LuciferSum,
LuciferSum,
trust me, I know what I'm talking about and the advice i'm giving is only meant to help the person who just bought the chair and is looking to get as much as he can for it.
in the last 2 yrs since I graduated college (yes, i'm only 25) I've bought dozens of plycraft and selig chairs from craigslist in new england and have never once paid more than $125 and have never once had to fight anyone else over one of these chairs. what does that mean? it means that when a chair is listed at $125-$175 and there is only minimal interest if it were then to be listed at $300+ there would be NO interest.
I only post on craiglist because it's free advertising, not because I expect to sell anything on the site. CRAIGSLIST IS A PLACE TO BUY LOW, not SELL HIGH. that's why ebay is the far better option if you're looking to get anywhere close to retail. if you don't believe me and want to waste your time and lose money that's completely up to you.
Disinformation
Jeremiah, you may not have had to fight for the chairs you have bought, but you have certainly lost chairs to underbidding. I know because you attempted to offer me $125 in at two separate instances where I was selling Plycraft chairs. I politely declined your offers and continued selling the chairs at the asking prices of $600 and $350. And both sold.
What I should point out is that your emails always have the same 'informative' unsolicited advice - that the chairs aren't worth nearly as much as I'm asking, and that you'll gladly 'take them off my hands' for a mere fraction of what I'm asking.
I find this to be a cheap trick by dealers. As someone who has dealt in modern furniture (for much longer than 2 years) I have an ethical standard that I operate under - if someone asks me how much something is worth I will honestly tell them. I won't volunteer the info unless asked, but I certainly will NOT lie to someone and tell them a deflated value.
Regarding Craigslist
I tend to agree that CL is the place for buyers, not sellers. I find it's best for just giving stuff away. I'm not sure why this is though.
In the case of this recently aquired Plycraft chair, CL is exactly where I found it, so I just can't see how I could relist it there for a much higher price.
Yes...
It can be difficult to sell collectible items at fair market value on craigslist, mainly because the target audience is so much smaller than ebay due to geographical boundaries, the listing/search interface is horrible (hey, it's free), and also because many people are just looking for cheap stuff (as mentioned). But, it can be done. It just takes a bit of persistence to catch the interested buyers at the right time.
Location
Again, Dashes, if you're going to sell the chair for profit a lot rides on location. Craigslist isnt a bad place to sell if you're patient and if your community can support a decent price for the pieces. Its a great way to cut out the middle-man/dealer, and avoid the shipping nightmares of eBay (ugg..)
However, it can feel a little icky to turn something around, having done nothing more than raise the price. Anyone who saw the chair on Craigslist on one day is going to know its the same chair the next day. Why not keep the chair for a while and enjoy it? I kept one of mine for years...it's super comfortable and stylish. Or consign it to a brick & mortar shop. You won't make as much since you'll have to split the consignment, but you'll definitely get back more than your $150.
LuciferSum,
I wouldn't mind keeping the chair, in fact I bought it for that purpose - but when I saw the condition and how fine it is, I thought that selling it now (or soon) might be the more prudent path, before something happens... if you catch my drift! (teenagers, pets, nuff said)
I see them on CL often enough that I don't doubt I can find one again.
But yes, I feel really icky relisting something that I bought. I'd never make it in retail, lol (or any selling field for that matter).
...
Really its none of my business how people make there money.
BUT...
on our CL there is a buyer/seller who purchased items dirt cheap only to turn it around and ask big bucks on the same CL. Sometimes the orignial ad isn't even off, and they have already posted the item.
Shame on them, I don't see CL as a place to make big bucks on items just somewhere to off load some stuff you may not need, I have purchased items and I keep them and wouldn't resell on CL.
Just a few days ago, there was a Danish lounger for $20 bucks. I saw the item for sale a day later in a different environment for $300. WTH. Greeedy.
Hopefully, it isn't one of you guys he-he.
I see nothing wrong with the buying-for-$20-selling-for-$300 scenario
The person who bought it for $20 recognized that it was under priced, wagered that someone would gladly pay $300, and profited $280 from the insight. Why do you find this morally objectionable?
Why is using acquired knowledge an underhanded way to make money?
Who is to say the seller didn't know what the chair was worth?
I have purchased items where the seller knew what they had but wanted it to go to someone who would appreciate it. I live in a college town and have noticed students search CL, some of who may be fans of Mid-Century design unfortunately it a luxury some cannot afford. Wouldn't it be great if they could find something they could afford it the design they seek? Heck maybe an investment later on, I guess I don't have the seller mentality.
I can only speak for myself and the scenarios I have doubt with; people have different opinions on this but I think CL usually isn't a place to make a quick buck on something that was just purchased, only to repost when you got it home. Tacky.
SMGSwank--
Why would a seller knowingly sell something for less than 10% of its worth, unless they were unaware of the value? If one were intent on locating an appreciative new custodian, the MOST inefficient way to go about it would be to under price it-- at $20, it'd be just as likely purchased as a throwaway theatrical prop (or firewood), as it'd be a revered object.
As for our poor imagined MCM-loving student: who's to say he's not the one who bought for $20 then sold for $300? And, would that make it less "tacky"?
...
I don't expect people to agree with me, nor do I ask for validation. If you didn't agree with me on my original posting I didn't expect you to change your views.
But, YES I have purchased things from sellers who were aware of the value, believe it or not. It's not insane to sell something to someone who sees it for more than just a dollar sign. Crazy world.
dashes
I've got one of those chairs (bought at auction for two bucks because it was really disgustingly filthy---dealer friends of mine called it a "DNA chair"). I think they're fairly common. I think some are Danish in origin and others are American-made.
As for flipping stuff on CL--why not? If people sell low, they sell low. Maybe they don't know what they have and and list it too low. Maybe they do know what they have and are being magnanimous in offering it at a low price so that poor, young aficionados can have a chance at it (doubtful!). Either way, they put it out there at that price and I just can't feel sorry for them if they get the short end of the stick.
I know lots of dealers. I don't know any who are getting rich at it. I know most of them work very, very hard to make a living at it. Some are jerks, yeah. But even the jerks work pretty hard.
I deal in stuff in a couple of areas. Once in awhile I make an absolute killing on something but for every one of those things, there are twenty others that i end up making less than $10 an hour for the work I put into them and the investment I've made. It evens out, believe me. And i know that those people who buy something for $20 on CL and relist it for $300 have about the same ratio of success that I do.
Meanwhile, I think I have successfully fashioned an inner headrest shell for the Selig/Plycraft project chair I got for $2 (photo upthread). I will add the welt tomorrow and then see how it fits into the outer plywood shell. I think it's gonna work, but only after much swearing, some skinned knuckles, and several "I HATE THIS! I GIVE UP!!!" moments.
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