Dealer Dilemma - I'm not one so do I have to pretend to be?

[hifinutt]

I've never seen a bargain on the dealer classifieds other than from Tony @ central who occasionally blows out something insanely priced. All the bricks and mortar shops never go under their wholesale price unless its super old 2nd hand.

agreed but don`t forget pogiboy who regularly has some stunners

[clk230]

Perhaps qualifying as a dealer should come down to whether you pay Her Majesty what is due to her in the form of income tax and VAT?

If your selling for profit then you have to pay tax on that profit , not sure how the mods could check this , alot of part time dealers wouldn't meet the vat thresh hold.

My take on this situation is that a member wants to make money BUT doesn't want the add ons e.g warranty ,pat tests etc that go with selling 2nd hand electrical items and would rather pass as a non dealer.

All my opinion of course.

Off to go and make some saw dust now

[nat8808]

Nat, different views and each to own. I've bought pre owned kit private and from dealers. But just regarding your 'hubs' comment.... Gone are the days of dealers in flash cars, many private sellers will need cash less than the dealer, after all, they will have another job paying them, the dealer doesn't (largely).
Also many of the dealers who support the wam are not the big chain bricks and mortar type, they are fellow enthusiastic hifi bods dealing from home.

Doesn't answer your question, just thought worth defending the dealers a little as we do have some good ones.

Well Samantha, on reading your post, I've kind of changed my mind.. It's easy to ignore reality and get caught up in idiologies.

There are a lot of "dealers" out there running small hobby-like businesses from their front rooms or garages and of course some who are essentially doing the same and over time managed to expand . As you say, they're not necessarily making loads of money and possibly only just getting by, maybe even funding a more bohemian or arty life style on the megre profits of it - something I'd certainly support.

On the other side, there are many private individuals selling on the forums seemingly able to take massive depreciative losses on super high-end gear, losses that would more than cover the value of my system!

And further more evidence to contradict myself: my most recent amps were a real bargain from a dealer who works from home! I'd completely forgotten that, hehe.. about half the price of another pair for sale by a US dealer and stupidly a quarter the asking price of a private seller somewhere on the net (French forum I think).

Then again, I once got a call from a dealer when I was advertising something on hififorsale and the conversation got on to boasting about Radford gear he'd snapped up off widows for not much and the profit he'd make etc etc.. I guess he just didn't have an outlet for his excitement.

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When does one become a dealer? For me if you're selling at a profit, regularly then you're a dealer. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, and has 20+ classified threads completed on other forums in under 12 months then it's a dealer.

I'd disagree - If a life-long collector has to move into a flat and downsize everything, it could take them a long while to pass on their excess kit. Doesnt make them a dealer. To be pedantic, many people have 20 odd items for sale in one thread, especially cables - they're not cable dealers, just clearing out.

Also many box-swappers with quick turn around.

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I always understood the dealer section to be for people who are selling at a profit ,not to be confused with the odd deal were your lucky enough to come out on top.

If your selling 'your own' equipment purchased over the years but never used then its a little awkward to be honest on the working condition and history,so i would have thought you would have to explain this and price accordingly .
As to warranty i'd like to think that even if selling private on the wam that you would expect the items to be ok for atleast 3 months other wise you may be best sticking them back on Ebay

I would have thought to cover yourself from any future problems it would be worth sending a list of equipment you may be selling in the future to James that way its only the equipment you have in your possession that you can sell.

Anyway good luck with whatever you decide.

I'd agree with that, including the private kind of aftersale care - just the decent thing to do.

Thing is, I have bought things in the past because they were cheap! I didn't need them... I bought them only really because they were cheap - all part of the eBay addiction. Knowing they were cheap meant that in the back of my mind I knew I'd make a profit of some kind. Buying things marked as spares/repair and guessing they were an easy fix for example - feels good to get them working, play with them, listen to them and then pass on when something else comes along.. only I've not been passing them on.

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Wow just looked at your started threads , thats a lot of gear you've been clearing out lots of it rare & expensive .

Ah well... lots of things I wish I could have afforded to keep and be a real collector. Unfortunately I don't earn enough so keep having to sell the crown jewels to fund the next purchase.

Edit: Wow, I've just looked at my started threads too! I've forgotten about much of it - although some of it I still have and didn't sell in the end. I had been spending all spare earnings on eBay and only recently stopped (kind of).

[dom_]

Woah there.
Going a bit deep here on what is and isn't a dealer. At the end of the day it is the mod teams decision. Nothing to do with vat status, quantity, other suggestions or the peons view piont :p

[nat8808]

hehe - good.

[dom_]

[wee tam]

there are serious box swappers on here , i could name a few but wont , several wammers swap / sell more than 20 items yearly , just to scratch an itch , dealers they are not , quite sure my first year on the wam saw me do similar till i found a "groove" to settle in , all imho of course

When does one become a dealer? For me if you're selling at a profit, regularly then you're a dealer. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, and has 20+ classified threads completed on other forums in under 12 months then it's a dealer.

[browellm]

there are serious box swappers on here , i could name a few but wont , several wammers swap / sell more than 20 items yearly , just to scratch an itch , dealers they are not , quite sure my first year on the wam saw me do similar till i found a "groove" to settle in , all imho of course

They also make significant contributions to the forum outside of the classifieds. It's a matter of balance which is why we reserve the right to class some people as dealers and others not.

[wee tam]

too true

They also make significant contributions to the forum outside of the classifieds. It's a matter of balance which is why we reserve the right to class some people of dealers and others not.

[nat8808]

What if your contributions arent very good? I can't help talking rubbish...

I've had a look at random people, Superwammers etc and I realise I'm worrying about nothing! I have no more to sell than others.. Still I do enjoy just finding things, owning things and doing them up so maybe I'll one day go the way of a very small dealer.

[hifiwigwam]

pm sent

[hifiwigwam]

Ok, we have agreed that as Nat approached us first he can advertise as much personal kit as he likes in the private section, assuming he is not selling for profit and is not a dealer, and assuming he takes out the Super Duper Wammer subs at £25.00.

i think this is fair to dealers, as he has contributed and also to members, as it's open and up front.

Thanks,
JAmes.

[meninblack]

[bigdur]

Sounds fair to me.

[clk230]

sounds fair as we can grab some bargains
Quote by Nat "Knowing they were cheap meant that in the back of my mind I knew I'd make a profit of some kind"

[nat8808]

sounds fair as we can grab some bargains
Quote by Nat "Knowing they were cheap meant that in the back of my mind I knew I'd make a profit of some kind"

Ah, errr... Selling AT and selling FOR could be argued by a good lawyer to be very different things. And everything I've owned has been blessed by my presence so immediately worth more - not my fault! Mr Midas had a similar problem.

Thankyou people. I will have to sell something first before paying subs as I'm completely skint unfortunately.

[nat8808]

P.S. Have Wammed up and paid me £25 subscription.. let the clearout begin! (very slowly...)

[SMEagol]

what's profit again?

[wee tam]

it is usually the exact opposite to the way you do things chris but it has to be said , i would not be where i am without you

what's profit again?

[SMEagol]

nor would many others! meh...

I'm the Imelda Marcos of hifi, albeit a bloke, who wears blokes clothes with horrible feet.