Thread: Why the crazy markups?

People suggesting paying $40.00 dollars for a junk razor to learn to hone with? No name razors selling for $30.00 in BST? I bought 6 razors 4 of which were Henckles one of which was ivory handled and a leather roll case on Ebay for $90.00 shipped to Sweden! After about five to six hours on the sandpaper all were looking like new. Hell, I know I'm in Sweden but I payed 1 euro for a heljestrand in good condition! I could turn around and sell all of these in the BST for probably 3x what I payed for them.

Can someone please explain to me why some people who are purchasing razors on Ebay turn around and sell them for exorbitant prices on srp? There are certianly deals to be had in BST, but often times things just seem over priced.

Whats with the greed of some folks?

Originally Posted by stupidyank

People suggesting paying $40.00 dollars for a junk razor to learn to hone with? No name razors selling for $30.00 in BST? I bought 6 razors 4 of which were Henckles one of which was ivory handled and a leather roll case on Ebay for $90.00 shipped to Sweden! After about five to six hours on the sandpaper all were looking like new. Hell, I know I'm in Sweden but I payed 1 euro for a heljestrand in good condition! I could turn around and sell all of these in the BST for probably 3x what I payed for them.

Can someone please explain to me why some people who are purchasing razors on Ebay turn around and sell them for exorbitant prices on srp? There are certianly deals to be had in BST, but often times things just seem over priced.

Whats with the greed of some folks?

I wouldn't call it greed! Most of the members here take time to restore the razor to tip top condition before selling it, and none of these members get any real compensation for their work! Also, if they got it from ebay, they take a risk that the blade will not be good for restoration! and lastly, you can not sell an item for more than someone else is willing to spend!
if you found a diamond for pennies on the dollar would you turn around and sell it at that price? not likely!

Honing service alone is worth $15 or $20, plus any kind of rust removal/restoration work is worth $20 minimum. There are skills involved that take time to develop and are out of reach for many people, so the price reflects the time and monetary investment that the seller has in his skills, as well as the physical razor.

Nobody here is greedy.

Well, what can I say - I'd offer you 5x what you paid for your helje
Mark and Russel already explained the economics behind it. Is there greed - perhaps - as we know it all depends on your definition.

As far as paying 30 for a razor on ebay to practice honing, I think it's a bit much, but if you look on ebay you will notice that it's not that easy to find one for much less money with good enough pictures that you know you won't need to sand. Of course when you're prepared to pay more and get several the price per razor will be cheaper, but most people are not in that category. In fact I would say that for 90% of the people (me included) the most cost effective way is to not go on ebay at all.
I do it because it's a hobby, not because it's saving me money - to me it's a loss.

But yes, people are bidding higher on ebay, so the prices are at least 15-30 more than they used to be several months ago. You can still find nice deals, but it's always a gamble, so the average is higher than your best deals.

Not to mention regional differences in the value of a razor. I'm not going to sell a razor for one euro just because some guys in Sweden haven't caught on yet. They are selling for $50+ in the antique shops around here in unrestored condition. If you can get them cheap and sell them higher go for it.

If the roll case you talk about had been better pictured and each razor well shown that guy would have gotten twice what you paid or more. You took a greater risk and got lucky. If you want lower risk you pay a higher price.

"No name razors selling for $30.00 in BST?"

I kind of agree with that one. Unless there is a 'I honed it and used it for a couple months and found it be a great shaver' endorsement then that ALMOST rings of greed or at least 'I bought this razor and now I've got too many so here, someone buy it'.

At the same time, its also buyer beware. Do the research, its all here in the threads somewhere. Check out the buyers. You can see how many posts they have. You can 'stalk' them and see how they interact with others in the threads.

My two cents about a slightly tabooish grey area.

Mark

Originally Posted by Russel Baldridge

Honing service alone is worth $15 or $20, plus any kind of rust removal/restoration work is worth $20 minimum. There are skills involved that take time to develop and are out of reach for many people, so the price reflects the time and monetary investment that the seller has in his skills, as well as the physical razor.

Nobody here is greedy.

I think Russel's post pretty much covers it. The only thing I'd add is that you take a chance on an ebay razor. There are a lot of $5 razors on ebay, but you might buy three ho-hum razors for every superb five-dollar gem. Ho-hum because they've got a warp you couldn't see in the picture, or because what looked like minor spots are in fact little black squiggles of death (microscopic corrosion going all the way through a hollow-ground razor), or a half-dozen other things. Then take all those finds – the gem and the three B-'s – and add shipping and handling...

The $30 no-name razors on BST represent vetted finds.

This vetting is even more important when you consider how many superb "no-name" razors there are out there. My two top shavers are brands you've probably never heard of. I bought them for five bucks each. If I ever put them up on BST for thirty bucks someone will get a great deal.

If you are in this razor thing long enough you will notice the prices of decent razors (even no name brands) slowly going up, also conceder there are a finite number of vintage razors on the planet.
There are a few bargains are out there, your 6 name brand razors is a good example… more power to you!

Buy a $20 razor on ebay, spend 6 hours restoring, oh and let’s not mention the incidentals like sandpaper, polish, hones or lacerations, then sell for $40… would be making way below minimum wage… that’s $3+/hour… you know this must be a hobby.

Remember many buy razors for its shavreadyness, so even a vintage no name brand in good condition would be worth the purchase at $40.

But I agree $40 for a practice blade is be a bit high, considering a ready razor would be at or below the same price. Less than $10 is the norm… and there are plenty out there.

Originally Posted by stupidyank

I bought 6 razors 4 of which were Henckles one of which was ivory handled and a leather roll case on Ebay for $90.00 shipped to Sweden!...

Whats with the greed of some folks?

Send them a pm

I don't think 6 rusty razors on B/S/T for a hundred bucks would be a steal

Originally Posted by stupidyank

People suggesting paying $40.00 dollars for a junk razor to learn to hone with? No name razors selling for $30.00 in BST? I bought 6 razors 4 of which were Henckles one of which was ivory handled and a leather roll case on Ebay for $90.00 shipped to Sweden! After about five to six hours on the sandpaper all were looking like new. Hell, I know I'm in Sweden but I payed 1 euro for a heljestrand in good condition! I could turn around and sell all of these in the BST for probably 3x what I payed for them.

Can someone please explain to me why some people who are purchasing razors on Ebay turn around and sell them for exorbitant prices on srp? There are certianly deals to be had in BST, but often times things just seem over priced.

Whats with the greed of some folks?

Well, five to six hours of grunt work isn't something we are all willing to do. Not to mention, you still have to hone each razor to a shave-ready state. You're talking at least 8+ hours of total work to shave with those razors. Many people would rather pay a higher price for a razor in shave-ready condition.

I have been selling some of my Henckels razors on eBay. At the same time, I offer them for a discounted price to forum members. I sold two Friodurs on SRP recently for $135 shipped and $130 shipped, respectively, even though in between I had one sell for $190 shipped on eBay. I can't speak about people who buy to resell but I haven't seen any unreasonable prices on SRP.