Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/02/04

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Subject: Re: Shopping for Leicas in Kathmandu
From: bholmes@frii.com (Ben Holmes)
Date: Tue, 4 Feb 1997 20:36:48 -0700 (MST)

>Sure.  That's the precise point I tried to make.  A non-dealer will almost
>certainly NOT get these prices, but quite a bit less.  A private sale
>generally nets 80% or so of the public value, a wholesale transaction
>(selling to a dealer) about 2/3.
>
>In any event, the Net is a great place to buy, often, but rarely a good
>place to sell, in my three years' experience.
>
>Marc

It follows that selling over the net requires less expenditure on overhead
(buildings, advertising, salespeople, cost of carrying an inventory, etc.).
Also, an individual selling a single item is much more in tune to the
public's response to his pricing than a dealer with many hundreds of items
in his inventory. Dealers are patient. They can put an item up at an
outrageous price and wait for "the" fool to come along. An individual's
motive for selling is often a need for cash or the desire to finance the
aquisition of another item. In this mode, an individual seller is prone to
reducing his price out of fear of missing the opportunity to sell.

Regards,

Ben W. Holmes

Boulder, CO
USA

bholmes@frii.com