Can't sell a thing.....Economy stuffed or what????

[abitfishy]

Hey guys,

Wondering if anyone else out there is having the same problems.

I won't go into too many specifics, but at the moment I'm trying to sell a bunch of stuff, 2 cars, a fishing kayak and some of my reptiles. All are priced reasonably based on age and condition, and advertised in a variety of mediums - ebay, trading post, item specific forums, and I have had one bloke enquire about one of the cars and thats it. I can't believe I haven't even had tyre kickers, or even the morons who pipe up and offer you half the asking price!!!

Is it the economy or am I just out of luck?

I just got my latest Visa bill for $6k (higher than the usual $2.5k due to a few medium size home item purchases this month) and I feel like crap - don't know whether to scream, cry or what. I'M SO STRESSED OUT AND FRUSTATED!!!! :(

[Waldo]

G'day Abitfishy,

Dunno.

But I can say the economy has been in downturn since March. One of the first industries to notice dowturns are those in advertising/graphic design and when businesses hurt the first thing they do is cut ad budgets (really they should be increasing their spend so they don't lose brand awareness to competition)

Guess what industry I'm in? :sigh: And I run my own business, so it's that bit harder as I don't have a boss, so my weekly $ are up and down like a yo-yo. I don't have the opportunity of taking a set pay packet home each week, nor can I forget how the boss is doing revenue wise once the clock ticks past 5:00 each arvo.

The general man/woman on the street mightn't notice the downturn when it starts but business does and those who derive their income from them.

On the upside you might get a few calls yet, but when people see more moths in their wallets then they cut out the extras and focus on the have to haves*.

* some expences in the shed are excluded.

[abitfishy]

Thanks mate.

Doesn't help when half the things I'm selling are 'luxuries' and the 2 cars are 6cyl falcons. :((

[LGS]

Hi ABF,
I can feel your pain. Been there and done that and never again! Waldo's right about the downturn. Now that we compete on the world markets, the needs and desires of individuals mean nothing. You are at the whims of large organisations and their shareholders here and in the rest of the world. As Waldo pointed out, organisations cut their ad budgets, individuals cut as much as they can from their "luxury" budget. You may have noticed Jim's Mowing has started advertising heavily. No money for gardeners at the moment.
But in some regards, we are our own worst enemy. Now that most of our super goes into stocks and property trusts, we keep insisting that companies earn record profits year after year, yet we are the very same people who ask for lower prices, more secure jobs and cheaper commodities such as petrol from the very same companies.
Sorry about the rant!
I think you may have to accept that a "reasonable" price for an item is no longer what it was.
I lived in NZ for 5 years and there, the price of an item drops by over 50% the minute it walks out the shop door. I think we're in the same boat now.

Regards and in sympathy,

Rob

[abitfishy]

Ah, I tell a lie, I just had some looser ring and offer $1200 for my $1800 fishing kayak thats had 3 hours use which would cost $2400 to replace with new. :((

[Christopha]

ABF, please note the following is NOT a personal attack! Just a question to all and sundry about current attitudes to spending and (LOL) saving of a large section of our community, including my own offspring.

Strewth ABF! Why did you buy a $2400 kayak if you were only going to use it for 3 hours? Why did you blow so much on household items if you didn't have the bucks? Why are you living on a credit card and maxing the thing if you don't have the bucks?
Why are so many people apparently living beyond their means and blaming other people for the depth of Schite they find themselves in?

[abitfishy]

Not a personal attack? Not that I really have to explain, however:

For starters, I purchased the kayak prior to Christmas. I upgraded from a larger, heavier one. There was no issue with the $$ at the time since the changeover from the old one was only a couple of hundred bucks. And at a push, there isn't now, however it is very, very tight - selling these few things (or even just one of them) will make me relax big time. Selling the lot and I'll shout you a beer. :) (no, not all of you!).

Basically its one of those things, its a great sport (kayak fishing), but its very weather dependant, as well as motivation dependant to load it all up on the roof racks. Hence its just sitting there and would rather the $ to eventually put towards a newer car to replace the 2 in a few months time, when things have calmed down and I've sold all my bits and pieces (I hope). Come summer, I might regret it, but I can always replace it again if I really get withdrawals, or I can hire a kayak for a day.

