To wonder why people try to sell things for the price they paid

[Builditupp]

Seen a lot of posts recently doing so. People aren’t going to buy it for the price that you paid in the shop

I bought a shed (20 years old, needs a new roof, new felt, painting, maybe new windows and lots more work) for £20 this weekend.
The guy said “you know I tried to sell it for £150 for a year but no one bought it and then I dropped to £50 and still nothing! You’re getting a bargain!”

This is rife where I live (not UK) even though internet shopping is far faster, easier and cheaper. You can get literally anything delivered to your door in under 24 hours without any shipping charges.

AND YET, people will try and sell stuff with a 10% discount even though it's four or five years old. The same things hang around the selling apps for months and it boggles my mind. We sell all our old baby stuff, put it down to about 30 or 40% of the original price, and it's gone in days.

The one that I don't understand is people selling used cosmetics. I saw a half empty bottle of lush shower gel the other day for about 10 pounds! And used eyeshadow palettes, wtf would want that, someone's goopy eye infection factory?? I'm all for reusing, regifting, donating and so on, but if I have stuff like that that I'm not using, I just give it away, I don't try and sell it.

BUT PEOPLE BUY IT. And those are the people I truly don't understand.

Agree! I find that especially when it's electronics. New with receipt brings warranty. Lately I've seen regular things being listed for more than bought for, and I'm not speaking about high demand items.

If brand new in packaging etc, I'd think 75% of the cost at the shops. Used but in good condition not more than 50%.

@Builditupp

The example I saw today was a slime kit being sold at the sale price the lady had brought it for

If it's no longer reduced then people are still getting it at less than the new price though. So why should she lose money on it if she doesn't need to?

@Lougle

I sold a buggy that I imported from New Zealand for £200 more than I paid for it, after a year's use, with a slightly damaged handlebar grip. Things are worth what people will pay for them.

Having said that, loads of people seem to sell IKEA furniture that they have assembled and used for the same price as they bought it or £5 less, and I wonder who they think they are kidding. Why would you try to lug an assembled unit to your home when you can get it just as cheap, flat pack?

Partly because some people don't want to assemble it, and might have paid someone to do it anyway, so you're getting both the item and the service at once, instead of the hassle and expense of arranging them separately.

And it may be in demand if they no longer make that item.

No harm in trying, you cannot visit the shop, and online orders may be delivered by an unreliable parcel carrier (Hermes or are there others)?

Just say no or haggle if you object.

"No harm in trying, you cannot visit the shop, and online orders may be delivered by an unreliable parcel carrier (Hermes or are there others)?

Just say no or haggle if you object."

For me, the confusion is really reserved for those who actually pay those prices.

If it's rare. fair enough. I wouldn't pay a lot for a new item from a random, as I would rather have a shop I could return it to.

Greedy and deluded I guess. Unless it's an antique or some rare collectable most sensible people accept that almost everything depreciates. This type of shopping is usually more of a faff so only worth it for a good deal.

It annoys the fuck out of me, especially when it's for luxury stuff.

Example, a woman was selling a Chanel perfume that had 10% used, she was selling it for £10 less than new.

It's like... You dont understand do you? One of the factors at play with premium items is the packaging, the experience, the build up to the thing. The perfume is obviously important but the price is primarily justified by the luxury effect of the buying experience.

Why would I buy your used perfume sent in a jiffy bag when for a tenner more I can have one new and peel off the cellophane, enjoy the samples, etc.

Obviously not alone in thinking this as her item has been online for a year 🤭

I don’t understand how it’s ‘greedy’? Sellers obviously don’t always need to sell an item at a loss, they already own it and are under no obligation to sell it at a reduced price. The price they’re willing to sell at is what it’s worth to them - it is their ‘own bid’ on their own item. If someone wants it they’ll buy it, otherwise it’s worth it to keep it even if it sits in a cupboard forever. It’s not that complicated.

The IKEA furniture is one that I see all the time. I'm always so tempted to say 'but this is what it costs new'. Or sometimes try to sell it for more. Such as the 4x4 Kallax for £25/30 when it's £20 new.

I recently sold an Xbox headset that was brand new as it wasn't fit for the purpose we wanted it for. My first choice was to return it, but it turns out that Microsoft are slippery assholes when it comes to returns. After being put on hold and then disconnected for the 4th time, I couldn't bring myself to ring back.

I paid £20 for it and I did put it on for £20 (without saying that it was what I'd paid for it) because I knew that someone would want to bring me down. Sure enough 'whats the least you'd take for it'. I sold it for £15, which is the 75% mentioned upthread. All parties were happy (and I have learned to never buy direct from Microsoft in the future).

