The China Products – Filipino Airsoft (FAS) – Forum is a great place to see irrationalities in action. I’m still marveling at the bias where people over price the value of the product their selling. There is a 2nd hand metal JG stubby being sold for 8000!
A brand new stubby can cost as much as 5,000. it may not be metal but people who buy a stubby are buying it for the light weight, buying the heavier metal one makes very little sense since if one wanted simulation at 8000 ($177!) you might as well buy an AnK all metal M4 and reinforced internals for 6k.
Anyway going back to Irrationalities, in Chapter 7 the High Prices of ownership Illustrates this. Based on Ziv Carmon and Dan Ariely, “Focusing on the Forgone; How Value Can Appear So Different to Buyers and Sellers”. Journal of Consumer research (2000).
My wife asks me why I look at the forums when I’ve promised myself that I’ll never buy 2nd hand guns from strangers (unless they are vouched by a friend). One has to really look at these sales and all the things people do to pitch the sale.
The Deals in the Forum are crap, I’ve come to conclude. What really influenced me is the unprofessional and unaccountable people you will be dealing with. I’ve tried and at the cost is too great, basically even attempting further negotiations is a sunk cost effect. I’ve learned my lesson and its FAR cheaper to ask my Gunsmith, Shadow, for the deals or to call all the Shops for what they have at a certain budget than to even get a 2nd hand piece of crap.
The people who sell at a very good price have hidden defects, not damaging but still defects that really would be cost leveraging. I don’t have the heart nor the effort to negotiate and I don’t know anyone who wants to negotiate in what should be a “guard down” hobby. Heck the only move a buyer has is “Walking away” in a deal that is very difficult and expensive (opportunity cost wise vs a shop) to set up. Heck if you count walking away from a deal to leverage it, then by statistics you’ll be losing money over all.
I admit there is some edge to my self promise but I’m the curious type to try things for myself. Some others might be luckier or better at spotting deals, those are beyond my abilities.
One certain advantage I have over any of these deals is my research and amateur handyman skills in fixing my own stuff… thats pretty much the only cost cutting advantage I have 🙁
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