Classified Pricing Etiquette

[SpiderWars]

I'm lazy. I have a minor in mathematics, but don't make me do the math.

How much do you want me to pay -- it's a simple fucking question

Its OK to be lazy, I'm lazy. But I don't have an expectation for others to make up for my laziness.

Small cheap items are one thing and I'll usually post it as "shipped and PPd" but the shipping difference is pretty massive between me shipping an amp to Nashville from Atlanta vs shipping to Portland from Atlanta. I'm not taking that loss and I wouldn't expect the buyer from Nashville to pay the same price when shipping could easily be double the price to Portland.

As a buyer this is what I want. Tell me what you want for the item and I'll figure out the shipping and if I want to pay the PP fee. In my view the PP fee is on the buyer and that goes for whether I'm the seller or the buyer. Buyer pays PP fee since they get all the protection.

And I'll just state what I thought was obvious: if you want to save some cash by buying used...it's gonna take some effort on your part. If you want to "buy lazy" then accept that you'll have to pay more or just buy new. Easy. And if you want to sell your stuff for a fair market price (or more), it's gonna take some effort on your part. Or just go the easy route and fire sale it at a loss where these details don't matter.. Easy.

 

[skoora]

But it’s so much fun to find a good price on Reverb for a guitar, then see in small print, shipping $200…..?
Haven’t sold anything in a very long time. I make my buying decisions with no flipping intended. Trying to sell locally is a minefield of tire kickers at best and people trying to rob you at worst. If I get financially desperate I would probably go the Reverb route. As a buyer I like what was posted earlier. Show two prices. One cash pickup, one PP and shipped. If you’re brave enough to Zelle or Cash app and ship, send an email.

 

[skoora]

Granted I'm not constantly flipping gear, but this seems to be true unfortunately. All this nuanced discussion about how we word our listings is probably irrelevant IMO. If someone really wants a piece of gear and your price is ballpark fair, you're gonna sell the shit even if it takes some back and forth to figure out final price/shipping/fees/etc.

The bigger issue at hand here is - how motivated are buyers these days? I'm just as guilty as the next guy...I peruse the classifieds often and there's so much shit that I desire, even listed at fair prices, but I continue to hold off because financially I'm pretty fucked right now. I've needed a new car since 2021 and it finally shit the bed so I had no choice but to throw down. Then my roof started leaking, medical bills, etc. I think a lot of people are hurting and all this gear just becomes superfluous.

Big time. I just got a great little amp that was a good deal at $350 and I had to actually think about it hard. It was a modded amp, so the level of FOMO was high and I even called my Wife to make sure there’d be no shit storm when I got home before buying it. Days past I wouldn’t have blinked at not getting it. If it wasn’t for 6 months, no interest through PP, I probably would have passed. Now I imagine what people are thinking when I want to sell a $2000 amp.

 

[glpg80]

You need to change the way you’re shipping things; that’s way too expensive. I use shipnerd. I usually have my own box and can weigh/measure the boxes myself. My breakdown for a ~50 lb amp is similar to this:

View attachment 217951

He’s not far off. A 50x30x30in box shipped across the USA is $290 3 day not including insurance using pirate ship. UPS quotes $500+ add $50 in shipping material costs. It’s unreal to ship anything anymore.

 

[RedB4Black]

He’s not far off. A 50x30x30in box shipped across the USA is $290 3 day not including insurance using pirate ship. UPS quotes $500+ add $50 in shipping material costs. It’s unreal to ship anything anymore.

who is shipping a box that big. I can ship any amp - double boxed - in a 36x16x16 double walled ULine box

 

[glpg80]

who is shipping a box that big. I can ship any amp - double boxed - in a 36x16x16 double walled ULine box

I’ve been forced to make my own boxes that have ended up that big - think 30x15x15 inside the larger box. Thanks for the plug for Uline boxes. I like the 36x18x18 275lbs rated box they have.

 

[scriptphase]

who is shipping a box that big. I can ship any amp - double boxed - in a 36x16x16 double walled ULine box

Can those be bought in a quantity of one or two?

Most cost-effective good box I've been able to find is U-Haul's Sports Utility box (15" x 15" x 48"), which I then cut the length down to the needed size. About $8 at a U-Haul store, but I don't have a decent store close so plus shipping it was $25 to the house last time.

 

[RedB4Black]

Can those be bought in a quantity of one or two?

Most cost-effective good box I've been able to find is U-Haul's Sports Utility box (15" x 15" x 48"), which I then cut the length down to the needed size. About $8 at a U-Haul store, but I don't have a decent store close so plus shipping it was $25 to the house last time.

Not sure. Shipping one box would be cost prohibitive though. I bought 10 for $140 shipped so $14 a box. Plus I got them next day.

 

[vultures]

I've seemed to notice that a lot of my listings, unless extremely desirable, do not sell if I put "Plus Shipping". I guess I'll just start guestimating shipping or eat it and just do "Shipped and PP'd" or "Shipped and PPFF".

 

[DanTravis62]

I can’t be bothered with getting shipping quotes for everyone who asks. I’ve done enough selling to about what it costs to ship things.

As a buyer I don’t want to deal with that either. I think in that case I personally would just offer a price that included shipping.

Or I’d send a shipping label. I wish more people would set up shipping accounts. Would make things easier. Just sell as $x plus fees and label. You don’t need any weight or dimensions on the label either… all that gets recalculated at the shipper anyway (FedEx/ups)

Yep. It's generally "all in" prices for anything I sell. It isn't my first rodeo, and I know exactly what it's going to cost to ship.

 

[TotallyRadGuitars]

Thanks for the plug for Uline boxes. I like the 36x18x18 275lbs rated box they have.

Unrelated funny story. Uline once sent a huge catalog of all of their products to my address - like a book, hundreds of pages - addressed to my girlfriend's name with the title "Shipping Manager."

We still laugh about it from time to time.

 

[Racerxrated]

I’ve been forced to make my own boxes that have ended up that big - think 30x15x15 inside the larger box. Thanks for the plug for Uline boxes. I like the 36x18x18 275lbs rated box they have.

I've saved boxes and bubble wrap so I have a decent supply to choose from. Takes up some space but to me, worth it to not have to chase down supplies.

 

[sthall]

its just easier to know how much is coming out of my pocket right off the bat