How do you feel about people reselling bargains?

[bthere]

Excuse me if this has been discussed before. I am referring to people who gets items, particularly those listed in bargain alerts and then resells them at a profit, either on this forum or another.

In some ways this bothers me a little bit, but I usually decide that it's none of my business. After all the items are usually resold at a price a little lower than can be found at normal on line retailers, so both the seller and the buyer are getting something in the deal. There is also the possibility that the buyer was unable to take advantage of the original super low price for some reason.

However, the other side of me looks at it as someone taking advantage of the Bargain Alerts for personal profit, which I feel is against the spirit of the forum.

So, what does everyone think? Mind your own business; call people on it; advise potential buyers that there is a potential for a much better deal?

[ragswl4]

Excuse me if this has been discussed before. I am referring to people who gets items, particularly those listed in bargain alerts and then resells them at a profit, either on this forum or another.

In some ways this bothers me a little bit, but I usually decide that it's none of my business. After all the items are usually resold at a price a little lower than can be found at normal on line retailers, so both the seller and the buyer are getting something in the deal. There is also the possibility that the buyer was unable to take advantage of the original super low price for some reason.

However, the other side of me looks at it as someone taking advantage of the Bargain Alerts for personal profit, which I feel is against the spirit of the forum.

So, what does everyone think? Mind your own business; call people on it; advise potential buyers that there is a potential for a much better deal?

I see your point about using the forum bargain alerts for personal gain. That said, I guess I really don't have any heartburn with it. If a person missed the real deal it's actually a second chance to get a good deal even if a little more than the original bargain. I guess the other choices are to wait for the good deal again or pay full price if you really want the item.

I guess I would prefer to see someone say, "Hey I got this at a great price and I'll let you have it for more than I paid but less than retail". It's just my opinion and I always look at these types of things as to whether its a good deal for me.

[JR]

In some ways this bothers me a little bit, but I usually decide that it's none of my business.

That about sums it up for me.
Capitalism is not necessarily pretty, but it is efficient. If there's no market for the resale, it won't get sold. If there is a market, it will get sold. The seller has his capital tied up in the stock. The buyer sets value by expressing his willingness to buy at a price.

It's the way things work, so we'd better learn to like it, I guess!

JR

[LarryG]

In some ways this bothers me a little bit, but I usually decide that it's none of my business.

I will take that a step further by saying that such sellers will get none of my business. But that's my personal decision; as to whether it's correct forum-wide, I'm not going to say or raise a big stink. Yes, it's capitalism; and one of the nice things about capitalism is that we consumers are able to vote with our checkbooks (or PayPal accounts, as the case may be).

On your secondary question, if a seller is asking too much for an item that can be readily obtained for less elsewhere, someone will usually gently point this out.

[ksum]

While I have not personally bought and sold like you are suggesting, the thought did cross my mind. I posted an alert for a delta TS-350 table saw. Picked up a $400 saw for $100. I was tempted to buy a second, and sell 1 for $200. S o that adds another layer to your problem. Would it have been OK for me, as the finder, to do this, but not for others?

Personally, I say it is up to the individual to decide. If you find out someone is re-selling, you can always call them out. We all have the right to choose our own morals that way.

[LCHIEN]

When I see someone offering up items he bought on rock bottom closeout, for whatever he paid plus perhaps shipping, I feel real good about this forum.

When I see someone who obviously jumped on the opportunity to buy something at the rock bottom price, based on tips from this forum, offering to sell for normal prices, pocketing perhaps $100 or so, makes me feel less good. They benefitted from their ability to jump on the deal quickly and perhaps from luck of having the deal in their home area but certainly the alert on the forum contributed greatly to their "fortune"

OTOH, those who buy based on the assumption that someone will want it are taking a chance of being stuck with the item, a real potential sacrifice. Those buying a large expensive item, should they deserve more consideration for their work and effort?

Thoughts of those BT3 kits being tossed at certain HDs comes to mind - if the persons who bought theirs for $0.01 had scooped them all up it certainly would have been low risk yet could have made several BT3ers very happy.



So, that's my thoughts anyway.

[Garasaki]

Some people make their entire living by reselling. Heck, retail stores are just resellers!

Personally it always leaves a bad taste in my mouth when I see this happening on here...it's always really obvious when it's going on. But, really, it is a win-win situation for everyone involved, and it'd be ridiculously hard to inforce any sort of restriction (how could you prove where they obtained the part in the first place?).

So to me, basically the answer (to me) is "mind your own business..."

[BigguyZ]

I've seen people on Craigs List clearly trying to sell items for more than they're worth. Sometimes, you can buy a brand new item for more than their used crap item. It might be out of ignorance, it might be out of greed. But that bothers me.

