Tom:
IMO, the issues are a bit more complex. Having been an avid AG "watcher" for quite some time, I have clearly seen that "things" move in packs and patterns. For instance, a particular item may not have any listings more months....and then all of a sudden there are three of them available. Some product groups seem to go through spells of being "in favor" and being "out of favor". In short, the marketplace is living and breathing.
An easy method to have a pretty clear idea of what things are worth is to subscribe to the AG BlueBook. True, for things that are out of favor, the listings in the BlueBook may be just a bit wishful, but in the long term it is a good guideline. Once you get to have a pretty good idea of the market, you will generally see that things get listed that are sometimes overpriced, sometimes a fair price and occasionally a good deal.
I pretty well know exactly what I am looking for. When I see it, I generally already have a pretty good idea of the moving market valuations. If if shows up as a bargain, I will be reluctant to even ask questions, as I know that someone else out there is waiting to pull the trigger. In these cases, I just feel lucky if I am the first to get there, and I gladly pay the asking price.
Yes, there will always be tire kickers, and bottom dwellers. That is the nature of the market. But in my experience, good quality product priced fairly will always sell.....sometimes very quickly and sometimes not so quickly. I have sold things that I thought were priced fairly that have taken multiple listings to sell. I have also sold things that I thought were on the very upper edge of anything resembling reasonable and come home to find my inbox flooded with people standing in line to take a number hoping to pay the asking price. Go figure!
Sorry for your experiences, but don't let it get you down. The market moves a lot, and right now (based upon my experience) pricing is at a two-year HIGH. Knowing this, I would just take things in stride when people try to bid you down. If you could compare AG pricing now with AG pricing during the first six months of 2002, I think you would be just a bit suprised at the levels of "price appreciation" and "price expectation".
IMO, the issues are a bit more complex. Having been an avid AG "watcher" for quite some time, I have clearly seen that "things" move in packs and patterns. For instance, a particular item may not have any listings more months....and then all of a sudden there are three of them available. Some product groups seem to go through spells of being "in favor" and being "out of favor". In short, the marketplace is living and breathing.
An easy method to have a pretty clear idea of what things are worth is to subscribe to the AG BlueBook. True, for things that are out of favor, the listings in the BlueBook may be just a bit wishful, but in the long term it is a good guideline. Once you get to have a pretty good idea of the market, you will generally see that things get listed that are sometimes overpriced, sometimes a fair price and occasionally a good deal.
I pretty well know exactly what I am looking for. When I see it, I generally already have a pretty good idea of the moving market valuations. If if shows up as a bargain, I will be reluctant to even ask questions, as I know that someone else out there is waiting to pull the trigger. In these cases, I just feel lucky if I am the first to get there, and I gladly pay the asking price.
Yes, there will always be tire kickers, and bottom dwellers. That is the nature of the market. But in my experience, good quality product priced fairly will always sell.....sometimes very quickly and sometimes not so quickly. I have sold things that I thought were priced fairly that have taken multiple listings to sell. I have also sold things that I thought were on the very upper edge of anything resembling reasonable and come home to find my inbox flooded with people standing in line to take a number hoping to pay the asking price. Go figure!
Sorry for your experiences, but don't let it get you down. The market moves a lot, and right now (based upon my experience) pricing is at a two-year HIGH. Knowing this, I would just take things in stride when people try to bid you down. If you could compare AG pricing now with AG pricing during the first six months of 2002, I think you would be just a bit suprised at the levels of "price appreciation" and "price expectation".