As for living above ones means, I agree, theres a lot of it going around. Too many people are in too much debt. I will add, I've never borrowed for anything except the house, never even a car. We've only got into the near pickle on this occasion because I'm finding things much harder to sell than expected - if it had all gone according to plan, all would be A OK. But who can see into the future, hey?

Put it this way, we've saved and worked bl**dy hard for the things we want, and put heaps more into the mortgage than we needed to - over the last 6 years since we took out the mortgage we've put in over $35,000 more than needed, and can re-draw about 25K of that amount if we NEED to. But ultimately, thats our very last port of call - long term we are better off putting as much as we can in, and living 'on the edge' so to speak now ang again with the excess as a backup if needed.

I don't know if I would go as far as to say I was 'blaming others' for my situation. Simply asking others if they've found the economy an issue. Thanks for your concern though. If you have any other comments, feel free to PM me directly. :~

[TermiMonster]

My experience in selling 2nd hand items, FWIW, is that you have to be patient. You will get tyre kickers, most people will offer a lower price because, why not...you might accept. Sometimes, things will sell right off, at top price, others, they take longer. You just need one buyer (for each item), an he may take a while to cotton on to the fact that his new car is waiting.
Even in the worst depression people need/ want stuff. Second hand cars may be easier to sell in a down economy??!!
Anyway, good luck with it.
Cheers
TM

[Sturdee]

Ah, I tell a lie, I just had some looser ring and offer $1200 for my $1800 fishing kayak thats had 3 hours use which would cost $2400 to replace with new. :((


Reading the posts I get the feeling that you are asking too much and that's why you are not getting a sale.

You refer to someone as a looser when he offers IMHO a good price for your fishing kayak, which after all is a second hand one. To you 3 hours of use may not be very much but it makes it second hand and as such looses value. Similar to cars that drop in value the moment they leave a new car showroom. Further it is a luxury item and so it's a buyers market.


Peter.

[abitfishy]

Thanks mate.

I sold the reptiles (breeding trios of cute little geckos) about 15min ago so thats $500 extra. Also found a balance of $500 above the minimum to avoid fees in one of our rarely used bank accounts, so theres an easy $1K just in all that. Would love to sell the kayak and the cheaper car....

Caution: Free plug ahead: :)
1999 AU Falcon wagon, burgundy, 256,000k's, hence the price - $3400
2001 AU2 Falcon Futura wagon, white, only 111,000 k's - $7200

[abitfishy]

Peter,

You may not be aware but these very popular fishing kayaks hold their value considerably. $600 less than new for such a low usage one isn't a bad deal. There are not many on the market as their isnt really an 'upgrade' from these. They are one of the few designed specifically for fishing.

Having said that, I could come down, but at $1200 I would sell it 10 times over. One recently sold in about 5 hours for $900, howeve that was base kayak only with no fish finder, anchor trolley, etc, and also described as well used, 'beaten and battered'.

[Toolin Around]

Hey guys,

Wondering if anyone else out there is having the same problems.

I won't go into too many specifics, but at the moment I'm trying to sell a bunch of stuff, 2 cars, a fishing kayak and some of my reptiles. All are priced reasonably based on age and condition, and advertised in a variety of mediums - ebay, trading post, item specific forums, and I have had one bloke enquire about one of the cars and thats it. I can't believe I haven't even had tyre kickers, or even the morons who pipe up and offer you half the asking price!!!

Is it the economy or am I just out of luck?

I just got my latest Visa bill for $6k (higher than the usual $2.5k due to a few medium size home item purchases this month) and I feel like crap - don't know whether to scream, cry or what. I'M SO STRESSED OUT AND FRUSTATED!!!! :(


There's a saying my old man always said... It's only worth what someone is willing to pay... Maybe your prices are too high

[abitfishy]

Yeah, must be. That it.

[damian]

Go to ebay and assuming you have an account put some search terms in and tick completed listings at the left of page. You get a list of all completed auctions form the last few months. Red means no sale.

It is by far and away the most accurate market snapshot on any goods you find there in my experience.

Saying your stuff is overpriced isn't helpful I think. Every transaction needs 2 willing parties.

