Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion selling stuff?

...if you're going to actively search for stuff 'in the wild' - i.e., in long-shuttered buildings, junkyards, estate sales, etc. - then I would agree that you're doing something of value for the hobby, by literally bringing things to the market that otherwise might not be available for collectors...

...however, if you're going to sit on your brains scrolling through craigslist or eBay, buying/marking up things already ON the market, then you're not doing anyone any favors...on the contrary, you're actually making it harder for collectors to afford the pieces they need...you're just insinuating yourself in the middle, adding an unnecessary step to the process...thanks to Reality TV (and those who patronize it) there are those who do just that...some actually proclaim that we collectors should be somehow thankful for their 'service', and are then offended when they are denigrated for 'picking'...

...all (well, most) collectors pick up bargains to swap/sell to help fund their collections, and it should be obvious that I'm not referring to that practice...

Thanks Gulfiend!

Every group has different kinds of people. Your local community, your employer, church or other organization undergoes change all the time. Most of us learn to pick out the people we like to associate with and those who we avoid.

I've evolved to distance myself from the takers, the self-centered people who care little about the next guy, the hobby or the community. I have tried at times, but I've learned that it is near impossible to change most people, especially the irregular ones that don't seem to fit in right anywhere.

So pick the people who you want to interact with because of compatibility or necessity. Ignore the posts by people who annoy you. When someone breaks the forum rules, click the "Notify" button to tell the moderators.

Don't let takers steal the enjoyment of your relationship with the good folks and the hobby.

I have also thought of selling some items as I have done in the past. When I get a Low Ball offer & haven't asked for OBO, I Ignore it.
I also try to Ignore the ones I have added to my IGNORE LIST [great option], even when they post that I'm Ignoring them [telling others I'm Ignoring them].

What good does it do to post on an item that is For Sale; That's a good price/I like it/wish I could afford it/etc.
When an item is posted & you see something interesting in back ground, send a PM [if your not being ignored] & ask about it, don't highjack the post dragging it away from item[s] offered.
db

What good does it do to post on an item that is For Sale; That's a good price/I like it/wish I could afford it/etc.
When an item is posted & you see something interesting in back ground, send a PM [if your not being ignored] & ask about it, don't highjack the post dragging it away from item[s] offered.
db

Dick, you forgot the most important one. (I WISH, I WISH. I WISH I WAS CLOSER). Just had to say that..

So this site has made it easier for pickers to get a price from us and then they double that price on ebay or on here. That frustrates some. You have the choice to price, ignore or just plain skip any posts.

You get to choose the oldgas experience you want. Seems simple to me.

Humans hate change. Jarvis is typical of our species.

Most websites you visit today are far different than when they were first brought to life. Some for the good, others not so much. The question is, do you still derive benefit from it?

Some sites become defunct and others merely become dusty tomes whose information hasn't been updated in 5-10 years.

Oldgas.com on the other hand, remains relevant to those it serves today just as much to those it served 9 years ago. Whether pure collector, picker, or switch-hitter, each group has something to add to the mix whether one person or another denies that value.

Just like window shopping at the mall, you can look at the price in a window, if you don't like the price you're not being forced to purchase it. But don't lambast the seller because you disagree, this holds true for both collectors and pickers. And don't be offended because someone wants to buy something for less, that's the nature of commerce. Simply state your price and move on to the next customer.

There is no guarantee of sale or offer on Oldgas, it is simply one place where interested parties gather and some may simply enjoy the history while others enjoy the commerce. Don't decry one another, embrace the opportunities this site offers. And don't be offended if no one lifts more than a few keystrokes for the occasional temper tantrum. Just move along to the next window and enjoy the mall.

John I looked up your latest sell thread and yes prices are fair.
And I understand where you are coming from,many that has helped me along the way have come and gone. I think you was the one I contacted when Pierce globe was at auction and you kindly helped with value. Thanks so much!

Maybe its time for the rules to be expanded in the for sell section once again. That for sale with price--means just that. Yet rules are made to be broken right!!
The way it was is gone the ease of the quick flip is full bore and that's sad for this hobbie and collectors as a whole.

I may only be 18, but I feel like all of the dang shows on TV have really brought about the "picker" in a lot of people. Personally I think it sucks because I collect Gas and Oil because I love it and it is my passion. Its not about what you buy things for if you are going to enjoy them forever. I hate when people buy and sell and buy and sell to make money, what is the enjoyment in that??

I am very new here, so new maybe I shouldn't even express an opinion. But would it be fair to say the effect of shows like American Pickers will be (in the long run) temporary?

By this I mean sooner or later the ones who are running in the game just to make money will get bored when those shows go off the air, and they eventually will.

Or would you guys say the effect the shows have had on pricing will be felt forever? Have they over-inflated the value of the items?

I remember a time say 20 yars ago you could stop at the local 'junk yards' and find some really cool stuff for next to nothing. Now the prices are out of site.

You are 100% right the history channel has put the buy and sell bug in everyone. I know that I try to get the best price I can because I enjoy haggling the price it's the satisfaction of knowing that you tried your best to get that killer pice for your collection. Just my thoughts

Buying from one person and selling to another has been a time honored business position in commerce for thousands of years. And here you talk as if pickers just all of the sudden popped up on the scene to make a profit and ski-daddle on their merry way.

Though there are fly by night sellers, there is a far larger group of traders who have dealt honorably in the business of what was junk to one man and a collectible to another. What long time collector has not stopped at a junk shop, scrap yard, equipment auction, estate sale, flea market, etc and not found a piece to add to their collection.

A traders job is to see value where someone else does not and put his own money down in hopes that a buyer sees greater value that will afford a profit to the trader. Whether he sells to a collector directly or places an item in an auction is irrelevant. It then is the final buyer who affixes a value.

Can't afford a 1939 Texaco sign today? Wait to find it, don't bitch because someone 2 states away sees more value in that sign than you. Don't want to sell that Texaco sign for $1200 because you saw 1 auction for $1500, then hold onto that sign and that price until you find your buyer. Don't want someone to offer you less than you are asking? Sorry, but it's rare for anyone, even a pure collector not to ask for a discount.

I've attended enough shows to realize that many collectors will never sell their signs at a show because they are waiting for their price without discount. Yet they continue to bring the same pieces year after year to the same shows, setup the same way every time and never sell anything because they think their price is fair. Yet these same people willingly mock a picker's asking price or an auction result as unrealistic.

Markets fluctuate regardless of what you collect. The best you can hope for is that you buy when things are cheap and hope that they are worth at least the same if not more when they wind up being sold. The value for any collecting hobby is not monetary, but in personal enjoyment while you are surrounding yourself in that hobby. Put the value in the right perspective.

...and here you talk as if there's no correlation between 'Picker TV' and the steep influx of quick-buck wannabes...

Most Grasshoppers should wait till after they leave the larva stage before giving advice on how to fly.

Unlike many of you here , I'm on a very fixed income . I had thousands of dollars worth of stuff in the 1980's . Problem was , family obligations , moving from Dallas to Virginia to help with those obligations and a weak job market took my collection and spread it all over the map . I buy what I can determine is a "Good Buy " on products now . Yes, the models I do help to supplement my small collection . I don't have Cable T V , so the so called "Reality shows" I see are here on this board . I'm not in this for investment purposes or to "Turn Over" a piece for a fast buck. I collect what appeals to me , sometimes , I pay too much and I still marvel at it's intrinsic value ............... Ed Shaver