Re: [Phono-L] Dealers taking advantance of collectors
I agree. The age of eBay has been a curse and a blessing. A blessing in that phonos aremuch easier to find than before eBay, and a curse because now the market is somewhat saturated, at least with common machines, and prices have dropped accordingly so if you have one to sell that you paid a lot for in the earlier years, your investment may not see a good return, I don't think dealers formed a cartel to take advantage of collectors, but there may be a few that have done so. You find that in every field however, not just in the phono field. I dealt with one bigtime parts dealer in California who was an out and out liar and thief and had a long list of people he cheated, but thankfully he's gone. He left a bitter taste in my mouth for years and it was a very long time before I trusted the person who took over his business, but now I buy lots of parts from them. The old owner sold me what they represented to be a mint condition Home model D bedplate, and when I got it it turned out to be repainted with new decals. I returned it, and they never sent me my money back despite repeated calls. Finally my credit card company returned my money. Thank goodness I used a card!! John Robles --- On Fri, 1/21/11, Scott and Denise Corbett sdcorb...@earthlink.net wrote: From: Scott and Denise Corbett sdcorb...@earthlink.net Subject: Re: [Phono-L] Dealers taking advantance of collectors To: 'Antique Phonograph List' phono-l@oldcrank.org Date: Friday, January 21, 2011, 10:21 PM I never felt taken advantage of, nor did I ever felt I took advantage of anyone else in 36 years of collecting and selling. It was a matter of supply and demand. Years ago, phonographs were hard to find (at least for me on the west coast). If someone had one for sale, you either paid their price or you walked (ok, maybe a little bargaining took place). Now with ebay, Craig's list, and everything else, phonos are a click away (supply up, prices down). Adjustments take place in most markets. Truthfully, I feel phonographs have held up pretty well between the internet and the economy. While a few of our machines have lost a little, others I could never find another at the high price that I paid at the time. The real benefit from my years in the hobby was the joy of the find. But even that paled in comparison to the joy of the people I met and the friendship the hobby started. I would gladly pay an outrageous' price again if only some of those dear friends in the hobby were still with us today. -Scott Denise Corbett -Original Message- From: phono-l-boun...@oldcrank.org [mailto:phono-l-boun...@oldcrank.org] On Behalf Of phonofo...@aol.com Sent: Monday, January 17, 2011 5:18 PM To: phono-l@oldcrank.org Subject: Re: [Phono-L] Theodore Roosevelt cylinder Let's face it folks us collectors were taken advantage of for decades...yes decades for both vogue picture records and your most common phonographs. Dealers knew these records were not rare and the same goes for your common Edison, columbia and victor horned machines but collectors agreed to pay outrageous prices on this merchandise. Actually ebay, and also the economy, has worked in favor of the collector in that both have taken the wind out of the sales (or sails) of the dealers whom I would say for a good 30 plus years contolled the prices of the phonograph market. Prices are now at more realistic levels than ever before and I do hope they stay realistic for years to come. -Original Message- From: zonophone2...@aol.com To: phono-l@oldcrank.org Sent: Mon, Jan 17, 2011 6:49 pm Subject: Re: [Phono-L] Theodore Roosevelt cylinder hi all ell me about it have three copies of warsaw concerto ol ts still all good n a message dated 1/17/2011 2:56:25 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, inyl.visi...@live.com writes: he same thing happened with my collection of Vogue Picture Records, which t the time, were as scarce as hen's teeth. For years, I spent my spare ime scrounging through piles of worthless records looking for one or hours n the phone trying to find a collector that might part with a duplicate. nd then, when I found one, I had to pay whatever the person wanted because ou just never found them. Then along comes eBay - and now it's no harder han doing a search and sniping one at a great price and discovering that no ne in America ever threw them away. That's the market of supply and emand, as well as a new generation of people who inherited a collection from heir dad or grandfather and would rather have a new loud muffler on their apanese car or a stereo to blow the body panels off... Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2011 11:41:08 -0800 From: smst...@gmail.com To: phono-l@oldcrank.org Subject: Re: [Phono-L] Theodore Roosevelt cylinder It's the economy, it's the internet. I own many records and cylinders. Many very rare. Why own a record? As a digital file it as it takes up so little space. And most of the time free or close to free. Not much