I have a 95 fairlane and I watch falcon prices closely. As a rule of thumb they halve every 3 years, so say a fairlane in 95 is $52k, in 98 it's worth $26k average miles and condition, 01 it's $13k, 04 $6500 etc. Mine's worth about $1500 cos it's done 300k. Redbook agrees with my calcs pretty closely, utes and sports varieties hold up better. Pity it's not an EF wagon, I'm looking for one, but with that miles it'd be a $1200 car...:(

Having said all that I've noticed ebay prices have been dropping across most items since about may. I'm about to advertise a lot of stuff and will be in teh same boat as you, taking lower prices or waiting a LONG time for sales.

Sorry I'm not more help.

[Calm]

Seling boats and summer pleasure items in winter is not a time to get best prices. If you wanted to buy a water ski boat, wet suits or water skis one would expect to have more sellers than buyers in JULY.

If i wanted to buy a motorbike i would be looking now - the reason someo0ne sells now is they need the money and so i can put presure on them to acept a lower price.

I saw VE commodores for sale at $15,000 last week so i am afraid that a 2000 year large car is worth less than $4,000 and that is with a roadworthy and low K's

Sorry i cant give you better thoughts.

Cheers


PS every time i sell something there are plenty around and when i want to buy there are none around - i wonder where they all go???????????????

[abitfishy]

Thanks Damian, well I am pretty much on the money according to redbook and taking into account the k's on the 99 model:

1999 AU Forte Wagon 4dr Auto 4sp 4.0i (selling 256000k for $3400)
Prices based on klm 110,000 - 180,000
Average Price private sale $4500 - $6000


2001 AU II Futura Wagon 4dr Auto 4sp 4.0i (selling 110,000k for $7200)

Prices based on klm 110,000 - 180,000
Average price private sale $6900-$8500

[damian]

Yeah I thought that money was close.

I did fowles auctions tuesday. The bids were reaching about what I reckoned but most cars got passed in, optimistic vendors are very common. 97 falcom ute 168k's pretty clean $3400 unreg plus $250 buyers. That's about $4500 on road, about right $, passed through. There were lots like that. Qld is worse for it than most places though.

Know nothing about kayak prices...

[artme]

We are off overseas in about a month. Decided to advertise both cars and see what happened. Not one bite! even on a Honda Jazz with 10k on the clock and a real fuel miser!!!

[abitfishy]

Sold the 99 Falcon for $3000. I'm happy with that and should see us out of the pickle.

[ubeaut]

What are you on about not being able to sell stuff. In the past 17 hours you've sold some reptiles, found $500 and sold a car.

I must be missing something here.... Unless it's all gone to forum members.

And in that cast just send the commission to me via snail mail (I can wait a day or 3) If you want more instant send me your credit card info.

Seriously. Have you had a good look around recently. There are millions of items for sale on epay then there's the car trading sites and trading post sites. Hundreds of them and all full of stuff, then there's the paper versions of the same thing.

Is it any wonder you don't get a call for a while. There's just too much stuff and too many bargains.

_______________________________________


I recently moved my parents into full time care. Their house was sold and we then had the problem of what to do with around $100,000 worth of high class furniture and other household items. No time to have or organise a sale no where to store it. What to do?

Give it all to the Salvo's - Not interested for at least 6-8 weeks.
Give it all to The Brotherhood - Nup not interested for 6 weeks.
Contact every charity within 100km and it was the same answer from them all. I even offered to pay for the truck to have it taken away to any of their storage facilities and still couldn't get rid of it.

Ended up getting a dealer to pick up some of it and even he was picky until I said he could have the lot for nix. Still didn't take the $40,000 mahogany dining table chairs and buffet. No one would touch the beds, etc, etc.

Sheeeit! If you can't give away around $100,00+ worth of really good stuff in a week, what hope is there of selling it in a hurry.

OK I'm finished now.
http://teakdoor.com/images/smilies/sorry1.gif
Cheers - Neil :)

[arose62]

Oh No! That's the same boat (not kayak) that I'm in - parents moved into care, and after 'furnishing' a single bedroom, there's a housefull of stuff to get rid of, and the results of a lifetime of near-hoarding.

Mum's dementia meant that she forgot what she'd bought recently, so we have *lots* of everything, 16 brand new pillows, 46 pairs of scissors (so far), several thousand unused greeting cards, 6 diabetes blood sugar monitors, etc. etc. etc.

I had a brief spark of hope when I started reading your post:D, but now:(

Cheers,
Andrew

[abitfishy]

Hey, I dunno, even though I didn't bring the price down much, it was obviously just at that point where already reasonable becomes cheap. I just found it odd that there wasn't even an enquiry. I think you are right, ebay has so much stuff, and all this paypal rubbbish I think has turned people away, and the trading post server is so slow I even gave up looking for my own ad, so what hope have I got?

