Just a precaution when buying from the classifieds

[Bigragu]

Make sure to check with manufacturers along with vendors on the costs of parts, guns, etc before buying used. I know this is a “duh” no brainer piece of advice and I probably am wasting space on this forum even starting this thread, but it just irks me to see someone state pricing on parts way above their costs in their ads and purposely trying to mislead folks in making them think the seller is giving them some great discount or something

 

[Trucker3573]

Lol….100000% agree. I thought at first it was just a typo and then did the math….nope. I’m sorry when you buy something that expensive you don’t forget the $$ it cost. It’s a jungle out there !
I actually had a member want to trade pellets for a 160 dollar item I have. I was willing to take a quantity of pellets equal to full retail from PA. They didn’t want to do that because they paid more somewhere else for the pellets than what they were at PA . The reality is they weren’t even worth PA full retail price. I was being overly generous actually. I mean are you kidding me. I dunno

 

[boscoebrea]

it is good advice, and availability of parts.Sometimes our wants of more than our sense

 

[bearair]

That's a good thing to keep in mind when dealing on the classifieds. I once offended someone by not trading $800-$1000 dollars of scopes and mods for a rifle on the classifieds price under $400.

 

[manabeknives]

I agree with you @Bigragu ..it's the same people that want their stuff to sell for a premium that want to buy used at the seller's loss

 

[jpiperson2002]

That's a good thing to keep in mind when dealing on the classifieds. I once offended someone by not trading $800-$1000 dollars of scopes and mods for a rifle on the classifieds price under $400.

I've noticed that the owner of an item for sale often puts a much higher value on the item than potential customers do.
Partly because they had paid more for the item than they are asking, and partly because of an emotional attachment to the item which inflates its value in the sellers mind.

Back when I was a newbie becoming interested in astronomy and telescopes, I put some expensive eyepieces up for sale at what I thought was a fair price of about 15% less than I had paid for them new. Someone was thoughtful enough to send me a note about a reputable discount optics vendor which offered the same lenses new at less than my asking price. I was unaware of the vendor before that and sent him a thank you for letting me know.

That's not the same situation as when someone offers a (not actually) 'rare' item for double or more of the item's typical asking price on the resale market. Sometimes I see eBay offers for things like a pound of coffee for 5x times the typical price in the same list with other offers for reasonable prices.

And I have occasionally purchased an item which was double the typical resale price just because I wanted it right away for some special reason and was having a hard time finding one elsewhere.

It all boils down to the same thing. A potential buyer owes it to themselves to become informed about the average value of items in the current market. After that, they can make an informed decision on whether it makes sense for them to pay more than average.

As for the motives of the sellers who offer items at ridiculously high prices, like for 2x or more for something which I could immediately buy somewhere else. I don't much care because I am usually an informed buyer so I don't waste time on those inflated offers. It takes some time and research to become informed on any topic and this is just one more of them.

JP

 

[boscoebrea]

Your above example is exactly how I buy things,I now the cheapest price I can get the thing new and go from there,is has been a "hobby" of mine for 60years.

 

[bearair]

I always figure half to two thirds is fair when selling.

 

[Avator]

If I see something in the classifieds that I am interested in and the sale price is what I am willing to pay I'll go for it. If not I just move along. So if someone is listing something at a higher price, just fishing, they most likely just lost an opportunity to sell their item.
If I see that an item has been updated more than a few times... I don't even look.

 

[Dstrac]

Make sure to check with manufacturers along with vendors on the costs of parts, guns, etc before buying used. I know this is a “duh” no brainer piece of advice and I probably am wasting space on this forum even starting this thread, but it just irks me to see someone state pricing on parts way above their costs in their ads and purposely trying to mislead folks in making them think the seller is giving them some great discount or something

I sold one gun on there it went smoothly we met in the middle of his offer and my listing price. Both parties were satisfied.
I recently started looking to possibly buy, im considering a lower powered/ compact rifle. Some listings are fair, and some listings are way too high. I saw one used gun no upgrades or anything the same price as a new gun. Thats just wrong, you know better. Be a better person.

 

[cavedweller]

I sold one gun on there it went smoothly we met in the middle of his offer and my listing price. Both parties were satisfied.
I recently started looking to possibly buy, im considering a lower powered/ compact rifle. Some listings are fair, and some listings are way too high. I saw one used gun no upgrades or anything the same price as a new gun. Thats just wrong, you know better. Be a better person.

I expect that soon, due to tariffs, new gun prices will soar…. When that happens used gun values will rise …. Like used cars… we shall see