Deleting prices on sold items

[kohagen]

I've seen a number of "for sale" threads where the prices are deleted after the item is sold. I'm curious as to whether there is a forum standard on this, and, if there is, the rationale for it.

Showing the selling price would give some history on values for people who want to see if a posted price is reasonable or not. I'm not clear on the value of not showing sales prices.

I've just sold the Weigle I had posted on here, and I don't want to violate any commonly accepted standards.

[FastforaSlowGuy]

I've also wondered at this. Seems like keeping the asking price is helpful for everyone.

[Dead Man]

I really wish people would not do that. Makes it really hard to research used market value on a part or bike when every single example of a similar item you can find is priced at $OLD!

[MattTuck]

Old prices aren't accurate any longer due to Federal Reserve created inflation. :banana:

[bargainguy]

From a seller's point of view, once the sale is completed, no need to keep the price in the post.

If the seller could delete the post once the sale is completed, we wouldn't be having this discussion, but since the post stays, maybe the seller doesn't want other folks to feel like they just missed the bargain of a lifetime.

From a buyer's point of view, it's nice to have the price listed even on sold items, but the purpose of the classies is to sell items, not necessarily for researching similar items.

[rnhood]

Items are only worth the amount a specific buyer pays for it. The value to others can be different. I think deleting the price is the right thing to do.

[ultraman6970]

No wonder my stuff cant sell... my asking price is always $old!!

[Vientomas]

I like to torture myself and see what a great deal I missed out on. Don't deny me my suffering, please leave the price.

[FastforaSlowGuy]

All this is true, but if you're a seller, having some historical information on which to base an asking price is helpful to start. And for buyer's it's helpful to give some context to an asking price. Otherwise one has to look at eBay and CL, or some other forum. A lot of folks (me included) try to give better pricing here than on those sites, so it becomes a "finger in the air" exercise.

[sandyrs]

Items are only worth the amount a specific buyer pays for it. The value to others can be different. I think deleting the price is the right thing to do.

Yes, and if it's worth a different amount to others, then nobody will buy it and the seller will need to adjust accordingly.

The only reason I see to delete a price is if the seller ended up selling the item for much less than s/he wanted and doesn't want to publicize it, which is totally understandable.

[Ahneida Ride]

Old prices aren't accurate any longer due to Federal Reserve created inflation. :banana:

Oh they are accurate for a few months ...

frnacation is at 6% annually.. :butt:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYNVNhB-m0o

[bcroslin]

deleting prices on sold items is lame. never understood why people do it. it's nice to have a guide in the future to know what an item has sold for if you're selling a similar item.

[christian]

I don't usually do it, but I have on occasion. The reason is usually that people keep IMing to ask if the item is available, even if it says SOLD in the header, and in the first line, and three other places in the ad. I think people actively look for the price, and when they see $SOLD, they react. I'm serious.

[OtayBW]

I recently bought a couple of items, and the seller immediately deleted not only the price, but the entire copy of the post and all the pics. Weird. :confused:

[Dead Man]

I don't usually do it, but I have on occasion. The reason is usually that people keep IMing to ask if the item is available, even if it says SOLD in the header, and in the first line, and three other places in the ad. I think people actively look for the price, and when they see $SOLD, they react. I'm serious.


I've always done

SOLD $120 - Your mum's undies

And have never had anyone PM me about the item after the fact

[Don49]

I've also wondered at this. Seems like keeping the asking price is helpful for everyone.+1

Some forums actually require it. Over at the biggest watch forum:
"You must leave all ad content including the asking price after you sold your items for future references."

[kohagen]

I've always done

SOLD $120 - Your mum's undies

And have never had anyone PM me about the item after the fact

Nobody ever asked how you got so much for their mum's undies?

[commonguy001]

I'm guilty of both deleting the price with SOLD and removing the picture links.

The price isn't always what I got for the item and doesn't reflect a final sale price. Also if I end up dropping prices on something else in the ad (like a bunch of jerseys I've sold) then I'd rather not have the sold jerseys listed at a higher price.
Pictures are easy - I'm deleting them as soon as I ship the item as I don't want them cluttering up my Flickr account and you'd just get a red X if I didn't remove the link.

