posted on June 24, 2001 10:31:00 PM
Well it happened again today. I purchased from a retired couple, and think I will make out quite well.
After we shot he breeze for awhile, and beleive me, the air got very stale, we set a price and made the exchange. I never made my intentions any secret at all.
This couple made it clear that they needed to clear out a lot of stuff, and I knew that they have dealt locally in collectibles for quite some time. I was thrilled to get my piece of their 'stuff'.
Just got to wondering later today, that they could have cleared it out themselves, and realized a significantly larger margin. But as they told me, they don't know the market these days. I know they are very much aware of ebay, etc. but it seems as tho they became overwhelmed by it all.
At one moment I feel greedy, and the next I feel like I have relieved them of their burden. Am I just rationalizing ? I know that I will be their age someday, but by that time we plan to living it up in our condo, drinking magaritas up, and showing our wrinkled cleavage to all the youngsters at the poolside. Won't be too long from now...
posted on June 25, 2001 05:42:12 AM
They are grown up people with more experience than you. If they don't want to be bothered to move the stuff why are you guilty? Do you feel you should do it as a free public service? I am assuming that you did not find someting for a couple hundred thousand and hide the fact?
A serious question -Are you one if these people whoes Mother taught them to be guilty about EVERYTHING as a tool to manipulate them the rest of their life? My wife is. It is a lousey thing to do to people but common. You have the same right to breath the same air as the rest of us.
posted on June 25, 2001 06:21:53 AM
My problem is a slight variation of your senerio.
I live in an elderly housing complex of just over 240 units and I've yet to find one among them that I can take advantage of.
Please tell me how you do it.
Everything I purchase is something I expect I can resell and hopefully at several time what I've paid for it.
Even on eBay and more often during the old flea market days I've sold things to people who intended to add some value by investing time, knowledge, contacts, presentation or reputation and resell the item at a profit.
Short of taking advantage of someone with diminished capacity, their offer to sell is often based on circumstances where there is a need get rid of stuff which outweighs the possibility of retaining the items for a possible higher selling price, at a later time, but requiring additional efforts.
If guilt still remains, contributions can be made to Lake Anne Fellowship House Residents Council where our meager funds have been severly depleted resently because we had to purchase an entire new set of balls for our Bingo machine.
posted on June 25, 2001 06:39:23 AM
Don't feel guilty, you completed a deal with folks who knew what they have, but haven't the gumption or wherewithal to divest themselves of it one piece at a time. You didn't force them to sell to you did you?
As long as there were no guns pointed at anyone's head, I think you did fine.
What sometimes gets me down is being a "vulture" and picking through someone's lifetime of memories after they've passed.
But hey, it helps pay the bills...
Mom, not everyone has a husband, some couples do have two sets of wrinkled cleavage! (Here in FL, we have lots of old men that DO have cleavage a lot bigger and more wrinkled than mine!)
posted on June 25, 2001 08:01:47 AM
Think of it this way. You are getting paid for the service you are providing, marketing these materials. If they wanted to do the work themselves, they could have. Some people would rather not spend their time figureing out the best way to sell this stuff, and just want it out of their house.
posted on June 25, 2001 08:48:26 AM
I'd say that if you spent, say, $1000 and could sell it on for $2000 the same day then I think that 'MOST' people (ie. those not in the antiques industry) would think your daily rate for a day'$ work to be a little over the top.
I think it is probably good that a human feels some guilt when milking his neighbour, I must say that I have experienced a mild case on more than one occasion of a 'guilt trip' but I have a great remedy for it - unpaid bills.
As long as you've done nothing illegal such as making what a court may see as an unreasonable profit?, then in this, our capitalist system I believe that 'laise faire' or 'free market' can be more colloquially put as 'anything goes'.
But I hope you're not the type to complain if the tables were reversed.
posted on June 25, 2001 09:13:20 AM
In this situation, I don't think you should feel guilty at all. Your profit has been earned by taking the time to know the value of the items you purchased, investing your money in them whether they sell or not, the time you'll spend doing any clean-up on the items, transporting the items, storing them until they sell, writing your ads, all the bookkeeping involved, and any other responsibility that goes with selling that I didn't mention.
And you were up front about why you wanted to buy the stuff.
A different scenario: There's a dealer from about 60 miles from here who used to bully his way into older people's homes and coerce them to sell things. He was reported by a caregiver, a sting was set up, he was fined, and it is now illegal for him to even step foot in this town.
