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Selling a widget


Alpo

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You have a widget. You have no need for this widget. You don't know where you got this widget. You are pretty sure that you did not pay anything for this widget.

 

Similar widgets are selling in the neighborhood of $100. Someone offers you $50 for your widget.

 

Would you sell it?

 

On the one hand, he is trying to screw you out of $50, by only offering half of what the widget is worth.

 

On the other hand, since you have nothing invested in the widget, the $50 would be pure profit, and if you don't sell it it will just be sitting there taking up space.

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He isn't trying to "screw you out of $50," he is looking for a bargain.   You don't say how he knows you have it, or that you are thinking about getting rid of it.

 

If he offered 50 he is likely willing to go to 75.  Counter with 80, settle at 70.

 

 

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13 minutes ago, Alpo said:

You have a widget. You have no need for this widget. You don't know where you got this widget. You are pretty sure that you did not pay anything for this widget.

 

Similar widgets are selling in the neighborhood of $100. Someone offers you $50 for your widget.

 

Would you sell it?

 

On the one hand, he is trying to screw you out of $50, by only offering half of what the widget is worth.

 

On the other hand, since you have nothing invested in the widget, the $50 would be pure profit, and if you don't sell it it will just be sitting there taking up space.

But how often are they selling for $100. Is there much effort involved?  Is the 50 a firm offer?

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17 minutes ago, Alpo said:

You have a widget. You have no need for this widget. You don't know where you got this widget. You are pretty sure that you did not pay anything for this widget.

 

Similar widgets are selling in the neighborhood of $100. Someone offers you $50 for your widget.

 

Would you sell it?

 

On the one hand, he is trying to screw you out of $50, by only offering half of what the widget is worth.

 

On the other hand, since you have nothing invested in the widget, the $50 would be pure profit, and if you don't sell it it will just be sitting there taking up space.

He's hunting a pilgrim and trying to low-ball offer his way into a deal.  He hits you low, you hit him high.

 

Tell'em that you'll entertain serious offers and they start at $125- since he's probing to see if you are a dummy, return the favor.

 

His objective is to get much as he can for as low a price as possible.  Yours is to get as high as price as you can and still get rid of what's being sold.

 

 

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I won the lottery.

I have no need for a widget, but will give you $350 for it,just because I can. :P

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It is situation dependent.  If I know it is all he can afford and it is helping him out I would sell it for the $50 or maybe even give it to him. That is good karma for down the road.  
 

But on the other hand if it is someone I know to have plenty and is just being cheap I would most likely sell it for the going price or not all.  Doesn’t cost anything to feed most widgets.

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2 hours ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

He isn't trying to "screw you out of $50," he is looking for a bargain.   You don't say how he knows you have it, or that you are thinking about getting rid of it.

 

If he offered 50 he is likely willing to go to 75.  Counter with 80, settle at 70.

 

 

Joe has it. The art of negotiation. Bid and counter bid until a price is agreed upon. 

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1 hour ago, Ozark Huckleberry said:

If you don’t know where you got the widget, maybe he’s an undercover Widget Retrieval Agent trying to set you up for a Possession of a Stolen Widget bust. 

Has the serial number on said widget Or Widget, depending on original manufacturer, been removed or altered. Is it US or otherwise made and have you checked with Widget Roadshow for it's antique value. 

 

Imis    Inquiring mind want to know

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1 hour ago, Red Gauntlet , SASS 60619 said:

 

An odd way of looking at it, methinks.

Not from a seller's perspective.  If a fair market price is $100, a $50 offer is extremely low. 

 

The reason behind the offer is what's up to interpretation.

 

Does he just not know the current market and normal price range for the item?  Is he using out of date information and still thinking that the prices he was used to seeing years ago are still good? 

 

Or is he aware of the current market and testing you in hopes of picking up a deal by taking advantage of your lack of knowledge and worth?

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Widgets have no inherent value; their value is market value-- what a willing seller gets from a willing buyer. Market value is influenced by time, place, information, convenience, etc. also.

 

If one has knowledge that a very valuable item can be had cheap from a vulnerable seller (the widow down the street), then indeed an ethical issue is present. But this doesn't apply to $100 widgets.

 

I may be happy to take your 50 bucks here and now rather than check around, list, advertise, field phone calls, mail, etc.

