Ever Sell Something For A Fraction Of What You Paid?

Lee

Lee

Senior Member
Location
Chatham, Ontario
I've had a busy week and an eye opener of a week on the art of dickering. Wish I would have had Debodun around with her experience.

First off was hubby's tool collection, and fishing equipment. We seem to not know what to buy men for gifts because if we ask they say they don't need anything. Called one dealer who offered me $400 for what was $$$$$ thousands and some never opened. The one fishing rod and reel was bought new for over $200

The second dealer went to $600, not a penny more and since I just wanted this stuff out of the way so I could get to the patio furniture I caved in.

The barbeque was next, 9 messages on Marketplace with two parties showing up at the same time. I had asked $250 and got $300 SOLD!

Next came the truck. I hated that truck and the money he kept putting into it in repairs. A 2003 Dodge Dakota and I bought a sign for it saying "Honk if parts fall off" He was not amused. I tried to drive it, hole in the manifold pipe, sounded like a tank and I just know people in the park were pointing.

The first dealer with the tools offered me $300 the second just rolled his eyes and said he would pass. I thought about the $300 as it has been sitting for 3 months with me paying insurance on it and hoping it might just disappear (someone steal it I prayed every night) My neighbor came to the rescue, told me that the catalytic converter is worth $360. He called someone and within half an hour the man was there with $700 cash.

Another story is the moose antlers.....but that is another story.

Soooo any tales you wish to tell about what you sold for pennies on the dollar?
 

If I’m having a garage sale or listing something, I usually ask 10%, up to 25%. If it’s brand new, half of what it would be on sale.

To get rid of things in bulk and I’m just sick of it, I’m really flexible on price.

I hate selling things.
 
Ever Sell Something For A Fraction Of What You Paid?
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Sure, thanks how it works, unless an item is brand new, a seller can't expect to get anything near what they paid for it. Collector's items would be somewhat different, but a seller still has to get the right[/s] buyer(beauty is in the eye of the buyer).
 
Not yet but I think I will probably have to sell a very expensive bed for a fraction of what I've paid for it. We'll see. I haven't tried yet.

Lee said:
Paul had lots of good clothing, a lot of it new, I shopped thrift, he shopped new.

I donated men's clothing to the men's homeless shelter here in town. Would you believe they even wanted underwear and socks....makes you think.
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Lee, when we volunteered at the homeless shelter we were told that underwear and socks for men, women and kids were the fewest donations they got. They are fine with used as long as it's washed, unstained and in good repair. I wear most everything out but I did take them some socks that were extra.
 
I think you are doing very well selling things. And you are doing the right thing. Of course if you sell to a dealer, you will get less. But at least they bought it all at once.

Years ago I decided to do a booth at an antique mall setting. They were very nice and I had planned on 3 or so months. There was no time contract. I ended up doing just a month because most of my stuff sold. The first day I was there, a seller with a booth asked me if she could go through my stuff. I said sure. After a few minutes she stated "I'll be paying your first months booth rent." I noted some of the things she bought in her booth when I did my one day unpaid "work" day for having the booth. I didn't mind that she resold. I was happy to get what I marked things for.

I took what was left at the end to the thrift store. PAWS was not open yet at that time.
 
Lee said:
Paul had lots of good clothing, a lot of it new
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I take it Paul is no longer

If that's the case, and the kids aren't interested, the goods need to be attractively priced
If anyone shows interest......make sure they leave with whatever they're attracted to
No matter the price (make offer)
Anything left.....it's donation time

I've held a couple sales
Hate doing them
If I set anything out....it's not going back in the house or shop
Goodwill loves me
 
had a yard sale years ago. people offered ridiculously low prices on the low prices we had posted. ended up not selling those items. next day, we put those items out for trash. people want something for nothing. we wanted to make enough to go out to dinner that night.
 
I could count on, probably, three fingers the things I've sold for more than I paid for them.

I had over a thousand Santas and when I was ready to sell them, I took a unit in an antique shop. I made some money but heaven knows how much less I sold them for than I had paid for them or what other people had paid for them as gifts to me over the years.

I comforted myself with the enjoyment I had received from them and the pleasure others would get.
 
Yes lately we are trying to get rid of some stuff in the front bedroom, we had been using the room as a catchall for furniture we no longer used.
 
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One man’s treasure is another man’s trash, and so in selling used goods, you’re always dealing with a niche market of sorts, and that market is fickle. Remember when some rare discontinued Beanie Babies were listed as selling for up to $1,000? What something is worth always depends on finding a buyer interested at that price.

Condition also is everything. My parents bought my sister and I lots of comic books in our childhoods and saved them, thinking in later years that they had a goldmine as some of the comics dated back to the 1930’s. Unfortunately, they stored those comics unprotected in a damp basement where they absorbed moisture and the paper decomposed. None of the few collectors wanted them, unless it was for a quarter a crate…
 

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