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Post by chacham on Jun 4, 2020 1:41:04 GMT
I originally asked this question out the SBG Ask a Question page and was told it fit for the classifieds forum here, but i would need to define a price. I would like to ask for help about determining a fair price, and finding any laws about selling and shipping a sword, if any. I am a complete novice here. I do not even know the right questions to ask, what to be concerned about, or if i am concerning myself with the wrong things. Please help! Basically, a friend bought this sword from Ye Silver Castle at a Renaissance Fair for a little over $1000, and had it cleaned and whatnot by the same guy. He has since emigrated to another country and asked me and one other friend to sell his items for him, including this sword. (The other items are knives and comic books, and the other guy, well, never worked out.) So here i am, years later, trying to finally give it a shot. Note to anyone else: Never ask me to sell something for you. Anyway, i took a bunch of pictures (years ago) and just now cleaned them up a bit and posted them in an album on imgur. The images include the sword and the documentation. Is there anything else i would need to give a prospective buyer a better look? Different angle, better pictures, etc? Are there any laws i need to know about selling or shipping swords? How do i determine a fair price? Would it be better to try to sell it in person? I am in the Detroit are, if that helps.
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Post by Adventurer'sBlade on Jun 4, 2020 5:20:09 GMT
Did you not like the answer you already got? I'm sorry, but most modern-made swords go down in value for reselling. There's no appraisal process for one-off pieces made by modern smiths. Just pick a number you think is fair and go down if you don't get any takers. A number that is fair is probably 50-75% of purchase price.
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Post by MOK on Jun 4, 2020 13:48:40 GMT
Yeah, I'd offer it for $800 plus shipping to start, and then gradually lower the price if there were no takers after a while (a week or a month or whatever depending entirely on how quickly you need to sell it).
Mind, you can always offer it for sale here AND still try to sell it in person, too! Just remember to make a note in the sales thread when it's gone.
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Post by chacham on Jun 4, 2020 15:50:59 GMT
Did you not like the answer you already got? I'm sorry, but most modern-made swords go down in value for reselling. There's no appraisal process for one-off pieces made by modern smiths. Just pick a number you think is fair and go down if you don't get any takers. A number that is fair is probably 50-75% of purchase price. I very much appreciate the response i got there! I still feel uncomfortable not knowing what laws might be in place or if i am worrying about the wrong thing. Since the answer there told me the classified was an ad to sell, i would like to get the listing "right" and have appropriate pictures as well. So, i uploaded a few and asked here is i needed any others. I apologize for being so ignorant. I got a little excited when seeing there is a beginner's forum here.
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Post by chacham on Jun 4, 2020 16:07:13 GMT
Yeah, I'd offer it for $800 plus shipping to start, and then gradually lower the price if there were no takers after a while (a week or a month or whatever depending entirely on how quickly you need to sell it). Mind, you can always offer it for sale here AND still try to sell it in person, too! Just remember to make a note in the sales thread when it's gone. Okay, that makes sense. I am in no rush as it has already been years since i was asked to sell it, and it's probably doing fine in it's soft case in the basement. That's a little less than 80% of the original cost of the sword, and about 2/3 of the original cost overall, so i guess that makes sense. (Not that i know what i am talking about.) If i would decide to change the price, does that mean make a new post? Also, are the pictures good enough, or do you thi9nk it would be better to add more, from different angles or whatever? And what about laws? There seems to be laws about some knives limiting their length. Is a sword considered a really long knife?
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Post by MOK on Jun 4, 2020 16:13:58 GMT
Did you not like the answer you already got? I'm sorry, but most modern-made swords go down in value for reselling. There's no appraisal process for one-off pieces made by modern smiths. Just pick a number you think is fair and go down if you don't get any takers. A number that is fair is probably 50-75% of purchase price. I very much appreciate the response i got there! I still feel uncomfortable not knowing what laws might be in place or if i am worrying about the wrong thing. Since the answer there told me the classified was an ad to sell, i would like to get the listing "right" and have appropriate pictures as well. So, i uploaded a few and asked here is i needed any others. I apologize for being so ignorant. I got a little excited when seeing there is a beginner's forum here. No worries, we all start out as complete newbs. Those photos look great to me, but note that our rules also require a photo of the item together with a physical note bearing your username and current date. It's just a way to prove that the sword is currently in your possession, adopted due to a handful of scam attempts in the past. IANAL so wouldn't advice you to take me on my word for this, but I don't think there should be any problems shipping this particular item from Detroit. Any import restrictions at the receiving end are really the buyer's responsibility. If i would decide to change the price, does that mean make a new post? Common practice is to just post in the thread to announce the price drop - which conveniently bumps the thread to the top of the forum - and edit the original post to display the new price. PS. IME, it's usually safest to ship swords labeled as either sports equipment or decorative items.
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Post by paulmuaddib on Jun 4, 2020 16:23:42 GMT
IANAL. Took me a second, Lmao. Perfect abbreviation for a lawyer even if it’s saying not a lawyer.
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Post by Adventurer'sBlade on Jun 4, 2020 17:26:39 GMT
There are, unless I'm about to be surprised, no US laws governing sword ownership or online sale - only public carry. So no worries.
You can make one classifieds post and then edit it later or comment under it to change prices.
Write your username and today's date on a piece of paper and take a picture of it with the sword. Post it with the ad. That's a forum rule to prevent scams.
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Post by MOK on Jun 4, 2020 18:15:39 GMT
And of course you can always look at other sales threads to see how people do it!
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Post by chacham on Jun 5, 2020 0:57:14 GMT
IANAL. Took me a second, Lmao. Perfect abbreviation for a lawyer even if it’s saying not a lawyer. That's an old one. IME took me a moment.
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Post by chacham on Jun 5, 2020 0:59:24 GMT
Thank you. I think that settles it. The sword is actually in my mother's basement, so i'll have to make my way there next week to get that picture. And redmichael, thank you as well. I'll have to go check out the classified forum to see how it is done there as well. And if the thing actually sells, start asking about how to ship/pack such things.
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Post by chacham on Jun 14, 2020 22:47:25 GMT
note that our rules also require a photo of the item together with a physical note bearing your username and current date. It's just a way to prove that the sword is currently in your possession, adopted due to a handful of scam attempts in the past. Finally made my way there with a friend. I used my phone for name and date, and took 3 pictures with my username over, under, and next to the sword. Is this good proof? Any preference for which is best?Album
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Post by MOK on Jun 15, 2020 4:21:35 GMT
I think that works. No real preference, just pick whichever you like most - or why not link all three!
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Post by chacham on Jul 12, 2020 15:08:10 GMT
Thank you. I seem to have missed the notification of the reply. I also let this slip to the back burner. I think i'll attempt to post it now.
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