Is the market slow...? Or just Xmas?

[wxsatuser]

2 minutes ago, Scott said:

I don't understand how people don't get that if a seller is NOT prepared to sell for less than X, then that's how much it's worth to him.
Now if anyone can explain why a buyers opinion is worth more than the sellers, well that's a different story

It may be your price but you will never be a seller unless demand picks up and prices rise.

[FenlandPaul]

For astro kit, most of what I’ve sold was used when I bought it and I’ve recovered a very fair portion of the original price to me - typically upwards of 80%. In some cases I’ve recovered more than cost because I’ve split an item up over time and sold it in pieces. That wasn’t my intent, but it provides some relief for the times I haven’t been so fortuitous.

Stuff I’ve sold that I bought new is a less pretty story. Depending on quality, condition and alternatives, I think on average I’ve sold things at 40% to 50% of original cost.  But the way I see it, someone has got a bargain and very often I’ve been on the other side of the deal as the recipient of the bargain.

I only spend what I can justify and afford, and I’m encouraged that you can buy some excellent quality kit, used and in condition from generally reliable folk on a forum like this, and it maintains most of its original value.

Children’s toys and paraphernalia on eBay, however, is a different kettle of fish. We recently had a village yard sale, and I would rather have given some of our old toys away than stand on my drive and haggle with pushy strangers who were reluctant to part with a fiver for something that was almost as good as new and cost me north of fifty quid. ? Lesson learned!!

[Scott]

1 minute ago, wxsatuser said:

It may be your price but you will never be a seller unless demand picks up and prices rise.

And if you think a new mesu is worth £1000 you'll never be a buyer until demand dies and prices drop. Does this make your price correct? It's exactly the same. Now all that's needed is for someone to explain to me why one persons price is more right than anothers. Seems to me, people think a seller wants to sell an item more than buyer wants to buy. Why?

[wxsatuser]

9 minutes ago, Scott said:

And if you think a new mesu is worth £1000 you'll never be a buyer until demand dies and prices drop. Does this make your price correct? It's exactly the same. Now all that's needed is for someone to explain to me why one persons price is more right than anothers. Seems to me, people think a seller wants to sell an item more than buyer wants to buy. Why?

No ones price is correct until both parties agree the price.

You take a hit or I get a bargain, of course it can go the other way, depends on the market at the time.

 

[FenlandPaul]

11 minutes ago, Scott said:

And if you think a new mesu is worth £1000 you'll never be a buyer until demand dies and prices drop. Does this make your price correct? It's exactly the same. Now all that's needed is for someone to explain to me why one persons price is more right than anothers. Seems to me, people think a seller wants to sell an item more than buyer wants to buy. Why?

I think this guy may have tried to answer this. (But not sure he’s on SGL...)

https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/An_Inquiry_Into_the_Nature_and_Causes_of.html?id=5hBOAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button&redir_esc=y

 

[andrew s]

22 minutes ago, Scott said:

Now if anyone can explain why a buyers opinion is worth more than the sellers, well that's a different story

It is not about opinions it is about how much money someone will part with for an item.

Obviously seller and customer must agree a price. If no one will pay the sellers price then it has no market value at that level.

Yes it may have a personal value at that price to the seller but that is just that a personal subjective view not shared with the market.

Regards Andrew 

[Stu]

31 minutes ago, Scott said:

No. It's both. what the seller wants and what the buyer is prepared to pay. 

I think you missed the 'when it sells' bit Scott, because then those two prices are the same and in theory both buyer and seller are happy, or at least prepared to go ahead with the deal at the price agreed.

[wxsatuser]

Of course if Scott does'nt want to sell lower he can just withdraw his offer or he can wait and see if the market picks up.

[Stu]

33 minutes ago, Scott said:

Seems to me, people think a seller wants to sell an item more than buyer wants to buy. Why?

You are right of course, although there are likely to be more pressures on the seller to sell, such as needing the cash or to clear space for something else. Buyers often have more choice in whether to buy or not, unless it's a very rare object of course, but still they don't have to buy.

[knobby]

I guess a lot of it is due to the weather ... Who wants to buy astro gear when it's constantly cloudy ?

