Dealing with delusional/unreasonable sellers...

[stratjacket]

I believe the reasoning behind this approach, at least for me, is, getting cash for gear these days is pretty uncommon. So, to make the cash look more appealing than that of a trade. Most deals I do these days are trades. The cash value is marked lower than the actual trade value. So, the trades should be apples to apples.

This is the way a I look at it as well. Cash value is reduced to give a better deal for someone willing to pay cash. Cash is king. Trade value is closer to the real asking price.
Another reason I may have a higher trade value is because i can take the shipping costs out of a cash deal, but a trade, is I’m having to pay my own cash to ship.

 

[blackba]

I have some items that are worth more to me when what the current market dictates that they are worth, but I don't list them for sale.
I also have a good number of things that I would sell if a buyer came along with the right price. In either of these cases if I happen to list these things I might be like the sellers that have no touch with reality.

I have also seen where a spouse forces them to list something, but they don't really want to sell it.

Just providing some context as to some of the reasons why people are not willing to budge on their unreasonable prices. For me I just move on.

 

[the rossness]

I deal with this all the time in the Real Estate world. Maybe someone bought their home for $700k when the economy was good and now wants to sell it for whatever reason. Let's say they're moving cross-country for a new job. But now they're house is only worth half of what they paid. Because its a personal investment, and a big one, they say to themselves. "I know MY house is worth X amount. I bought it for $700k and someone else will too". And the house just sits and sits on the market. Maybe they'll receive an offer for something like $550k and they immediately reject it. And the house will continue to sit on the market. Months turn into years and they have a home that they're unwilling to sell.

Part of the issue is them losing money and its a fact I'd love to tell clients, " hey, tough shit- bad investment. Cut your losses and move one". But that's not what clients want to hear. they want you to wine and dine them instead of telling them the truth. The other issue is pride. Even if they accept the fact that they're going to lose money and confide to me that they'll accept a much lower offer, they still list the home for some stupid price because they don't want to lose respect with their peers. They want to make it seem like everything is alright.

In the Real Estate world, I get it. Some sellers will stick to their price no matter what logic says. In retail world it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. If A product has been sitting for a year, I might accept an"current market value" offer. It might be much lower than what I was asking. I had my Jackson PC1 listed for over a year for $1600. In the end, I sold it for about half of that. I just couldn't move it. I almost never played it either and it just collected dust. There's a Pablo Santana Soloist semi-hollow that Fullers Vintage Guitars has had listed for a LOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNBNGGGGG. I played it when I was in Texas 4 years ago and liked it quite a bit. Its price is too high, no one is buying it, and the shop is still selling the damn thing 4 rears later. I made them an offer 2 years ago only to have it immediately rejected. If only people could understand that not everything is a profit, the sales world would be much easier to navigate.

 

[splatter]

.

 

[splatter]

Some people have it in their ind that what they have is worth more than what you have.

I run into this on trades. Say i have something listed for $1000 and trade value at $1200

This needs explaining as it’s very different to how I operate.
If I’m selling for $X, then my trade value is...$X as I’m trading for an item that is also used - it’s a level playing field. How does the trade value rise 20% over the sale value?

In a comparable example, I’m selling a car for $1000, and then take it to a dealer to trade it against a new model. The trade-in value is then much less than my market value as the dealer has to then sell it on afterwards.
To bring that into this situation, you trade your $1000 item against something else, but for $1200, so the buyer at the other end has overpaid by 20% and is then in negative equity on your item. As they are trading an item too, then their trade value also rises by 20%, surely? It looks like the 20% is simply there so that one side's needs over-rule those of the other. They really want the trade more, so you expect a premium, but why would you trade for something you don’t want? You appear to be acting like the car dealer and want to sell the traded item on for a profit in order to pay for your time. However, you are inflating your item's value, which is not how the dealer, or the market, works. To be the same, you would have to reduce the trade-in value of the buyer's item, rather than inflate the price of yours.
Not that I agree with either tactic. I’m simply trying to make sense of it.