Saying that if the rules were changed to require leaving them it wouldn't bother me... :)

[flyhippy]

If all threads weren't searchable on the interwebs, then I would say leave it. But I always sell my bikes pretty cheap here, because you guys make it so easy! I don't want the next guy listing on ebay seeing my price, listing his for that price on ebay, then thats the comp on ebay, so the next person to sell here lists below that, and before you know it the Paceline has single handedly ratcheted down the entire bike market!! :help:

[dancinkozmo]

Nobody ever asked how you got so much for their mum's undies?

his mom is morgan fairchild

[ultraman6970]

Do you think I can get her autograph???

[kohagen]

If all threads weren't searchable on the interwebs, then I would say leave it. But I always sell my bikes pretty cheap here, because you guys make it so easy! I don't want the next guy listing on ebay seeing my price, listing his for that price on ebay, then thats the comp on ebay, so the next person to sell here lists below that, and before you know it the Paceline has single handedly ratcheted down the entire bike market!! :help:

Mine's a Weigle, and a big one at that, so there's not going to be a lot of sellers using it to set their sales prices.

[bikinchris]

Two thoughts. Some forums have a link in a post that shows 'previous versions' so that way changing what you said is not possible. Stops some arguments and in this case, it might help you out when you want to list an item for sale.

B: In some classified sections, the seller can click a link on his post that drops the whole ad into a "SOLD" section. This way they instantly drop off the for sale section and there is less clutter. But this also lets you search in the sold section for prices from RECENT sales.

[eBAUMANN]

B: In some classified sections, the seller can click a link on his post that drops the whole ad into a "SOLD" section. This way they instantly drop off the for sale section and there is less clutter. But this also lets you search in the sold section for prices from RECENT sales.

This would be awesome.

I know that I personally change a lot of prices to "$OLD" once they have moved on, also I delete the photos because I also delete them from my flickr account…to free up space and clear clutter. Not really sure why I do it other than to make it absolutely clear that the item is no longer available.

If someone REALLY wants to know what the used value of a part is, the answer is always the same: "what someone is willing to pay"

Ive seen stuff sell RIDICULOUSLY cheap on here, which would be a piss poor indicator of that items ACTUAL value. So for that reason I would say this forum is probably not a great place to do price research. If you really don't have a clue what your thing is worth, ask a friend, or look on ebay to see what it goes for new, then deduct 20% and list. if it doesn't sell, drop the price till it does or chuck it on ebay.

I also try to recycle old sale threads with new items/pics whenever possible, just to save clutter on the forum.

[binxnyrwarrsoul]

...

[brando]

+1 leave in the prices.

I lump taking down sold prices with sellers who post "taking offers" instead of a starting price and lowballers. Why not just be straight about it?

It doesn't change what two individuals might agree is fair in the future. But it is a way to level set as a community.

[Dead Man]

Ive seen stuff sell RIDICULOUSLY cheap on here, which would be a piss poor indicator of that items ACTUAL value.

Totally disagree - this forum IS the market, as much as anywhere else we look for and sell parts. And since most of us not only buy here, but also sell here, this is definitely the place to gauge value for items we're planning to sell here. If that's severely discounted from greedebay, so be it... it's still the ACTUAL value of the part, because it's what someone ACTUALLY paid for it.

[eBAUMANN]

Totally disagree - this forum IS the market, as much as anywhere else we look for and sell parts. And since most of us not only buy here, but also sell here, this is definitely the place to gauge value for items we're planning to sell here. If that's severely discounted from greedebay, so be it... it's still the ACTUAL value of the part, because it's what someone ACTUALLY paid for it.

OK, so by your logic, because I sold a Dogma Think 2 here last summer for like $16-1700 (only to see it pop up on ebay a week later for $600 more), all future Dogma framesets should be priced within $100 of that selling price? I think not.

Some people care what they sell things for, how much money they lose, etc…and some people don't give a ····. I don't think its fair to hold ALL sellers to prices set by people who don't care and just want something gone.

Prices are public information for as long as a seller wants them to be. If you missed it and they delete it, you missed it, simple as that. A sale is a transaction between a buyer and a seller, the peanut gallery has no "right" to any part of that exchange.