Blimey, if I sell the kayak and other car tonight or tomorrow I think I'll faint. :2tsup:

Commission? If I sell something to a member.....well I was going to say I'll become a paid member, but you don't have paid membership, so I guess you'll miss out. :)

[ubeaut]

Hell fishy, I can make an exception. That'll be 25bucks thanks... :rotfl:

I'll take the rest in weekly instalments :rofl:

The contract's in the mail :5822282438:

Cheers :U

[m2c1Iw]

I see Neil is stiring the pot today rather than the vat.:D:D:D

Mike

[Gaza]

just brought a second hand merc valued at around $38k for $19 1/2k from a dealer.

the dealer just wanted it gone.

PS it is a V8 too, not so good with petrol prices but its only for weekends to go to shops.

[Sebastiaan56]

Good buy Gaza,

I reckon if you do the maths on some of these V8's in the yards you may find that the total cost of ownership will be less than some of the more popular "economical" models. Remember the last fuel crisis? a mate of mine got a newish SLR5000 for $2800, cheapest thing going! Insurance was another matter...

[abitfishy]

Well, if I'm going to pay commission anyway, heres a pic:

Now $6999. :2tsup:

[Christopha]

Well, if I'm going to pay commission anyway, heres a pic:

Now $6999. :2tsup:

It's a flamin' Foulcoon!!! How much will you pay ME to take it away?
;)

[abitfishy]

Ha Ha.

Mate, I've never change to anything else now. Had 5 in a row and they've all been fantastic run arounds.

[underfoot]

Ha Ha.
Mate, I've Had 5 in a row and they've all been fantastic run arounds.

Fishy, get yourself a tojo camry wagon,
I've had one in a row and still going strong (the japs have invented cars that don't break down)
resale on falcoons suck:wink:

[abitfishy]

Fishy, get yourself a tojo camry wagon,
I've had one in a row and still going strong (the japs have invented cars that don't break down)
resale on falcoons suck:wink:

If they change to rear wheel drive I might consider it!!:D

[Rossluck]

I'm with you ABF. I check Epay all the time and it's become very quiet in the past few weeks. Now my focus has become how I can get my share of Neil's furniture....:D

[abitfishy]

Yeah, I honestly don't think its price thats the problem now but people simply not buying. Well, I guess its all relevant to each other, but you know what I mean. Its now on ebay, oztion, trading post, carsales, carpoint, and their affiliates and still no interest.

I've even compared to others listed on carsales using the same search details (AU2 Futura). For instance:

Its the 7th cheapest out of 21.
Its has the 4th lowest k's of ANY of them (higher or lower price)
Theres only one cheaper out of the lot that has lower k's, and its a sedan in SA at only $150 less.
Its no doubt the best buy WAGON out of all of them.

Doesn't look like its overpriced in comparision to me, but yes, things are only worth what people want to pay! There is an oversupply of newer falcons at the auctions too at the moment so in turn its effecting the previous models.

Wondering how much fuel prices are effecting these big 6's.......thought of using the government rebate to stick it on gas, add $850 to the price to cover the shortfall - a good low k's AU2 on new gas for a few dollars less than 8 grand SHOULD get a sale.....but who knows.

[munruben]

Buyers market at the moment. People not buying, reasons could be interest rates have gone up, fuel is at an all time high. Maybe everyone is being cautious and money being eaten up elsewhere.

[mic-d]

I listed a slow combustion wood heater last week that I removed from a house for a lady, she didn't want it anymore. Listed it for $50 to cover costs, ended up going for nearly $700:o

Cheers
Michael

[Groggy]

ended up going for nearly $700:oSome days are diamonds :2tsup:

[damian]

2 things:

Falcons:

If you buy a car you should look at total cost of ownership. If you do the sums properly a post 92 falcon is one of the cheapest cars per mile you can buy. They are also amongst the most enviromentally friendly, although a bentley is better. You see the total pollution load of a car is the pollution making it, the pollution disposing of it and the running pollution. Because 6 cylinder falcons go about 500,000 kms between engine rebuilds they last over twice as long as front wheel drive buzz boxes, and when stuff does go wrong it costs a fraction of the FWD to fix. Check with any mechanic how much for a clutch or tranny in a FWD and a RWD of the same size. Garantee you'll be shocked. Because the falcon gos twice as long it negates building another FWD car and thus saves that pollution.

