Damaged items - to list or not to list?

[professor-t]

I purchased a group of vintage belt buckles and has posted most of them for sale.  I have two that I'm concerned about.  One of them is a vintage pewter "Soccer Ball" Budwiser belt buckle.  In great condition they sell for about $35.  Mine is in well-used condition and a piece of the hook on the back that slips into the hole on the belt is broken off.  I would say about 1/4".   Should I post this for $15 OBO with the damage clearly described and photographed or should I take it to my local flea market?

The other one is a fairly large (3" X 2" or a little larger) buckle with the part that the belt goes through fairly heavily damaged.  As a display piece it's great, with a mosaic eagle in the middle.  Again, should I post it for a BIN/OBO price or send it to the flea market?

I just want your opinions.  Right now I'm leaning toward the flear market but would like to hear what the experience sellers on the board have to say.

Thanks.

[kensgiftshop]

Take good photos of any damage and be sure to list any damage in your description.

I've sold broken and damaged items and never had any problems or complaints, yet.

[muttlymob]

Everyone forgets that the founder of eBay, Pierre Omidyar, started eBay by first selling a broken laser pointer.  He even asked the buyer if he read that it was broken, and the buyer said yes!

I don't think everyone has forgotten.  Many do remember, but also realize that not only has eBay changed in that time, but the world has changed.

There are current eBay members who were not born yet when Omidyar sold his broken laser pointer.

[dadsfloridatreasure]

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wrote:

Everyone forgets that the founder of eBay, Pierre Omidyar, started eBay by first selling a broken laser pointer.  He even asked the buyer if he read that it was broken, and the buyer said yes!

I don't think everyone has forgotten.  Many do remember, but also realize that not only has eBay changed in that time, but the world has changed.

There are current eBay members who were not born yet when Omidyar sold his broken laser pointer.

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"You'll always miss 100% of the shots you don't take." - Wayne Gretzky

[byrd69er]

This tube was damaged, but the damage had absolutley no bearing on the performance of the tube.  I'll take as many damaged ones as I can get.

[pvcliff]

Damage depends on the category. I sold a dozen damaged Wee Forest Folk mouse sculptures with no problem. One person's chipped ear is another's "get the brown marker out and cover the white spot".

[johnfduda]

I agree it depends on the category.

I sell a lot of photography items; they will sell if damaged. They'll sell if non working. For one thing most photography items are repairable and a lot of problems can be gotten around. A lens with a big scratch on the front glass is still perfectly usable if you don't use it in dim lighting, because you're not using the damaged part of the glass.

However I would never sell a used computer. There's a 100 million transistors, if one doesn't work its junque. And the attirude of the people who buy is not up to what I'd deal with.

Attitude is the big determinator in any category.

If I sold the buckles I would make sure any looker knew it was damaged and how. I would list it as an auction and start it at $1 and  state that it's worth a dollar. If you bid higher thats your decision.

[a_c_green]

If I sold the buckles I would make sure any looker knew it was damaged and how. I would list it as an auction and start it at $1 and state that it's worth a dollar. If you bid higher that's your decision.

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I would do that as long as the listing makes it crystal-clear that the belt buckle cannot in fact be used as a belt buckle, since the hook is broken off. That is, I don't think it's repairable without some considerable metal reworking on the back.

My own preference is that I list damaged or less-than-perfect items all the time, but only if they can be used as-is despite whatever issue(s) are present, which I don't think is the case here. If you think it's worth the risk, payoff-wise, then proceed carefully.

[yuzuha]

If all the damage is on the back and the front side is still in displayable condition, I'd say go ahead and list them.  Brewery memorabilia is pretty collectible, plus it's the sort of thing that someone might want to buy as a decoration for a man cave or something like that.

I disagree that damaged items are an SNAD waiting to happen-- I've sold a bunch of things that were damaged (I've bought some, too) and I haven't had a problem yet.  Just make sure you clearly photograph and describe any flaws and you should be good to go.