If you don't know what your thing is worth, pay attention to the market for a little while before you sell it. Or just remember what you paid new, subtract a fair amount based on the use you got out of it, and list for that, the market will decide if its a fair price.

[shovelhd]

Question for the sellers. Have you ever been asked by the buyer to delete a price? I have not.

[Dead Man]

OK, so by your logic, because I sold a Dogma Think 2 here last summer for like $16-1700 (only to see it pop up on ebay a week later for $600 more), all future Dogma framesets should be priced within $100 of that selling price? I think not.



I didn't say that- not at all. What I said was that was the actual value of that item, and that's good information to have when deciding how to price your item, or what to pay for an item you're looking at. If that turns out to be hundreds of dollars less than what OTHER examples are going for, then you can mentally throw it out, or not.

No where did I ever state anything about what things should or should not be priced at.

[eBAUMANN]

Question for the sellers. Have you ever been asked by the buyer to delete a price? I have not.

no, because THAT implies that the buyer has some interest in hiding what they paid, which means they likely intend to flip the part elsewhere.

that obviously doesn't apply to a seller…

also, i have seen prices sink far below fair-market value here during "off seasons" for certain items (road bikes in the winter, for example). if someone wants to score a deal on a road bike with a foot of snow on the ground, good for them, they thought ahead and bought before they needed.

other times of year, as the demand for certain things rises, so does used market value…as it should. you waited till a month before cx season to buy a cx bike? expect to pay full market value for one.

and no, this forum is not the market, its the exception to the market.

;)

[eBAUMANN]

I didn't say that- not at all. What I said was that was the actual value of that item, and that's good information to have when deciding how to price your item, or what to pay for an item you're looking at. If that turns out to be hundreds of dollars less than what OTHER examples are going for, then you can mentally throw it out, or not.

No where did I ever state anything about what things should or should not be priced at.

if you are looking for a STARTING PLACE for pricing, ebay is as good as anything for that purpose.

completed auction search > subtract 15% (ebay and paypal fees) from average sale price > list here > sell or drop price accordingly till sold

done and done

[dvancleve]

I have been deleting images, because if some items are sold and others are not, scrolling through sold stuff to see what is still available seems like a pain. I have been leaving prices but adding SOLD after they sell.

I agree that deleting prices seems questionable at best. There are settings in vBulletin that only allow editing posts for a short period of time. This allows quickly correcting mistakes, but prevents deleting post content. One of the Subaru forums I sometimes frequent has stricktly enforced rules about linking images to prevent them from being deleted, should a dispute arise...

Doug

[Dead Man]

no, because THAT implies that the buyer has some interest in hiding what they paid, which means they likely intend to flip the part elsewhere.

that obviously doesn't apply to a seller…

also, i have seen prices sink far below fair-market value here during "off seasons" for certain items (road bikes in the winter, for example). if someone wants to score a deal on a road bike with a foot of snow on the ground, good for them, they thought a head and bought before they needed.

other times of year, as the demand for certain things rises, so does used market value…as it should. you waited till a month before cx season to buy a cx bike? expect to pay full market value for one.

and no, this forum is not the market, its the exception to the market.

;)

How are you establishing what "the market" is, or "the market value?" A mental guess at an average price for similar items?

THE MARKET is the collective whole of every outlet that makes up the market. THE MARKET is craigslist, ebay, bikeforums, paceline, etc, etc... and we all know that you find prices well below the average and well above the average in all these places. eBay is generally above, paceline is generally below... but they're ALL "the market." All of the prices for all of the items sold at all these places are the collect market value, a completely subjective term; subject to my perceptions of what I can/should get for it, and subject again, and finally, by what I'm willing to pay for it.

I don't see how any of your argument supports erasing asking prices from ad threads.

[FastforaSlowGuy]

no, because THAT implies that the buyer has some interest in hiding what they paid, which means they likely intend to flip the part elsewhere.

that obviously doesn't apply to a seller…

also, i have seen prices sink far below fair-market value here during "off seasons" for certain items (road bikes in the winter, for example). if someone wants to score a deal on a road bike with a foot of snow on the ground, good for them, they thought ahead and bought before they needed.

other times of year, as the demand for certain things rises, so does used market value…as it should. you waited till a month before cx season to buy a cx bike? expect to pay full market value for one.

and no, this forum is not the market, its the exception to the market.