2. Selling stuff: Just a few percent of total price will make the difference between offers and no offers. You be surprised how much difference to people looking a small shif in asking price means, it takes you from "just seeing what you can get" or "dreaming" to "serious seller".

No one askes for my opinions, but they get them anyway :D

[TEEJAY]

2 things:

Falcons:

If you buy a car you should look at total cost of ownership. If you do the sums properly a post 92 falcon is one of the cheapest cars per mile you can buy. They are also amongst the most enviromentally friendly, although a bentley is better. You see the total pollution load of a car is the pollution making it, the pollution disposing of it and the running pollution. Because 6 cylinder falcons go about 500,000 kms between engine rebuilds they last over twice as long as front wheel drive buzz boxes, and when stuff does go wrong it costs a fraction of the FWD to fix. Check with any mechanic how much for a clutch or tranny in a FWD and a RWD of the same size. Garantee you'll be shocked. Because the falcon gos twice as long it negates building another FWD car and thus saves that pollution.

2. Selling stuff: Just a few percent of total price will make the difference between offers and no offers. You be surprised how much difference to people looking a small shif in asking price means, it takes you from "just seeing what you can get" or "dreaming" to "serious seller".

No one askes for my opinions, but they get them anyway :D

Bit of a rant there Damian,

I bought a commodore some 8 years ago and time came to sell it 4 years ago. I managed it by having the best car in the selection for mileage and condition and price - so it sold in a few weeks. BUT at the time i was told the obvious by a friend who said "check out all the taxis - they are nearly all falcons - not commodores - they run big mileage with very little to go wrong and cheap to repair" I think he is right but I still preferred the commodore.

Cheers

[abitfishy]

I'm a ford guy but not anti-holden at all. My first 'decent' car was a 2 yr old VR Berlina. Comfy as all hell, could drive it on long holidays and get out at the other end still fresh. Just magic. Better than any of the fords I've owned (although will admit never owned the equivalent spec fords). Where it was let down was the reliability - 13 times in 12 mths in for service under the holden warranty from the dealership. Every pump in the thing, radiator etc etc etc. Needless to say I flogged it off (once again at a huge loss) :( as soon as the warranty expired, vowing never to buy one again. Maybe I was unlucky, but hesitant to risk it again. Shame, futuras are the highest spec wagons in the fords and only in 6cyl . I'd love an 8cyl Fairmont wagon, but shame they haven't made them for a few years.

[damian]

Sorry about the rant. I did my apprenticeship as a motor mechanic and worked briefly in the OEM industry. I guess when you close to something it's painful watching people make poorly informed decisions.

I'm definitely NOT a ford person. Most of what they make is rubbish, but when the planets align they produce some of the sweetest cars ever to grace the road and the 92 - 98 falcons rank with any sedan car ever made. Big miles, easy to work on, tow like a dream and SO comfortable to ride in. They have issues and plenty of them, but most are easy to put right. My 95 Fairlane clocked 300,000 this week. I'll have to do the tranny soon.

Here's a quiz for you. I've seen both fairlane and fairmont wagons. What the heck is the difference ??

Puzzled...:)

[dazzler]

but when the planets align they produce some of the sweetest cars ever to grace the road and the 92 - 98 falcons rank with any sedan car ever made.

I overheard howard marsden (tickford XR bloke) say that he thought the XR6 ED wagon was one of the best they made which I thought was interesting.

And yes work is slow :)

[abitfishy]

Here's a quiz for you. I've seen both fairlane and fairmont wagons. What the heck is the difference ??

Puzzled...:)

I assure you, you would never have seen a fairlane wagon, they are sedan only (for the last 20 years anyway). Basically they are a longer wheelbase luxury car, as for specs, not quite sure about that but the fairlane is the second top of the range before the LTD. Theres also 'ghia' models (although don't think theres an LTD ghia) which are even a tad more luxury. I'll try and find some more details though, it would be interesting to know. At the top of those models you're looking at things like standard leather as opposed to optional leather, wood steering wheel vs standard black leather, heated and electric seats bla bla bla. Either are nice cars. I think the fairlanes are considered more 'grandpa' cars. Although I'd still drive one!