Your situation is 180 degrees from this, and hopefully you'll realize a very good profit - you've earned it!
posted on June 25, 2001 09:59:15 AM
So I can sleep at night I generally tell people exactly what I think their items are worth and then give them my offer. Most people will take 30%-40% or so of the actual value because they don't want to deal with selling them themselves. I don't think its fair or ethical to tell people their items are worth less than they are if you know better.
posted on June 25, 2001 11:01:54 AM
If the seller is happy with the price paid and you are happy, who is taking advantage?
If they want to get a puter and a digital camera and a user i.d. and a couple hundred positives and a place to store items for sale and give up whats left of their lives...they too can become Ebay sellers!
posted on June 25, 2001 12:49:34 PM
I do feel bad about that sometimes, particularly when I know I'm going to make a killing on a piece or two.
I usually buy a bit more, usually iffy stuff. Possibily I'll break even or come out ahead...its a bit more cash in their hands, without them knowing the difference.
However, if I ever did run across an older couple who were interested and had enough to justify the effort, I would run it for them on a commission basis online.
But in this city, that isn't likely to happen... too many dealers, shops, etc.
posted on June 25, 2001 01:24:08 PM
Life is not always motivated by the almighty dollar.
Perhaps they are satisfied with their financial condition and just want to get the stuff out of their way.
There's a value to be able to put you second car in the garage and it might not be weighed by money.
I've scraped the windshield on the second car when it was 35 degrees below zero in the past and after that, no amount of money could have convinced me to do anything but to get rid of everthing that was in the way of the second space.
posted on June 25, 2001 09:31:57 PM
Excellent topic, kathyg. If I'm not being too nosey, what percentage of market did you offer?
This is a dilemma for me as well. When I go out on calls, it's a constant battle with my conscience, and my do-good alter-ego always wins. If I don't pay 50% I get guilt pangs.
Good for my karma, bad for my pocketbook. I do sleep well, though.
posted on June 25, 2001 09:53:15 PM
This reminds me of my first really exciting garage sale find ... a minolta AF camera lens that was about 5 years old, in the box with papers and looking barely touched .. the gal had taken a photography class and apparently sold the camera but forgot about the lens. She thought it was worthless since it was "so old and I don't have the camera to go with it".
She had $5 marked on it. I told her she could take it to any camera shop and they would pay her at least $50 for it - she said she didn't want to deal with it. I paid $5 for it and sold it on eBay for $128.00.
posted on June 25, 2001 11:24:27 PM
If you buy something and it hits big you can always go back to them and give them a "bonus". That will make their day!
posted on June 26, 2001 03:17:09 AM
I have purchased amny items for pennies on the dollar from folks who knew too well what the items were worth but simply wanted to clear out their excess quick. Some simply want their treasures to go to a good home, and the most valuable stuff - we keep, since theres a snowballs chance in hell of most antiques/collectibles coming anywhere near their book value on eBay these days.
The most important consideration is that we pay the seller what they think an item is worth. If they sell me a glass rock that turns out to be the sister to the Hope Diamond, I - and they - are happy that I paid a dollar for a glass rock. Naturally I would have chewed them down a dollar from two.
A good percentage of my sales go to dealers who will make a healthy profit from my items. I do not have the time for traditional markets at this time, though I do have select stock set aside for them. eBay has increasingly been simply NOT the venue of choice for truly valuable items.
posted on June 26, 2001 05:55:00 AM
When the Sellers start sharing in my losses, then I will feel that it is fair that I cut them in for a piece of my profits above and beyond what we agreed to in the first place.
Like the guy we had recently who called us in as he was going to be selling some stuff at the Community wide yard sale at the end of the week. He got all surprised and "huffy" when I wanted to buy some stuff.
He did not understand why I was annoyed when I would not price all is stuff individually 'for the yard sale'.
I realized that we were not ging to be able to buy so we priced it for him.....about 150% of retail [not yard sale!] From the other Buyers we know, he is still stuck with this stuff. I do hope that it costs him plenty not only to move it, but to be buried with it.
posted on June 26, 2001 07:25:03 AM
Another point of view...
When my dad died unexpectedly, I had less than three weeks to empty out his apartment(just before Christmas, out by January first). He was an engineer (read: packrat computer genius). 18 months earlier, we had moved him from his NY home of 60 years (5 bedroom house with full attic and basement). If I told you he had in excess of 5000 books and 30 computers, I would be grossly underestimating. Lotsa antiques, too. I called in a few dealers.
Knowing what I do now, they robbed me blind.
*I would still do it the same way*
given the time I had to work with.
Hopefully, their "goodies" gave them a Merry Christmas and the items are in the hands of someone who appreciates them.
I was busy dealing with my grief and my kids.
Sometimes it is just not a priority and the value doesn't take precedent.
(BTW, I'm big on the guilt thing)
(Please don't have any ~ if you can sleep at night)
(You have more than likely done someone a favor)
JMHO
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