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What's the deal with the prices in the For Sale section?

Original Post
Slartibartfast · · Magrathea · Joined Jun 2013 · Points: 0

This is kind of a pet peeve of mine: what's the deal with all these classified ads trying to sell used gear(mostly cams, it seems) at "discount" prices that are within a couple of bucks or even exactly the same price as you can buy brand new? Is the "discount" supposed to be relative to the MSRP? Who is left on the planet paying the MSRP on ANYTHING?! If you are regularly buying gear at less than 20% discount(for example, #3 and smaller C4s for <$50), you should give up your internet privileges and hire someone to shop for you. A dude right now is selling 6 used BD stoppers for $70? That's significantly MORE than a new set runs, not to mention the fact that any decent site does free shipping on orders over $50, $75 tops.

But hey, if people are buying, why sell cheap? Just to know, though, should I expect to be able to sell all my used gear every 2 years at a 3% loss? If so, I'm going to stop feeling so guilty about my gear expenses. At that rate, I'd rather store my money in gear than in the bank.

Ray Pinpillage · · West Egg · Joined Jul 2010 · Points: 180

Why do you care? If you don't like the price don't buy the gear.

marty funkhouser · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2007 · Points: 20

On the spectrum of things to get angry about this lies somewhere between breaking your shoelace and dealing with a hangnail.

Ryan Nevius · · Perchtoldsdorf, AT · Joined Dec 2010 · Points: 1,837

I'd be more confused about why the BUYERS are BUYING used gear for so much, not why the seller are pricing high. As a seller, selling on here is awesome. I sold 3 C4s on MP and bought 3 new ones from a retailer. After all was said and done, I only shelled out $35 total. 3 new Camalots for $12 a piece. Keep it up MP.

Finn The Human · · The Land of Ooo · Joined Jul 2008 · Points: 106
Slartibartfast wrote:This is kind of a pet peeve of mine: what's the deal with all these classified ads trying to sell used gear(mostly cams, it seems) at "discount" prices that are within a couple of bucks or even exactly the same price as you can buy brand new?
Bistromath, my friend. You of all people should understand this phenomenon.
Jonas Salk · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2008 · Points: 10
jeff lebowski wrote:On the spectrum of things to get angry about this lies somewhere between breaking your shoelace and dealing with a hangnail.
Both of those things are way worse than what the OP is talking about. I've heard of people having surgery because of a bad hangnail.

Nice catch there Finn.
20 kN · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2009 · Points: 1,346
Ryan Nevius wrote:I'd be more confused about why the BUYERS are BUYING used gear for so much,
Who knows. They might be lazy. But I agree with the whole "shopping around" concept. While it is easy to ignore the habits of others, the truth is everyone's spending habits directly affects what you pay for everything in life. Let's just say the latest iPhone 27 which goes for $800, but costs $100 to make, wouldent go for $800 if every little schoolgirl on Earth was not willing to pay out the ass for it.
M Mobley · · Bar Harbor, ME · Joined Mar 2006 · Points: 911
20 kN wrote: Who knows. They might be lazy. But I agree with the whole "shopping around" concept. While it is easy to ignore the habits of others, the truth is everyone's spending habits directly affects what you pay for everything in life. Let's just say the latest iPhone 27 which goes for $800, but costs $100 to make, wouldent go for $800 if every little schoolgirl on Earth was not willing to pay out the ass for it.
WAIT- youre saying the I-phone 27 is out already??? SHIIIIT NOBODY TOLD ME!
Trad Princess · · Not That Into Climbing · Joined Jan 2012 · Points: 1,175
Slartibartfast wrote:A dude right now is selling 6 used BD stoppers for $70? That's significantly MORE than a new set runs, not to mention the fact that any decent site does free shipping on orders over $50, $75 tops.
You have to consider the seller on that one - dude is the biggest jackass I've seen thus far on this site.
Buff Johnson · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2005 · Points: 1,145

Way back in the day we'd try to scalp our student tickets at market prices, but it was illegal, so we also offered a $1,000 #2 pencil upgraded w/ artwork. hot-cakes, baby. don't like the prices, go somewhere else.

Ray Pinpillage · · West Egg · Joined Jul 2010 · Points: 180

I just bought $15 cams a few weeks ago. I think the OP is retarded.

Tim Stich · · Colorado Springs, Colorado · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 1,520
Ray Pinpillage wrote:I just bought $15 cams a few weeks ago. I think the OP is retarded.
No, man. She just can't get weed in West Virginia man. That's all. You, you are cool with all of these crazy prices. That's the Colorado way to be. See it all comes back to the weed.

Now one day the rest of the country will join us and the state of Washington and what not and then it will all be good.
Slartibartfast · · Magrathea · Joined Jun 2013 · Points: 0
Ray Pinpillage wrote:Why do you care? If you don't like the price don't buy the gear.
Care? I can't say I really "care", exactly. If I cared, I would have posted my message on any one of the many classified ads that fit the bill so as to warn the innocent, but that seems so douchey; if a seller can find someone to buy at a ridiculous price, more power to him(as long as he doesn't misrepresent the product).
I only bring it up because it baffles me. The only reasonable explanation I can come up with is some misplaced sense of community, namely that we should be willing to pay more to buy from our "friends" on MP than from some faceless corporation. Is that the case? Are these sales actually going through?
Honestly, I'm mostly just curious.

