[ericj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nauxolo /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think the main reason this practice is done is b/c of the 75% used goods fee. In a sense, replacing the price with "SOLD" makes it easier for users on this forum to try different headphones without fear that their gear will lose value.

I know that people who have bought headphones here and then want to re-sell them have actually asked the people they bought them from to remove the price from their listing.

But i think it's not as big of a problem as these people think it is.

 

[PhilS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by linuxworks /img/forum/go_quote.gif how strange that I don't see this 'fear of revealing price' in the photo world or the video world. only the audio world has this fear of telling what the price is you are asking or paying. this MUST indicate that we are being gouged and that its an embarrassment to really let others know the price.

The market for audio equipment, including used audio equipment on Head-Fi, would appear to be highly competitive. The notion that people are being "gouged" is ridiculous, particularly given the fact that people are free to buy or not buy, and most items can be purchased from one or more sellers at different prices if one just waits a day or two. The fact that people remove prices has nothing to do with "gouging."

Quote:

Originally Posted by linuxworks /img/forum/go_quote.gif with dacs and amps selling for thousands of dollars, YES, its a black mark on the industry. I don't see this kind of disproportionate pricing on cameras, for example. why are audio folks so gullible to extreme pricing, then?

If there's such a huge profit margin, and audio buyers are such suckers, why don't you go into the business, charge half price for the dacs and amps you are talking about, and make a killing? You should be able to corner the market, right?

 

[appophylite]

Quote:

Originally Posted by linuxworks /img/forum/go_quote.gif how strange that I don't see this 'fear of revealing price' in the photo world or the video world. only the audio world has this fear of telling what the price is you are asking or paying. this MUST indicate that we are being gouged and that its an embarrassment to really let others know the price. all the talk about 'its worth what its worth' is just people trying to guard the old model of sales. its over guys! the internet rendered your sacred secret price-books PUBLIC. you can try to hide your data but its not going to work long-term. give it up. its like the old media companies fighting online music. its a losing battle (for them). maybe with HONEST value pricing on audio it won't be so embarrassing what you paid for that amp or dac? hmmmm?? with dacs and amps selling for thousands of dollars, YES, its a black mark on the industry. I don't see this kind of disproportionate pricing on cameras, for example. why are audio folks so gullible to extreme pricing, then? this sure seems to strike a nerve with some folks. that's pretty telling in itself, actually.

Actually, I feel that this has more to do with the fact that with photo equipment and video equipment, you can determine visually whether something is better. A camera with a better sensor and higher Megapixel count is going to generate a better picture and this can be proven with nothing more than the click of a button. With audio, things are fuzzier as different people will think differently with regards to what constitutes good sound and what doesn't.

Personally, I've never had a problem with sellers replacing their prices with 'Sold'. I will pay what I want to pay for what I want and I will sell it for what I can get. It matters little to me that the other guy got what I got for less than I paid or sold it for more than I did.

 

[mr_baseball_08]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ericj /img/forum/go_quote.gif I bought two Yamaha YH-1's for less than $25/ea shipped. Many of them, in similar condition, have sold for $150 or more. I think $150 is too high. Even if someone is offering me $150. But i might take it, too. Does that make someone elses YH-1 worth $150? No. Does it make someone elses YH-1 worth only $25? No. My YH-100 was free. A lot of them sell for more than $300. I'm not selling mine. I once charged $65 just to clean and refurbish a pair.

You say that and you also say this:

Quote:

Originally Posted by ericj /img/forum/go_quote.gif The value of a given item is precisely the amount of money someone is willing to give you for it in the instant that the transaction takes place. Not a penny more, not a penny less. And as that moment passes, it becomes nothing but a historical reference, and a weak bargaining point. Just because i buy something for $10 doesn't mean it's not worth $100 to someone else. And there's nothing immoral or unethical about that.

So I'm confused. You seem to be contradicting yourself.

 

[ericj]

Wait a minute, now i get it.

Some people think there's some kind of rule that they should only have to pay the same or less than the least someone else paid for something, regardless of market forces.

No such rule exists. The fair price is the price you agree upon, assuming the seller is honest about the condition of the item.

If you really want to be upset, you could whine about the "IC" offerings that result in completely silent transactions for amounts of money higher than most people would ever consider a fair price.

There are limits to this philosophy - We are a community here and people shouldn't be taken advantage of. But most of us are smart enough that it isn't exactly as though head-fiers are buying "old used gold jewelry" and then offering 10 cents on the dollar once we've got the metal in hand.

I remember whe i sold my ATH-A900, the first thing i did was search for WTB threads. I found one and sent a PM, explaining in detail the condition of my A900 and saying i wanted $90. Which fwiw would mean that i lost a few bucks on the transaction, given that i'd put A1000 pads on them.

He tried to lowball me. Offered me $75. I said my price was firm and he didn't respond.

So i listed it for iirc $120 and explained it's features and faults in detail, and offered to reterminate the cable with 1/4 or 1/8 neutrik for a few bucks more because the factory plug was slightly tweaked and i didn't have the screw-on adapter anyway.

I had three offers in two hours. As i understand it the buyer was quite satisfied with the transaction.

 

[olblueyez]

Bi-Polar

 

[krmathis]

ericj is spot on imo!
One items selling price don't have to be a reflection of the products current going price. Since it depends on how much the seller want for it, how much the buyer are willing to pay, and more (ex. condition, location, ...). Its also a fact that the announced price may not be the exact selling price.

 

[ericj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by krmathis /img/forum/go_quote.gif ericj is spot on imo! One items selling price don't have to be a reflection of the products current going price. Since it depends on how much the seller want for it, how much the buyer are willing to pay, and more (ex. condition, location, ...). Its also a fact that the announced price may not be the exact selling price.

I admit that it's awkward to be unsure how much to ask for something, and awkward to be unsure how much to offer for something.

But this thread isn't about awkwardness. Some people want a hard and fast price for audio gear the same way they would for cameras, or rare coins, or wrist watches.

My Poljot Buran Chronograph with 3133 movement and chromed brass case is worth about $120 because it just is. The people who buy these know exactly what they are and they have an accepted system of valuation for them. It's not at all rare and supply arguably exceeds demand. It's only worth $120 because it's the cheezy version without a stainless or titanium case, and without any kind of luminous markings on the dial, and because there are only minor scratches on it.

What's my AKG K500 worth? Who the heck knows. But some people would prefer to know for sure.

This is what leads to those books wherein are compiled the 'values' of collectable items. Which, fwiw, are total nonsense.

I used to know an obsessive starwars collector. This guy had his own suit of storm trooper armor. A Tusken Raider guarded his bedroom and he had Jawas in his livingroom. An entire room in his house was packed with his collectables.

One day he was feeling a bit poor and so he filled a banker's box with all the stuff he felt he could part with, and headed down to the hobby store.

Where a man bearing a strong resemblance to Jeff Albertson pawed through it for a few seconds and said "I'll give you a hundred bucks for the whole lot".

My friend exclaimed "But that's the original Luke Skywalker right on top, still in the package, and he's holding his lightsaber! That's worth $100 by itself!"

At which point, the comic book guy reached behind the counter and lifted up a large bin full of still-in-the-box Skywalkers holding their light sabers and asked, "In that case, do you want to buy some of mine?"