However, if you sell something for more than you bought it, but are still giving people a value (i.e. you're selling for less than full resale), then I don't have a problem with it as much. Now keep in mind, this is in moderation. If I were to go to Lowes and get 5 of each of the deals that have been recently posted, and sold each for 2-3 times as much as I paid, that would be aggregious. But if I bought 2 and sold one to pay for both, who cares? So someone may benefit from the bargain alerts and this forum... Aren't people supposed to benefit from the forum? I benefit from the forum financially. I've learned to make pens, and sell them for a profit. People who resell items are taking a risk, and making an investment in their time. In my case, I'm making my product, in their case they're getting their product from a supplier. It's still the same general principle.

Don't get me wrong, there are cases where I think it's a bit rediculous and/or predatory, but if it's within reason I don't mind.

That's my rant.

[Ed62]

It has been suggested that for people to have access to the Bargain Alert part of the site, they should have to be paying members, to help with the cost of having the site. I think Sam decided to leave it as is.

Having said that, it doesn't bother me if someone makes a small profit from reselling. If it's evident to me that the seller is trying to get more than retail price for an item, I'd point that out to potential buyers because I think that goes beyond the "family atmosphere" we have here.

Ed

[scorrpio]

Disclaimer: I never resell anything.

Point one:
If I need item X, and looks like I'll need to pay $200, someone on Bargain Alerts posts about a $100 deal. If I pounce on it, that's pretty much $100 in my pocket. Have I "taken advantage" of the forum then? Before you object "but it ain't same!!!". Suppose there is no bargain deal for item X, but I pounce on a posted bargain for item Y, resell at $100 higher, and then put that $100 towards purchase of X?

Point two:
It is not like Bargain Alerts is off limits to some. A deal that's widely available can be utulized by anyone. If this is a local deal... let's see... you drool over a $50 deal on a $200 X that's all the way on the other coast, you STOICALLY refuse to buy it for $100 from someone who bought it there, and go shell out $200 for it locally. Yeah, makes sense. My point: if reseller passes on the savings, everyone wins. If he doesn't, he'll probably won't be able to sell.

Point three:
It is not like those who post on Bargain Alerts are privy to some secret knowledge. There is some information distribution channel - be it email, a snail mail, a flyer picked at a store - that someone could have same exact access to, and learn of the bargain without ever checking the Alerts. So, unless you got proof that someone acted on an Alerts tipoff, it would be best to withhold judgement.

[Knottscott]

...In some ways this bothers me a little bit, but I usually decide that it's none of my business....

There's an awful lot of valid perspectives to an issue like this, and an awful lot of unknowns that fuel our suspicions. If you think about it, many of us swap tools quite a bit, and ultimately "resell" many of them in the process of upgrading. We're usually looking to get a fair price to help offset the cost of getting an upgrade...this is typically acceptable and on the "up and up". Trying to determine someone's motives gets gray in a hurry, so I tend to shrug and move on...as long as both parties are agreeable and everyone's honest and forthright, it's no concern of mine.

Sometimes I see what "looks" like it may have been an item picked up during a bargain frenzy and "looks" like it's being resold, but we really don't always know the origin of the item or the seller's intentions...maybe they didn't even know that it was on sale last week for 70% off. It's nice when someone shares their good fortune with me, but I don't think they're obligated to either. If you were savvy enough, fortunate enough, and ambitious enough to grab 3 Biesemeyer fences for $70 each from Lowes, you've got yourself something of value that's greater than what you paid...you've also got yourself the inconvenience of the original cash outlay, transporting them, storing them, and ultimately finding suitable homes for them. If you resold one to me for $90, chances are good that I'd be pretty happy even if I knew you paid $70. But if you told me you paid $350 for it new, and would sacrifice it for $90 just to clean out your shop, I'd be happy unless I learned that you actually paid $70 for it and lied to me. It's typically not an issue for me unless someone is being totally dishonest and/or is taking advantage of someone. If the purchase and resale of those 3 fences is part of a bigger plan that allows you buy the saw of your dreams, good for you and no harm to me. There's alot more possibilities to these scenarios that we may not consider or know about...

[Ed62]

unless someone is being totally dishonest and/or is taking advantage of someone.

Exactly! What more needs to be said?

Ed

[crokett]

I don't have a problem with it. Supposing a bargain gets posted that means I have to get off butt and go to the store and risk my time in it not being available when I want it. Or, depending on how interested I am in the item I could wait and see if someone else wants to risk the legwork and sell me one for a bit of a premium. He deserves that premium for his work. If he prices it at too high a resale price, I won't buy it. Simple as that.

[mater]

I don't see a problem with it myself. I know people who buy and sell tools regularly. They find deals and resell them for a profit. As a matter of fact I have gotten some pretty good deals from them. Anytime I buy a tool from someone I usually know what it sells for retail.

[footprintsinconc]

i dont have a problem with someone buying some things at a bargain and then he sells it at a profit. as some one has already said it, "thats how some people actually make a living and infact, thats what retailers do". you dont need to be a store to sell things, and there certainly isn't any restrictions on what you sell. dont people who play the stock market, usually try to buy low and sell high? that just business. aslong you are honest, you have no problem. like many have already said, if the asking price is high, then you just simply go elsewhere, simple as that.

thats my 2cents