Q: Why remove price when item is sold?

[drewellison]

Some folks remove the sales price after the item is sold. Why?

[chiasticon]

I don't. I think it's in the sticky too that sellers not do this.

I think it helps in the future, should someone list the same/similar item. that's why I leave it.

[SoCalSteve]

Some folks remove the sales price after the item is sold. Why?

I always do. What is sold and the terms of that sale are between the buyer and the seller. It's no one else's business.

If someone sends me a private message and asks me what I sold something for because they are interested in purchasing something similar or wanting to sell the same item, I will give them that information.

[Gsinill]

I always do. What is sold and the terms of that sale are between the buyer and the seller. It's no one else's business.

If someone sends me a private message and asks me what I sold something for because they are interested in purchasing something similar or wanting to sell the same item, I will give them that information.

Aren't those two different things: asking price in the ad vs. actual price that the item sold for?
I can see your point for the latter but the asking price has been out there in the first place and DOES help to determine some kind of market value.

[SoCalSteve]

Aren't those two different things: asking price in the ad vs. actual price that the item sold for?
I can see your point for the latter but the asking price has been out there in the first place and DOES help to determine some kind of market value.

What if it sold for 1/2 the price in the ad? No determination of market value.

[brockd15]

I don't delete prices because I think it's helpful to be able to search the forum to get an idea of sale prices in the past. I guess there's always ebay sold listings for pricing checks if the stuff you're looking for has had the prices removed here.

As far as the price being private between buyer and seller...it is, but does it really matter? Most of the time you can't even tell who the buyer is based on the thread, that's typically done via PM or email anyway. Speaking of, the price I leave also isn't necessarily the actual sale price. If I accept an offer for lower than my asking price I don't take the time to update it, I just leave it as is.

[eBAUMANN]

OK, so, this might get long...

The only argument FOR leaving prices it to create some sort of record of what something is worth for future sales of that item or others like it.

There are a few issues with this, as the set price of an item can vary widely depending on several factors:

1 - time of year
2 - seller motivation
3 - size/spec of item

You get the idea...

To say that a used _________ is worth ________ because thats what it sold for in January from a seller who makes six figures and doesnt give a sh*t about money...is not really accurate or helpful for anyone.

-----

Personally, I HATE when people call out others on prices, linking previous sale threads or ebay listings. Its annoying and childish.

If its a fair price, it will sell.
If its not a fair price, it wont.

An item is worth what the market is willing to pay, not what it happened to sell for on ebay a month ago at 4am in the morning...

-----

This is not a forum for PUBLIC sales...everything here is bought and sold through PRIVATE sales between 2 (or sometimes 3, 4) parties...thats it. The terms of the sale are dictated by these individuals at that time and should have no future bearing on any future sales of the items in question or any others like it.

If a seller wants to delete the entire thread once the item is sold or repurpose it to sell another new item, thats their prerogative, as far as im concerned.


K, im gonna stop there.

[brockd15]

What if it sold for 1/2 the price in the ad? No determination of market value.

This is true, but my assumption is that if it did sell for lower it wouldn't be that much lower. A little, but not half, so the original posted price is still relevant.

[OtayBW]

What if it sold for 1/2 the price in the ad? No determination of market value.
I still think it is helpful to a lot of people, and, if it did sell for something other than the asking price, then I do not understand the rationale for withholding/deleting the original listed price. It divulges nothing about the sale price as you say.

My small gripe is folks who sell stuff for what they previously paid for it used. I always figured that if I used it, I'm willing to 'pay' for my use of it, and pass on the appropriate 'depreciation' - but I am drifting....

[eBAUMANN]

My small gripe is folks who sell stuff for what they previously paid for it used. I always figured that if I used it, I'm willing to 'pay' for my use of it, and pass on the appropriate 'depreciation' - but I am drifting....

Well, seeing as how there is no quantifiable way of determining how "used" most parts are, and no sliding scale of pricing attached to the "degree of use" something might have...its a little hard to have a gripe with anyone for NOT doing that.
By your logic, if I buy a used bike for $2k and take it for a spin around the block, it is now "more used" than when I bought it and I have no right to sell it for $2k again.

This is one of the main reasons I like to buy things used...because I can almost always get back what I paid for that item however many months later whether I used it myself or not. The same cant be said for buying new.

