# Bikes and Parts - Prices??



## yeshoney (Dec 7, 2009)

Hi all,

This is not meant to be a rant or a complaint, just a business perception.  I was taught a long time ago that classified ads that did not list prices or contact info were usually not worth responding to.  My dad never did give me a reason.  As an adult I still don't understand the reason why, as a seller, you would not include this information if you are trying to sell your items?

I have my thoughts, but they are purely speculation.

Would like to see the reasons why or why not you include this info. 

Thanks, Joe


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## 37fleetwood (Dec 7, 2009)

I have 2 reasons why I might not list a price.

first I may not know what the item/s are worth and am hoping to get an idea from some of the guys, we're here for the love of bikes not to take advantage of the other members by getting something valuable for cheap.

second I may only be considering selling and want to see if there is interest that outweighs my hesitance to simply push it out the door.

the second is the reason I put both of my SS bikes here, I wasn't sure I wanted to sell one, the other, or both. I might also have decided to sell neither based on the response.


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## how (Dec 7, 2009)

*I hate that,,,*

if you are gonna sell somthing,,do the research, get some balls and put a price on it,, I ignore stuff without a price,,,the person is not serious, is playing games,,and who needs it.


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## HIGGINSFOREVER (Dec 7, 2009)

I agree with HOW i dont waste my time with someone who cant be up front with a price.


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## 37fleetwood (Dec 7, 2009)

well I sold the bike and the person I sold it to most likely doesn't feel the same way you do.
I kinda don't like your implying I might be dishonest or playing games, and I know quite a bit but no one knows everything.

I also get kinda tired of people calling others crooked without knowing the story. now I know how to keep you from trying to make any deals with me.

my advice still is if you want the item talk to the member, if he seems dishonest don't make any deals. you might also look at their reputation on the board, you might feel more comfortable with someone who has been a member for years with say, 2319 posts, more than someone who just joined in May and has say 33 posts. you can even ask one of the moderators, we deal with almost everyone eventually, just send a pm to militarymonark and ask Patrick, he's fair enough.


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## Classicriders (Dec 7, 2009)

A lot of the time it is about discretion.  I know that most times, I really don't want people knowing what I paid for an item.  For that matter, it has never bothered me if a seller doesn't list a price, I just PM them and ask.
Now, what does bother me is when they counter with, "make me an offer".  I hate that.


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## vincev (Dec 7, 2009)

I hate when people post"pick up only" and dont mention where they live.I hate when seller runs add and doesnt put size of bike,price,components,etc.also"make me an offer"


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## how (Dec 7, 2009)

*nobody said,,,*

or implied anything about being dishonest. Many people dont like it when there is no price on a product,,to me its every bit of game playing. The people who dont put a price seem afraid they might not get every penny they can possibly get. I sold about 45 bikes last year,,,I dont even try to get every penny,,I am so happy when someone is happy with the bike they bought from me, if I didnt get the 10 dollars more I might of got,,,who cares it all comes out in the wash.

A price tells a lot about the seller and no price also tells a lot,,and I dont want to deal with a person that is not confident enough about his product that he cant price it,,its extra aggravation I dont need,,I do this mostly for fun.


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## yeshoney (Dec 7, 2009)

*It's very interesting...*

I hope I did not open a can o worms with this because that's not what i intended to do.  I was just curious to find out what motivates a seller who sells in this manner.

My ideas about this will remain my opinion and will be kept to myself. 

There are two factors goings with any sale - what the seller thinks it's worth and what the market will bear.  Somewhere in the middle is a figure that both the buyer and seller can agree upon.  What ends up being part of the "Game of selling" is the motivation for the seller and the need of the buyer.  This is simple economics.

That all being said - our reasons for collecting, restoring and/or customizing these works of art determine the value we place on said items.  These values are often inflated or deflated based on the economic factors of supply and demand.

What gets me is the game of phishing for the highest price - I won't play that game.  If I want the item I will make a fair offer (fair in my eyes or experience).  If not I will just pass.

Thanks to all for this forum!

