Let's talk about out-of-touch pricing and forum ettiquette. 8 8

[Poekaymon]

The Beyonder himself encouraged me to make this post so here it is.

For the most part, I think this board is pretty good for deals.  And it should be--sellers don't have to pay any eBay fees.  As a general rule, it seems to me at a minimum things posted here should be 10% less than the going eBay rate.  (This is exclusive of super rare stuff--I'm talking about stuff where if you search on eBay you get multiple BINs.)

But then sometimes I see stuff that is just totally out of whack.  Say something that is 25% (or more) higher than multiple eBay BINs that are up at the time of the posting, and if you search by new, have been up for months, and even have best offer functionality.  But I understand board etiquette so I just close the thread and move on.  But should it really be like that?  I mean predatory pricing like that can really only have two outcomes: 1) most likely, it just won't sell 2) someone will drunkenly or absentmindedly take it and then realize their mistake later.  Either outcome seems suboptimal.  It kind of turns the post just into spam, and spam isn't allowed, right?

Occasionally in such a thread someone will point it out,  even just to ask for clarification as to the discrepancy or because they might be missing something (like maybe they don't know UPCs are sometimes higher, or it's some variant they aren't aware of, etc), and the response is generally to get out of someone's sales thread.  Forgetting that that's the custom for a second, I posit to you that maybe people actually have a responsibility to speak up in some cases.  

Alright, let me have it.

 

[MadGenius]

[Jeffro.]

I fully realize it can be frustrating to see a book priced unreasonably high but I respect anyone's right to set whatever price they want. No one has a responsibly (seriously, a responsibility?) to do anything and no one is forcing you to buy it. Historically, on this board, it's been frowned upon to 'threadcrap' in someone's sales thread. And complaining openly about pricing in their thread is threadcrapping.

However, the tone of this board has changed over the years but I still think that it's a richard move to to these things openly in a sales thread. Send them a PM or post in the thread shown below.

 

Edited July 4, 2020 by Erik Thorvaldsson

[Poekaymon]

8 minutes ago, Erik Thorvaldsson said:

I fully realize it can be frustrating to see a book priced unreasonably high but I respect anyone's right to set whatever price they want. No one is forcing you to buy it. Historically, on this board, it's been frowned upon to 'threadcrap' in someone's sales thread. And complaining openly about pricing in their thread is threadcrapping.

However, the tone of this board has changed over the years but I still think that it's a richard move to to these things openly in a sales thread. Send them a PM or post in the thread shown below.

 

Yeah, but you're just repeating what is customary and/or "frowned upon."  I already know that, as I acknowledged in my post.  I asked you to, just for the purposes of this discussion here, forget about the rules/policy/custom for a moment and actually discuss whether or not that should be the policy.  

Using a PM doesn't get it done with regard to my proposition that sometimes we might have a responsibility to alert other people.  (Not insisting that we do--but that's the topic of discussion I have proposed.)  

As to protecting the right of people to post whatever price they want, let me ask you a hypothetical.  It is against the rules, for example, to post something with no price.  But it's fine to post something at (for the sake of discussion) 10x the going rate?  Both posts are equally and absolutely worthless, wouldn't you agree?

Edited July 4, 2020 by Poekaymon

[SushiX]

Main thing is they can ask for whatever they want and if someone doesn't like it they can just move on. I don't think their doing anything wrong. Not picking a fight here just adding my 

[Poekaymon]

3 minutes ago, SushiX said:

Main thing is they can ask for whatever they want and if someone doesn't like it they can just move on. I don't think their doing anything wrong. Not picking a fight here just adding my 

No fights--just a chat.   In my last hypothetical, do you agree that 1) a book with no price and 2) a book posted with a price that is 10x the going rate are both equally worthless? 

[Bird]

I am fine with the way it is. Cut and dry rule, no threadkrapping and especially in sales threads. We ARE a comic book collecting board, so I assume buyers are MORE knowledgeable here than on other venues. No one has ever said a private message or post in the general discussion thread is not allowed, so anyone out there who feels a need to police the boards can still confront sellers should they wish.

 

 

[William-James88]

Honestly, I feel people can do as they wish (either in pricing or discussing the price) and shouldnt be punished or told off in either scenario.