[KJMUNC]

eBAUMANN hits it squarely......there are so many variables to every sale that you can't ever use a single occurrence here to indicate "market value". Heck, we have people GIVE AWAY stuff here, literally....or sometimes sell stuff for really cheap prices compared to what you'd pay on eBay etc.

I don't mind it....it's not like this is the only place to gauge pricing. As a seller, if you do check pricing here you're often better off selling elsewhere if all you care about is getting the highest price.

I typically delete prices, mainly because I don't really care for people second guessing my pricing after the fact.....and making sure my wife has no idea what I buy/sell stuff for! ;) :beer:

[Gsinill]

1 - time of year
2 - seller motivation
3 - size/spec of item

You get the idea...



Don't get me wrong, but add some human intelligence and reading between the lines when assessing those parameters above, add factors like condition, feedback by fellow forumites (e.g. "deal of the day" etc.) plus how long it took to sell (or not) and it gives you a pretty good idea of what it is worth to Paceliners.

[OtayBW]

This is one of the main reasons I like to buy things used...because I can almost always get back what I paid for that item however many months later whether I used it myself or not. The same cant be said for buying new.Fair enough, but we have very different approaches to this. I'm willing to kick a little down to the next guy in line for the time/use that I have in something. Again, that's just me...

[OtayBW]

.....and making sure my wife has no idea what I buy/sell stuff for! ;) :beer:[/end] :banana:

[KJMUNC]

My small gripe is folks who sell stuff for what they previously paid for it used. I always figured that if I used it, I'm willing to 'pay' for my use of it, and pass on the appropriate 'depreciation' - but I am drifting....

But here's the problem: how does another buyer know how much utility another has gotten from something that was bought used and relisted later? I see a lot of stuff here that is bought and sat in a box until it was resold.....seller hasn't gained utility out of it while it sat, so there's no more rationale to lower the price than there is to keep it the same. Obviously if it's bought and used that might be a different story, but if another buyer is willing to pay the same price, why not?

[eBAUMANN]

It is the duty of a seller to do right by themselves in selling their items, and that means different things to different people.

Some people just want it gone, they want to give someone a deal, their time and space in the garage are worth more to them than the extra $500 they might make holding out at a higher price for a couple months.

Thats cool and all, good on them, I aspire to reach a place of financial comfort one day when I too can do the same.

But this is the exception, not the rule.

Most sellers (who want to get the best price for their item) will do a little poking around online (ebay, forums, etc) or ask friends to figure out what the going rate for their item might be.

On the flip side of this, most buyers will also do their research before making a purchase. If you have an eye on a particular item (of which there is more than one), you really should watch a few auctions to see what things are selling for before buying.

Paceline is a place of informed (maybe even OVER informed) buyers and sellers...if you dont know what something is worth, just ask someone who might have a clue via PM.

[OtayBW]

^ No disrespect, but you seem to be overthinking it - at least the way I'm trying to describe it. You may disagree, but trying to get your full cost back after you bought something and used just isn't how I roll. Some good faith adjustment is a cool thing to do, especially among friends. What you do is up to you! But this is now pretty good thread drift, and I'm sorry for that.

[RobJ]

I personally like seeing the original asking price being left in the posting. It does provide some sort of market value especially for older/harder to find items, where someone may have more expertise. I realize there are factors involved and most here are providing a better deal than elsewhere, but if I can't find it here and go to eBay or CL etc. at least I know close to what I should be paying with the other sites probably slightly higher.

But wouldn't deleting the sales price also possibly lead to flippers? Buy the product, delete the price, sit on the item for a short time, repost it at a higher price? Especially where someone was offering a forum discount of sorts, flipper knows full well they have room for margin on a resale. Not saying anyone here does that, but it could open the forum up to such a behavior.

[ColnagoFan]

Long, but informative. I think I've both removed and left prices on my ads, I guess depends on if I'm thinking about it or not.

I do get the point where it could be useful for someone to see what something might have sold for in the past, either as a buyer or seller. But also the flipside is Eric's point.
I've sold some stuff at some pretty rock-bottom pricing to "just get it gone," not because I can afford to, but because I needed to cash it in. In my opinion, those items went for below market value, and I didn't want that to skew future stuff.

