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Classified's, Too Expensive?


Larry Barrieau

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I find it hard to believe that people actually spend that kind of money on a pen. And those that get in the four digit range are simply ridiculous.

It needs to be considered that this is a site for FP aficionados (the best known worldwide, was recent confirmed), if pens of that cost exist there must be someone buying them.

It's all a matter of priorities and possibilities, to each his own.

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I think it’s strange you have to add up the price of everything you’re selling, so the listings get these high combined prices that don’t reflect the individual pens.

 

I list my more expensive pens here first and then on eBay if they don’t sell. Cheaper ones go straight to eBay. eBay’s commission hurts and I rather try my luck here first.

No signature. I'm boring that way.

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Mongrelnomad, No. I was using it as an example on how we might make the process work better for the lower price pen buyers.

Edited by Larry Barrieau

 

Looking for a black SJ Transitional Esterbrook Pen. (It's smaller than an sj)

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I was using it as an example on how we might make the process work better for the lower price pen buyers.

It's discouraging to go week after week after week with a lot of searching and finding very little to bid on.

 

What do you think?

I don't think it needs to or ought to work better for the lower price pen buyers as if they were (i) a separate category of hobbyists and FPN members (ii) who warrant special consideration. As far as I'm concerned, we're all consumers powered by personal want and budget; and, with due respect to every fellow hobbyists and prospective pen buyer, I trust they're competent adult Internet users who can work out (over time?) for themselves which sales channels are best suited to their shopping parameters.

 

Unless the change you're proposing is purportedly going to deliver more benefit to FPN as an enterprise or a collective, than the individuals who would be more encouraged by the change to spend money (through which the benefit to FPN will come), I don't see any reason to support it, even though I'm not a (either occasional or professional) seller on FPN Classifieds and it's no skin off my nose either way.

I endeavour to be frank and truthful in what I write, show or otherwise present, when I relate my first-hand experiences that are not independently verifiable; and link to third-party content where I can, when I make a claim or refute a statement of fact in a thread. If there is something you can verify for yourself, I entreat you to do so, and judge for yourself what is right, correct, and valid. I may be wrong, and my position or say-so is no more authoritative and carries no more weight than anyone else's here.

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I agree with what ASD just said.

And also with his remarks in post #13 about the effect of international delivery costs upon the kinds of pens/prices that one might see in Classifieds.

 

I find Classifieds very useful when I am looking for ‘unusual’ pens - e.g. Limited Edition pens, or pens that are discontinued, or pens that are discontinued LE pens.
Those pens only come up for sale rarely, and/or command high prices. For somebody who really wants such a pen, the need to pay for international delivery is relatively unimportant when compared to the price and rarity of the pen in question.

 

However, if I want to buy myself e.g. another LAMY Safari or Parker Vector, the cost of international delivery is going to raise the price to one that is far in advance of what such a ‘common’ and inexpensive pen would cost to buy from within my own country.

 

As such, I would expect the adverts in Classifieds to be skewed away from pens that are inexpensive, and towards the higher-priced part of the international market.

But that doesn’t mean that Classifieds is a ‘bad’ place to look for (or sell) pens - any more than Sotheby’s or Christie’s is a ‘bad’ place to buy or sell furniture or decorative items for one’s home.

Edited by Mercian

Foul in clear conditions, but handsome in the fog.

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There is a Cabal of professional pen sellers ...

Over the last couple of years, I watched the prices of dealers on the German Ebay match the overheated US market for prices. Offering the pen on both US and German Ebay.

 

Two years ago a 400nn went for E100-120............now E190-250....from the professional sellers.

They put a Buy Now Idiot priced pen in Ebay, then set the very same pen for E10 less than their Buy Now Idiot price, in the Auction section.....WoW, what a Buy for only E10 more. :wacko:

 

So folks that sold Gramps pen for a fair bidding are now trying to sell users for US price start bids. The Pro's do it.

 

Two-three years ago a Geha school pen was going for E12...

Two years ago, I thought the start price by the dealers for E19 a bit high. But everyone followed.

