Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Commodification and Profit

Commodification helps refine prices, but conversely the defined prices bring an end to the days when you could make easy money. I am sure that 15 years ago when someone came across an old item they just put it out on a table at their next garage sale. Or, like my buddy Sean, find an old guy advertising in some local paper no one reads and then offer him 5% of what its worth. This more subtly devious form of lowballing has come to an end after so many years of the Antiques Road Show - most people check eBay first to make sure they're asking a fair price. Only the most obscure items require a real appraisal. The point is that you have to know what the item is worth to you and how far away it is from being worth a lot to someone else. People collect weird stuff and to get a good deal you have to be one of them.

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