Unless like me, you are trying to put together a quick set up lightweight kit and see a small scope for sale and buy it in less than an hour of posting !

[Ricochet]

There are also two prices that second hand equipment must be gauged against; the cost of the item new and the price that it usually sells for. These will give an indicator of whether it is the seller or buyer who is expecting too much from a deal. 

With regards to the wider question it seems to me just from viewing the forum that things have slowed down. The items for sale appear to take longer to sell but beyond that I would say that the forum seems less active compared to a couple of years ago. Perhaps the reason for slower sales is a smaller pool of users looking to upgrade. 

[geordie85]

It does really come down to what both parties, the buyer and the seller, think an item is worth. 

Perfect example. I was watching a 14" celestron SCT on ebay. Current bids were just shy of £900 when I started watching it with a "buy it now" price of £1500. At the end of the auction it had 25 bids with the winning bid being £1558.

 

[Owmuchonomy]

In general there is a flow of uncertainty in most markets right now for obvious reasons. One observation I will make is that I have better success on UKABS or EBay than SGL. I have encountered more unreliable potential buyers here.  It may just be a personal experience but for me it’s real. As pointed out earlier in the thread there is still a strong market for some types of gear. Timing of the pitch is also crucial and this is very true for EBay. So for me it’s a matter of judging the right moment and crafting a no nonsense ad.

[Pig]

I have sold a few items on ABS and of late and I seemed to get many responses from people who want items for next to nothing, with no regard to the asking price..... one guy even requested discount and warranty terms, I had to inform him I wasn’t running a business ! ! Some very strange folk about ?

[Paz]

I think if you don't have to sell something under time pressure that helps with the price you can get for something. This is a relatively niche hobby so there may not be a lot of buyers but when the right buyer is out there you may have a captive audience.

[Stu]

1 hour ago, Paz said:

I think if you don't have to sell something under time pressure that helps with the price you can get for something. This is a relatively niche hobby so there may not be a lot of buyers but when the right buyer is out there you may have a captive audience.

That's very true. Alot of people drop prices very quickly and as you say, often it a just a case of waiting for the right buyer. But, if you've got to sell quickly then obviously price may draw other buyers in.

[Alien 13]

I often think that us astronomers have wild expectations of a used items value, to me anything I sell is at 1/3 the new price but there are times when some things are valueless if you need the space and they are not being used so binned or given away is cost effective...

Alan

[Stu]

18 hours ago, Alien 13 said:

I often think that us astronomers have wild expectations of a used items value, to me anything I sell is at 1/3 the new price but there are times when some things are valueless if you need the space and they are not being used so binned or given away is cost effective...

Alan

Well looked after astro kit can be as good as new, with years of life in it so I think the logic of 2/3 new value is sound. Still depends on what people are prepared to pay obviously, and items like Orion Optics or Televue scopes seem to lose more, probably due to their very high initial price.

[bottletopburly]

On 30/12/2018 at 19:12, Scott said:

Real world? Not selling an item for less than I'm happy with IS real world to me. 

 

No. It's both. what the seller wants and what the buyer is prepared to pay. 

I don't understand how people don't get that if a seller is NOT prepared to sell for less than X, then that's how much it's worth to him.
Now if anyone can explain why a buyers opinion is worth more than the sellers, well that's a different story

my lad has an alienware pc he upgraded to a massive box, the alienware cost 700 now i'm not going to get much back second hand so it's now archived, on the other hand it has usb3 and will make a good astro pc as its only 200mm square and 75mm high 

[Macavity]

My "crazy neighbour" had his house on the market for almost TWO years.
His estate agent lives next door to him. I am given to believe HE "doesn't 
*really* want to move"? His neighbour (the estate agent) gets all HER DIY
(i.e. all the "bloke" stuff) done for free by him! "Cui Bono" as they say?!?!
His house sold (same price) within one month, with a different agent! ?

This time it didn't say [maybe] "the *nicest* property on our books"? lol
But *I* should probably not speculate re. the world of marketing / sales!
Yet sometimes a change of scene... a slight change of wording can make
the difference. Don't give up hope? Don't reduce the price too much! ?