I always poke around other forums, around eBay, etc, before posting stuff here. And 10 out of 10 times I will price my stuff lower here than if I were selling on other sites. A few times I've been off, simple mistake, and I've had a friendly PM from a PLer to help me out, and I've adjusted.

Anyway as a buyer & a seller, I see both sides of it, I don't know whether one is right or wrong, really.

Man, mine was long too...sorry!

OK, so, this might get long...

The only argument FOR leaving prices it to create some sort of record of what something is worth for future sales of that item or others like it.

There are a few issues with this, as the set price of an item can vary widely depending on several factors:

1 - time of year
2 - seller motivation
3 - size/spec of item

You get the idea...

To say that a used _________ is worth ________ because thats what it sold for in January from a seller who makes six figures and doesnt give a sh*t about money...is not really accurate or helpful for anyone.

-----

Personally, I HATE when people call out others on prices, linking previous sale threads or ebay listings. Its annoying and childish.

If its a fair price, it will sell.
If its not a fair price, it wont.

An item is worth what the market is willing to pay, not what it happened to sell for on ebay a month ago at 4am in the morning...

-----

This is not a forum for PUBLIC sales...everything here is bought and sold through PRIVATE sales between 2 (or sometimes 3, 4) parties...thats it. The terms of the sale are dictated by these individuals at that time and should have no future bearing on any future sales of the items in question or any others like it.

If a seller wants to delete the entire thread once the item is sold or repurpose it to sell another new item, thats their prerogative, as far as im concerned.


K, im gonna stop there.

[cpsqlrwn]

+1 on this thread, lots of interesting comments

[eddief]

but if we create a new one we have to get rid of two old ones. Just leave the price in your ad. What difference could it possibly make if you advertised for one price and then sold it for less? Leaving the price in the ad creates another good data point for those bros wanting to better understand the marketplace.

[seanile]

set your price. if someone buys it, goody for you.
if no one buys it, lower your price until you don't feel you're getting your due.
that's supply and demand..regardless of what price-record is in another thread.

i delete my prices so i can sell another of the same item down the road at a higher price without getting tsk-tsked. if the market can bear it at the price that i want out of it, what the same stem sold for 7 months ago is irrelevant.

[SoCalSteve]

but if we create a new one we have to get rid of two old ones. Just leave the price in your ad. What difference could it possibly make if you advertised for one price and then sold it for less? Leaving the price in the ad creates another good data point for those bros wanting to better understand the marketplace.

Again, there is NO "better understanding the marketplace " if you listed something for one price and it sold for 1/2 that price.

Where is the understanding? Unless the seller discloses ALL the terms of the sale...( packing costs, shipping, insurance, PayPal fee's, trades, etc, etc, etc)...there is no understanding.

And I for one feel it's a private matter to not tell the world what I bought or sold something for. Maybe it was the way I was brought up, but it's no ones business!!!

On a similar note, I truly hate when someone asks me what I paid for an item. Makes me cringe. I am always polite and tell them ( in a polite manner ) it's none of their business!

[SoCalSteve]

This is true, but my assumption is that if it did sell for lower it wouldn't be that much lower. A little, but not half, so the original posted price is still relevant.

You would be surprised at what things are selling for these days. It's TRULY a buyers market!

[eddief]

I defer to you...regardless of your upbringing.

You would be surprised at what things are selling for these days. It's TRULY a buyers market!

[dustyrider]

I'm going to point out that there is way more happening on this forum with private messages than I've ever experienced. And if you really want to know what the market is doing you'll have to look beyond the paceline. I've sent off items as a donation, others have as well, we deal in trades and take personal checks. It's part of the reason this place is so special. Folks genuinely care!

Sure we get those folks, who will remain nameless, that push our buttons and fire off an irate pm. But they're only human! Thanks to the countless hours our generous moderators put in, and those dollars from those sponsor at the top of the page, we've got a smooth running ship for the most part. Of course there is February...:(

Basically what I'm saying is to try and remember that your personal freedoms end where mine begin. If someone wants to delete the price, and I don't like it, how can I say they shouldn't? It's a relative thing price, value, worth. I'd rather we make an effort to include frame size in the title! Cause this 58cm bike rider thinks all the bikes 56cm and smaller are worthless.