I saw polished (finger application of Semi-Chrome does wonders) 12 Euro Geha school pens being offered to idiots in the States for only $89, a couple-three of years ago.

It's no surprise that you can now spend over $60 at a new 'normal cost' on what was a E12 pen of three years ago; E-19 two years ago.........same goes for any other pen.....................................sooner or later there is going to be an idiot with more money than good sense.

 

Nope. Sooner or later I'll be selling my pens....and not at what was once a fair price :crybaby: .....if I did that, someone would buy and turn around on receiving the pen re-sell it, charging all the market will bare.

Save your money, if the depression hits, prices will fall to fair again. Buy paper and inks. :thumbup:

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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i guess we are all different, i just came from the classifieds and not too much i saw was really all that out of line in asking prices. if fact several were lower than i would have anticipated. not too many low end 150 or less pens were actually posted there on the first 4 pages. in fact, last week i was looking for a twsbi demonstrator and i'll just pick up the one i want new from goulet for 50 us dollars instead of waiting for a bargain used one to pop up to save 5 dollars. i did see a lot put up by who i presume to be vendors and flood with several back to back listings. that can be maddening sometimes. other boards i frequent have a separate classified thread just for vendors to alleviate that problem of flooding after members were complaining their adverts were getting buried soon after they went up. i'll see first hand soon as i intend to thin my collection out.

JELL-O, IT'S WHATS FOR DINNER!

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To me, the Classified sections (in this forum, or any other trading or marketplace platform) is just any number of undirected commercial offers being available to browse (and accept) by any number of browsers, shoppers and tyre-kickers. If X isn't there to make sellers, vendors and/or retailers "happier" with their business performance and recouping their initial purchase prices and investment with something to show for it, then it certainly isn't there to make Joe Consumer richer, more satisfied or "happier" either just to have plenty to browse and something to buy in line with the individual's parameters.

 

Neither Classifieds nor product reviews are meant to be primarily "entertainment" for the casual browser who wants to get something materially beneficial or useful out of them having decided to spend some time browsing. "Discouraging"? There's a difference between doing due diligence and/or market research, and finding there are commercial opportunities for oneself that on the balance of probabilities will deliver some benefit as a "reward" to oneself for having spent time looking.

I endeavour to be frank and truthful in what I write, show or otherwise present, when I relate my first-hand experiences that are not independently verifiable; and link to third-party content where I can, when I make a claim or refute a statement of fact in a thread. If there is something you can verify for yourself, I entreat you to do so, and judge for yourself what is right, correct, and valid. I may be wrong, and my position or say-so is no more authoritative and carries no more weight than anyone else's here.

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the hobby is getting too expensive. In particular, I feel that this community attempts to take advantage of each other at the higher end. we should be passing things along when we don't need something anymore. Not trying to make a handsome profit off each other in this small community. Obviously not to lose your shirt, but the point of this hobby, in my eyes, is to spread enjoyment around and generally help people realize that getting a nice fountain pen that they'll use for years or the rest of their life isn't nightmarishly expensive.

 

I have found success selling things in classifieds, but I mostly sell vintage japanese pens that I got for a low price and then spend time restoring, and sell them on for prices relevant to what I think a reasonable person would like to pay for something like them.

 

And I have had a huge success with a WTB, listing my need for a Visconti divina metropolitan. The guy wouldn't budge on price, but it was still $300 less than when it was new.

Selling a boatload of restored, fairly rare, vintage Japanese gold nib pens, click here to see (more added as I finish restoring them)

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Nobody should expect to make money on collectibles unless they are going to make dealing in said collectible their business, in which case commissions are going to be their primary ROI, rather than markup.

 

Having seen the occasional episode of Pawn Stars and especially American Pickers, I have to ask myself, "Y'all say you can get $X for this or that thing, and then toss in the disclaimer, 'from the right buyer.' How often do you find said buyers?" As for me, I'm pretty sure the answer is, not often enough to try.

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Odd comments regarding the classifieds. If its too high dont purchase. Dont complain or whine as if their is a conspiracy afoot.

"Respect science, respect nature, respect all people (s),"

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