I believe the reasoning behind this approach, at least for me, is, getting cash for gear these days is pretty uncommon. So, to make the cash look more appealing than that of a trade. Most deals I do these days are trades. The cash value is marked lower than the actual trade value. So, the trades should be apples to apples.

this

 

[fretout]

Most of the deals I’ve made have been for cash, so I haven’t had to worry about any value/price ratio. While I haven’t run across this scenario selling personally, I initially was on the “your-list-price-is-your-value” side of the fence. But that doesn’t account for the seller that relisted his item discounted to hopefully get a sale.

While it seems unfair if a seller lists his Explorer at $900.00, and then after I contact him about a possible trade, he says his items value is $1,200. It would seem like his item should be valued at $900.00, like his ad states, but I understand cash is more “important” to him than a trade.

In the end, a trade is two sellers agreeing to sell items to each other. If an agreement can’t be made, no trade happens. I wouldn’t get upset if a seller was unreasonable, I’d just walk away. If the agreement is changed at the last minute, that’s where the pitchforks and torches could come out.

 

[D-Rock]

Unfortunately there is an ass for every seat or ....I guess that's the way sellers think!

Trying to not buy your JSX!!

Hah. I think my price is reasonable on that! I pulled it from Reverb. 21 "watchers", not one offer, (listed at $399, lowest price, and cleanest of only 3 on there). Practically give shit away and they "watch". I don't care, I'm fine keeping it.

Exactly, I don't play mine as much anymore but it's still a great sounding amp...and if I were to sell it I'd have to list it for $600 CDN and then deal with lowball offers. So screw it, I don't need the $3-400 bucks. The amp's worth more to me in other ways then just money.

 

[vultures]

Some people have it in their ind that what they have is worth more than what you have.

I run into this on trades. Say i have something listed for $1000 and trade value at $1200 Then after a couple of price drops I have it listed for $900. Someone always wants to trade and only give me $900 trade value fro mine but their trade value is through the roof

oh, there is a guy on here who pulls that. no matter what you have, your trade value is low, and his is high, for instance, I had a guitar that I was selling for 1800, a Les Paul Standard, mint, he tried to say the trade value was 1500, and sale price should be 1250. Anyhow, we ended up doing a trade, met in the middle, next thing I know, he is selling the guitar for $2500 the day he got it from me in the mail. I just avoid this dude now. There are a couple others but not to the extent of this guy. yeah, yeah, I know, people can charge what they want, but its irritating when they literally try every trick in the book to get you to go low insisting that your guitar is worth a fraction of what you believe it to be, then you see them selling it for WAY MORE than I listed for in the first place.

I feel as if I know the exact person you're talking about.

I deal with this all the time in the Real Estate world. Maybe someone bought their home for $700k when the economy was good and now wants to sell it for whatever reason. Let's say they're moving cross-country for a new job. But now they're house is only worth half of what they paid. Because its a personal investment, and a big one, they say to themselves. "I know MY house is worth X amount. I bought it for $700k and someone else will too". And the house just sits and sits on the market. Maybe they'll receive an offer for something like $550k and they immediately reject it. And the house will continue to sit on the market. Months turn into years and they have a home that they're unwilling to sell.

Part of the issue is them losing money and its a fact I'd love to tell clients, " hey, tough shit- bad investment. Cut your losses and move one". But that's not what clients want to hear. they want you to wine and dine them instead of telling them the truth. The other issue is pride. Even if they accept the fact that they're going to lose money and confide to me that they'll accept a much lower offer, they still list the home for some stupid price because they don't want to lose respect with their peers. They want to make it seem like everything is alright.

In the Real Estate world, I get it. Some sellers will stick to their price no matter what logic says. In retail world it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. If A product has been sitting for a year, I might accept an"current market value" offer. It might be much lower than what I was asking. I had my Jackson PC1 listed for over a year for $1600. In the end, I sold it for about half of that. I just couldn't move it. I almost never played it either and it just collected dust. There's a Pablo Santana Soloist semi-hollow that Fullers Vintage Guitars has had listed for a LOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNBNGGGGG. I played it when I was in Texas 4 years ago and liked it quite a bit. Its price is too high, no one is buying it, and the shop is still selling the damn thing 4 rears later. I made them an offer 2 years ago only to have it immediately rejected. If only people could understand that not everything is a profit, the sales world would be much easier to navigate.

