"Shadiness"

There are no obvious rules broken by doing this, and the "gentlemanly code" that exists across various fora isn't hardcoded (more an unwritten code of conduct). That said, it's a shady thing to do, buying up items on the goodwill and general "accepted worth" from your shaving circles... Then turning around to sell them on eBay, where the motive is clearly profit (as evidenced by the opening price/reserve).

If you buy something and it's not your speed - sell it forward to someone that might enjoy it on a forum. Ask what you paid for it (at most) and you walk away clean. This way, someone that's also interested in the item will have a chance too. Flipping an item purely for profit will hurt this model as people raise their prices to cut loss and maybe improve their own bottom line.

This is the same sort of crap that some people pull in buying limited editions of software and flipping for profit after it's no longer available (a.k.a. price gouging).

If this is what you want to do, buy new and stick to eBay - and stay out of the forums. I'd rather buy and sell honorably among acquaintances and friends.

Why isn't he banned buy now. Atleast give negative feedback so people are aware

Banned for what?  He paid the seller and now it's his.

While I don't agree with it and think that type of behaviour makes you a dochebag, he didn't break any rules.

This is why I always research who I am selling to.  I make sure my sales go to well respected members and people I can trust not to flip the goods.  

It's also why I don't do random PIFs.

Some of you guys spend WAY too much time worrying about what other people are doing.

Someone buys something at the asking price. That person recognizes an opportunity to profit from their investment, and does so.

And you get butt-hurt about that? Seriously?

Nothing stopping the OP from selling on ebay at 3X his asking price here. Nothing stopping anyone complaining about it in this thread(or any other thread) from investing the $600 to buy the item and then turn it around.

This is a standard business practice. Buy something, mark it up to profitable levels, and flip it to another consumer.

It is not illegal. It is not against the rules of this site. It is not against the rules of Ebay. It is not unethical nor immoral.

Get over yourselves. Nobody is entitled to a "bro deal", and no one is required to provide one.

This is whining, plain and simple.

If this is what you want to do, buy new and stick to eBay - and stay out of the forums.  I'd rather buy and sell honorably among acquaintances and friends.

Then you should never, ever buy anything from the internet. The internet thrives on commerce and exchange.

There is nothing shady about making a profit.

You cannot legislate "pay it forward". You cannot make generosity a rule. That is just ludicrous. If generosity is mandated, it becomes passe, and therefor, not generous at all, but required.

Seriously...think about what you are asking for. You area asking that every person be held to a ridiculous standard of required generosity based on some personal ideal.

It doesn;t even make sense, let alone sit as an enforceable rule.

Where's the real estate forum I can join and get the gentlemanly prices? I mean some of you guys who bought a house in the 80's or 90's must be looking for a buyer by now. You can let me in at the same price you paid for it right?

Markets work both ways.

While I find it interesting to see, I don't know if I care much beyond possibly feeling jealous after I've sold anything. At best it's exciting. At worst it's regret that I didn't ask for more.

If you want to be generous, what good is the generosity if your act comes with conditions?

I think we all would hope that someone would appreciate an item for its intended purpose and inherent quality. Assigning a value to it is only possible for two willing participants. Hopefully anything acquired by a generous avenue is passed along by the same method in kind if it's not appreciated. It doesn't seem to work like that. Ideals are important. Pragmatism is too.

If you are in need of a car to remain gainfully employed and I give you one for a fair price I'm a decent person. If you win the lottery or keep the car for 40 years until it's a collector's item I don't feel like you are obligated to me any more. As long as the payment cleared and we moved on, then that's that.

You can't control what other people do, but you can control how you react to their actions. If that means not selling anything else at generous and subjectively fair prices any longer then you're within your rights to do so. I think it's unfortunate. Life's too short to waste time and energy in fear and regret. Learn, decide, move on. Never let one unfortunate event affect how you treat other people in the grand scheme of things. I've been lied to in life. I still trust new people I meet, within reason, until given cause not to. People abuse or take advantage of charity all the time. If every charity closed for good the world would be a worse off place.

