[ARC5] Questions that need answers

[Frank]

jfor at quik.com wrote:
> [snip]  I guess it  was too much trouble to determine
>   
>> if their receiver listed on eBay was wound  in, soldered in or had a
>> socket so it would plug in. Everyone can remove a  million screws and
>> remove all the covers and plates and take pictures of it  dissected, but
>> no one can remove the 4 screws and answer that question. I am  sorry. I
>> did not mean to start on that again.
>>     
> [snip]
>
> First off, I don't sell.
>
> I have tried to get others to sell for me. The reaction is..  "What...  do
> all that work for a crummy $20 ??  No way !!"
>
>   
I think that sums it up accurately enough.

Many sellers don't know the answers and are not interested in taking the 
time to find out.  Time is money and is better spent on things that 
might earn a profit.  It is very difficult to justify investing more 
than the deal is worth just to satisfy the curious.

Also, some prospective buyers are unrealistic in their expectations.  
They either don't realize or care that in order for the buyer to provide 
a useful answer, he has to go to considerable trouble to do so.

Now, if I was selling something for X amount of money, faced with the 
prospect of having to invest X+Y amount of resource to answer questions 
from prospective buyers who might or might not purchase,  I might be 
better off just throwing the junk away and quit wasting my time..

That may be an unnecessarily adverse reaction, but it does save me Y at 
the expense of X.  It is a good decision if Y is equal to or greater 
than X. Especially if the prospect is more interested in asking 
questions than in buying.

I have also found that people who ask lots and lots of questions, return 
to negotiate the price down after they are provided with answers.  Seems 
like a perfectly normal reaction from the buyers perspective, but it 
tends to put a significant strain on the sellers good will.  Assuming, 
of course, that the seller had priced the item fairly.

There is also another alternative that probably occurs most often.  
Sellers can always opt to ignore questions that require unusual effort 
to answer.  Then hope that there are other prospects with fewer or 
simpler questions.

I find that if it is absolutely critical to be sure that fine details 
about some equipment are met, then you don't want to buy the thing sight 
unseen in an auction conducted in the land of broken toys over the 
internet.  You need to inspect it in person.  Perhaps even do a little 
research to find a knowlegable seller who cares instead of just a junk 
dealer.

Regards,
Frank Kamp