these forums .

I don't think forums should be in the business of providing venues for dealers .

Let's please keep it civil Gentlemen .