I'm a Realtor as well, got too busy and I'm only doing referral deals now. Much easier, don't have to deal with anyone Couldn't stand dealing with people who'd throw $20k+ into a bathroom and another $50k+ into a kitchen and wonder why their $700k house isn't at least $800k or more! I try to tell people it's like driving a new car off the lot, you lose value instantly. They just don't get it. Or the folks that refuse to pay $1,000-2,000 to have someone paint the interior walls and maybe a few hundred on Daylight Lightbulbs for the whole house. Nobody likes a gross yellow-lit home with nasty looking walls... Man I could go on and on.

Guitar's are similar, just on a smaller scale. It's a buyers market right now, nothing's selling.

 

[Racerxrated]

Some people have it in their ind that what they have is worth more than what you have.

I run into this on trades. Say i have something listed for $1000 and trade value at $1200 Then after a couple of price drops I have it listed for $900. Someone always wants to trade and only give me $900 trade value fro mine but their trade value is through the roof

oh, there is a guy on here who pulls that. no matter what you have, your trade value is low, and his is high, for instance, I had a guitar that I was selling for 1800, a Les Paul Standard, mint, he tried to say the trade value was 1500, and sale price should be 1250. Anyhow, we ended up doing a trade, met in the middle, next thing I know, he is selling the guitar for $2500 the day he got it from me in the mail. I just avoid this dude now. There are a couple others but not to the extent of this guy. yeah, yeah, I know, people can charge what they want, but its irritating when they literally try every trick in the book to get you to go low insisting that your guitar is worth a fraction of what you believe it to be, then you see them selling it for WAY MORE than I listed for in the first place.

That's like throwing a big bag of shit towards your face. Honestly if they did that here, I'd say give them the Ban Hammer.
Total Bullshit.

 

[kurtsstuff2003]

I take losses all the time but..I just consider it the price of education..College ain't cheap.

 

[napalmdeath]

Some people have it in their ind that what they have is worth more than what you have.

I run into this on trades. Say i have something listed for $1000 and trade value at $1200 Then after a couple of price drops I have it listed for $900. Someone always wants to trade and only give me $900 trade value fro mine but their trade value is through the roof

oh, there is a guy on here who pulls that. no matter what you have, your trade value is low, and his is high, for instance, I had a guitar that I was selling for 1800, a Les Paul Standard, mint, he tried to say the trade value was 1500, and sale price should be 1250. Anyhow, we ended up doing a trade, met in the middle, next thing I know, he is selling the guitar for $2500 the day he got it from me in the mail. I just avoid this dude now. There are a couple others but not to the extent of this guy. yeah, yeah, I know, people can charge what they want, but its irritating when they literally try every trick in the book to get you to go low insisting that your guitar is worth a fraction of what you believe it to be, then you see them selling it for WAY MORE than I listed for in the first place.

That's like throwing a big bag of shit towards your face. Honestly if they did that here, I'd say give them the Ban Hammer.
Total Bullshit.

Out that fucker. Who is it?

 

[fretout]

Some people have it in their ind that what they have is worth more than what you have.

I run into this on trades. Say i have something listed for $1000 and trade value at $1200 Then after a couple of price drops I have it listed for $900. Someone always wants to trade and only give me $900 trade value fro mine but their trade value is through the roof

oh, there is a guy on here who pulls that. no matter what you have, your trade value is low, and his is high, for instance, I had a guitar that I was selling for 1800, a Les Paul Standard, mint, he tried to say the trade value was 1500, and sale price should be 1250. Anyhow, we ended up doing a trade, met in the middle, next thing I know, he is selling the guitar for $2500 the day he got it from me in the mail. I just avoid this dude now. There are a couple others but not to the extent of this guy. yeah, yeah, I know, people can charge what they want, but its irritating when they literally try every trick in the book to get you to go low insisting that your guitar is worth a fraction of what you believe it to be, then you see them selling it for WAY MORE than I listed for in the first place.

That's like throwing a big bag of shit towards your face. Honestly if they did that here, I'd say give them the Ban Hammer.
Total Bullshit.

Out that fucker. Who is it?

Yes, as a PSA for the rest of the userdom...