Joe


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## shoobear (Dec 7, 2009)

if u list a price u can only go down with it.- as a seller
if the buyer gives u a price u can go up with it......always let the buyer give u the price.


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## kz1000 (Dec 8, 2009)

^^^ What is even worse is when you do respond to an ad  and you get NO response at all. Why even place an ad if you are not going to follow thru


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## JOEL (Dec 8, 2009)

1. internet discretion 
2. prices may vary depending on quantity, location, ect.


Is it really so hard to ask for a price off line?


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## PCHiggin (Dec 8, 2009)

yeshoney said:


> Hi all,
> 
> This is not meant to be a rant or a complaint, just a business perception.  I was taught a long time ago that classified ads that did not list prices or contact info were usually not worth responding to.  My dad never did give me a reason.  As an adult I still don't understand the reason why, as a seller, you would not include this information if you are trying to sell your items?
> 
> ...




I agree, I want to sell  the item listed. I really don't want to be bothered by unnecessary e-mails,phone calls or otherwise. I already know what it's worth to me,so, I set  the price accordingly. I've sold things only to regret doing it later,but the price was always inline.I'm more careful when deciding what has to go now.
Pat


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## how (Dec 8, 2009)

*my point exactly*



shoobear said:


> if u list a price u can only go down with it.- as a seller
> if the buyer gives u a price u can go up with it......always let the buyer give u the price.




Just bolsters my reason not too mess with people who dont price their bikes.
I am both a seller and a buyer and in life I go by the saying do on to others as they do on to you.


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## kz1000 (Dec 8, 2009)

how said:


> Just bolsters my reason not too mess with people who dont price their bikes.
> I am both a seller and a buyer and in life I go by the saying do on to others as they do on to you.




Well said HOW, he kind of shot himself in the foot with a comment like that


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## 37fleetwood (Dec 8, 2009)

most times I put a price but occasionally I don't. this doesn't mean anything's wrong with the deal, it usually means that there are things that need to be resolved before the deal can really be completed.
it seems easy to beat up on the guy who want's to get as much as he can for an item but no one wants to get ripped off, on the other hand everyone seems to have no problem forcing someone to name a price and get something for a fraction of what it's worth.

if you want to grumble and make a stink about someone not putting a price for any reason, don't deal with them, I'll get the deal and you won't, you don't need to make such a stink, just pass on the deal.
I've made several really good deals on things that were not priced.


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## kccomet (Dec 8, 2009)

have to put my two cents in this discussion  mostly these bikes arent worth much of anything to anybody just ask my ex wife. certain models like cars bring unreal amounts to our addicted bicycle minds. as the economy shrinks so do the prices for the most part see cygnet auction. when i sell i have a few factors in my bicycle addicted mind how much i paid how much i like or love the bike and how bad i need the money at the time. sellers there is always someone who will pay more. see cygnet .set your price and be happy. rarely will i make an offer unless its you and me in the barn or attic. on line all your doing is spinning your wheels. some of you sound so moral you wont buy a deluxe autocycle if i priced it at 200 dollars you wont buy the cygnet if he priced it at 1000 dollars. thanks for letting me vent. happy hunting


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## HIGGINSFOREVER (Dec 8, 2009)

Lets be honest here,how many of  you will put a bid on a e-bay bike that has reserve not met,or best offer.i have past up a lot of nice bikes because of this.to me this is like the seller saying i want to sell the bike but you may want to pay more then i an asking.


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## yeshoney (Dec 8, 2009)

*How True*

How true!

If there is a reserve i just put in what I think it is worth to me and if it doesn't meet reserve then I be patient and wait for another to show up.  They always do!  The longest I ever waited for a bike part to show was 2 years for a frame to fit a tank I purchased that was for a mid 60 MW Hawthorne.  How weird is that???  Not even that old:o

Joe




HIGGINSFOREVER said:


> Lets be honest here,how many of  you will put a bid on a e-bay bike that has reserve not met,or best offer.i have past up a lot of nice bikes because of this.to me this is like the seller saying i want to sell the bike but you may want to pay more then i an asking.


