Are peolple desperate to buy stuff?

[Hemi]

I'm not sure what is going on, but assume that due to COVID 19 and lack of supply, people are desperate to buy stuff....

That is judging by the posts on the classifieds.

1. Often times items are overpriced, in fact sometimes the same or more than what can be had from the supplier, shipped.

2. It seems that the buyer must be privileged to buy the stuff, with adds that stipulate local pickup within a 5m geolocation. Heaven forbid that you might want it shipped....OK will ship, but because its a privilege to buy from me, you must organise all the packaging, sending etc. Ok Ok Ok I will dump the stuff that you've been privileged to pay for, at a courier of your choice, but you have to organise it....ALL.

3. I consider our hobby, a hobby, I never NEED anything for it, just WANT things on occasion (frequently ), but why would I buy from anyone that forgets that they are the seller wanting to sell something.

I NEVER RANT, but there is always an exception to every rule

Apologies to anyone ive unintentionally offended.

[xelasnave]

I also often think the prices some folk ask are unrealistic and I expect that for anyone that knows what they are doing and have got a clue they will never meet the sellers price...however I expect what I see as a highly priced item may be picked up by someone new and unfamiliar with the range of where a reasonable price should be....as to shipping ..if a vendor does not wish to ship so be it...with all these sorts of things you do not have to be concerned unless you have been directly effected..if you have paid a too high a price maybe you should have looked around longer..if the add says pick up only read no further.
There is no need to be worried..it is what it is.
Merry Christmas.
Alex

[dannat (Daniel)]

i think many people have more time, so are looking to explore new hobbies and many goods are experiencing above average sales

my mountain bike hobby has seen barely a mtb to be bought in all of melbourne

loom at the kmart shelves of home gym gear, empty

other that in general there has been a across the board price range for many goods, not groceries but disposable items

[raymo]

I agree Hemi. Some carriers/couriers will even provide all the packaging and pack it for you. I sold my HEQ5, tripod, and 8" Newt, and some other
accessories. Just dumped the lot onto the counter, and for $70 they took it from there. [packaging wise]. Arrived nicely packed and undamaged.
Every sale I have made over the years has been to the Eastern States, not
one local pick up.
raymo

[Stonius (Markus)]

And asking a buyer to cover your paypal fees is a dick move, IMO.


Maybe buyers should ask the seller to cover the interest on their credit card? So stupid.


-Markus

[xa-coupe (Jeff)]

I've noticed that the second hand market is pretty hot, but it's all about timing. Yesterday I believe I got a smoking deal and the seller was a great guy to boot. I did pick it up which helped, but I have only been looking at Melbourne based stuff for ease of transport.


A lot of it is patience and opportunity.

[Nikolas (Nik)]

Originally Posted by Stonius

And asking a buyer to cover your paypal fees is a dick move, IMO.


Maybe buyers should ask the seller to cover the interest on their credit card? So stupid.


-Markus

It's actually against the terms of paypal to ask the buyer to cover the fees.
I don't do paypal as it's too risky, especially for a seller.

[Rainmaker (Matt)]

I think the demand is certainly outstripping supply at the moment with many suppliers hamstrung by the pandemic. The weaker AUD has also meant importing stuff is less attractive and this leads to used gear being more in demand and sellers know that.

As for some comments here, I see no reason that a private seller should absorb PayPal fees. The seller sets a price that he is happy to sell at, if he has to add for PP fees then it seems unfair to those who deal in cash or bank transfers.

I don't trust transport companies with optical gear too much... especially as they don't accept responsibility for damage to optics unless they pack the items themselves.

I live in Canberra and drove to Queensland to collect a Dob that became the donor for my Excalibur, I also drove to Brisbane to collect my TMB-LZOS refractor. I drove to Melbourne for my Skylight AR101 and to Mildura for a mint FSQ106ED ($3900).
I actually paid over the asking price for the Skylight and the FSQ..........

[TrevorW]

Several things a person should do before selling any second hand item are a) check new price then allow for depreciation subject to replacement cost, some items retain their value even over time while most don't b) ascertain cost of shipping across AUST but if pick up only say so c) state whether fixed price or open to offers d) if more than one item whether sold as a whole or items can be purchased individually


I've noticed several times people advertising second hand items for near new prices I've even have made them aware of it, because people using this site are not dumb(mostly)

[Rainmaker (Matt)]

Originally Posted by TrevorW

Several things a person should do before selling any second hand item are a) check new price then allow for depreciation subject to replacement cost, some items retain their value even over time while most don't b) ascertain cost of shipping across AUST but if pick up only say so c) state whether fixed price or open to offers d) if more than one item whether sold as a whole or items can be purchased individually


I've noticed several times people advertising second hand items for near new prices I've even have made them aware of it, because people using this site are not dumb(mostly)

Shipping varies quite a bit on larger items, especially if insurance is required by the buyer so it really is only feasible to calculate accurately after a buyer is found.

I think buyers do need to do their homework regards an acceptable price.

Personally I find some "Low-Ball" offers insulting (so much so that I will refuse to deal with the person even if they should then offer more)......
I've had people offer $2K for a scope advertised for $4K and they then get upset when I refuse to deal with them at all ......

[yoda776 (Matt)]

As a buyer I would agree you need to do your homework - check astro stores or going prices in the past on IceInSpace - there is a search facility. That can be a true indicator of whether something is overpriced or a good deal.

As a seller I would agree I have had a mixed bag - sometimes I think I know a price for something and other times I do not (I try to research). I try my best and planning on selling more. Selling fees for paypal ... hmmm yes they do gouge sellers in fees and there is the paypal shuffle as well where someone can dupe you and say they never go the item or it was mysteriously damaged. Mind you I have been stung with bank deposit and on someone with a number of posts and history. On the whole though those I have chosen to buy from have been generally very good.