Edited July 4, 2020 by William-James88

[thehumantorch]

18 minutes ago, Poekaymon said:

The Beyonder himself encouraged me to make this post so here it is.

For the most part, I think this board is pretty good for deals.  And it should be--sellers don't have to pay any eBay fees.  As a general rule, it seems to me at a minimum things posted here should be 10% less than the going eBay rate.  (This is exclusive of super rare stuff--I'm talking about stuff where if you search on eBay you get multiple BINs.)

But then sometimes I see stuff that is just totally out of whack.  Say something that is 25% (or more) higher than multiple eBay BINs that are up at the time of the posting, and if you search by new, have been up for months, and even have best offer functionality.  But I understand board etiquette so I just close the thread and move on.  But should it really be like that?  I mean predatory pricing like that can really only have two outcomes: 1) most likely, it just won't sell 2) someone will drunkenly or absentmindedly take it and then realize their mistake later.  Either outcome seems suboptimal.  It kind of turns the post just into spam, and spam isn't allowed, right?

Occasionally in such a thread someone will point it out,  even just to ask for clarification as to the discrepancy or because they might be missing something (like maybe they don't know UPCs are sometimes higher, or it's some variant they aren't aware of, etc), and the response is generally to get out of someone's sales thread.  Forgetting that that's the custom for a second, I posit to you that maybe people actually have a responsibility to speak up in some cases.  

Alright, let me have it.

 

10% less than the going ebay rate?  Sounds nice but good luck figuring out a reasonable price and enforcing it.  That would just lead to endless arguments.

This place isn't perfect but I'd suggest to you that ebay has a higher percentage of overpriced BINS, over-grading, and dishonest behavior.  

[THE_BEYONDER]

4 minutes ago, Poekaymon said:

Yeah, but you're just repeating what is customary and/or "frowned upon."  I already know that, as I acknowledged in my post.  I asked you to, just for the purposes of this discussion here, forget about the rules/policy/custom for a moment and actually discuss whether or not that should be the policy.  

Using a PM doesn't get it done with regard to my proposition that sometimes we have a responsibility to alert other people.

For the record, I encouraged you to post your thoughts in the Discussion thread rather than a sales thread.  I did not encourage you to post a new thread in general.

   

That being said....

I get where you're coming from.   For me, If a seller if pricing their stuff to the moon...I just move on.  

 

A seller can ask what they want. 

As a buyer, you should do your due diligence & research the price before buying.

 

Now, if a seller is misrepresenting an item, or misrepresenting the price ( using only select GPA for example) than I'm totally fine with commenting directly in the sales thread.

 

 

[Poekaymon]

2 minutes ago, William-James88 said:

Honestly, I feel people can so as they wish (either in pricing or discussing the oeice) and shouldnt be punished or told off in either scenario.

I can get on board with that.

[thehumantorch]

17 minutes ago, Poekaymon said:

Yeah, but you're just repeating what is customary and/or "frowned upon."  I already know that, as I acknowledged in my post.  I asked you to, just for the purposes of this discussion here, forget about the rules/policy/custom for a moment and actually discuss whether or not that should be the policy.  

Using a PM doesn't get it done with regard to my proposition that sometimes we might have a responsibility to alert other people.  (Not insisting that we do--but that's the topic of discussion I have proposed.)  

As to protecting the right of people to post whatever price they want, let me ask you a hypothetical.  It is against the rules, for example, to post something with no price.  But it's fine to post something at (for the sake of discussion) 10x the going rate?  Both posts are equally and absolutely worthless, wouldn't you agree?

Please show me anything priced 10X the going rate.

[blazingbob]

37 minutes ago, Poekaymon said:

The Beyonder himself encouraged me to make this post so here it is.

For the most part, I think this board is pretty good for deals.  And it should be--sellers don't have to pay any eBay fees.  As a general rule, it seems to me at a minimum things posted here should be 10% less than the going eBay rate.  (This is exclusive of super rare stuff--I'm talking about stuff where if you search on eBay you get multiple BINs.)

But then sometimes I see stuff that is just totally out of whack.  Say something that is 25% (or more) higher than multiple eBay BINs that are up at the time of the posting, and if you search by new, have been up for months, and even have best offer functionality.  But I understand board etiquette so I just close the thread and move on.  But should it really be like that?  I mean predatory pricing like that can really only have two outcomes: 1) most likely, it just won't sell 2) someone will drunkenly or absentmindedly take it and then realize their mistake later.  Either outcome seems suboptimal.  It kind of turns the post just into spam, and spam isn't allowed, right?

