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"Used" is not a condition [so what if it isn't?]
beantownshootah
Member Posts: 12,776 ✭✭✭
Sorry to open this up again, but I do have more to add here that wasn't touched on in the last thread
quote:Sage1
OK advanced members.
Would you buy any gun with a description "used"?
Not only "would" I, but I have done so many times and will undoubtedly do so again. I almost never buy new guns, just because used ones are generally a better value.
Again, in bidding on the auction site here, you're not limited to just the description the seller has given.
Presumably you have eyes and a brain, and you're permitted to look at the pictures the seller has posted as well as contact to ask them further questions if you have any.
You can even ask them to send you more pictures of specific features if you like. If you make it clear you are serious in making an offer (bid), and the seller is interested in selling, they'll accommodate you.
Ultimately, pictures are better than a description anyway. Many sellers aren't capable of giving a truly reliable description, because doing so isn't as easy or straightforward as it might seem. Of the group of sellers CAPABLE of giving a good description, the vast majority of those will also include plenty of quality pictures, knowing full well that good pictures beat any description and tend to answer questions all by themselves.
Furthermore, the free market is extremely "smart", and automatically acts to discount prices if the description or images aren't adequate.
Put more simply, if a seller posts bad pictures and an inadequate description, the auction will attract fewer bids and ultimately end with a lower final sales price.
This can actually work in the buyers FAVOR, depending on the auction in question.
Without getting into details, I've managed to pick up at least one gun at what was probably a good discount to its true fair market value just because the seller provided a poor picture and no description.
I took a chance bidding at a "worst case scenario" type price, figuring that if I won, I couldn't possibly be disappointed. It turned out that I was pleasantly surprised when the gun in question arrived in much better shape than the poor image suggested, and probably worth 35%-50% more than what I paid for it.
In short, if the seller isn't providing the appropriate information to properly evaluate the gun they're selling, they are probably only hurting themself.
quote:Sage1
OK advanced members.
Would you buy any gun with a description "used"?
Not only "would" I, but I have done so many times and will undoubtedly do so again. I almost never buy new guns, just because used ones are generally a better value.
Again, in bidding on the auction site here, you're not limited to just the description the seller has given.
Presumably you have eyes and a brain, and you're permitted to look at the pictures the seller has posted as well as contact to ask them further questions if you have any.
You can even ask them to send you more pictures of specific features if you like. If you make it clear you are serious in making an offer (bid), and the seller is interested in selling, they'll accommodate you.
Ultimately, pictures are better than a description anyway. Many sellers aren't capable of giving a truly reliable description, because doing so isn't as easy or straightforward as it might seem. Of the group of sellers CAPABLE of giving a good description, the vast majority of those will also include plenty of quality pictures, knowing full well that good pictures beat any description and tend to answer questions all by themselves.
Furthermore, the free market is extremely "smart", and automatically acts to discount prices if the description or images aren't adequate.
Put more simply, if a seller posts bad pictures and an inadequate description, the auction will attract fewer bids and ultimately end with a lower final sales price.
This can actually work in the buyers FAVOR, depending on the auction in question.
Without getting into details, I've managed to pick up at least one gun at what was probably a good discount to its true fair market value just because the seller provided a poor picture and no description.
I took a chance bidding at a "worst case scenario" type price, figuring that if I won, I couldn't possibly be disappointed. It turned out that I was pleasantly surprised when the gun in question arrived in much better shape than the poor image suggested, and probably worth 35%-50% more than what I paid for it.
In short, if the seller isn't providing the appropriate information to properly evaluate the gun they're selling, they are probably only hurting themself.
Comments
The Used is more a status thing and not really a condition thing. Just like cars you can get good and bad no matter how many pictures you take. And like cars some people are more and less scrupulous about what they sell. Meaning: yes, there are crooks out there that will sell you a gun they know isn't in working order. And some, often not gun aficionado's, that just want the item gone. Both seem to lead to poor descriptions.
In a nutshell the best description you can get, mostly by pictures, is your best bet before bidding. You can get a good verbal description though so do read those before you bid. Sometimes, an item is simply no different than if it was new. And that's all that needs to be said.
-I hope that helps