Overpriced Items on CalGuns - Poll

[emc002]

So, like probably most everyone else, I cruise the Marketplace here with great regularity.
I tend to only click on those threads that I'm marginally interested in, but often I find sellers asking MORE that what an item would cost new (even including tax / shipping).
I've only posted market prices once or twice, and that's been when the OP asks if their price is fair (usually after weeks of no response).

I know thread-crapping is poor form, but then again so is over charging.
So my question is, do I post anything to help out the poor maroon that doesn't know he can get a better deal commercially?

[mike100]

I think everybody knows what mainstream, in production guns are worth. The artificial market that CA law has created sets up new demand, but $2500 hk45's are a bit much. I can see a $400 premium, but if somebody is willing to pay it, then I guess that is what it was worth.

I wish we could thread crap sometimes, but since we can't I'll piss and moan here as well.

[M. Sage]

Uhh, "raping?"

Caveat emptor... If the deal ain't good, don't buy it. I'd expect on something way over priced that the seller is expecting some bartering to go on, or that they actually think that piece is worth that much money.

If someone pays an inflated price, obviously they thought it was worth it. Wah.

[emc002]

I don't want to thread crap, but if somebody is screwing somebody else? What's the right thing to do?

Caveat Emptor? That's for the buyer, I'm talking about the bystanders that see it going on.

E.g. there's an item for sale I just looked at in the Marketplace that I could buy brand new (no tax since it's out of state & free shipping since it's over $200) for significantly less than the buyers asking. The worse thing is that somebody posted within that thread that they fond the same thing on EBay for WAY more than the seller's asking as some sort of proof it's a good deal.
It's not!

[bwiese]

I don't think threadcrapping is useful, in general.

I think most browsers of the sale forums understand caveat emptor. Prices are what they are, something will generally sell for what it sells for - or it won't sell. Price will get adjusted after it doesn't sell for awhile.

Other comments I reserve for a PM to the seller (say, a reality check for a noob who's selling something for way over MSRP because he originally overpaid for it in the first place).

When I do see something of questionable legality or it's somehow miscategorized (say, wrong mfgr listed or an item described incorrectly) I may well add a comment as it might be instructive for all parties concerned.

Otherwise everyone ends up flaming everyone else's pricing - "I coulda gotten this at Joe Bob's gunshop on his monthly sale for $30 less" and the now-cluttered sale forum threads lose their utility to know when something's sold, pending or still for sale.

[AJD]

The vast majority of the time the seller is asking a more than fair price and many times there are some smokin' good deals in the for sale forum. I'm glad there is no thread crapping allowed and I guess it's the seller's right to ask whatever he wants. I think most here know what isn't or is an unfair price for something and they won't overpay for the item. If they don't well, that's kind of their fault. Yes, I have occassionaly seen some people asking way too much for something and in some cases asking more than what that product sells for NEW at some vendors, but what can you do.

[duenor]

The seller can ask for whatever he wants.
The buyer can offer whatever he wants.

People who get offended by either are silly geese.

[hawk1]

STFU, it's none of your business if CalGunners are raping fellow CalGunners!


Odd choice of words...

But I've always believed thread crapping should not be allowed. Pumping up someones for sale sale thread should also not be allowed by the same reasoning.
As always, you can't save the world. So if you believe the items is overpriced make an offer directly to the seller via PM or offer him some proof that his pricing is out of line. If you have no intention on buying, stay the hell out of it and move on.

[WokMaster1]

My $0.02

If the buyer pays the "overpriced" price, there are 2 reasons
1. He did not do his homework. He will find out later & may or may not be more careful the next time. Part of life's lesson, I guess.

2. he doesn't gives a rat's arse cos he has money coming out of his wazhoo!

The buyer can always find out what a fair price is by doing some simple internet search or by asking friends or the folks here.

[M. Sage]

I don't want to thread crap, but if somebody is screwing somebody else? What's the right thing to do?

Caveat Emptor? That's for the buyer, I'm talking about the bystanders that see it going on.

And the bystanders are involved...? Sorry, man, it's called being a busybody. If the buyer and seller both agree on a price, it's a transaction between party A and party B, and the rest of us can "C" our way out of it.

Caveat emptor is about the buyer, yes. And it sounds like you're worried about buyers paying too much. It's on the buyer to make sure they know what the value of the product or service should be, the same goes for a seller.

If you see anything that's illegal, hit the report button. If the price is way out of line, feel free to drop the seller a line and say "you might be asking too much..." or try haggling. Thread-crapping isn't allowed for a reason.

The seller can ask for whatever he wants.
The buyer can offer whatever he wants.

People who get offended by either are silly geese.

Exactly. If you're not buying or selling it, it's not your business.

[CavTrooper]

Most of the things in the for sale forum are overpriced. Most of the things for sale in gun shops are overpriced. Here in CA people have become used to being bent over and just accept it as a fact of life. The constant "cost of doing buisness" argument used to justify the a**raping of fellow shooters is BS, IMHO. Why? Because the expected markup on most items is way out of line with the rest of the country. Everybody needs to and wants to make a buck, thats thier buisness, but gojust about anywhere else in the countryand youll see just how hard youre taking it here in CA.

[rivviepop]

I agree with everything bwiese said and try to live by the same rules. I will help with accidental mis-identification, help to post pictures for people, and generally just help in a positive manner (without threadcrapping). Any price issues should be reserved for PM and PM alone.

I am guilty though of commenting (threadcrapping) on a beautiful piece of iron here and there (like pretty much any gun popgun puts up for sale ), something I'm trying to tone down on since hawk1 has brought up the issue recently.

[Bobula]

Could also be the fact that there are some serious lowballers, and the seler is just trying to get a fair price, eventually.

[Mssr. Eleganté]

If a seller offers something for too little, can we step in and warn him before he gets raped by the buyer?

Sellers can't charge anything unless the buyer is willing to pay it. So it is possible for a seller to ask too much for an item, but if somebody is willing to pay an asking price then the seller is charging just the right amount of money. It is the fundamental rule of our free economy. People who won't learn this rule are un-American and deserve what they get.

Nobody is forcing the buyer to offer the asking price. Any buyer who offers the asking price on an item without first doing some basic price comparing needs more help then you can give him by crapping on a sellers thread.

[Prowler]

Everyone has their own idea of what an "investment" value is...

What something is worth to me would not neccessarily be the same as what it is worth to you. The physical value, or internal value can be based on general terms, however the external value, or why it may have more or less value is based on my perception and how important it may be to me.

Pissin' on someone else's Wheaties by saying, "Hey, don't buy his, buy mine", or talking someone out of something, based on your opinion, might not be the right thing to do. However, it doesn't mean you can't...

"Just because you have the right to do it, doesn't mean it's the right thing to do".