rjgiddings
Contributor
This thread is just more of a head check for sellers and potential sellers- on Scubaboard.
I'm seeing a lot of classified ads here and Offer Up, FB Marketplace and Craigslist for dive gear.
The prices that people think their gear will sell for - is roughly 40%-50 % higher than reality.
I really think there's a few factors in play which harvested some surreal twilight zone price listings.
First is our natural desire to re-coup as much as possible on this very expensive stuff we love and don't wanna lose too much when we do decide to sell.
Second is the weird behavior that eBay has incubated/ manifested over the last 20 + years of their items having this perceived worth.
It's eBay that's spent millions in getting customers to start bidding soon, then changing their business model to show Buy It Now options, and Best Offer options.
Third - is a close relation to two - and that is the Internet made our sellers platform (audience) so much larger than ever before in the history of commerce.
I remember economics 101 from my college days- so- yes the market determines whatever it will bear.
Things go up, things come back down. Capitalism, free market economy, and straight up greed all comes in to play. I get it.
Some items - because of their coveted nature will maintain a high value - Shearwater Perdix AI is one of those items.
A really nice dive light will always be a high demand item.
But selling practically everything else; read: fins, wetsuits, tanks, weights, masks, snorkels, drysuits, and most reg sets out there -
can be easily found at a garage sale down the street especially in the springtime. Even more so if it's heavy like tanks and weights.
Or like in 2009 when the economy tanked people were selling off dive gear like it was kryptonite.
First thing that goes when dad loses his job ? Yeah - the play items go first. And at basement prices.
Some websites are just designed and written to be so inclusive they provide really little insight on market value.
Criagslist is possibly the worst of the bunch. Offerup is only slightly better. Then FB marketplace.
Then eBay is just all over the place. Sometimes a win - sometimes a dud.
Scubaboard - because it's divers selling to other divers - is in my opinion the best of the bunch. By a mile.
And yet - I still see people asking for top dollar on some of their used gear.
Anyhoo...I had to throw this out there.
Best,
Jim
I'm seeing a lot of classified ads here and Offer Up, FB Marketplace and Craigslist for dive gear.
The prices that people think their gear will sell for - is roughly 40%-50 % higher than reality.
I really think there's a few factors in play which harvested some surreal twilight zone price listings.
First is our natural desire to re-coup as much as possible on this very expensive stuff we love and don't wanna lose too much when we do decide to sell.
Second is the weird behavior that eBay has incubated/ manifested over the last 20 + years of their items having this perceived worth.
It's eBay that's spent millions in getting customers to start bidding soon, then changing their business model to show Buy It Now options, and Best Offer options.
Third - is a close relation to two - and that is the Internet made our sellers platform (audience) so much larger than ever before in the history of commerce.
I remember economics 101 from my college days- so- yes the market determines whatever it will bear.
Things go up, things come back down. Capitalism, free market economy, and straight up greed all comes in to play. I get it.
Some items - because of their coveted nature will maintain a high value - Shearwater Perdix AI is one of those items.
A really nice dive light will always be a high demand item.
But selling practically everything else; read: fins, wetsuits, tanks, weights, masks, snorkels, drysuits, and most reg sets out there -
can be easily found at a garage sale down the street especially in the springtime. Even more so if it's heavy like tanks and weights.
Or like in 2009 when the economy tanked people were selling off dive gear like it was kryptonite.
First thing that goes when dad loses his job ? Yeah - the play items go first. And at basement prices.
Some websites are just designed and written to be so inclusive they provide really little insight on market value.
Criagslist is possibly the worst of the bunch. Offerup is only slightly better. Then FB marketplace.
Then eBay is just all over the place. Sometimes a win - sometimes a dud.
Scubaboard - because it's divers selling to other divers - is in my opinion the best of the bunch. By a mile.
And yet - I still see people asking for top dollar on some of their used gear.
Anyhoo...I had to throw this out there.
Best,
Jim