;)

Sorry, but I gotta disagree with a lot of your points here:

1. This forum is the market for any product being sold on the forum. To disagree with that is like saying the Saudi gasoline market is the same as the US gasoline market and therefore pricing across the two is valid. Nope, even for a global commodity like that, it just ain't true.

2. Of course prices rise and fall by season on here, and of course some things get sold way cheap or not at all. The point isn't whether any single item is "the" price, the point is that the more prices we have to look at, the better the data set we have to gauge value. If I see that the last 10 CX framesets from Ridley sold at $1200 in September, and I'm looking in May, that's still relevant and helpful information for both buyer and seller.

3. It would be weird for a buyer to ask a seller to delete prices after the transaction. But why is it less weird for the seller to delete them?

[flyhippy]

I get what eBaumann is saying - paceline is not really the market, because its community based. I sell things here because I trust the people here, and I'm not always looking to get "market value" for my goods. The price someone pays for something is not always market value. People sell things cheaper here to pay it forward, or because they got a screaming deal, or because they want to see a junior racer score a good bike, etc, etc.

Edit: But yes, this forum is the market for any product being sold on the forum I suppose.

[eBAUMANN]

How are you establishing what "the market" is, or "the market value?" A mental guess at an average price for similar items?

THE MARKET is the collective whole of every outlet that makes up the market. THE MARKET is craigslist, ebay, bikeforums, paceline, etc, etc... and we all know that you find prices well below the average and well above the average in all these places. eBay is generally above, paceline is generally below... but they're ALL "the market." All of the prices for all of the items sold at all these places are the collect market value, a completely subjective term; subject to my perceptions of what I can/should get for it, and subject again, and finally, by what I'm willing to pay for it.

I don't see how any of your argument supports erasing asking prices from ad threads.

I understand what you are saying and I agree.

Im not supporting erasing prices, I'm supporting the right of sellers to choose what the hell they want to do with their own ads after the item is sold.

Until paceline has a a system set up to track selling prices (which they never will - because a lot of PM negotiating happens which changes ACTUAL selling price vs ADVERTISED price) it falls solely to the discretion of the seller as to what should become of their ad once the item it sold. As it should.

[FastforaSlowGuy]

I get what eBaumann is saying - paceline is not really the market, because its community based. I sell things here because I trust the people here, and I'm not always looking to get "market value" for my goods. The price someone pays for something is not always market value. People sell things cheaper here to pay it forward, or because they got a screaming deal, or because they want to see a junior racer score a good bike, etc, etc.

There's a name for a community of buyers and sellers that has its own pricing customs and assigns different values to certain commodities than might be assigned in a different community: a market.

[eBAUMANN]

I get what eBaumann is saying - paceline is not really the market, because its community based. I sell things here because I trust the people here, and I'm not always looking to get "market value" for my goods. The price someone pays for something is not always market value. People sell things cheaper here to pay it forward, or because they got a screaming deal, or because they want to see a junior racer score a good bike, etc, etc.

Edit: But yes, this forum is the market for any product being sold on the forum I suppose.

EEEEEXXXXAAAACCCCTTTTTTLLLLLYYYYYYY

:beer:

[Dead Man]

I understand what you are saying and I agree.

Im not supporting erasing prices, I'm supporting the right of sellers to choose what the hell they want to do with their own ads after the item is sold.

Until paceline has a a system set up to track selling prices (which they never will - because a lot of PM negotiating happens which changes ACTUAL selling price vs ADVERTISED price) it falls solely to the discretion of the seller as to what should become of their ad once the item it sold. As it should.

I'm not calling for a rule.

[FastforaSlowGuy]

I understand what you are saying and I agree.

Im not supporting erasing prices, I'm supporting the right of sellers to choose what the hell they want to do with their own ads after the item is sold.