[Hilltopperny]

I end up deleting the price of my posts most of the time, but I also tend to sell things cheaper here than any other place due to the buddy system that this forum has. I've bought, sold, traded, given and received on this forum and have rarely had a bad experience. As stated above by ebaumann and others this is not the place to guage value as their are tons of bro deals that go on.

For those that are trying to get top dollar for your items this certainly isn't the place. I gladly sell on here for less to avoid places like ebay and Craigslist and avoid the headaches that are involved with them. I post my items here for a couple of weeks before listing elsewhere.

If I am looking for top dollar I'll list on ebay or craigslist. If I want to pass on one of my better bikes that I want to be appreciated it will get listed here at a discount to what I would ask elsewhere. It is what it is and the current market will dictate if it sells.

I am personally shocked at the prices on current listings that aren't selling. I have seen at least 5 top level bikes in my size that if I were in the market or just had the extra cash to blow would be here with me now. Unfortunately the winter market here for high end bikes is slow if not kind of dead.

[Dale Alan]

When I see the price removed my first thought is the seller feels like they screwed somebody... Either in the past ,present, or plans to do it again in the future . Just my opinion of course,I believe in honesty and full disclosure. If a person feels good and honest about how they do business why hide anything ?

[cmbicycles]

Shouldn't this be in General Discussion?

I don't think it really makes much difference one way or another whether people leave prices or not. If we are honest, most folks here spend too much time looking at bike stuff and have a good handle on prices and the myriad factors that affect them. If someone wants to leave a price on a listing, or delete it, that is their business and it does no good to jump to conclusions on what their motivation was/is... maybe they just want some semblance of internet privacy.


This post will self-delete in 30 seconds. ;)

[Keith A]

Shouldn't this be in General Discussion?
...
Agreed

[beeatnik]

I just always assumed cats were trying to get Chris King, Mavic and Enve off their trails. That EP pricing, yo.

[huck*this]

I leave the prices up as its easier to copy and paste into the SOLD section I create. 9 times out of 10 it sold for lower than my asking price. Either I give discounts for buying multiple items (easier and quicker to ship items to the same place) or they are just not of use to me anymore and I will do everything in my power to avoid evilBay. If it stays in the Paceline community, and helps someone that can actually use it, rather than sitting in what used to be a parts bin but now turned into a whole room, bonus points all around.

To each their own. Doesn't bother me keeping the prices up or deleting them. But as E stated, when someone says that it sold here for X price on ebay or I can buy it from the overseas fronts for a few bucks more that is annoying.

[SoCalSteve]

When I see the price removed my first thought is the seller feels like they screwed somebody... Either in the past ,present, or plans to do it again in the future . Just my opinion of course,I believe in honesty and full disclosure. If a person feels good and honest about how they do business why hide anything ?

Or maybe the seller sold the item for much less than the price they asked originally...

[huck*this]

Or maybe the seller sold the item for much less than the price they asked originally...


Or the item is sold and the price is irrelevant as it is no longer for sale.

[Don49]

I like the way it's done on the watchuseek.com sales forum:

"You must leave all ad content including the asking price after you sold your items for future references."

[SoCalSteve]

I like the way it's done on the watchuseek.com sales forum:

"You must leave all ad content including the asking price after you sold your items for future references."

Even if it's the wrong reference? Makes no sense...:confused:

[acoffin]

I have not sold much on this forum, but I have on others and always leave the price. Forum prices tend to be lower than ebay market value. But we are still part of the greater market and leaving the asking price (just like best offers on ebay, you cannot always see what the actual selling price was) is a benefit to the comunity. I see no community benefit (or personal, for that matter) in the prices being removed.

[Vonruden]

I'm in the camp of who cares, it's the sellers perogative if they want to leave or delete. I don't get the fuss either way. Just my two pennies.

[Dale Alan]

Or maybe the seller sold the item for much less than the price they asked originally...
So be it. Is it ego maybe ? I often GIVE AWAY bikes/components,I am proud of that fact...not embarassed because I did not get rich or stick it to fellow bike lover.

[Dale Alan]

I have not sold much on this forum, but I have on others and always leave the price. Forum prices tend to be lower than ebay market value. But we are still part of the greater market and leaving the asking price (just like best offers on ebay, you cannot always see what the actual selling price was) is a benefit to the comunity. I see no community benefit (or personal, for that matter) in the prices being removed.

