Hey Joel, don't get too hot at Peter. I know both of youse guys and you are good folk. I think I say safely say that he was just venting and mostly referring to a general frustration with some Ebay sellers who don't describe their stuff and are doing this to hide shortcomings in the items. Your explaination goes a long way toward understanding your minimalist description of that headset. Still, people expect (the buying public) some hand holding chit chat. I personally dislike the other extreme, stuff like "RARE!!!!" etc. If a person doesn't already know it's rare, are they going to believe the faceless seller? (Maybe some would.. Doh!)
Anyway, keep up the good work and keep everyone happy by chatting a bit about your goodies.. Can't hurt! :) Dale Brown Greensboro, North Carolina USA -----Original Message----- From: joel.p.flood@gmail.com To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Sent: Sun, 21 Jan 2007 10:36 PM Subject: [CR]EBAY: TA Headset for $600? LONG
hello all, I put the crazy headset up on Ebay for that crazy price. Remember a few years ago the threads involved with some Midwest seller that listed a $10,000 UNiversal brakeset on Ebay? Sure we chatted about, it did not sell and he did it for sheer publicity. I, on the other hand, listed this not for publicity but to actually sell it. As it was pointed out a few times, my prices are overpriced or what one list member wrote as the upper end of the price range of its' value. But as Steven Maasland also wrote, sure I can list the item for a lower bid to maybe attract more bidders, but what if the serious bidders are on vacation? Remember, it takes two bidders. I love the hobby and I am a collector myself, but like other sellers on Ebay, I get paid to list items on Ebay. That is my job in the winter to keep the guys at the shop working and getting paid, where as most shops, especially as you get into colder regions, lay off there employees or significantly cut back their hours. Ask any bike shop about winter hours. Well bike shops that don't sell skis! Selling over 200 items on Ebay a month, allows for the guys to work, and for people otherwise would not be able to find some these items, the access and knowledge that we have about them.
I really don't understand Peter Jourdain's disdain for the caveat - WYSIWYG. I have been selling on Ebay for a long while, and as much as the CR community is the most bike knowledgeable group on Earth, I can list a set of cranks on Ebay, with a photo of the cranks, with a description of the cranks, and when the winning bidder gets the cranks in the mail, they ask where is the Bottom Bracket? Where are the pedals? Anyone who as bought from us before knows, that if we ever had a problem with an item, we will completely work it out. I have no problem refunding money, exchanging items or whatever. As much as we are in the business of making money, we are also keeping the hobby alive for people who don't have the resources that we have. We travel all over the East Coast and as far as Michigan(My boss has also attended VeloSwap in California), buying and trading and creating connections with fellow bike collectors. I just returned after a 6 hour drive from a swap meet this morning and bought items that I will soon list for all those people (CRers included) that did not attend. Paramount front hub, various Campy derailleurs, and other bits that would have ended up back in somebody's pile, or in the trash. And to a preemptive defence to those people that dislike buyers like me going to swap meets and "buying up all the good stuff," talk to the sellers, I never haggle over prices, if the seller wants a certain price for it, I pay it. plain and simple, if it is too much, I say it is not for me. From my experiences, sellers are generally happy to see me at swaps as they know I will spend money. I also generally drive all night to get to the swap meet, sleep in the cold van, and have to load the 30-50 bikes we buy.
I am not sure either what questions Peter might also have about the headset, other than stake height, that is not available in the title of the headset- "TA french threaded headset NOS new" It is sealed in the original package. Sure I can open it, but that is part of the charm of it- the French air. As it came from France. What auction pictures are not clear? As much as I do not have a Ray Dobbins setup, most of the pictures are clear and fairly accurately describe the condition.
I take offence at Peter Jourdain attacking a fellow CRer. Your blanket attack aimed at me for the disclaimer is malicious and unjust. Your use of the phrase "these dealers" in the same email about me puts me in the category of sellers that you feel are trying to get over on the customer. CR sweetheart sellers that fail to deliver a package in a timely manner are given a warm receiption as "wait and it might come, if you remember to remind the seller." But someone that list items for what they feel the market value is, after buying and selling on Ebay for the last 8 years, having all worthwhile items descriptions and selling prices on Ebay since 2000(like CR market high x10000) on file, is distasteful and upsetting and incomprehensible. How does that make since?
If an item on ebay needs more than one picture to accurately describe the item, then I generally have more than one picture. I give a brief description for most items, as it seems that most Crers already know what it is and what they are looking for. I am not playing "20 questions" or any other game, or trying to hide anything.
last point, as Joel Metz states, and others, when was the last time,
if ever did you see a TA headset on Ebay. Well, to an be exact, about
a year and a half ago, I had one, just like this, never installed but
no package that sold for $450. So as much as the price seems
astronomical, it is rare. Stronglight headsets are a dime a dozen. I
have seen at least double the amount of 1st generation Campy headsets
on Ebay in that time, and they are super rare. Of course more people
seem to value Campagnolo more this week. If it doesn't sell, so be it.
But I already have people knocking so. . .
ralph
philadelphia PA
ebay handle -senditnow
auction in auction-
http://ebay.com/
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