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Why Not Disclose What You Paid?

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I agree what you paid has little bearing on what it's worth, the selling price. I will tell friends what I paid if asked, sometimes I'm embarrassed because I paid way too much. I've sold things for less than I paid, sometimes alot less. junk is just worth what it's worth to you at the time. if I get enjoyment in the hunt or find, and care for something I like or love for awhile I'm happy. what I pay for something shouldn't be your business....I prob payed too much, just my take on things
 
Lots of the newer fellows just want to know what stuff should go for, so they ask. I don't mind telling friends and total strangers what I paid, because I realize that some are trying to get educated. Asking price and final selling price are two different things. Nobody wants to pay too much, and if you're not educated, you can. That said, if we see something we really want, it's okay to overpay, because it's there, it's now and "you want it." Especially at swaps. You can hold things in your hands and closely examine them. Plus, you have no shipping charges. The "What'd you pay for it?" question has to be taken in the context it's asked, who is asking, and the mood I'm in that particular day. Okay, since you asked: Here's what I bought at Memory Lane, yesterday. . . and the price. $$$$$$$$
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First off, is this pedal. It was in the bottom of a bucket. It was $1.00. I've never seen another one like it. I'm going to screw it to the wall in my shop. I intend to make a separate post on this pedal, unless someone here can tell me what it's off. There are no markings. Rust and dents on the cap have taken their toll. I guarantee there is somebody out there that's looking for this pedal, or parts there of, and will easily shell out a $20. Sorry, it's going on the wall.
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Next up, is this Hiawatha badge. I like trains. It's a clean badge and for the 10 bucks asking price, it'll look good on the shop wall, over the old work bench. On a good day, this badge could fetch $20. Next is the Monark springs. They're original 50's style, and they're like new. $25.00 is a fair price for these. Asking price was $10. I have a nice Monak springer with rusty springs that I will replace with these.
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These Roadmaster peaked fenders. No dents. The easily dented peak tops are perfect. I only have one bare bones frame left that I've kept. It's a Roadmaster. The price on these fenders was $15.00 Asking $30-40 would not been out of line for straight peaked fenders.
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Last is this Ranger frame. I'm pretty much out of the hobby. I tell myself "No more bikes." I was loading up my truck at M.L. and was about to leave for home, when I noticed a new guy had set up across from me. I spotted this Schwinn straight bar frame with the correct fork and truss rods for $90. That's a good price, a fair price. Next to it was this Ranger frame for $160. A little high. Wrong fork, but a nice badge and correct crank and chain-ring. Don't want no more bikes, but I'm a sucker for Rangers. I offered $140, hoping he wouldn't take it. He did. So, in the last minute, as I'm ready to pull out, I buy another project. Should have bought the Schwinn too.
 
searching for deals and finding them is part of the fun. in the past few months I have found 2 Schwinn B-6's with forebrakes and one with a locking springer. $150.00 and $300.00. it seems people want to get 300 bucks each for these brakes.

anyone who pays $1,000.00 for a brake lever is a moron. I don't care how much money you have. yeah, I'd keep that one a secret
Totally agree! Why pay 1k when you can buy this one for $10. They all work the same

9E7794EA-08D1-41FE-B60D-2A006ECBECD3.jpeg
 
@the tinker Off the original topic, but your one pedal sure looks an awful lot like my Hawthorne pedals. Although I think mine have cross hatching on all 4 sides of each block. I can't get to them at the moment for comparison though. Everything else looks the same. Yours might have had a stamped plate that said Hawthorne on the indent side of the block. But not 100% sure about that last sentence. Gotta check.
 
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I suppose I never thought of it as being terribly relevant in terms of selling. I don't see a harm in listing what you paid, but the price for acquiring gets buried once you figure in the money on parts, or a basic "would-be" hourly rate for repair. If you buy a bike for $20 online, and then spend 10 hours fixing it up (let's assume you'd charge $30 per hour), plus $60 on tubes, tires, brake pads, and cables/housings, suddenly this is a $350+ plus investment. Your time is worth more than you think it is, and you'll spend more time than you think on most old bikes you acquire. At least after rebuilding Lord knows how many, that's my experience. So the original price gets buried as an up-front cost. If you want to list it, I think that's fine, but I don't get too twisted up if it's not listed or someone won't disclose it either. Frankly, I don't even remember how much I paid for most of my bikes. I can think of two of them, but it kind of washes away in the end.
 
I have no problem with a seller removing the sold price from a Cabe listing. Was the price not listed when the ad was 1st posted? Perhaps we are devolving in our ability to remember important things being swamped with life's many distractions. IF the price is removed after the sale, does it matter or change your interest in old bicycles or parts? Probably not. Prices change. I just picked up another old bicycle and the seller removed the price afterwards not my doing. His right to do so I would say. Those who saw the price in the ad to begin with and filed it in their brains would remember. Oh, and don't we know that Schwinn bikes and parts are over rated and over maybe over-priced?.😋 What's another 1k really? The two riding Schwinns' I owned were both stolen so I pay no attention to AS stuff. 👮‍♂️🕵️‍♀️💵 💰⚖️👁️‍🗨️
 
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Obviously, if I'm selling, my junk is priceless. If I'm buying, your junk is way overpriced. Hopefully we can reach a happy medium where neither one of us gets screwed too bad.
I paid $1,000.00 for a 1954 Schwinn Jaguar, my highest so far and probably over the market. I had just got my tax refund and the guy I bought from had got it in pretty good shape, not perfect but fresh grease, new tires, wheels trued. Considering what it takes to get it in that condition I can't complain too much, or maybe not at all. Condition on these old bikes varies a lot, and a lot of people don't seem to take that into account.
The fact that he took the trouble to get it to that condition says a lot. If he made money on it, good for him.
 
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Scenario #1
Buyer: That's a nice Phantom you have there, how much did you pay for it?
Seller: Was a real deal, I paid $600 as it sits.
Buyer: What are you asking:
Seller: $1,800
Buyer: What??? You @&^#$$ Do you think I was born yesterday

Scenario #2
Buyer: That's a nice Phantom you have there, how much did you pay for it?
Seller: Man I paid up on this one, $1,500 as it sits.
Buyer: What are you asking:
Seller: $1,800
Buyer: I'll give you $1,600 right now
Seller: What??? You @&^#$$ Do you think I was born yesterday
 
My 2 cents even though this looks like its been covered pretty well already:

Telling the price someone paid is subjective and will only cause tons of market confusion for the reasons below:

Example 1:
Most guys put something up for 50-100 or more than what they're actually willing to take for a bike/part they wanna sell because as we all know "you can always go down but you cant go up" in negotiations. Well, say you have a guy who has no shortage of "folding money" and see's your slightly inflated price and says "I want that, I will pay that because I need it". Now, the next guy who owns the same thing will think what yours sold at is rock bottom market pricing so, (just like you did) he will post it for 50-100 more than what he is willing to take (your original inflated sold pricing). This goes on for long enough and it works its way into a super inflated price and people start to think that this common item is priceless. The guy who originally bought the inflated price item wasnt that search-savy and had no idea the item he paid top top dollar for was a common item and if he would have waited longer he could have gotten it cheaper.

Example 2:
The bikes I buy I prefer to be rusty and crusty and I pay up for them to make sure i can save em the way they are. Well other guys see my bikes and think "ugh thats the worst version of that bike and I wouldnt pay much for it at all because it needs so much work. To me, it only needs grease and a butt in the seat so what I paid, is subjective to my personal taste. I have paid 600 for bikes other guys wouldnt pay 200 for because I prefer them the exact way the other guy would hate to have it.
 
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