Exactly,when pricing an item many times a seller will search the forum they are posting to to get an idea of what similar items have sold for in the past to judge what the market is.Same thing folks do on ebay and other sites like that.

[rnhood]

I remove the price unless the buyer specifically request that it be left up. And they rarely do that. Its not really other people's business what someone pays. They can post the price they paid if they want.

[AngryScientist]

I'm in the camp of who cares, it's the sellers perogative if they want to leave or delete. I don't get the fuss either way. Just my two pennies.

yea, i'm in this camp too.

what is more helpful is when the seller does update an ad with SOLD items, so if i'm searching for something, i know right away if it's available or not.

as a matter of fact, if an ad is for a single item or two, i would prefer to see the title of the ad amended to SOLD so i can skip right over it without opening it.

but as Vonrudden said - it's no big deal to me either way.

[marciero]

This is not a forum for PUBLIC sales...everything here is bought and sold through PRIVATE sales between 2 (or sometimes 3, 4) parties...thats it. The terms of the sale are dictated by these individuals at that time and should have no future bearing on any future sales of the items in question or any others like it.



Debatable whether you could consider this private forum, or what the distinction between private and public might even be. Even ebay has "make offer". But public, private matters little. It's still a market. Advertised prices, whether they differ from the actual sale price or not, give information on the market. Even if that information is not shared, it correlates with future sales prices, at least in the sense of averages over many sales. Every market is subject to fluctuations, has outlier prices, etc. My impression of the market value of something is usually informed by dozens of listings, not a single one.

On the other hand, I dont have a problem with sellers removing the price or deleting if they want to.

[Climb01742]

I have not sold much on this forum, but I have on others and always leave the price. Forum prices tend to be lower than ebay market value. But we are still part of the greater market and leaving the asking price (just like best offers on ebay, you cannot always see what the actual selling price was) is a benefit to the comunity. I see no community benefit (or personal, for that matter) in the prices being removed.

+1

I see us as being a community that has a small commercial aspect. Leaving prices, in my view, benefits the community as a data point--not the definitive, be-all, end-all data point on price/worth, but one data point among many. It adds to our knowledge.

Removing the price, in my view, prioritizes the commercial aspect rather than the communal aspect. Benefiting the seller, not the group.

Yeah, this isn't a huge deal, but it does feel like a small step toward making selling stuff more important than connecting with and helping each other. Though I wish folks would leave the prices, I wouldn't want it to be a rule. Let folks decide for themselves...different strokes and all that.

[oldpotatoe]

This is true, but my assumption is that if it did sell for lower it wouldn't be that much lower. A little, but not half, so the original posted price is still relevant.

THIS marketplace is all over the place, price wise. Throw in 'worth' and 'used', whether or not you keep the price there doesn't matter. $150 for a CRecord rear der may be 'worth' it to me but not to you. This isn't ebay, so I leave the $..'in the grand scheme of things'(a phrase that needs to be in the 'terms I hate thread)..it just doesn't matter. IMHO, of course.

[gemship]

I like gauges of any kind faulty or realistic so I say leave the price as it's gauge. The more I think about the classifieds here I laugh at what I call the irony I used to scoff at. This place really is about the "bro deals" as it is about anything else. It's a great place to move items as an above poster would put it, to make room in the garage but maybe not so much to retain the most retail price paid value.

[jwess1234]

I personally dislike when the advertised price is removed and try to leave mine up. The advertised price is public and oftentimes may not reflect the purchase price, so I don't see the real harm leaving it up.

To go further, I have in at least one instance posted the selling price after the sale has gone through.

I don't get the logic of removing the list price unless you are siphoning equipment you're getting from a shop/team/connection on a special deal and are trying to prevent the connection from seeing you may be netting positive on the sales (I am guessing we have some of those folks here).

[Dale Alan]

I personally dislike when the advertised price is removed and try to leave mine up. The advertised price is public and oftentimes may not reflect the purchase price, so I don't see the real harm leaving it up.

To go further, I have in at least one instance posted the selling price after the sale has gone through.

I don't get the logic of removing the list price unless you are siphoning equipment you're getting from a shop/team/connection on a special deal and are trying to prevent the connection from seeing you may be netting positive on the sales (I am guessing we have some of those folks here).

Great points right there. If you have nothing to hide,why hide?

