SS market, very dead.

[Rich Moran]

NSDAP Sammler, you will be when the time comes to sell.

You'll look at what's being sold and for how much it's being sold for and price accordingly.

Even if you price is 10,20, or 30% less than going market rates you will make money unless the purchase was recently made.

The reasoning behind this is a questionable statement "why would you leave money on the table for the other person to turn around and sell at profit what they bought from you in days or months?" If you sell for what you paid, well, that error is a costly mistake.

I do realize the intent is to help others but when thousands of dollars are left on the table for others to turn around and make a profit on, others are helping themselves to what rightfully should of been yours.

This collecting hobby is a "business" whether we like it or not. To justify what I write I've collected for 40+ years. My money has been tied up in my collection. As an example, I paid $1,500,00 for a GPB Does that mean I should sell it for $1,500.00?

When you see the market at $2,000.00, $2,500.00 or what ever why should I not price what the market bears, maybe 15% less? That $1,500.00 is indeed an investment and should be treated as such.

I have to say too, I've lost money on these things, a pennant for $2,500.00 sold for $2,300.00. I was motivated to sell, the buyer made an offer and I sold the item for less than what I paid. That's an actual case. The buyer is a member of this forum. Today that pennant is worth $3,000.00 easily if not more. Will he sell it for $2,300.00? highly unlikely he will.

Where I can make a profit I will and am unashamed to state that.

Dealers prices many times are set by not the dealer but a collector who consigns an item. The dealer adds their commissions and fees, the same as an auction house. When the price becomes unreasonable that item sits until the seller tells the dealer "I need to drop the price". If not, it sits until the dealer says I need to remove this from my catalog, I don't need stagnant over priced inventory.

Another case is the Gau Honor badge I posted sometime back that you commented on. You stated as I did too, that the price was high. It's still listed and has not sold. I've been watching it for near a year now. The dealer has not lowered the price. Why? I would presume it's part of his personal collection and is more of a "I have this and if you want it bad enough, you'll pay through the nose for it" So it sits as a prize in his collection as no buyer has stepped up to spend stupid money on it.

I've seen this many times over again. Eventually high ticket items become reasonably priced.......when the market catches up to that price.

[Rescue190]

The only two items I can add to this thread is someone else will likely sell the collection of a true collector; then it no longer matters to the collector. The 2nd is I have seen much death and have attended many funerals and have yet to see a armored car follow a Hearse. In this case it still does not matter to the collector..

The cynical side of me, which every FD person has somewhere in them, is I want to know when and where the garage sale is.

[MAP]

To be honest the Irmfried Eberl helmet (if it really his helmet ofcourse) has such a enormous historical value it is hard to put a price on it. Probably on auction it would also catch 30k USD. It is hard to find bargains, sure but they can be found here and there.

I agree. This helmet is not a representative example given it's historical significance (if true as you note)

As for current market prices. I bemoan them just like everyone else but at the same time"the market will bare what the market will bare". Just like any other market whether it be stocks, housing, energy, etc...

[NSDAP Sammler]

NSDAP Sammler, you will be when the time comes to sell.

You'll look at what's being sold and for how much it's being sold for and price accordingly.

Even if you price is 10,20, or 30% less than going market rates you will make money unless the purchase was recently made.

The reasoning behind this is a questionable statement "why would you leave money on the table for the other person to turn around and sell at profit what they bought from you in days or months?" If you sell for what you paid, well, that error is a costly mistake.

I do realize the intent is to help others but when thousands of dollars are left on the table for others to turn around and make a profit on, others are helping themselves to what rightfully should of been yours.

This collecting hobby is a "business" whether we like it or not. To justify what I write I've collected for 40+ years. My money has been tied up in my collection. As an example, I paid $1,500,00 for a GPB Does that mean I should sell it for $1,500.00?

When you see the market at $2,000.00, $2,500.00 or what ever why should I not price what the market bears, maybe 15% less? That $1,500.00 is indeed an investment and should be treated as such.

I have to say too, I've lost money on these things, a pennant for $2,500.00 sold for $2,300.00. I was motivated to sell, the buyer made an offer and I sold the item for less than what I paid. That's an actual case. The buyer is a member of this forum. Today that pennant is worth $3,000.00 easily if not more. Will he sell it for $2,300.00? highly unlikely he will.

Where I can make a profit I will and am unashamed to state that.

Dealers prices many times are set by not the dealer but a collector who consigns an item. The dealer adds their commissions and fees, the same as an auction house. When the price becomes unreasonable that item sits until the seller tells the dealer "I need to drop the price". If not, it sits until the dealer says I need to remove this from my catalog, I don't need stagnant over priced inventory.