Agreed. It's up to the seller to decide what to do. Not a fan of adding rules for this. But it would be nice if more sellers would consider leaving the prices in. And I support a feature that would allow us to sort out the "sold" items, if only to reduce clutter and confusion.

[eBAUMANN]

There's a name for a community of buyers and sellers that has its own pricing customs and assigns different values to certain commodities than might be assigned in a different community: a market.

And what happens when a lower price is negotiated "off the books" but the advertised price isn't changed to reflect that? The record is inaccurate! The horror!

If you don't know what you should ask for your stuff, price it high and add "OBO" - drop the price until it sells. Then you know what its worth HERE.

Had you listed it on ebay, you may have sold it for a different amount…

But then which is the ACTUAL market value?

:crap:

Honestly, this isn't really worth debating.

[FastforaSlowGuy]

But then which is the ACTUAL market value?



There's no such thing as actual market value apart from the value actually paid. Fair market value depends on the market in which you are selling, which was my only point. My home cost X in my community, but Y in another community. Same with dish soap, office chairs and cranksets. For anyone pricing any of those things, though, it's helpful to know what other sellers and buyers are accustomed to seeing. Yeah, we'll all figure it out eventually, but given the choice between having more or less information available to me, I'll opt for more every time.

[flyhippy]

I think two issues are being conflated here - when in reality everyone is in agreeance. You have the market as a whole, being ebay, CL, paceline, swaps, etc. There is a market value for your goods based on this market as a whole. Then there is our specific niche market, which has a completely different market value for your goods, being the paceline marketplace. Each has a distinct market value, but both will likely be decidedly different from each other.

[odin99]

my pet peeve is the "SOLD" bump. :bike:

not. necessary.

i generally try to leave my prices after a sale - but i do delete the pics. old searches are helpful to find prices... a lot of times though you find things that aren't marked sold... so you know to price it lower (!).

[Dead Man]

my pet peeve is the "SOLD" bump.

Yea... pushing everyone else's threads one more line down just to announce that the item isn't available anymore is definitely bad form. Totally verboten on a a lot of boards, also.

[thirdgenbird]

my pet peeve is the "SOLD" bump. :bike:

not. necessary.

It doesn't bother me.

I've come across a few items that the sellers neglected to mark as sold. This can be a little disappointing. I would rather the sold bump than forgetting to update.

I know editing the original post would be less obtrusive, but there have also been great deals that have nagged at me. As a potential buyer who doesn't always need the part, I'm sometimes happy to see the temptation go.

I also enjoy seeing some parts I don't want go to new homes. When the GL frame add was bumped as sold I was excited. I can't wait to see that built (you know who you are)

Besides, what's the big deal? A sold thread will often die very quickly. I realize the items still for sale get moved down, but because this is a community, I often enjoy the follow up conversation that sometimes lets you know where things went or what the plan is. This place is more than just a "craigslist".

[Frankwurst]

I don't care. If it's sold, It's sold and I'm not gonna lose any sleep over it. I price my stuff for what I want and sometimes sell it cheaper simply because I'd rather do that than answer stupid questions and deal with stupid questions. If someone wants/needs it and doesn't ask me stupid questions and offers me a decent price, color it gone. I do post when items are sold (without deleting price) though. Hell I might start posting SOLD TO CHEAP! Just to make people wonder.:beer:

[weaponsgrade]

When trying to price an item to sell I'll usually try and see what it sells on eBay and price it less. My 2 cents is that I'd like the price to remain to help provide another data point for what something should be priced at.

[pbarry]

Sold bump is unneeded. Edit post; go to advanced; Edit the title.. Not enough sellers do this, but it's greatly appreciated when the minority do. :)

[thirdgenbird]

Sold bump is unneeded. Edit post; go to advanced; Edit the title.. Not enough sellers do this, but it's greatly appreciated when the minority do. :)

I think editing the title is a fantastic thing but I still don't mind a post in addition.

[kohagen]

Sold bump is unneeded. Edit post; go to advanced; Edit the title.. Not enough sellers do this, but it's greatly appreciated when the minority do. :)

That's what I decided to do with my post. Edited the title, no sold bump, added the sales price to the post.

[brando]

I will add that this forum is the "odd duck" when it comes to how many sellers delete sold prices.