[dave thompson]

Geez, this thread has taken weird directions, turning FS posts into a conspiracy theory or some nefarious plan.

The FS ad belongs to the seller, he/she may do with it as they please. Period.

[SoCalSteve]

Geez, this thread has taken weird directions, turning FS posts into a conspiracy theory or some nefarious plan.

The FS ad belongs to the seller, he/she may do with it as they please. Period.

Well said, Senor Thompson!!!

[seanile]

If you have nothing to hide,why hide?

The FS ad belongs to the seller, he/she may do with it as they please. Period.

well, this now has the fixings to quickly become a political/rights-to-privacy thread!
where's the popcorn emoji?

[Climb01742]

Geez, this thread has taken weird directions, turning FS posts into a conspiracy theory or some nefarious plan.

The FS ad belongs to the seller, he/she may do with it as they please. Period.

I see it differently. Dave, what you describe is eBay. An every-seller-for-themselves marketplace. And look at its ethics. If that's the ethos folks want when they sell, then why not just go there? Why sell here?

What we have here is a community with a small commercial corner. With, I would hope, a larger sense of shared responsibility to each other. Where we try to help the whole while also moving some stuff we don't need anymore.

No one said anything about conspiracies or nefarious plans. That's your straw man.

As I said earlier, I'm for letting folks do as they wish, but that doesn't wallpaper over this: leaving prices helps others. Taking prices off helps the seller.

[Hilltopperny]

I see it differently. Dave, what you describe is eBay. An every-seller-for-themselves marketplace. And look at its ethics. If that's the ethos folks want when they sell, then why not just go there? Why sell here?

What we have here is a community with a small commercial corner. With, I would hope, a larger sense of shared responsibility to each other. Where we try to help the whole while also moving some stuff we don't need anymore.

No one said anything about conspiracies or nefarious plans. That's your straw man.

As I said earlier, I'm for letting folks do as they wish, but that doesn't wallpaper over this: leaving prices helps others. Taking prices off helps the seller.

This guy kind of did imply a conspiracy
Originally Posted by Dale Alan View Post
When I see the price removed my first thought is the seller feels like they screwed somebody... Either in the past ,present, or plans to do it again in the future . Just my opinion of course,I believe in honesty and full disclosure. If a person feels good and honest about how they do business why hide anything ?

Not saying he is completely wrong, but I believe the majority of the folks on here who regularly buy, sell and trade aren't out trying to screw people over. It's a market to get rid of the stuff you aren't using. Most of the time it goes to those who can and will use it. There will always be a certain percentage of people who buy and sell stuff for profit afterward, but I believe that they are a limited bunch on this forum and I don't fault them for it.

Even if a person decides to flip an item purchased here is it really nefarious to do so? After all isn't the item going to get used now? What a person sells an item for is their business as well as the buyer. I like data and references as much as the rest of you, but it's always a bit skewed.

For instance I had my peg duende cross bike on ebay and a few days before the auction someone posted a palosanto frame with the same paint scheme for $575. A forum member took a chance and it was a scam. The same bike ends up on ebay again the day before my auction ends for $550 exact pictures as the other scam and it is marked by eBay as sold. If you take the time you will find out that this was also a scam, but I believe that my bike didn't sell because of it.

I may be wrong, but I know if I saw a very similar frame sell for much less than the one I'm about to buy then I would be put off by the legitimate sellers price and it would effect the sale.

I don't see a problem with leaving the price or removing it. I believe that it is between the buyer and the seller to determine though.:beer:

[Climb01742]

I don't see a problem with leaving the price or removing it. I believe that it is between the buyer and the seller to determine though.:beer:

I realize that western civilization doesn't hang in the balance and don't want to beat this into the ground, but here's the one thing I do worry a bit about:

Our sense of community is what makes this place special and it's a fragile thing. By choosing to sell something here, versus someplace else, don't we accept a slightly broader sense of the greater good?

I'll leave it there. No one is the bad guy here. But we do have options where we sell stuff. The best we can, I hope we don't lose our sense of helping each other by not just sharing stuff but sharing information too.:beer::D;)

[Dale Alan]

i realize that western civilization doesn't hang in the balance and don't want to beat this into the ground, but here's the one thing i do worry a bit about:

Our sense of community is what makes this place special and it's a fragile thing. By choosing to sell something here, versus someplace else, don't we accept a slightly broader sense of the greater good?