I've seen giftcards being sold on Facebook for the face value of the card....I don't understand why anyone would buy them.

It's not just individuals that do this, charity shops try the scam too. The last time I went into an Oxfam bookshop (nearly a year ago now) there was a book I wanted, but they were charging £25 for a second hand copy which you could buy new for £24.99 in Waterstones or W. H. Smith a few doors away. Or £15 on the internet. They didn't even try to cover up the RRP on the back.

Things are genuinely only worth what people will pay for them and sometimes, people are mugs.

I've spent the best part of a year padding out my dumbbell collection and they're like hen's teeth. I've seen an £8.99 light pair be purchased from Aldi in the morning and they're on FB Marketplace that evening for £75. And they sell.

I know somebody who buys everything from FB Marketplace whether it's a rip off or not. It's like a compulsion. I've offered to pick x item up from the supermarket for her for less money and brand new. Nope, she wants to message a stranger and take her chances.

The very worse I have seen is attempting to sell on a dog that they bought as a puppy. Cost us £1000 want close to. Genuine reason for sale. ....add assorted bollocks here.

Just feckless, horrible, unthinking individuals, who fancied a 'cute' puppy, got bored and then wanted to pass on and get money back. No doubt poor dog now has lots of behaviour problems as well.

I'd string people like that up. But then I'm nice

My Facebook bike group has loads of people trying to sell bike for the value they bought them for because they’ve been told they hold their value. Ignoring the fact that you can get them imported for a fraction of the price they bought them from a local shop. Some of the adverts have been up 1 year plus showing a very used bike. I bought mine second hand for 1.1k will probably sell for £800 when I’m ready. They always seem perplexed by having to sell for under the price they buy it for.

@Stormwhale

Agree! I have an ongoing situation with a seller on fb. She was selling something I wanted for ds for Christmas, but only £1 cheaper than you could get it on amazon brand new. I asked if she would take less, she said absolutely not, as its new. I said that it was pretty much the same as brand new from amazon. She said this is brand new "hun". Erm, no its not. So I left it there.

I messaged a couple of weeks later as I could see it was still not sold just saying my offer still stood if she changed her mind. Again no wont take a penny less, very snippy about it. Fine I left it for good and bought elsewhere.

Now when someone reduces the price of something you have messaged about, it pings you through a message. I know she is now £5 under my offer and its still not selling! It does give me the warm and fuzzies as she was really quite rude!

To be honest, if I were her, I'd rather give it away for free than sell it to someone who was so insistent about getting it for cheaper than the advertised price. The second she said 'no, that offer isn't acceptable' should have been an 'ok then' from you, not continuing to try and grind her down. She is probably doesn't care that much that she still hasn't sold it, she is probably happily holding on to the principle that she didn't give in to your pushiness.

If the advert is on one of the sale groups I have been known to comment’ is it this one please?’ And link to the cheaper item.
This is especially true for the woman trying to sell reduced Disney store stock for twice the price it was at the time in the sale (and in stock).

I think people are misusing the word scam. A scam is when someone tries to con you into something.

A sale where the item is clearly described and clearly priced is not a scam even if you think it is overpriced. It's clearly up to any buyer to accept the price or not.

Any item is only worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it from houses to fidget spinners.

I see this on FB marketplace all the time.

For stuff that’s hard to come by then fair enough, make what you can. When I sold off my baby stuff i sold a couple of things for more than they cost me. (Having DTs and two matching things always attracted a premium).

But for stuff you can get on amazon for the same price, why would you?

Or something that has been used for a couple of years for £5 less than new, er no.

When selling on ebay I always price at the optimistic end of realistic - why wouldn't you? You can always bring it down afterwards, which also alerts potential buyers. This week I sold a tuff tray stand for 90% of what I paid - combo of a durable item that is currently in demand.

My cousin's husband went to Africa after he left school. He bought a Land Rover, spent nine months driving it thousands of miles around the continent, bodged numerous repairs along the way (total loss of coolant being a highlight). When he finished he sold the thing for a profit.

An item's value is a function of what the vendor is willing to accept and what a buyer is willing to pay.

I've sold things for the price I paid for them.
Shoes bought on eBay but didn't fit, seems fair enough to ask for the same when reselling.
Also several unused balls of wool leftover from a project, I sold locally and dropped off the parcel myself so new owner gets new goods with free delivery.
So long as the buyer knows "reselling because they didn't fit" or whatever reason then everyone is happy.
Selling for more than you paid or trying to sell used as new would be unfair.

What really annoys me is people describing things as "New - only worn once" or "New, only used a few times on holiday". If something has been used it is not new!!