The ups and downs of listening to others !

[Another Bubble]

Originally Posted by Tigerlily

Ditto Mac, as a new collector I have relied heavily on the expertise and very much been on the receiving end of the generosity of others. I have had a brilliant teacher and have a little posse of lovely, patient people I go to when I need some advice.

As far as pricing goes, as has been touched on before it varies from dealer to dealer, a badge I am watching at the moment with three different dealers varies incrementally between the three by £5 each, if I have a relationship with the dealer then I have no problem paying a little more rather than just going for the cheaper option.

If I am desperate for a particular badge as was the case with something I had been after for a while recently, I barely blinked at the price, I had a ballpark figure in mind and it was within that, I grabbed it because I know how badly I wanted it. The same with a cap I bought yesterday, a good £20 over what I would normally pay for a cap, but I wanted it badly enough to chuck what others might call silly money at it.

When it comes to making offers as a couple of forum members can verify, I absolutely die! I hate it, it’s the worst. I can’t haggle, I can’t make offers, unless I am completely confident of something’s worth I always worry I’ve gone in too low. I hate it, honestly, it does my head in!

Dave I am a huge fan of your badges as you know and I don’t think you overcharge, if you’d had a visitor counter on SMM when you had your, what I call “grenade porn” listing last month the counter would have gone through the roof, I did buy a couple and as always you were very generous, I really liked that RF belt buckle(I think?) you had listed as well but I have to reign myself in or me and the badge collection would be homeless. So what I’m trying to say the long way round is, it’s not that I’m desperate for a bargain or that you in any way overcharge, I just need to be mindful of not spending every penny I have on badges that are priced exactly as they should be but are beyond what I should spend.

I also completely agree with what you say, although I'm not averse to a bit of haggling if I'm at a fair!

I'm coming up to the first anniversary of my first ever purchase, which I've since learned was a dud, & it was made about 6 weeks before I stumbled across this forum when searching for information about another purchase, which also turned out to be a dud!

Since then, with the help of several members of this forum, my good v bad purchases ratio has improved significantly although I still do make the odd mistake.

During the past 12 months, my collection has gone from 0-144 & I think I've hoovered up most of the common badges.

As with everyone else, I have a finite amount of money I can spend on my hobby so, whilst I don't doubt that anything offered for sale here is at a reasonable price, I quite like the buzz of trawling fairs so I'm trying to restrict my purchases on here to replacing the duds with genuine examples to try & strike a balance.

[Keith Blakeman]

I won't spoil the fun as I know exactly what you paid for them Dave, I still have the email!

Two badges I would dearly love to have but that's the problem of buying from a very top end dealer, you'll struggle to get your money back and someone else would have bought them before you if they we're any cheaper. If it's any consolation you can bet he didn't pay top wack prices for them so the deals are still out there if you're lucky.

[davec2]

Originally Posted by manchesters

Dave,

AS for the large Guards RSM badge, I sold an original one, just the same, for £16 on ebay in January this year so as far as I am concerned thats what its worth.

As to what you paid, I have no idea.

regards

Hello Simon,

I must be really gullible, anyone seeing me walk up must think " here's another mug " !!

I bought it from a forum member for one of two sums ?? it was either £55.00p or £70.00p, if the going price is £16.00p then I am prepared to destroy it !

Dave.

[Paul Spellman]

Dave,
You cannot take eBay as somewhere to find the value of a badge.
I just searched for a standard Lancs Fusiliers. To bid on they start from £0.99 to £12.99 - Buy it now from £6.99 to Yes £29.99 even a fake one at £12.99 can someone tell me how much one should pay, also if you are buying or selling it depends on what people are searching for and how much they are prepared to pay at that time so basically it's a lucky dip.
Paul

[manchesters]

None the less,

£50 and £70 are far to high prices for a very commonly seen QC, modern badge.

If it was worth that then mine wouldnt have sold for £16.

OK maybe it would have gone for £20 on a good day.

regards

[Nozzer]

ebay is a lucky dip! Sometimes I am left scratching my head at some of the prices paid for reasonably common badges Other times I am gobsmacked at what can be bought for very little compared to dealer prices.

