[HiWire]

I think part of the confusion here stems from the appearance of a public auction... Head-Fi sales are actually more like the Classified ads on fast-forward, where you can see something being sold and price-adjusted on a daily or weekly basis. The closing price of the sale can be private, but I think it's fine to keep the original and adjusting prices posted.

As a buyer, I like seeing the prices as it gives me a good general idea of an item's market value. Keeping the original price postings allows people to do some historical analysis; instead of forcing us to watch the For Sale/Trade forums constantly, as I have been doing lately, to memorize the going prices before they disappear. Market prices will remain in fluctuation due to supply and demand, regardless of past "listed" prices.

Some members don't list prices at all, preferring to negotiate price and conditions of sale in private messages. The beauty of this forum is that each seller has the choice of how he/she will conduct the sale, shipping, and method of payment.

 

[zachary80]

I think the price should be left in. Obviously the factors are not the same for every transaction and it would only make sense for prices to differ.

I don't understand why some people worry that one person offering a low price on an item he has one of will make everyone sell at that price. If no one else sells at that price, no one buys at it. Even if there did happen to be, heaven forbid it, direct competition, I think we would all survive.

 

[widds2v]

It annoys me as well. 99% of the time, the sale is going to remain anon unless there is only one poster in the thread, even then it's not guarenteed that someone didn't just send a PM to the seller and not make a post about it in the sale thread.

Countless times I've wanted to see what something is worth and I get smacked in the face with a SOLD. To the people who say "well its whatever I want to sell it for or you're willing to pay for it"... either way there is an average price that stuff goes for. A Ray Samuels SR71 is not gonna go for $100 from one trader, $220 from another, and $600 from another. Used Ety ER4 for example generally go for $150-200. But if you're interested in buying a pair and dont know that you shouldnt have to swift through 60 threads just because the previous 59 blocked out their final selling price.

 

[zoboomofo]

I hate seeing the prices removed after a sale. But the market is so competitive here these days that it suits the forum for sellers to approach these ads in a business-like manner. Why show your hand if you don't have to? Being coy may pay off in a later transaction, or as was previously mentioned it's a courtesy to the next guy trying to make a buck for his wares. I loved visiting the for-sale forums when it was a buyer's market - I felt like a kid in a candy store -, but I guess the website attitudes have grown along with the membership. There's more effort to give sellers some kind of break. We're going to have to learn to love the "Asking for $Sold" ads, the price-unlisted interest checks, and the "I'm thinking of a reserve number" auctions with demand so high for our toys.

 

[Oink1]

I don't block the price for any reason other than a big sold where the price was saves the thread being needlesly bumped and it saves potential buyers the hassle of reading the thread, only to find a 'sold' post at the end/a couple of pages on...

 

[widds2v]

SOLD

so why not do that ^^ at the very top of the post. Maybe we could have some anon database of sale transactions that just lists a price, not who sold it. So people who are interested in an item could get a general rough idea of how much something costs, to see if it's within reach.

 

[Elec]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TenaciousO The thing about these kinds of arguments that bugs me a lot is that they suggest there is some kind of duty on the part of a seller to a third party outside the comtemplation of the original transaction. Why the heck should a seller care about any person other than the person he is transacting with? Just because Head-fi is the forum for the transaction? This concept is really beyond me. I genuinely believe that if you want to sell an item, you should bear the entire burden of doing research and coming up with a reasonable price. Asking others to disclose the details of their private transactions against their wishes not only invades their right of privacy but also asks them to do some of the work for you. If you can't determine an accurate price, post a price you think is reasonable. If you do not draw any attention, that is probably a signal that your price is too high. If you get overwhelming attention, maybe your price is too low. I'm sorry for the rant, but it just boggles my mind that some of you think the rules of capitalism should be bent just because Head-Fi is involved. [size=xx-small]If it wasn't already obvious, I was an econ major by the way. [/size]

If you look again, I actually said BUY

If I'm trying to buy HeadphoneX, I'll probably go into FS/T and see if anybody is selling one. If there are none currently up for sale, I might try to figure out what the usual going rate for them is so I can decide whether the discount is enough to make up for getting somebody's hand-me-down. If all I can find is $SOLD and I want 'em badly enough, I'll just go buy a new pair instead of waiting or posting a WTB and a potential seller will lose out.

Even with selling, I agree with jjcha that it doesn't necessarily hurt the seller any to leave the price up (at least the initial "advertised" price, if not all the drops/negotiation). If I decide to sell my Etys and want to undercut everyone else who has ever sold Etys on here, none of them should care because I'm not competing with them. Their gear is already sold , hence the annoying $SOLD in the ad. Sellers can do whatever they want, and I'm sure they will continue to. It just annoys me if I'm trying to figure out roughly what some bit of used gear is worth or going for and can't find any prices. If sellers REALLY want a private transaction, they might as well just post "Selling ItemX. Please PM or email for details or to make an offer" and conduct all business out of public view. Or just delete all FS/T threads as soon as they conclude. Would cut down on clutter at least.

 

[Gigabomber]

I started to leave a little tidbit for people looking to sell like "FYI to other sellers, the item sold for $$$" just to make it easier and give folks a price-point at a particular time.
The only reason I can think of to not do that would be if the buyer didn't want anyone to know they were (semi)rich with the emphasis on semi and were, though most information goes through private messages anyway.

 

[tortie]

If I have time or if I can remember to do it, I usually delete the price after I have sold the item so that the buyer can price the item whatever he wants when he decides to sell it later.

 

[midlife]

Quote:

Originally Posted by violante There really isn't a reason for this thread to be getting serious, because for the most part Head-Fiers are honest and courteous. However, after being asked by a buyer to remove the price from my thread to "prevent lowballers" when eventually deciding to sell, and then reselling the item later that day for about 25% more than I paid or sold the item for, I have a bit of a problem with this topic.

Well...never thought about this possibility. Generally I've always found Head-Fi to be a laid back and well moderated forum, and all of my sales and purchases have been very pleasant transactions. I've never encountered profit gouging or wrongly advertised items. Even the occasional threads about small business builders and their questionable delivery times etc... seem to get sorted out in the end. But I guess it never hurts to be careful. Though there seems to be no consensus in either this or the other similar threads I've subsequently found, thanks for all of the replies, and if anyone is interested in a slightly used set of apple earbuds, they're yours for $200. USD. Plus shipping.