Another case is the Gau Honor badge I posted sometime back that you commented on. You stated as I did too, that the price was high. It's still listed and has not sold. I've been watching it for near a year now. The dealer has not lowered the price. Why? I would presume it's part of his personal collection and is more of a "I have this and if you want it bad enough, you'll pay through the nose for it" So it sits as a prize in his collection as no buyer has stepped up to spend stupid money on it.

I've seen this many times over again. Eventually high ticket items become reasonably priced.......when the market catches up to that price.

Rich, I'm not disputing what you say either! However, I buy items because I like them and because I enjoy collecting these items and not because I speculate that their value will increase by X over a certain period of time so that I can then sell them off again with a profit. That is the point! If greed were my driving force, I would prefer to invest my money in shares with which I have no emotional connection. That distinguishes me from 'investors'. And, of course, I wouldn't sell my items for the price I paid if I could fetch a higher price. But who would do that? A fool at best, do you think I'm a fool?

[Rich Moran]

NSDAP Sammler, I know your not a fool. You collect because you want to and that alone is reason enough to collect. But, when that time comes to sell, you'll set a target price you believe is fair but not a give away price.

The object of my post was to help understand that collecting in early years is for enjoyment of what you acquire.

As you age you begin to realize that the money you "invested" to get desirable items...is really an investment. As time passes and prices go up you'll profit from what you bought.

I could cite several items I'd been fortunate to obtain. When I did the prices were obscene as wages were low. It's the same or near same spread today for those fortunate enough to have the money to purchase these things.

As your collection grows you begin to see a rather large amount of money spent and that ends up in your portfolio as money that you spent prior will end up making a handsome profit if you've bought desirable high quality items. You begin to make plans for selling what you've collected and then realize further that what the market dictates can be a sizable return on what you've spent.

In the end you do become one of those dealers that strives to provide the best of what you bought at the best possible price.... price that satisfies both parties. Granted, there are dealers we all know of that in their description by collectors "his prices are too high, but he always has quality items".

I so disliked going to Bixby Hill in Long Beach, but the best of the best was there, along with the best of the best highest prices. Today items that were bought there are in my display cases. Some just recently seemed to finally surpassed the price I paid 20 years ago.

Were his prices insane? Of course they were but I'd made money on some items that helped balance the till to justify what was bought and some in different ways that I did not imagine would happen over time.

Finally age is a great equalizer and if your still involved during your 7th decade you become one of "those dealers" but the great thing is few will know and only if you do not reveal what you paid decades ago.

We collectors are a crazy lot, we go from collecting, to dealing, even selling our libraries of rare books but take images of what we had. Bad images and good images because really in the end that's all you want to have!

[NSDAP Sammler]

NSDAP Sammler, I know your not a fool. You collect because you want to and that alone is reason enough to collect. But, when that time comes to sell, you'll set a target price you believe is fair but not a give away price.

The object of my post was to help understand that collecting in early years is for enjoyment of what you acquire.

As you age you begin to realize that the money you "invested" to get desirable items...is really an investment. As time passes and prices go up you'll profit from what you bought.

I could cite several items I'd been fortunate to obtain. When I did the prices were obscene as wages were low. It's the same or near same spread today for those fortunate enough to have the money to purchase these things.

As your collection grows you begin to see a rather large amount of money spent and that ends up in your portfolio as money that you spent prior will end up making a handsome profit if you've bought desirable high quality items. You begin to make plans for selling what you've collected and then realize further that what the market dictates can be a sizable return on what you've spent.

In the end you do become one of those dealers that strives to provide the best of what you bought at the best possible price.... price that satisfies both parties. Granted, there are dealers we all know of that in their description by collectors "his prices are too high, but he always has quality items".

I so disliked going to Bixby Hill in Long Beach, but the best of the best was there, along with the best of the best highest prices. Today items that were bought there are in my display cases. Some just recently seemed to finally surpassed the price I paid 20 years ago.

Were his prices insane? Of course they were but I'd made money on some items that helped balance the till to justify what was bought and some in different ways that I did not imagine would happen over time.

Finally age is a great equalizer and if your still involved during your 7th decade you become one of "those dealers" but the great thing is few will know and only if you do not reveal what you paid decades ago.

We collectors are a crazy lot, we go from collecting, to dealing, even selling our libraries of rare books but take images of what we had. Bad images and good images because really in the end that's all you want to have!

So far I've been fortunate in not even having the idea of ​​selling parts of my collection and I've been collecting for over 25 years now. Luckily I'm not yet 70, maybe I'll see things differently then, maybe not, who knows.