Wow – classifieds inflation??!

Just thought I’d browse the classifieds before bed – whats going on with the prices!?

whats yer beef?

Which price’s are p*ss*ng you off mate? Hope it isn’t my 8-speed cassette at £9.00 😆

That’s over a £1 for each speed. I remember back in the mid ninties when you could get 2 speeds for a £1.

I blame Gordon Brown.

Aye – but they only worked 3 days a week!

Sorry, meant to put shillings instead of £’s 😆

Gotta start high as you can’t haggle up! Anyway we have done this many times. . .

a guy on retrobike wanted £200 for a Merlin welcome pack and some stickers and a postcard.

i think someone bought them too… postage was included though

timdrayton – Member
a guy on retrobike wanted £200 for a Merlin welcome pack and some stickers and a postcard.
i think someone bought them too… postage was included though

Sounds like he pitched the price just about right then.

The price is set by the market or something like that. I would not worry about inflated prices on the classifieds. It gets, albeit not very, amusing seeing the same ads scrolling past day after day with no price drops and sellers wondering why their bits are not selling.

Quite a few seem to base it on what oit costs new now not what it cost new then I had someone trying to sell 06 Reba for £150 and would not haggle even though he admitted he paid less for them as the new cost was Blah blah
Also stuff ges for silly prices on flea bay

How about imposing a mandatory 5% price reduction per repost then? 😆

I’ve noticed that as well Junkyard. Crafty googling can reveal the RRP back in 08 etc etc though.

If people are that thick- let them rush and buy the stuff. Amazes me how quickly someone says ‘dibs’ on new/relatively new peoples kit for sale as well. Are people into being fecked over/that niave?

I think as a community we have a responsibilty to stop our members getting fecked over. Otherwise it leaves us open to scammers. If you see something clearly overpriced you should point it out to protect folks who are new to MTB, and come here for guidance and advice, from getting screwed.

No you shouldn’t. Nice sentiment but it is hugely frustrating for sellers to have the same person stalk them over and over and just pop up to say ‘how much?’. It gets out of hand so no. Please leave the ads alone unless you are seriously considering buying.

CharlieMungus, it sounds like a job for SingletrackAvenger!

Then we have an open invitation for rip-off merchants to try their luck, but I shall abide by your ruling.

Every ‘rip-off merchant’ needs a ‘sucker’ to be successful.

Surely it’s just tough sh1t if you’re a sucker?

As a slight aside, there is a couple of ads on this morning that look very dodgy, both from first time posters selling some very high end, high value kit that hasn’t been on the market for long.

Surely it’s just tough sh1t if you’re a sucker

No

If anyone is willing to send hundreds of pounds to the other end of the country without the usual sanity checks then tough.

Charlie – Why not? Are you the self appointed moderator of fair trade on STW? What business is it of yours if someone wants to pay over the odds for something?

Every so often if I spot a new poster selling something expensive I’ll pop on ‘ah, would love this but I’d need to collect and you are too far’ as a sort of sanity-check/hint for others.

Southern Geti

1) Because we are a community here and we should try to help each other out.
2) No I am not a moderator for fair trade on STW, self-appointed or otherwise. I was merely vocing an opinion Are you the self appointed moderator of opinions on STW?
3) same as (1) and also because i’m nice like that. Cheating someone is not a nice thing to do, so if I see someone trying to do it. I try to stop them. Would you just walk by if you saw someone getting their purse picked from their bag? After all, for every thief, there is a sucker who didn’t secure their purse / bike / house.

My view – something’s only overpriced if it’s being sold for more than you’re willing to pay for it.

If an item is being sold for, say, £100 when the equivalent new price today is £250 then it’s not really relevant how much it cost 2 years ago, is it?

something’s only overpriced if it’s being sold for more than you’re willing to pay for it.

Charlie I think you should read and re-read this quote until it sinks in.
Maybe I should have put…

what business is it of yours if someone wants to pay what you consider over the odds for something

something’s only overpriced if it’s being sold for more than you’re willing to pay for it.

That’s all very well for people who know the market and the equipment. Someone new to the discipline would struggle. How much you are prepared to p[ay for it is a vague term. Someone may be prepared to pay £200 to upgrade their froks for something better. If they are new to the sport, they may not know what they can get for £200. So how does the amount you are willing to pay, come into that?

what business is it of yours if someone wants to pay what you consider over the odds for something

Two things here really. In the first place I’m talking about situations where it’s a bit more than just ‘over the odds’ i mean where it is a clear rip-off. Secondly, i’ve already explained why i think it is my business earlier. Though you have still to clarify if the victim of theft should also have been more aware and if you would feel no compunction to stop it if you saw it.

Every so often if I spot a new poster selling something expensive I’ll pop on ‘ah, would love this but I’d need to collect and you are too far’ as a sort of sanity-check/hint for others.

How’s that work then?

I’ll put my hands up to emailing a newbie in the past to warn them that they were about to pay way over the going rate for something

None of my business, agreed – but the potential buyer could have simply ignored me if he wanted

OT- what happened to that bloke who sent £900 for a camera?

Well then Charlie, if someone is new to the sport and is concerned about the value or quality of something then surely they’d go looking for guidance and advice on the bike forum? The classifieds is for buying and selling, not guidance and advice.

Do you go into Sainsbury’s and wait for someone to get to the till with a pint of milk and tell them it’s cheaper at ASDA?

CharlieMungus – we can’t have a comittee that sets a ‘fair market value’ for every item that goes on the classifieds – it’s a mraket place and the price asked will depend on how much someone wants to sell something, what they think it’s worth and what others think it’s worth.

If buyers aren’t prepared to do even a basic search on here or ebay to see what the same item is going for elsewhere then, to be honest, that’s their lookout and we can’t protect them from themselves.

I agree re the reba forks imagine you know how much they cost now but not what they cost 4-5 years ago £150 may seem an ok price but it it not. To provide people with information [educate] is wrong but it is noble to turn a blind eye to excessive prices…I blame Thathcer for this 🙄

we can’t protect them from themselves

why not?

Still not answering the question Yeti?

we can’t protect them from themselves

What like with speed limits, seat belts, health advice, stop smoking clinics, Helath and Safety laws, etc.
Actually WE CAN you just dont want to

Junkyard – Member

I agre ere the reba forks imagin e you know how much they cost now but not what they cost 4-5 years ago £150 may seem an ok price but it it not. To provide ppeope with information [educate] is wrong but it is noble to turn a blind eye to excessive prices…SI blame Thathcer for this

You what now?

FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!

Still not answering the question Yeti?

I think you have problems phrasing questions! 😆

Ok, a specific question for Charlie and the ‘fair market value’ people;

I have been trying to move an ‘as new’ road bike for some time.

My wife paid £300+ for it, used it for 2 hours on a turbo trainer and hasn’t touched it since.

What should I ask for it?