@Finn the Human, and@Jonas Salk
Nice catch, indeed.
Slartibartfast · · Magrathea · Joined Jun 2013 · Points: 0
Ryan Nevius wrote:I'd be more confused about why the BUYERS are BUYING used gear for so much, not why the seller are pricing high. As a seller, selling on here is awesome. I sold 3 C4s on MP and bought 3 new ones from a retailer. After all was said and done, I only shelled out $35 total. 3 new Camalots for $12 a piece. Keep it up MP.
I guess that's the answer to my real question. So, people really are buying? I can't decide whether to make a sweeping protest statement that I will only sell my used gear at greater than 40% discount, or be absolutely thrilled by the realization that buying new gear is very nearly a zero loss decision.
Dan Austin · · San Francisco, CA · Joined Oct 2010 · Points: 0

This is fuzzily related to the OP, but I haven't been able to find a >20% discount on Miuras for the past year or so. I'd say about two to five years ago I would never wind up paying more than $100 for a new pair (or about a 38% discount) waiting for the right sale. But lately I haven't seen the price drop below a 20% discount anywhere. I monitor spadout.com pretty regularly, have a price alert set up, etc.

So, MP, have I just lost touch of my deal-sniffing skills, or are we living in a reality of less heavily discounted Miuras????

Ryan Nevius · · Perchtoldsdorf, AT · Joined Dec 2010 · Points: 1,837
Slartibartfast wrote: I guess that's the answer to my real question. So, people really are buying? I can't decide whether to make a sweeping protest statement that I will only sell my used gear at greater than 40% discount, or be absolutely thrilled by the realization that buying new gear is very nearly a zero loss decision.
I doubt stoppers are going at a premium...but cams sell for way too much on here, often.
Ray Pinpillage · · West Egg · Joined Jul 2010 · Points: 180
Slartibartfast wrote: Care? I can't say I really "care", exactly. If I cared, I would have posted my message on any one of the many classified ads that fit the bill so as to warn the innocent, but that seems so douchey; if a seller can find someone to buy at a ridiculous price, more power to him(as long as he doesn't misrepresent the product). I only bring it up because it baffles me. The only reasonable explanation I can come up with is some misplaced sense of community, namely that we should be willing to pay more to buy from our "friends" on MP than from some faceless corporation. Is that the case? Are these sales actually going through? Honestly, I'm mostly just curious. @Finn the Human, and@Jonas Salk Nice catch, indeed.
What makes you think every item sold in the exchange sold for the asking price?
iceman777 · · Colorado Springs · Joined Oct 2007 · Points: 60

I'm still trying to figure out why you even care ?????? Personally I'm all for bitching about the price of
New gear ! New gear that doesn't even come close to being as perfect as the manufactures claim.

, and the stupid retards that continue buying it , then when it has the least bit of trouble let's go to MP or another site and cry like little bitches .

Again I'd rather see 25 pages of why do you continue to support over priced gear manufactures and there made in China shit , then this stupid drivel about used gear . If you get your asking price and everyone's happy then ??????

You can always tell who the real retards are , they normally post glowing reports about the latest and greatest piece of shit they cannot wait to hit the shelves and buy , hell they even try and convince you why it's so great then a couple weeks later post again to piss and moan about how it ain't .

Now that's real entertainment folks !!!!!

Slartibartfast · · Magrathea · Joined Jun 2013 · Points: 0

To Ray, Jeff: again, I don't care and am certainly not angry. And I've seen and bought stuff on here at decent prices. But it seems that, even more often, I see gear(mostly C4s)advertised at prices that are, frankly, ridiculous.

iceman
If the gear is, as you say, overpriced to begin with, then that's even more reason for used prices to be lower, especially since used cams and anything else with slings attached are, at least in theory, relatively suspect.

Why do I support the manufacturers? A small percentage is because they are the ones who do the R&D to get me new gear that, while still imperfect, is better now than ever before. But, mostly, it's not the manufacturers I like to support, but the distributors. I want to support GearExpress because they run awesome sales and get my gear to my house quickly. I want to support Moosejaw because they have, by far, the best customer service on the planet, in any industry, and because every few months they send me a gear catalog full of pretty girls. MP classifieds, on the other hand, are super exciting in theory but disappointing in practice.

One last time: I don't care and am not upset, unlike some of the people in this thread who seem downright offended that I even should mention it. I'm just surprised, that's all, and thought that this seemed like the kind of place where people like talking about climbing and climbing gear. My bad. I guess I am retarded after all.

Woodchuck ATC · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Nov 2007 · Points: 3,280

I'm hoping one reason is that the climbers want to support poor and cash strapped climbers by purchasing lightly used gear for a fair price, instead of just dumping the money into the big name companies...Nice to see a supportive and active sale crowd here at MP,,,much nicer than going and selling it on ebay. I appreciate those who have sold me gear and who have bought stuff I have over the last 3 years or so. Keep it in the community I say.

marty funkhouser · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2007 · Points: 20

Lol these aren't big corporations. The climbing industry is barely a profitable business and these 'evil' companies are not taking advantage of you. The profit margins are very slim. And the used market is simply supply and demand. Simple as that and who cares what people are or aren't willing to spend. This is America damnit. Capitalism is what makes this country great...and the U.K. just O.K.....and Europe horrible. Now go get a job and use your coin to buy gold and ammo like a true 'merican.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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