I do not mind shipping either - mind you the cost charged is always at cost by courier / post service with insurance / registered.

Mind you people would not sell things for the price they do if people did not buy them either ... I have seen some pretty high prices for gear too but then again I look and do not go any further. Mind you there is supply and demand as well.

What does bother me though is ads where there is not much description and no image - it is good to see what you are getting and the condition it is in (even if it is one good photo), especially when a good amount of money changes hands for the item. Probably missed some good items over the years but will only buy this way or at least ask for images / more detail to satisfy myself of the purchase.

Sorry also for the detail.

[jahnpahwa (JP)]

The answer is yes. Desperate as. I hate having money, makes me feel dull and being close to poverty keeps my kids sharp, hungry. Life is vibrant on the edge, even more so when shooting astro with gear you can't afford to replace.

[RB (Andrew)]

Originally Posted by jahnpahwa

The answer is yes. Desperate as. I hate having money, makes me feel dull and being close to poverty keeps my kids sharp, hungry. Life is vibrant on the edge, even more so when shooting astro with gear you can't afford to replace.

That’s the way...





RB

[Tropo-Bob (Bob)]

The classifieds are a strange market. At times, I think people only want to buy quality items and for them to be in mint condition. This does not suit me as I am a "Warts and all" kind of seller who points out the negatives rather than the positives. I have sold items in mint condition, but only normally describe them as being in very good condition. I do not want someone coming back to me saying they found blah and that I misled them.

On the other hand, I have sold of some items described as in fair condition and later seen the same items resold at a higher price and described as being mint.

I am at a disadvantage because local pickup is rare, so I act like there is no postage and carry the cost of postage myself.

Oh, I never go through paypal. I do not know how to use it and am a bit too tech phobic to learn.

All said though, it surprises me how few items there are for sale, particularly of my little obsession: eyepieces.

[Nikolas (Nik)]

I've also noticed some sellers being a little ambitious in their pricing, some selling second hand items at retail or above. I mean really?

I have always sold my goods no matter how little or greatly they have been used at a reasonable price. The old Karma train.

[multiweb (Marc)]

Originally Posted by jahnpahwa

The answer is yes. Desperate as. I hate having money, makes me feel dull and being close to poverty keeps my kids sharp, hungry. Life is vibrant on the edge, even more so when shooting astro with gear you can't afford to replace.

I feel the same way.

[LewisM]

Funny thread with typical responses.

Yep my recent ad was $12k for everything. That’s 60kg to 80kg of everything. If you think some of us sit on our butts all day watching TV rather than working, well join reality. Some of us work 12 hrs a day - I do. I don’t have time to not only put up with rude offers from people but to then pack it and send it? Yeah right. My offer was a Tak scope that is not currently being produced with a long lead time that’s sells for $6k new, a mount that is in the same situation (and is $7k new), 3 CCD cams, 2 lode stars, guidescope, flattener, extender, cases for the lot and so on. It’s a crap load of stuff and I didn’t even list it all. New, it was $16000 worth. I asked $12k. Near retail? Idjuts.

For years I sold stuff and posted, absorbing the post costs. You can only be abused by lowball entitled snowflakes for so long before it wears you thin and you get bitter (like now)

You didn’t get your obsessive toy at a bargain? Suck it up princess, you are not special. The rest of us had to pay the prices to get the stuff in the first place. And don’t cast too many stones - I’ve seen 2 comments here from people that charged more than new (Optolong filters as an example...)

Not aimed at anyone in particular, more a scattergun approach to this very me me me “society”.

[Rainmaker (Matt)]

Originally Posted by LewisM

Funny thread with typical responses.

Yep my recent ad was $12k for everything. That’s 60kg to 80kg of everything. If you think some of us sit on our butts all day watching TV rather than working, well join reality. Some of us work 12 hrs a day - I do. I don’t have time to not only put up with rude offers from people but to then pack it and send it? Yeah right. My offer was a Tak scope that is not currently being produced with a long lead time that’s sells for $6k new, a mount that is in the same situation (and is $7k new), 3 CCD cams, 2 lode stars, guidescope, flattener, extender, cases for the lot and so on. It’s a crap load of stuff and I didn’t even list it all. New, it was $16000 worth. I asked $12k. Near retail? Idjuts.

For years I sold stuff and posted, absorbing the post costs. You can only be abused by lowball entitled snowflakes for so long before it wears you thin and you get bitter (like now)

You didn’t get your obsessive toy at a bargain? Suck it up princess, you are not special. The rest of us had to pay the prices to get the stuff in the first place. And don’t cast too many stones - I’ve seen 2 comments here from people that charged more than new (Optolong filters as an example...)

Not aimed at anyone in particular, more a scattergun approach to this very me me me “society”.

[FlashDrive (Poppy)]

I've sold some very good gear over the years here and at quite reasonable and acceptable prices.

Sometimes I've let stuff go for a ' song ' ( and I've been told I was too cheap by some members via PM's and that's OK with me, I could have asked for more ) ...then there's the ' lowballers ' who want it even cheaper for quality gear with their only intent would be bragging about how they only paid such and such to their fellow astro'mates for expensive gear they didn't want to pay a proper price for... ( big noting themselves )

IMHO ...we all know what an item will cost at current retail price ( if you do a search ) and a s/h item being sold should reflect a price according to retail... obviously less would be the case ...but a fair one.

If I want something badly enough, I'll pay the asking price if I know it is within reason.

Col ( grumpy senior )

[GrahamL]

Nothings really ever overpriced I'm just always underfunded


I struggle with somone asking for offers , looking up a past sale seems to work as a guide but would much prefer a stated price .