Re: [Phono-L] Dealers taking advantance of collectors
If you are a collector/investor in any area of collecting, then you are subject to the gamble of supply and demand just like the stock market, only with less buyers and sellers. If, on the other hand you are an eclectic, obsessive compulsive collector of whatever, then the investment side doesn't matter - it's just the joy of surrounding yourself with whatever you like and finding more. I usually find that the collectors I know fall into these two categories. The first group likes the money and you can buy from them at a price, the second group is harder to deal with, because they don't want to part with anything no matter what the price... I guess it's just human nature. I also collect pottery and I got to know an old time folk art potter who had works in the Smithsonian. He was a collector, in that he loved his pottery. So, if you went to see him, you never brought up the subject of buying pottery - if he liked you and you spent time talking, he would offer it for sale. However, if you went there specifically to buy, even if he had just fired a kiln full, he would tell you he didn't have any. He would keep his pottery stored out of sight in the trunk of his old Chrysler... Date: Sat, 22 Jan 2011 03:55:29 -0800 From: john9...@pacbell.net To: phono-l@oldcrank.org Subject: Re: [Phono-L] Dealers taking advantance of collectors I agree. The age of eBay has been a curse and a blessing. A blessing in that phonos aremuch easier to find than before eBay, and a curse because now the market is somewhat saturated, at least with common machines, and prices have dropped accordingly so if you have one to sell that you paid a lot for in the earlier years, your investment may not see a good return, I don't think dealers formed a cartel to take advantage of collectors, but there may be a few that have done so. You find that in every field however, not just in the phono field. I dealt with one bigtime parts dealer in California who was an out and out liar and thief and had a long list of people he cheated, but thankfully he's gone. He left a bitter taste in my mouth for years and it was a very long time before I trusted the person who took over his business, but now I buy lots of parts from them. The old owner sold me what they represented to be a mint condition Home model D bedplate, and when I got it it turned out to be repainted with new decals. I returned it, and they never sent me my money back despite repeated calls. Finally my credit card company returned my money. Thank goodness I used a card!! John Robles --- On Fri, 1/21/11, Scott and Denise Corbett sdcorb...@earthlink.net wrote: From: Scott and Denise Corbett sdcorb...@earthlink.net Subject: Re: [Phono-L] Dealers taking advantance of collectors To: 'Antique Phonograph List' phono-l@oldcrank.org Date: Friday, January 21, 2011, 10:21 PM I never felt taken advantage of, nor did I ever felt I took advantage of anyone else in 36 years of collecting and selling. It was a matter of supply and demand. Years ago, phonographs were hard to find (at least for me on the west coast). If someone had one for sale, you either paid their price or you walked (ok, maybe a little bargaining took place). Now with ebay, Craig's list, and everything else, phonos are a click away (supply up, prices down). Adjustments take place in most markets. Truthfully, I feel phonographs have held up pretty well between the internet and the economy. While a few of our machines have lost a little, others I could never find another at the high price that I paid at the time. The real benefit from my years in the hobby was the joy of the find. But even that paled in comparison to the joy of the people I met and the friendship the hobby started. I would gladly pay an outrageous' price again if only some of those dear friends in the hobby were still with us today. -Scott Denise Corbett -Original Message- From: phono-l-boun...@oldcrank.org [mailto:phono-l-boun...@oldcrank.org] On Behalf Of phonofo...@aol.com Sent: Monday, January 17, 2011 5:18 PM To: phono-l@oldcrank.org Subject: Re: [Phono-L] Theodore Roosevelt cylinder Let's face it folks us collectors were taken advantage of for decades...yes decades for both vogue picture records and your most common phonographs. Dealers knew these records were not rare and the same goes for your common Edison, columbia and victor horned machines but collectors agreed to pay outrageous prices on this merchandise. Actually ebay, and also the economy, has worked in favor of the collector in that both have taken the wind out of the sales (or sails) of the dealers whom I would say for a good 30 plus years contolled the prices of the phonograph market. Prices are now at more realistic levels than ever before and I do hope they stay realistic for years to come. -Original Message- From: zonophone2...@aol.com To: phono-l@oldcrank.org Sent
