I agree, 100%. As previously stated, I don't "need" the money, and I'm not stressed over it. Bikes are a passion for me, not a business. I just want to come up with a price where the bike will
sell. I know if I price it at $4300 it will never sell, and nobody will even make an offer at that price. That price would taint it and it would be viewed from then on as a very overpriced bike; sort of like that $17K bluebird on ebay. Will the seller ever get $17K for it? Maybe, but not likely and certainly not without a very long wait to find a customer willing to pony up.
And as
@Glenn Rhein shows above, he has a very similar bike and can't sell it for $2200. I'm back to my original question; where do I price this bike complete where it will likely sell? If $2200 is not getting the job done for Glenn Rhein, then where to price it to make it sell?
If I have to price it below $2200 complete, and all the parts add up conservatively to over $4K, maybe I should just part it out?
I don't "need" the money, it's not really about that - I started this thread as sort of a social experiment; I think all vintage bike folks get into this dilemma at some point. I also know historically, there is a lot of shade thrown at sellers who part out nice, original bikes. If another very similar bike isn't selling at the very decent price price of $2200, what price point then do you think this bike would actually sell for?
Pricing is the single most difficult thing in any hobby, what would YOU do here? I'm back to square #1... To part, or not to part... THAT is the question?