[oldpotatoe]

Oh they are accurate for a few months ...

frnacation is at 6% annually.. :butt:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYNVNhB-m0o

way to go Matt

[fuzzalow]

I do not sell much on this forum although I have lots of parts still left as jetsam from a downsizing. The frames and parts I have sold have been priced purposely on the lower end of the scale - I want the stuff moved and the people who know almost always know to act (not as in "I'm interested here are my questions..." but rather "I'll take it") rather than to dawdle. My bikes sold are only topline Probikes.

I always remove the price after the sale and post a "SOLD" bump. I do this because:
The price has no significance to what I perceive as the market. I price for liquidity but I am especially gratified when the buyer is a Paceliner with an older Join Date. But still, this is a business transaction so it is open field. It just happens that some of the more veteran of this forum know how to run in an open field.
I post a bump "SOLD" so that I can thank those who expressed interest (but got beaten to the punch by somebody else) rather than responding to each PM sitting in my inbox
Most of the people on this forum are pretty knowledgeable about bikes and know what stuff costs. Sure, it is nice to get a rockbottom price by waiting for a pricepoint to happen. But it is better to get what you want/need from this community without the sole intent to bleed your fellow Paceliner on price.

So what that you got something at a good but not a great price. What goes around comes around.

[eippo1]

If all threads weren't searchable on the interwebs, then I would say leave it. But I always sell my bikes pretty cheap here, because you guys make it so easy! I don't want the next guy listing on ebay seeing my price, listing his for that price on ebay, then thats the comp on ebay, so the next person to sell here lists below that, and before you know it the Paceline has single handedly ratcheted down the entire bike market!! :help:

This is kind of how I feel. It is really useful and I always search to see what has been searched before, but Paceline pops up really high in most google searches so it kind of feels weird to have all our good-stuff-for-cheap laundry out hanging for all to see.

[eippo1]

The frames and parts I have sold have been priced purposely on the lower end of the scale - I want the stuff moved and the people who know almost always know to act (not as in "I'm interested here are my questions..." but rather "I'll take it") rather than to dawdle. My bikes sold are only topline Probikes.

So what that you got something at a good but not a great price. What goes around comes around.

I'd say that's even an understatement. If you compare the price of the Della Santa I picked up from you compared to the amount of happy pills I'd have to take to attain the same effect from even 5 minutes of riding the bike, you'd be making more money than my medical insurer.

[fuzzalow]

I'd say that's even an understatement. If you compare the price of the Della Santa I picked up from you compared to the amount of happy pills I'd have to take to attain the same effect from even 5 minutes of riding the bike, you'd be making more money than my medical insurer.

That is very nice to hear and that there is no one happier about this result than me.

I am not blind to the fact that folks must be mindful of their spending habits on the comparative frivolity of bikes so for many folks a good deal is important to get. I am equally mindful that being generous to others is a blessing and a gift if you are able to do so. All we can do is our best effort. I trust that all the Paceliners that stay long enough to become part of this community will look upon themselves to do the right thing if they are able.

[rwsaunders]

i do not sell much on this forum although i have lots of parts still left as jetsam from a downsizing. The frames and parts i have sold have been priced purposely on the lower end of the scale - i want the stuff moved and the people who know almost always know to act (not as in "i'm interested here are my questions..." but rather "i'll take it") rather than to dawdle. My bikes sold are only topline probikes.

I always remove the price after the sale and post a "sold" bump. I do this because:
the price has no significance to what i perceive as the market. I price for liquidity but i am especially gratified when the buyer is a paceliner with an older join date. But still, this is a business transaction so it is open field. It just happens that some of the more veteran of this forum know how to run in an open field.
i post a bump "sold" so that i can thank those who expressed interest (but got beaten to the punch by somebody else) rather than responding to each pm sitting in my inbox
most of the people on this forum are pretty knowledgeable about bikes and know what stuff costs. Sure, it is nice to get a rockbottom price by waiting for a pricepoint to happen. But it is better to get what you want/need from this community without the sole intent to bleed your fellow paceliner on price.

So what that you got something at a good but not a great price. What goes around comes around.

+1.