You can't control what other people do, but you can control how you react to their actions. If that means not selling anything else at generous and subjectively fair prices any longer then you're within your rights to do so. I think it's unfortunate. Life's too short to waste time and energy in fear and regret. Learn, decide, move on. Never let one unfortunate event affect how you treat other people in the grand scheme of things. I've been lied to in life. I still trust new people I meet, within reason, until given cause not to. People abuse or take advantage of charity all the time. If every charity closed for good the world would be a worse off place.

I think this is definitely the correct approach to take to this situation. Overall, if one takes a look at the threads on the BST, most deals are fair. The BST is a great place, and one will never find a better resource to use, to sell wetshaving wares. Why? Because this is a forum by wetshavers, for wetshavers. This situation with the 1295$ wolfman is the exception, not the rule. It is not something that happens everyday. If you ask me, as a seller, do your research. If one does not want to sell their wares to someone they think might flip them for profit, then be skeptical, and do not sell your wares to the first person that PMs you. If one doesn't care, sell away. But this could be the end result, someone flipping the item. I think banning is not appropriate but thats just my take on it.

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I think you're missing the point. Of course it's a free market. You can buy and sell and do whatever you want out there. Nobody's arguing that.

My point was that within the various communities, the members buy and sell to each either in a friendly environment that's not so much about profit. If someone buys from me and decides later on that it's not their speed and decides to sell it, so be it. Sell it for what the market will bear. But if it's an immediate flip for profit, I personally won't do business with them again. I could have sold it for profit too (and what, shame on me for not doing that?) but decided to pass it onto someone else that might enjoy it.

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I think you're missing the point. Of course it's a free market. You can buy and sell and do whatever you want out there. Nobody's arguing that.

My point was that within the various communities, the members buy and sell to each either in a friendly environment that's not so much about profit. If someone buys from me and decides later on that it's not their speed and decides to sell it, so be it. Sell it for what the market will bear. But if it's an immediate flip for profit, I personally won't do business with them again. I could have sold it for profit too (and what, shame on me for not doing that?) but decided to pass it onto someone else that might enjoy it.

Clearly it is your right to refuse to sell to someone with a history of flipping gear for profit. We all have a right to choose what we do with our own gear.

Re-read my last statement: we ALL have a right to choose what we do with OUR OWN gear.

That means everyone, regardless of how, where, or why we acquired the gear to begin with.

I just sold a straight razor on this forum through pm. I charged 5 times what I paid for it, and the buyer got a really good deal in my opinion. If he chooses to turn around and double what he paid, which would still be a fair market price, I have no right to be upset by that. I could have asked that price as well.

Am I obligated to pass my good deal on to someone else? Nope. Not at all.

Why, then, would I expect the purchaser to do differently?

The op says they broke even on selling a used razor. Is it "gentlemanly" to resell at your cost, used gear?

Where do you draw the line?

Slippery slopes and all that...


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I think you're missing the point.  Of course it's a free market.  You can buy and sell and do whatever you want out there.  Nobody's arguing that.

My point was that within the various communities, the members buy and sell to each either in a friendly environment that's not so much about profit.  If someone buys from me and decides later on that it's not their speed and decides to sell it, so be it.  Sell it for what the market will bear.  But if it's an immediate flip for profit, I personally won't do business with them again.  I could have sold it for profit too (and what, shame on me for not doing that?) but decided to pass it onto someone else that might enjoy it.

First off, I am completely in agreement with you when it comes to the sentiment of your statement. I am not fond of people who comes to enthusiasts forum with intention to flip things, that simply doesn't sit well with me. Matter of fact (extending my sense of fairness to it's extreme), I actually don't feel well when someone makes a profit without actually making any contribution towards the development of that particular product/ industry/civilization etc. If possible I try to avoid those. In shaving forums, for example, I will definitely avoid BST actions with those people.

But when it comes to banning people, or slut-shaming (not sure what would be the appropriate word in this case), I like to bring the 'not-my-business' clause. Friendly environment is something we desire but we can't impose that desire of ours onto others, I suppose.

Was the Wolfman in question, one that you purchased for Cash or did you acquire it in trade for a $200 brush?

https://damnfineshave.com/thread-want-to...-m-f-brush

Either way, it appears you were over valuing your Brush when asking for a Wolfman for it. How is what the guy who bought from you any worse a situation?