Re: [Phono-L] Dealers taking advantance of collectors
I never felt taken advantage of, nor did I ever felt I took advantage of anyone else in 36 years of collecting and selling. It was a matter of supply and demand. Years ago, phonographs were hard to find (at least for me on the west coast). If someone had one for sale, you either paid their price or you walked (ok, maybe a little bargaining took place). Now with ebay, Craig's list, and everything else, phonos are a click away (supply up, prices down). Adjustments take place in most markets. Truthfully, I feel phonographs have held up pretty well between the internet and the economy. While a few of our machines have lost a little, others I could never find another at the high price that I paid at the time. The real benefit from my years in the hobby was the joy of the find. But even that paled in comparison to the joy of the people I met and the friendship the hobby started. I would gladly pay an outrageous' price again if only some of those dear friends in the hobby were still with us today. -Scott Denise Corbett -Original Message- From: phono-l-boun...@oldcrank.org [mailto:phono-l-boun...@oldcrank.org] On Behalf Of phonofo...@aol.com Sent: Monday, January 17, 2011 5:18 PM To: phono-l@oldcrank.org Subject: Re: [Phono-L] Theodore Roosevelt cylinder Let's face it folks us collectors were taken advantage of for decades...yes decades for both vogue picture records and your most common phonographs. Dealers knew these records were not rare and the same goes for your common Edison, columbia and victor horned machines but collectors agreed to pay outrageous prices on this merchandise. Actually ebay, and also the economy, has worked in favor of the collector in that both have taken the wind out of the sales (or sails) of the dealers whom I would say for a good 30 plus years contolled the prices of the phonograph market. Prices are now at more realistic levels than ever before and I do hope they stay realistic for years to come. -Original Message- From: zonophone2...@aol.com To: phono-l@oldcrank.org Sent: Mon, Jan 17, 2011 6:49 pm Subject: Re: [Phono-L] Theodore Roosevelt cylinder hi all ell me about it have three copies of warsaw concerto ol ts still all good n a message dated 1/17/2011 2:56:25 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, inyl.visi...@live.com writes: he same thing happened with my collection of Vogue Picture Records, which t the time, were as scarce as hen's teeth. For years, I spent my spare ime scrounging through piles of worthless records looking for one or hours n the phone trying to find a collector that might part with a duplicate. nd then, when I found one, I had to pay whatever the person wanted because ou just never found them. Then along comes eBay - and now it's no harder han doing a search and sniping one at a great price and discovering that no ne in America ever threw them away. That's the market of supply and emand, as well as a new generation of people who inherited a collection from heir dad or grandfather and would rather have a new loud muffler on their apanese car or a stereo to blow the body panels off... Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2011 11:41:08 -0800 From: smst...@gmail.com To: phono-l@oldcrank.org Subject: Re: [Phono-L] Theodore Roosevelt cylinder It's the economy, it's the internet. I own many records and cylinders. Many very rare. Why own a record? As a digital file it as it takes up so little space. And most of the time free or close to free. Not much disposable income out there. On the other hand if I decide to collect something different it is always at the top of the market, regardless of the economy..[?] Mike oldcranky On Mon, Jan 17, 2011 at 11:27 AM, john robles john9...@pacbell.net rote: Hello all Well, after I had offered it here with no takers, I had listed my heodore Roosevelt cylinder on eBay, It used to be that they went for around 100, and it only got up to $66. What's your opinion, is this cylinder Social and Industrial Justice) just that common, or is it the economy, or hat? Just wondering. I can seem to let it go for less than $85 so I think 'll keep it. John Robles ___ Phono-L mailing list http://phono-l.oldcrank.org ___ Phono-L mailing list http://phono-l.oldcrank.org ___ hono-L mailing list ttp://phono-l.oldcrank.org ___ hono-L mailing list ttp://phono-l.oldcrank.org ___ Phono-L mailing list http://phono-l.oldcrank.org ___ Phono-L mailing list http://phono-l.oldcrank.org
