[FS] NECA Raphael MIB C9 Packaging $65 SHIPPED

[***First of Two Latin Kings***]

The biggest flaw in this logic is that for some people [like myself] this is their main source of income or ONLY source of income. What you described is basically the job description, the backbone skill to being a successful re-seller. Otherwise you're losing money or only breaking even, 'cept you never really break even since there is so much work involved if you don't know what you're doing.

Is being a construction worker like going to the bathroom? I would imagine that being a doctor, nurse, or sanitation worker is like going to the bathroom since there are times one might have to deal with pee or poo. So there would be aspects of those sorts of jobs that might not be dinner conversation.

HOWEVER:

If I were dating someone and she introduced me to her parents, and one of them asked me what I do, and the other said "don't ask him that, Marge! Talking about what you do for a living is like talking about going to the bathroom!" I might reconsider marrying into that family.

Coro and I don't always see eye to eye sometimes, but he is a veteran who served in some branch of the military, so I don't think anyone is in any position to regulate his free speech if he fought for ours. Just my opinions.

[Peter Palmer]

Originally Posted by ***First of Two Latin Kings***

The biggest flaw in this logic is that for some people [like myself] this is their main source of income or ONLY source of income. What you described is basically the job description, the backbone skill to being a successful re-seller. Otherwise you're losing money or only breaking even, 'cept you never really break even since there is so much work involved if you don't know what you're doing.

Publicly discussing profit margins in front of potential customers is not the backbone skill to being a successful re-seller. The ability to spot a deal, strong negotiation skills, and solid customer service are. This fact doesn't change whether one does this full-time or just on the side.

Is being a construction worker like going to the bathroom? I would imagine that being a doctor, nurse, or sanitation worker is like going to the bathroom since there are times one might have to deal with pee or poo. So there would be aspects of those sorts of jobs that might not be dinner conversation.

Since you asked, the answer is "no". In the context I gave before, being a construction worker is not like going to the bathroom. I'm not sure you understood what I said. Not everyone is a construction worker and it's perfectly fine to talk about many aspects of being a construction worker in many public settings.

And yes, there are aspects of being a doctor, nurse, or sanitation worker that are not appropriate dinner conversation. You got that part right. THIS is the part that equates to what we're talking about. You can talk a lot about being a re-seller without publicly discussing specific profits and losses in front of potential clients.

HOWEVER:

If I were dating someone and she introduced me to her parents, and one of them asked me what I do, and the other said "don't ask him that, Marge! Talking about what you do for a living is like talking about going to the bathroom!" I might reconsider marrying into that family.

You said they asked what you did, not what your margins are. They ask what you do, you say something along the lines of "I search the internet, conventions, and swap meets for deals on collectible toys and other items and I sell them to collectors." You seem to be really hung up on the bathroom analogy.

Coro and I don't always see eye to eye sometimes, but he is a veteran who served in some branch of the military, so I don't think anyone is in any position to regulate his free speech if he fought for ours. Just my opinions.

No one is trying to punish anyone for what they are saying, (which is explicitly what the first amendment protects) so let's please stop any political grandstanding before it starts. I'm not even trying to silence anyone. You've got the right to talk about tacky stuff in public the same way I have the right to comment on the tackiness of said subject. I only brought it up because there seemed to be a general dismissal of social norms that I'm guessing was rooted ignorance (meaning, you didn't know what you didn't know). I had hoped my comment would either alert you to the social misstep or at least initiate the conversation to discuss it further. It did.

My comments are in dark red.

[***First of Two Latin Kings***]

The father of the girl in the scenario I created might want to know what my profit margins are.

Profit margins are everything. Customer service is important, yes, and being able to spot a poorly listed gem on eBay (or poorly priced gem) is important, but if you can't demand a high enough profit margin, those things are meaningless. Especially since eBay bends you over with their fees, making it even harder to bank.

You're the one who made the bathroom analogy. I just ran with it. I think many of us do treat our threads like a co-ed bathroom where any sort of conversation goes.

[Candy Kappa]

JFC that red text is painful to read... I don't really see why it was in poor taste between two sellers talking about prices in a related thread about sold units.

[Peter Palmer]

Originally Posted by Candy Kappa

JFC that red text is painful to read... I don't really see why it was in poor taste between two sellers talking about prices in a related thread about sold units.

I changed it to dark red. Not much better, but it's tough to find text colors that are easy on the eyes against the dark gray background we have here.

Regarding why it's in poor taste...if you sell at item, do you say "Thanks for buying this item for $100. I only paid $60 for it. I made $40 off of you."

