Steve, you hit the nail on the head. The line moves around a bit and sometimes, a lot. Overall, it seems we have a pretty decent group here.
I've gotten some pretty good deals over the years and I've paid too much a few times as well. As for the example of the widow's Confente, what if she's rich? Oh, the line moved again.
Chuck Hoefer Vista, California USA----- Original Message ----- From: "Stephen James" <sj52@hotmail.com> To: <tom@orderandchaos.com>; "Classic Rendezvous" <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org> Sent: Monday, January 18, 2010 2:56 PM Subject: Re: [CR] Buying on the cheap
>
> Hi All,
>
>
>
> I bought a 1960s Frejus for $500 about 2 years ago, just before I joined
> the CR list. The seller was moving, had another Frejus (that was too
> small for me to ride, but offered at $2500), and he even offered me some
> built Dura Ace wheels --since the Frejus had Campies. I turned down the
> extras, since I felt I was getting a deal. It was a deal for me because I
> wanted to recapture a Frejus from my youth. The price was secondary. I
> would have paid more. Anyway, I did research on the bike and sent it to
> the seller, as well.
>
>
>
> Anyway, after I joined this list, I got a better idea of how prized these
> bikes were and the prices people were willing to spend. I don't feel
> guilty about my pruchase, at any rate. However, a few weeks ago, I saw on
> ebay a Frejus (frame only, in relatively poor --imo-- condition) that the
> seller wanted $1700 for. At the time, I thought it was a rip off; I
> almost posted on it. However, was the seller right? Was he following the
> market trend, and assigning his bike the market value? Who exactly
> determines the value of the item, except the buyer? I'm not sure if it's
> ethical to tell a seller that he/she should raise his price. Imo, third
> parties have no business in the transaction. If someone is offering
> something for a low price, simply offer more or what it is thought to be
> worth. There are people who might desire an item but really not have the
> kind of cash to buy it at market price. That's often why they hit
> craigslist and ebay in the first place.
>
>
>
> Fwiw, I do agree that it would be unscrupulous to haggle with a widow
> who's selling her husband's Confente for $25. But, I think that'd be
> cheating on the verge of theft. I couldn't say exactly where the line is.
>
>
>
> Regards,
>
> Steve James
>
> Bronx, NY USA