The recent e-mails sent to Snotrocket by the owner of the "$7000.00 tractor on e-Bay" prompted me to start this thread.
When I was a long-time member of the Yahoo Case, Colt and Ingersoll forum there were always members who asked questions about value. I don't know of a single forum where such questions are not asked. The question at issue is this one.
"If you are thinking about buying a used car or truck, how do you go about determining what you should pay for one?"
To those who are not happy about seeing e-Bay, Craigslist, Kijiji or other such ads being openly discussed on this forum, then please tell me the answer to the above question. The Seller of the subject tractor is quite belligerent in his responses. According to him "It is none of any of your concerns what I ask for or get from this tractor." I agree with that statement. In truth, I'm not concerned because I don't know him. Therefore, how well or how poorly he makes out really doesn't matter to me at all. However, the Seller seems to overlook the fact that he posted his tractor for sale in a very public place. There is no reasonable expectation of privacy when you do that.
To me a forum is supposed to be providing help to its members and also to disseminate information that is as accurate as possible. How else are members going to learn anything? As a member of the Yahoo forum, I took quite a bit of flack from one member over this issue, mainly because I felt that some of the items that person had for sale were quite overpriced. Even though I said that, in reality it was nothing more than my opinion. Someone once said "Opinions are like assholes….everybody has one." As it happens, I have both. The Seller believes that the former makes me the latter.
Opinions about value are just ONE piece of a thing called "due diligence" when you are thinking about buying a piece of used equipment. Joining e-Bay and putting items of interest to you on your "Watch List" also helps you determine value. However, you will often see things sell for a very high price one week and then the next week, the same item may sell for less than half. In other words, just because two guys drove the bidding on an item to an unprecedented high point, does not mean that's the new value. All it means is that particular item sold for that amount on that day because those two guys wanted it that bad.
Another way to determine value is to visit local dealers to see if they have anything comparable in their inventory. This may be an exercise in futility if you are trying to buy a twenty to forty-year old GT because most dealers don't even want to take such items in on trade. Values will be affected by local demand for a particular brand. In some areas of the country, an old John Deere GT will bring big money but a Case GT will have a hard time finding a buyer at any price. If someone decides that this forum is here to rip Sellers apart over their ads, then that's incorrect. I call them as I see them. If I believe that the item is priced in accordance with what I've seen similar items sell for on e-Bay, then I say that.
If I see something that is priced well below the average e-Bay price, then I also say that. I try to be as balanced and fair as possible in my assessments. Others are free to agree or disagree as they see fit because this is a DISCUSSION site. If we don't discuss things, then what's the point of the site?
Whether you like it or you don't, forums seem to be the very best way to separate the good deals from the not so good deals. Again, if someone has a better method, then please speak up.
When I was a long-time member of the Yahoo Case, Colt and Ingersoll forum there were always members who asked questions about value. I don't know of a single forum where such questions are not asked. The question at issue is this one.
"If you are thinking about buying a used car or truck, how do you go about determining what you should pay for one?"
To those who are not happy about seeing e-Bay, Craigslist, Kijiji or other such ads being openly discussed on this forum, then please tell me the answer to the above question. The Seller of the subject tractor is quite belligerent in his responses. According to him "It is none of any of your concerns what I ask for or get from this tractor." I agree with that statement. In truth, I'm not concerned because I don't know him. Therefore, how well or how poorly he makes out really doesn't matter to me at all. However, the Seller seems to overlook the fact that he posted his tractor for sale in a very public place. There is no reasonable expectation of privacy when you do that.
To me a forum is supposed to be providing help to its members and also to disseminate information that is as accurate as possible. How else are members going to learn anything? As a member of the Yahoo forum, I took quite a bit of flack from one member over this issue, mainly because I felt that some of the items that person had for sale were quite overpriced. Even though I said that, in reality it was nothing more than my opinion. Someone once said "Opinions are like assholes….everybody has one." As it happens, I have both. The Seller believes that the former makes me the latter.
Opinions about value are just ONE piece of a thing called "due diligence" when you are thinking about buying a piece of used equipment. Joining e-Bay and putting items of interest to you on your "Watch List" also helps you determine value. However, you will often see things sell for a very high price one week and then the next week, the same item may sell for less than half. In other words, just because two guys drove the bidding on an item to an unprecedented high point, does not mean that's the new value. All it means is that particular item sold for that amount on that day because those two guys wanted it that bad.
Another way to determine value is to visit local dealers to see if they have anything comparable in their inventory. This may be an exercise in futility if you are trying to buy a twenty to forty-year old GT because most dealers don't even want to take such items in on trade. Values will be affected by local demand for a particular brand. In some areas of the country, an old John Deere GT will bring big money but a Case GT will have a hard time finding a buyer at any price. If someone decides that this forum is here to rip Sellers apart over their ads, then that's incorrect. I call them as I see them. If I believe that the item is priced in accordance with what I've seen similar items sell for on e-Bay, then I say that.
If I see something that is priced well below the average e-Bay price, then I also say that. I try to be as balanced and fair as possible in my assessments. Others are free to agree or disagree as they see fit because this is a DISCUSSION site. If we don't discuss things, then what's the point of the site?
Whether you like it or you don't, forums seem to be the very best way to separate the good deals from the not so good deals. Again, if someone has a better method, then please speak up.