I'll leave it there. No one is the bad guy here. But we do have options where we sell stuff. The best we can, i hope we don't lose our sense of helping each other by not just sharing stuff but sharing information too.:beer::d;)

+1

[Dale Alan]

I vote leave the prices up and post pics of actual items for sale,full disclosure keeps folks honest and helps prevent folks from getting mislead or screwed .Just my opinion of course.

[fuzzalow]

Too many variables in any sale to distill consistent pricing. But if you get into the ballpark, make a pricing decision and buy or sell. Get on with it, it won't be as critical to get or save that last $10.

I won't deny that some historical pricing might help but it is ultimately IMO a crutch. 30 seconds on eBay will get you the ballpark number.

I alway take down my price after a sale. My pricing is always low and not reflective of the market. I just want that stuff outta here.

[merckx]

I have done this. When an item has sold, I insert the word SOLD in the place where the sale price existed to eliminate any ambiguity about the availability of the product.

[rwsaunders]

If you're paranoid about sending money to a seller and you have a fear of being screwed, quite simply you shouldn't enter into the deal. Keeping a sale price up after the item is gone will do nothing to relieve your paranoia. I mark the ad sold, remove the price and remove the picture once the buyer acknowledges that all is good.

I have a few virtual friends that I buy and sell to here that I reach out to first when either I need something, or when I think that they might be interested in something. After that, I post to world and I have had nothing but great experiences here.

I do understand the perspective of keeping prices up being relevant to "consumer research", but linking the action to dishonesty and misleading people, that's quite a reach. Actually, I find statements like that to be insulting to the majority of the people who use the classifieds. Do you want to improve the likelihood of not being screwed? Ask people to take better pictures.

[dave thompson]

If you're paranoid about sending money to a seller and you have a fear of being screwed, quite simply you shouldn't enter into the deal. Keeping a sale price up after the item is gone will do nothing to relieve your paranoia. I mark the ad sold, remove the price and remove the picture once the buyer acknowledges that all is good.

I have a few virtual friends that I buy and sell to here that I reach out to first when either I need something, or when I think that they might be interested in something. After that, I post to world and I have had nothing but great experiences here.

I do understand the perspective of keeping prices up being relevant to "consumer research", but linking the action to dishonesty and misleading people, that's quite a reach. Actually, I find statements like that to be insulting to the majority of the people who use the classifieds. Do you want to improve the likelihood of not being screwed? Ask people to take better pictures.

Thank you Bob. Clear and concise.

[Dale Alan]

I would like to see WHY people remove their prices. Lets see the reasoning behind it please.

[Dale Alan]

If we can remove prices,why have them in the first place ? Maybe just go to an auction format ?

[Dale Alan]

Holy drama batman !If you're paranoid about sending money to a seller and you have a fear of being screwed, quite simply you shouldn't enter into the deal. Keeping a sale price up after the item is gone will do nothing to relieve your paranoia. I mark the ad sold, remove the price and remove the picture once the buyer acknowledges that all is good.

I have a few virtual friends that I buy and sell to here that I reach out to first when either I need something, or when I think that they might be interested in something. After that, I post to world and I have had nothing but great experiences here.

I do understand the perspective of keeping prices up being relevant to "consumer research", but linking the action to dishonesty and misleading people, that's quite a reach. Actually, I find statements like that to be insulting to the majority of the people who use the classifieds. Do you want to improve the likelihood of not being screwed? Ask people to take better pictures.

[seanile]

I would like to see WHY people remove their prices. Lets see the reasoning behind it please.

many reasons have already been given.
to add to them.
when i look at a classified, the first thing i look at is the price, if there's a number then i assume it's still available. most of the time, the "item is sold" statement is hidden somewhere else.
i'm grateful for people who remove their price to "$sold" so i don't waste my time.

i'm even more grateful for people who edit their thread title to read "SOLD" (of all the rule suggestions in this thread, this would be my vote). if everyone did this, then they could surely leave their prices up and not confuse anyone with thinking it's still available.

[drewellison]

This has been an enlightening and energetic discussion. I appreciate everyone's thoughts on the matter.

I have summarized my thoughts in this haiku ...

Sometimes price is shown
Sometimes price is taken off
It is good both ways

:D