If you sell an item via PM in a thread, do you come back and say "This item is sold, I just made a cool $30 for my investment."?

No? Why not? You're not saying anything untrue or inherently mean. However, you are possibly indicating to the buyer, whether directly or indirectly, that they could have spent less money if circumstances were slightly different. They could have searched ebay or found another retailer. Instead of feeling like they got a deal, they start to regret the purchase and feel like they overpaid. Not all customers will feel this way, but some most definitely will. And if you want to be successful as a re-seller, why would you willingly risk making them feel less than stellar about their purchase? Especially when this risk is 100% avoidable by relegating these types of conversations to private messages.

Why do you think retailers don't openly show their profit margins right next to their prices on the shelves? They don't want their customers to feel they've been taken advantage of.

It's the same reason you don't discuss pay with your co-workers publicly. Discussing it openly will only breed contempt. Sure, you could walk into the office and brag about your salary, but don't you think THAT is a little gauche? It's effectively the same thing, especially when talking about people who re-sell items full-time.

[Candy Kappa]

Originally Posted by Peter Palmer

Why do you think retailers don't openly show their profit margins right next to their prices on the shelves? They don't want their customers to feel they've been taken advantage of.

No, but that would have been really distracting, though. People can't read price tag labels to begin with (experience from working in retail) having another price on the tag would just confuse people even more. Plus, I'd expect every able-bodied person to understand that stores and retailers buy their stock for a significant lower price to sell with profit so that they don't go under.

Originally Posted by Peter Palmer

It's the same reason you don't discuss pay with your co-workers publicly. Discussing it openly will only breed contempt. Sure, you could walk into the office and brag about your salary, but don't you think THAT is a little gauche? It's effectively the same thing, especially when talking about people who re-sell items full-time.

You should, though. Especially in the US people have extremely varying degrees of salaries among their peers with same education and period of employment, when discussing salaries it's not going to create contempt for the coworker it's going to highlight that some are underpaid.

[Peter Palmer]

Originally Posted by Candy Kappa

No, but that would have been really distracting, though. People can't read price tag labels to begin with (experience from working in retail) having another price on the tag would just confuse people even more. Plus, I'd expect every able-bodied person to understand that stores and retailers buy their stock for a significant lower price to sell with profit so that they don't go under.



You should, though. Especially in the US people have extremely varying degrees of salaries among their peers with same education and period of employment, when discussing salaries it's not going to create contempt for the coworker it's going to highlight that some are underpaid.

You have hit on the point I brought up initially. Yes, people understand that stores and retailers buy their stock for less than they sell it for. In general, people are fine with that concept. However, most don't want the actual figures thrown in their faces for the reasons I listed above. This is the bathroom analogy that Kings is so fond of. We all know it's happening, but it isn't classy to talk about it in public.

And I'm not saying that you should never discuss salaries with co-workers. I'm saying that if you feel you must, do it with discretion. If you're having a work meeting and you're all gathered around, go ahead and rattle off everyone's salary one by one. You really think everyone is going to be feeling great in that moment?

[Peter Palmer]

Originally Posted by ***First of Two Latin Kings***

The father of the girl in the scenario I created might want to know what my profit margins are.

Profit margins are everything. Customer service is important, yes, and being able to spot a poorly listed gem on eBay (or poorly priced gem) is important, but if you can't demand a high enough profit margin, those things are meaningless. Especially since eBay bends you over with their fees, making it even harder to bank.

You're the one who made the bathroom analogy. I just ran with it. I think many of us do treat our threads like a co-ed bathroom where any sort of conversation goes.

Honestly, I can't say that I've ever been asked by a lady's father what my income is. In reality, it's none of his business and I'd find a respectful way to tell him as such while finding a way to assuage his obviouse reservations about me.

A nice profit margin is the effect, not the cause. You must start with the skills: the customer service and the knowledge. These are the cause. If you master these, the profit margin will fall into place. If you try to put profit as #1, you will surely compromise your customer service, which will in turn hurt your profit margin. It's a vicious cycle.

And I've never understood the "eBay takes advantage of us" mentality. If you put your items on ebay, you are piggybacking onto a HUGE infrastructure with a built-in audience of millions of potential customers cultivated over years. They ask for 10%-15% overall, which is less than many auction houses and if done properly, there is very little risk involved. If you don't like the fees, stick to craigslist. Watch how your pool of buyers changes. Also, take a friend with you or agree to meet in a police station and try not to get too frustrated when the buyer doesn't show up for the 12th time. I pay my ebay fees happily.