Originally posted by stevebrot Regarding the original post:
Sales are reasonably brisk for stuff in very good-to-excellent condition and priced to sell and not so good otherwise.
Regarding no bites for Marketplace listings:
I have noticed several recent listings where the seller was noticeably proud of their items to the extent of being within 20% of price new. I have also noticed some where price is enticing, but condition is not clear from the description or the supplied photos. I don't gamble condition regardless of price. For obvious good quality, but overpriced, I am not going to waste the keystrokes to haggle in the absence of an explicit "...or make offer" in the description.
Same here. Unless someone says "offers accepted," etc, I usually don't want to waste my time or theirs. If I can't tell something about the condition from the photos, I usually don't want to waste my time or theirs. If there isn't a good written description of functionality, same. etc, etc. So, the ad quality matters.
Quote: Tradition on the PF marketplace is that repricing to move is the norm.
Yes, that's how I've made almost all my purchases on the Marketplace. Unless "priced to sell" upfront, something will have a price drop -- bumping it to the top -- that catches my eye and I go through a "well, for that price, I could probably make some use of it, even if I am not desperately needing one of those..."
Unless the prices drop, it may not sell. If an item isn't selling, the price may be too high. End of.
Quote: Oh...and I might add that bundle priced kits (body + several lenses + flash + whatever) only move if the total value adds up and the buyer actually needs all the stuff.
Steve
These just baffle me. "I don't want to spend time sending various places" or similar commentary. It is
very rare that someone needs an entire new package of items which corresponds
exactly to the package being offered for sale.
Very frequently, there is something -- one item -- in a package that I would buy at a reasonable price, but the listing states, "Not breaking up the package at this time." OK. Good luck with that. Unless it is such a low price that the pricey package is irresistible, they usually sit for quite a while.
There's another little something that enters into the calculation. Paypal fees and shipping fees raise the cost to the buyer. Sometimes, that is as much as $50-$60 tacked onto the asking price. While I realize those amounts don't end up in the seller's pocket, they do come out of my pocket. So total price is important.
If a camera store offers something new or used with free shipping and no taxes and credit cards accepted, none of those costs are involved. Whether on eBay or the Marketplace or Shop Goodwill (scary, but fun if cheap), the added costs are always a consideration. Unless the
total price is competitive, I pass it by.
But then again, I guess I'm at a stage where I don't desperately need something anyway. Most are "want to try out" type buys. And, yes, news about a (someday coming) K-3 replacement has paused my interest in other bodies for a moment.