Quote:
Originally Posted by GREG
Not an attack on the man, just questioning the benefits of the system.
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I'm a big fan of questioning the system, and like you Greg, I do it all the time. However, while you and I may be the archetypal hunter who enjoys the pursuit, not everyone is of such a mindset or skill.
For them, the intermediary provides a useful service, among other things making sure that time is not wasted or the seller offers a deal that is not what the buyer wants. I have friends who are wholly unsuited to buying. They proudly drive up with a shiny, bondo-filled, clapped out car that they paid twice what it was worth; their head filled with nonsense tales told by the sociopathic vendor who was looking to offload a piece of junk. A reputable dealer or agent will charge more to earn their premium, but know that to stay in business they must conduct fair dealing.
As a buyer, like you, I prefer to go it alone. But as a seller until auction sites came along, I would prefer to consign the car. I find when selling that I attract people who are not serious about buying, who want to tell me their life story, or who have this idea that they can beat me down on price and the way to do this is disparagement. When I put my well-kept 409 up for sale, I had a number of buyers trying to convince me to accept NZ$20,000 - they were very intense about it. Then I put it up on trademe.co.nz at $35,000 and instantly had two buyers vying. Instead of a bidding war, I said the first to wire a deposit into my account bought it. Unlike the bottom feeders, these were serious buyers who were ready to buy and were prepared to pay a fair price for the car. Thus, I am a big fan of auction sites and am prepping our 1979 Alfa Spider and our 1969 Uniflite Navy Motorwhaler for sale on them soon. This will give me the cash and the garage space to work on the 411 and the 69 Spider sitting in the hobby queue.
What it really comes down to is that you are as qualified as a reputable dealer or agent, so you don't need one.