Totally OT and lame...don't read! Re: Rare Apples, eBay, Goodwill

[Vintage Computer Festival]

On Thu, 24 Mar 2005, Chad Fernandez wrote:

> Vintage Computer Festival wrote:
> > Sales are not free.  There's a cost of doing business.  You really need to
> > read a book on business principles or take a local community college
> > course on it.  Better yet, start your own business to learn first hand.
>
> Do you refer to taxes?    I don't see how selling something cheaply is
> more cost effective than throwing the same item out.

Everything costs money.  Time, employees, power, water, phone,
advertising, shelf space, rent, and taxes.  No matter what business you're
in, you have these costs, but they are especially critical in sales.

> > First of all, have you ever seen Michael Nadeau's book?  It's not, you
> > should buy a copy (as should anyone at all interested in collecting
> > vintage computers).  It's pretty comprehensive.
>
> I haven't seen it.  I was actually pondering that a bit over dinner.

Don't you think you should get a copy and read it before debating my
suggestion?

> > Second, if you really think it's quicker and more efficient for them to
> > read and interpret a sheet of "guidelines" that will be obsolete and
> > require re-publication and re-distribution every few months then you have
> > never managed people before.
>
> I don't see them as going obselete that quickly.  We're talking bottom
> of the market, here.  Prices don't change that quickly at that point.

You may not see it but I do.  A monitor that someone may pay $15 for today
will probably be worthless in 3-6 months.  And just as the working life of
contemporary technology is shrinking, the after-life of that technology is
also shrinking.

> > Does it work?  Do they know?  Do they know how to test it?  Did they test
> > it 100%?  Are all the colors present?  Is there any distortion or is any
> > part of the screen out of focus?  What kind of dot pitch does it have?
> > What's its maximum resolution?  Did they test all the video modes for
> > that monitor?  Does it require degaussing?  Did they burn it in for 24
> > hours to catch problems that only manifest themselves after continuous
> > operation?  Is all this worth $10 to $15?
>
> They don't need to check all that, it's only a $5, 10, or $15 monitor.

So you're saying they're going to take untested junk and expect people to
pay $5-$15 for it?  That's entirely unrealistic.

> If they checked all that the cost would go up, and they wouldn't be able
> to sell it.  My local Goodwill store actually allow returns, btw.  If I
> were to buy a monitor that didn't work, I'd have seven days to return
> it, as long as I had my reciept, so in a way my local Goodwill turns me
> into the testing person, whcih doesn't cost them.

It costs them to have to deal with you on both the sale and the return.
That takes time, and time is money.  So if they sell you something that's
broken, they just wasted money twice.  From what I know, Goodwill does not
put untested junk on their shelves.  If they did, their shelves would be
full of junk, sales would drop off considerably because customers would
lose faith in Goodwill and not want to take a chance buying something that
may end up being junk (whether they can return it or not) and Goodwill
would go broke spending all their time on returns.  No, this will not
work.

> I think most places around here just toss them.

Not for long.

> would be useless.  Maybe you are assuming a higher percentage of
> interesting items, and the application of the guide only when the
> employee recognizes it as a non-PC, or at least something out of the
> ordinary?

That's where this whole thread came from.  We weren't talk about commodity
PC crap, but even then, your model won't work.

> If the second case is closer to your position, maybe both of
> us are right (potentially)..... my way for the PC stuff, your way for
> the more interesting stuff.

Nope, your way would send GW into bankruptcy.

> We probably should close off this thread, as it is kind of off-topic
> now.  That being said, I have enjoyed it.  If you want to fire back once
> more, send it ito me directly.

I'm done.

-- 

Sellam Ismail                                        Vintage Computer Festival
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International Man of Intrigue and Danger                http://www.vintage.org

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