Occasionally in such a thread someone will point it out,  even just to ask for clarification as to the discrepancy or because they might be missing something (like maybe they don't know UPCs are sometimes higher, or it's some variant they aren't aware of, etc), and the response is generally to get out of someone's sales thread.  Forgetting that that's the custom for a second, I posit to you that maybe people actually have a responsibility to speak up in some cases.  

Alright, let me have it.

 

Things should be priced at least 10% less then Ebay,  Why?  Do Sellers have to discount the book if they are doing that?  I find that buyers seem to want to dictate what I can and cannot charge for my book as well as my profit margin.  They want the cash discount,  they don't want to pay the paypal fee I incur,  they want free shipping etc.

[Poekaymon]

Just now, thehumantorch said:

Please show me anything priced 10X the going rate.

I expressly stated it was a hypothetical--though I guess I can go make one right now if that helps. The idea is, if those two posts are equally worthless, as is my position, then it simply becomes a discussion of degree.

[Poekaymon]

3 minutes ago, THE_BEYONDER said:

 

I get where you're coming from.   For me, If a seller if pricing their stuff to the moon...I just move on.  

 

As do I, as I said.  Thought it might be a fun topic though.

[Bird]

Just now, Poekaymon said:

I expressly stated it was a hypothetical--though I guess I can go make one right now if that helps. The idea is, if those two posts are equally worthless, as is my position, then it simply becomes a discussion of degree.

the posts are NOT worhtless. Maybe to you. But knowing who might own a book I want and seeing what they are asking is valuable info. And both posts could start a discussion leading to a sale, which is the final objective for both buyer and seller.

[Poekaymon]

5 minutes ago, thehumantorch said:

10% less than the going ebay rate?  Sounds nice but good luck figuring out a reasonable price and enforcing it.  That would just lead to endless arguments.

This place isn't perfect but I'd suggest to you that ebay has a higher percentage of overpriced BINS, over-grading, and dishonest behavior.  

I'm speaking generally.  So let's just say there are 10 copies of something up right now with a BIN of $300.  If someone comes here to post, my personal opinion is that they should put it at 10% or so less.  But I'd be fine with even $300 or even $310 if they want.  But if they come here and post it at, say, $400, then that's just spam, and as worthless as if they had posted no price at all or didn't put shipping rules or any of the other things that will get a post pulled around here.  Just one man's opinion.

[Poekaymon]

3 minutes ago, Bird said:

the posts are NOT worhtless. Maybe to you. But knowing who might own a book I want and seeing what they are asking is valuable info. And both posts could start a discussion leading to a sale, which is the final objective for both buyer and seller.

So if there are 10 copies of something with $100 BINs on Ebay and I come here and post one for $1,000, that is valuable info?  I don't see it.  The discussion leading to a sale is possible, I guess, though unlikely if you are starting at 10x.  But then the same would be true of a post that had no price listed whatsoever.  That's all I'm saying.

[THE_BEYONDER]

4 minutes ago, William-James88 said:

Honestly, I feel people can so as they wish (either in pricing or discussing the oeice) and shouldnt be punished or told off in either scenario.

You're not wrong.  It's easy to avoid being threadcrapped by pricing fairly.   How do you feel about discussing the grading directly in a sales thread?   Personally, I have no problem with it.  If someone thinks I missed something, I'd rather they speak up & give me a chance to either change the grade or defend it.    Better than missing something & having a FN book posted as a VF.

[THE_BEYONDER]

5 minutes ago, Poekaymon said:

I'm speaking generally.  So let's just say there are 10 copies of something up right now with a BIN of $300.  If someone comes here to post, my personal opinion is that they should put it at 10% or so less.  But I'd be fine with even $300 or even $310 if they want.  But if they come here and post it at, say, $400, then that's just spam, and as worthless as if they had posted no price at all or didn't put shipping rules or any of the other things that will get a post pulled around here.  Just one man's opinion.

Let nature take its course.  Sellers charging $400 for a $300 book.....aren't selling anything.