my, my... sounds like an FSB topic. :-)
Another possible reason to not include a price is to be current with asking prices and more open to negotiation.
Some sellers are more 'professional' than others. They have a reputation to maintain if they are to continue in the 'secondary business' and part of that reputation is based on speedy delivery and personal service, not just on price.
As JC will attest, I'm a long time advocate of open pricing and encourage secondary dealers to post their prices. If a dealer is recognized as delivering superior professional service, that word will get out and the dealer should have no fear if his prices are a few dollars higher.
Open pricing is an inherent part of the free market economy. Competition on price *and* honest service make the marketplace work and benefit all consumers. Publishing prices does not preclude negotiation nor does it preclude offering a buyer a lower price than the published price. Failure to publish a price is not a prerequisite for good service - and I'm not aware of any evidence that automatically connects higher prices with good service. (Course if you do pay more you darn well better get top-notch service.)
There was time in the past when several HL secondary market sites sprang up on the Internet. These were run by folks who bought and sold HL models not so much as collectors (although many were) but with the express purpose of making a profit (nothing wrong with that) based on the rise of secondary prices. At first these sites all published prices and this was very helpful in gauging a piece's relative worth on the secondary market. Before that time, there were no well known regularly published price guides - most collectors had no idea what a secondary piece should sell for. As with any market place, the savvy buyer shopped around for the best 'deal'.
Then almost at the same time, two of the major sites stopped publishing prices - they'd only provide a limited number of price quotes via e-mail to serious buyers. These professional dealers claimed they were being undercut by individuals who'd sell pieces for less money. They claimed is was too difficult to keep their prices up to date. (yeah - tell that one to gas stations.) The loser in this was the average buyer who lost their market ticker, their reference point. The absence of open pricing makes it easier for dealers to fix prices and for people to pay way more than they should. (I'm not suggesting anyone is or did fix prices, but undisclosed pricing can deter competition.)
I don't think it makes sense for lighthouse model sellers or any other merchant to try teaching us the lesson that you get what you pay for by withholding public pricing. I encourage all established dealers (and there are several who post frequently and repeatedly in the The Marketplace) to:
[*]always publish model prices
[*]include accurate condition reports
[*]make their money on the piece and not the shipping/handling, and
[*]where possible allow the buyer to choose the shipping method
Rgds,
Industrial Heat & Light
[This message has been edited by JTimothyA (edited 09-11-2000).]
