Sold Horns with Prices Removed

[Dan Schultz]

Hi, Bill!

I rarely advertise in TubeNet's 'for sale' section. However... on the 'for sale' page on my website, I normally remove the selling price from the listing and mark the item 'SOLD'. I'll leave the listing up for a couple of weeks so all can see that the item is sold... as a courtesy in case they have been watching the listing. All selling prices are negotiable and often there is a trade-in involved. I regard the final selling price as a private matter between me and the buyer and should not be taken as a matter of what something is actually worth. Heck... for all I know I sold the item for too little and the new buyer intends to make a profit on it.

I recall one thread here on TubeNet where a poster was questioned as to how a seller could ask much more for a horn than he paid for it at auction without there being any 'value added' by the seller. It REALLY irks me when I give someone a price and they have the nerve to ask what I paid for it.

One big thing The Internet has done is remove the 'local pricing'. Selling music instruments is now a World-wide activity and I have no idea what things are worth one day to the next... especially in overseas markets.

I respect your privacy. If I sold you a horn... there is no way I'm going to tell others how much you paid for it. You can tell 'em if you want... but I won't.

[bort]

I wouldn't really mind if anyone selling a simliar horn asked me what I sold it for (and what I originally asked). For me, as a person (and not a business), there is no "competition" and it's not like I'm trying to turn a profit on anything I'm selling, I know what my tubas are worth, and I'd be happy to help another private seller.

[Dan Schultz]

....Dan,

If you sold me a tuba for $2000 that you actually listed for $3000, I would appreciate you not posting what I actually paid for it, but I could care less if you left up your asking price. ....

I think that would be a bit deceptive and would be counter-productive to producing the kind of information you might be seeking as a potential buyer. If I sold for less than I'm asking, wouldn't that be the REAL price? .... or at least what the market is willing to pay.

From my perspective.... NOT sharing the final sales information puts an end to lots of questions. There are just too many factors involved:
- did the buyer pick the horn up?
- what market did it go to? overseas? ... local? ... a school? ... an individual?
- how much of a pain in the butt was the sale?
- was there a trade involved?

In the final analysis... how much was the horn worth as opposed to the selling price? That's anyone's guess. Price is totally a reflection of how much someone is willing to pay

There are already plenty of places to gauge prices. The largest resource being (most likely) the primary reason why Woodwind/Brasswind chose to close it's showroom in South Bend.

I would rather be up-front than to simply tell someone it's none of their business.... even if it IS none of their business.