Frustrating Estate Sale

I see what Terry mentioned. Price things at a price they might sell at. Get to the last day and they are so much percent off. Still may or may not be even a decent buy. Then around here, they charge the owners for disposal of unsold items, which I have seen placed on Craig's list and eBay.
Usually if they have no idea what it is, they price it high most times.
I looked at a small 9"'craftsman lathe, right after I bought my Sheldon. No price on it and they were taking offers. I looked it over the best I could. It had been tipped over pretty hard at some time. No tool post or any tooling, along with missing teeth on gears. I offered $300, the howls of pain of such an insult. They had an offer of $1500, so they said. It had to be moved up a fair sized flight of stairs.
It later saw it on Craig's list for $2000...........
Jeff
 
Some people just don't understand, it's not worth what they imagine it to be, it's only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. I see things sitting on eBay and Craigslist for months and even years because some knucklehead convinced themselves their item is worth way more than anyone is ever going to pay.

We did not want anyone coming back to us saying that someone was injured by a device that we plainly told them was not usable in its current condition, so we just scrapped those items instead. It was not worth the time or money to fix them just to get a couple of bucks for them.

Kudos, very responsible policy. Like throwing away a rickety ladder, cut it in pieces first so no one will grab it out of the trash and break their neck.
 
Pricing those trucks was difficult, some brought good money, some did not, depending on their popularity and rarity. There was a UPS panel van from the late 50's that still had the sliding doors and everything. It brought $120 from one of the antique dealers, no questions asked. I visited their store a week later and they had already sold it for over $300. I don't begrudge them that, I just found it amazing what someone was willing to pay for it.

That mark up is something that many don't seem to understand. They paid $120, but they didn't actually make $180 profit. They have to factor in the time to find it, fuel used, any possible cleaning / repair of the item, store overhead etc. They also have to factor in those items where they guessed wrong, paid out $120 and ended up selling for $100 because it wasn't the right vintage, there was hidden damage or they just took a risk and guessed wrong. People just see what they paid and what it sold for.

It seems like a lot of sellers don't get that either. If you buy a lamp with a missing cord for $5 that is $25 new, they think they are giving you a great deal. Never mind that a replacement cord is $10 and you spend an hour shopping and then installing the cord. You would have been better off just buying a new lamp.

It seems like this is an issue more and more. Someone sells a mint 1968 Shelby GT350 on Barret Jackson for $200,000 and all of a sudden everybody that has a junker Mustang on Craigslist is adding zeroes to the price.
 
It’s no big deal. Just remember the “company” and don’t go to any more of them from the same. Instead find a company with your kinda prices. Works for me!
 
We shop a lot in thrift stores like Goodwill, etc. and that gives perspective on pricing and value for common items - so things like swing-arm lamps are almost always available for $5 or %6 . . . and we know that going to 'estate' sales.

The company doing the selling (as hinted above) may have ulterior motives in ridiculous pricing: Often the family just wants the stuff out and they agree to giving the selling company everything left after the sale if they clear it our so the real estate can be sold. If an item doesn't sell at the estate sale then the agent takes it (for free) and sells it in their (or an affiliated) store. Scummy but hard to catch unless you know who the players are.

And there are many reputable estate sale agents who do play fair and will negotiate - so getting acquainted with the various sellers in your area can pay dividends once you are a 'regular' customer.

Walking away from a bad deal is always a good move.

Stu

Often the only difference between a yard sale and a trash pickup is how close to the road the stuff is placed.
 
A yard sale or estate sale is not worth getting frustrated over. If you don't like the price move on.

I agree. I hear a lot of moaning and groaning over what some people perceive as unrealistic pricing. Keep in mind the person doing the selling is the current owner and they can ask whatever they want. Some buyers may think the items are over priced others may not. Regardless of what any buyer thinks an item is worth it's up to the seller to determine the asking price. If the item doesn't sell what does it matter to you.

No one is forcing anyone to go to any garage sale, estate sale, auction, or any other type of sale. If you go and don't like the prices walk away. Don't belittle the seller as uncooperative, unknowledgeable, greedy, or anything else. If you don't like the price of an item at one of these type sales go to the retail store and buy the same item new.

On the other side of the coin I have seen people try to beat a seller down to totally unrealistically low prices. They claim an item is damaged, dirty, not the most sought after model, worn beyond use, and use just about any other excuse to get it as close to free as possible.

Personally if I were to encounter someone at my garage sale that was belittling the quality of the merchandise, my knowledge of the merchandise, or the prices I was asking, I would in no certain terms ask them to leave. It seems these same people have a fluid sense of value. When buying an item it's perceived as nearly worthless. Once they are the owners of the same piece of merchandise it suddenly becomes a hidden gem who's value has expanded exponentially.

As a side note there's a thread on the "Home Shop Machinist" with just the opposite view the OP is expressing on garage sales. In this case the seller there is frustrated by a boat load of people trying to purchase a lathe for far less than the going price in that area.
http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/threads/75691-Selling-stuff
 
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If you want the item but do not like the asking price, make an offer. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Takes very little effort, and can bring significant savings. If no agreement is reached, walk away.
 
If you want the item but do not like the asking price, make an offer. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Takes very little effort, and can bring significant savings. If no agreement is reached, walk away.
Agreed, which is what I did. I was just frustrated by the fact that the Estate Sales guy would not negotiate on price. The price on the sticker was the price. You have to realize also this was 15 minutes b4 the end of the sale. So I think like Terry said, they were going to take ownership of it (either for free or a bulk lot) and sell it on their own for a larger profit.
edit: My frustration is traveling 1/2 hour and the attitude that the price is the price on the last day in the last 15 minutes
 
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