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## how (Dec 8, 2009)

*exactly....*



yeshoney said:


> How true!
> 
> If there is a reserve i just put in what I think it is worth to me and if it doesn't meet reserve then I be patient and wait for another to show up.  They always do!  The longest I ever waited for a bike part to show was 2 years for a frame to fit a tank I purchased that was for a mid 60 MW Hawthorne.  How weird is that???  Not even that old:o
> 
> Joe




people die,,,bikes dont,,thats why you should be very patient and not overpay..soon someone will die...and their bikes will show up for sale very soon lol


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## rmhenaghan (Dec 8, 2009)

*Die?*

Thats a great attitude. It sounds like your trying to take advantage of someones misfortune only to better your deal!  If someone had a super rare bike not knowing the value, and you offered 20% of the real value only to have him or her accept it would you feel good about yourself? Maybe it was her late husbands bike.

nice


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## HIGGINSFOREVER (Dec 8, 2009)

rmhenaghan said:


> Thats a great attitude. It sounds like your trying to take advantage of someones misfortune only to better your deal!  If someone had a super rare bike not knowing the value, and you offered 20% of the real value only to have him or her accept it would you feel good about yourself? Maybe it was her late husbands bike.
> 
> nice




Let me see if i understand this.your saying that if you go look at a bike for $150.00 and you know that its worth $500.00 you will give the seller the extra $350.00 so you will sleep better at nite.


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## rmhenaghan (Dec 8, 2009)

*no*

I'm saying that I don't wait for someone to die, hoping to steal the bike from the family! Everyone loves a good deal but there are exceptions. Thats what I,m saying !!


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## PCHiggin (Dec 9, 2009)

*Lighten up already!*



rmhenaghan said:


> Thats a great attitude. It sounds like your trying to take advantage of someones misfortune only to better your deal!  If someone had a super rare bike not knowing the value, and you offered 20% of the real value only to have him or her accept it would you feel good about yourself? Maybe it was her late husbands bike.
> 
> nice




He was joking for crying out loud! He put an lol @ the end of the sentence. Get away from your computer and go have some fun. This is supposed to be a hobby. I had a few drinks with a few buddies last night,one a bike buddy. We laughed and had a blast! It's almost Christmas,let's get into the spirit.eh?

Pat


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## Classicriders (Dec 9, 2009)

So you think it's a joke when people die?  It makes you laugh out loud?
I mean seriously people, this is getting quite petty.  By the way, my questions are indeed in gest.  An attempt to point out the lunacy that is invading this thread.


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## DonChristie (Dec 10, 2009)

Lunacy invading.....here I am. I think if it is for sale you should include a price. On another Schwinn forum, same deal, for sale with no price. I posted how much? I got beat up about "if I had to ask, it was too much". Kinda funny! Everything is for sale and everything has a price.


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## old hotrod (Dec 10, 2009)

Christmas season and really folks, this is all you have to snivel about..stuff you might want to buy not priced? This thread needs to stop here...everyone take stock in what is important, give to a homeless shelter or foodbank and get over the small stuff...and this is really small stuff...


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## mastronaut (Dec 11, 2009)

*Oh wait!*

Let me send you a check for $350.00 so I can sleep tonight.


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## Freqman1 (Dec 12, 2009)

37fleetwood said:


> well I sold the bike and the person I sold it to most likely doesn't feel the same way you do.
> I kinda don't like your implying I might be dishonest or playing games, and I know quite a bit but no one knows everything.
> 
> I also get kinda tired of people calling others crooked without knowing the story. now I know how to keep you from trying to make any deals with me.
> ...




In addition to Scott's reasons there are others. The situation and the item can dictate a lot. I have over 1700 Ebay transactions, buy and sell stamps over the internet extensively, and have bought five cars over the internet so I know a little about buying and selling--and that's just my internet stuff. I had no problem emailing Scott to see what he wanted for the bike and am fully satisfied with how this deal was done. I do agree with the basic premise that if you are going to offer something for sale be able to give a price. I never respond when someone says make me an offer--the seller is responsible for setting the price--we can go from there. Other than auctions rarely will you ever see a product being advertised as "make me an offer" without a start price being advertised.


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