 

When you go to estate sales and yard sales and you see a deal, you buy it. One way you know you have a deal is that there are probably others that would pay more.

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Do you like it 50 bucks worth or do you like it 100 bucks worth?

 Only you know.

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Nineteen seventy three ~ fetching something out of my 1954 Plymouth Belvedere, parked on Baker Street in San Francisco.  I'd bought a Truimph Spitfire and didn't drive the old "Super Slug" any longer.

 

Some hippie fella comes walking along, and stops and starts admiring the old beast.  "What a COOL old Plymouth!  Wow!! That is SO neat!" and so forth.  For some odd reason, the fella evidently was quite taken with it.

 

I reached into the glove compartment, pulled out the pink slip, signed it, then handed it and the key to the speechless dude and said "Here ya go, man!  Enjoy!" and turned and walked away.

 

Made his day, and I didn't have to keep moving it to avoid parking tickets!   :P

 

(I'd bought the car for twenty bucks and drove it for about six months.  NOW I wish I still had it! :lol:)

 

1954 Plymouth Belvedere Values | Hagerty Valuation Tool®

 

 

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2 hours ago, Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 said:

Nineteen seventy three ~ fetching something out of my 1954 Plymouth Belvedere, parked on Baker Street in San Francisco.  I'd bought a Truimph Spitfire and didn't drive the old "Super Slug" any longer.

 

Some hippie fella comes walking along, and stops and starts admiring the old beast.  "What a COOL old Plymouth!  Wow!! That is SO neat!" and so forth.  For some odd reason, the fella evidently was quite taken with it.

 

I reached into the glove compartment, pulled out the pink slip, signed it, then handed it and the key to the speechless dude and said "Here ya go, man!  Enjoy!" and turned and walked away.

 

Made his day, and I didn't have to keep moving it to avoid parking tickets!   :P

 

(I'd bought the car for twenty bucks and drove it for about six months.  NOW I wish I still had it! :lol:)

 

1954 Plymouth Belvedere Values | Hagerty Valuation Tool®

 

 


That was a good deed.   God Bless you......again.

 

Cat Brules

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7 hours ago, Alpo said:

You have a widget. You have no need for this widget. You don't know where you got this widget. You are pretty sure that you did not pay anything for this widget.

 

Similar widgets are selling in the neighborhood of $100. Someone offers you $50 for your widget.

 

Would you sell it?

 

On the one hand, he is trying to screw you out of $50, by only offering half of what the widget is worth.

 

On the other hand, since you have nothing invested in the widget, the $50 would be pure profit, and if you don't sell it it will just be sitting there taking up space.

 

You made $50 and the Buyer saved $50.  I's say it's a win win.

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2 hours ago, Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 said:

Nineteen seventy three ~ fetching something out of my 1954 Plymouth Belvedere, parked on Baker Street in San Francisco.  I'd bought a Truimph Spitfire and didn't drive the old "Super Slug" any longer.

 

Some hippie fella comes walking along, and stops and starts admiring the old beast.  "What a COOL old Plymouth!  Wow!! That is SO neat!" and so forth.  For some odd reason, the fella evidently was quite taken with it.

 

I reached into the glove compartment, pulled out the pink slip, signed it, then handed it and the key to the speechless dude and said "Here ya go, man!  Enjoy!" and turned and walked away.

 

Made his day, and I didn't have to keep moving it to avoid parking tickets!   :P

 

(I'd bought the car for twenty bucks and drove it for about six months.  NOW I wish I still had it! :lol:)

 

1954 Plymouth Belvedere Values | Hagerty Valuation Tool®

 

 

Kissing cousin to my '54 Dodge Royal Lancer.  I wish I still had that one, too.

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you have it - do you need it ?

- are you emotionally attached to it ? 

- will your life be better with it ? 

or would $50 toward something you want help you get there quicker ?

 

peace corp/haight ashbury , decisions , they never get easier 

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Well, let's see... You could pass, keep it and take the risk that the widget market doesn't tank. If next week widgets are selling at $25, then what? Seems to me that since you're out nothing to begin with, and have no use for it, you could say "I know they're selling for $100 right now, how does $70 sound?" Still a good deal for him, and a better profit for you, or you could just say "OK, it's $50 I didn't have five minutes ago and I don't have to deal with the widget being in the way."

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