For example, take the legendary Leicestershire Regiment "Fat Cat". I have bought three in the last 18 months from top fairs and not paid more than £10 for them. A look at ebay and they are being sold for between 20 and 30 pounds!

So, you can't use ebay to value items and sometimes the same can be said for dealers. Remember...... It is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.

[billy]

Dave don't talk that way! Destroy a badge ! You are the Repair Centre of condemned broken badges!! you are our M.A.S.H. Surgeon - (and you wouldn't sleep at night if you did with the remorse!!)

As for Kingsley and his badges you have heard the Forum! List them and ask away better they sell here than you lose out on Ebay as for the 20% charges that may have been my fault as am repeating what a dealer told me he was charged for selling on that site? Soo!!! apologies if I have this wrong and misled anyone? Now I need to work out the rates?

[Chipper]

Originally Posted by billy

Dave don't talk that way! Destroy a badge ! You are the Repair Centre of condemned broken badges!! you are our M.A.S.H. Surgeon - (and you wouldn't sleep at night if you did with the remorse!!)

As for Kingsley and his badges you have heard the Forum! List them and ask away better they sell here than you lose out on Ebay as for the 20% charges that may have been my fault as am repeating what a dealer told me he was charged for selling on that site? Soo!!! apologies if I have this wrong and misled anyone? Now I need to work out the rates?

I agree with Billy. I imagine everyone here, Dave, has been ripped, dipped, pipped and licked at one point or another. Like AnotherBubble, my very first purchase was not only a fake, but a very well known and blindingly obvious fake. Pre-forum it was, but seriously, if anyone here stands up and says the have never overpaid, bought a dud, been sold a story or (in Alli and my case) drunk purchased things we probably shouldn't have, then I say, they have no badges.

For me, I focus not on what has gone wrong, but what has gone right. Life demands we grab it by the ears and give it a shake. From other posts, I see you have has a great win lately, and without depreciating the angst at what has not worked out, maybe it' time to celebrate the super badges you have, and the news that you will be here to do it.

Cheers,Tim

PS sorry for lumping you in with me Alli, but it's wine o'clock in France.... I think you get what I mean...

[Tigerlily]

That's fine Tim, guilty as charged
Tim's off to eBay, staggering, wine glass in hand......

[Chipper]

I just bought Napoleon's Bicorne....

[manchesters]

Originally Posted by Chipper

I just bought Napoleon's Bicorne....

I didnt know he had a bike

[Chipper]

lol, oh yes, a very impressive 10 speed...

[49lassiepen]

Being one of the members who made a comment about the prices on S.M.M I would like to point out that i am no expert only having been collecting for 36 years + and I just making a comment not sniping Regarding wanting something for nothing Most of the items for my main collection are now in the£300-400 region Last h.p was just under £1000.00 . With commission/postage etc a £400.00 item would be just under £500 .00 Resale value would be the hammer price Items for my general collection are normally a lot cheaper In 2013 I placed bids on 2 cross belt plates £1,500 [sold for 1820.00] and 1600.00 sold for £2000.00-
My fault for trying to get something for nothing
Badge collecting is my hobby ,investments are elsewhere
David

[41st]

David,
As you know I'm stuck with similar levels of cost as you. Just paid over £300 for an ORs shako badge & £1800 for an Army of India medal to an officer in the 41st. But no complaints as that is what they cost. In fact rather pleased overall.
Hwyl,
Kevin

[mac mcconnell]

Well at the end of the day if you have to have it then your pay its up to you to do the home work and when selling the same applies. Funny thing is we are sometimes the victims of our own greed wanting more fore badges pushes the price up across the board. I have to say its nice to know you got a bargain but I look at my collection with admiration for the beauty and craftsman ship of the objects and the history that goes with them.
The more expensive items are rather like houses they may have gone up in price many times but you still got to pay out the same sort of money most times for the next article so unless your cashing in at a pre determined point which lets face it most of love our treasures so much we wont and it will fall on other family members who know next to nothing when we leave this world price to us really means very little for a good object that we want.

Its wrong to snipe at well established forum Members who know their stuff and sell accordingly.

As its black bottle to get one over on a forum member for profit!


Mac




Mac