Beware of flippers

[MichaelH]

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1996-land-rover-discovery-3/

This vehicle was recently for sale here and was snapped up by a flipper. Dude made bank.

If you have a vehicle for sale here, before you completely bend over, think about listing it on BaT. Better you make the money then some flipper.

 

[1range]

I was super surprised this went for that $$$. BaT used to be a good place to buy, now its a great place to sell bc people pay way too much for stuff on there... Like that D1.

 

[MichaelH]

People pay big bucks to look cool on their way to their favorite coffee joint.....and that's okay. No problem with how people want to spend their money. I just want the sellers here to not lose out to a flipper taking advantage of a situation.

 

[StreetsofCompton]

Never did trust that @$$hat...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[C-Fish]

No skin in this game.....but...

I personally see no issue with this practice. If someone is smart enough to market a product to the right audience and garnish the highest price, more power to him/her.

If the original seller(s) does not or did not have the time and or energy to list an item as to maximize potential, then it is on them...

My .02

 

[vintageracer]

No skin in this game.....but...

I personally see no issue with this practice. If someone is smart enough to market a product to the right audience and garnish the highest price, more power to him/her.

If the original seller(s) does not or did not have the time and or energy to list an item as to maximize potential, then it is on them...

My .02

I agree!

The location of a vehicle for sale can also greatly effect the value of a vehicle. A vehicle located in Portland Oregon (Damp & Cold) is worth LESS than that same vehicle located in Southern California (Largest vehicle market in the world) where the "TreK" is now located.

I guess all those people that hate "Flipper's" must work for business's or own that sell their "Goods or Services" for NO PROFIT at all?

Ya Right!

Those business's that the "Flipper Hater's" work for OR own are no different than any "Flipper". They make a profit on the "Goods or Services" they buy for resale or produce themselves and FLIP those "Goods Or Service's" for a profit!!!!

 

[MichaelH]

Flippah gotta feed his family as well, I understand that. It's tuff times.

Point is that for sellers here there is absolutely NO reason to bend over for a flipper (that probably won't even have the guts to present himself as a flipper) and sell at a max-pain price when you have an option. Not all vehicles sell well on bringatrailer, but some do. Sellers ought to check out bringatrailer as another option. Just look at the love thrown at that LR TReK. Can't beat that kind of marketing. Better than the typical "Wow, great build, wish I was in a position" comments here. Of course, comments can be very frank there as well which is absolutely not allowed here so if you are a thin-skinned type, not ready to answer direct questions, don't list there.

There might be a wrong perception that they are no-reserve auctions. They can be, and they might push you towards that, but the majority are reserve auctions and from what I understand will be fair market value reserves (but I've seen some RNM that left me scratching my head).

I'll bet there are some savvy flippers that are just waiting on few vehicles currently listed here to come down just a bit more.

 

[DaveInDenver]

I didn't take this thread as anti-flipper. This person knew his market and his time isn't free to identify a vehicle and rehome/remarket/relocate it for profit. MichaelH is just bringing attention to bringatrailer.com and if you're selling a unique vehicle to realize you might have better places to advertise it.

OTOH someone is selling a vehicle and ExPo or Craigslist may find it easy and while he gets a fair price someone else deals with a different set of tie kickers (collectible types, who may be stressful in a different way).

Also, from a buyer's perspective the flipper here also dealt with moving the truck so the cost and time of doing that isn't free either. Had the final buyer seen the truck here he could have saved some cash but would he have saved anything taking a couple of days driving back and forth or paying a mover? Maybe not.

 

[AbnMike]

No skin in this game.....but...

I personally see no issue with this practice. If someone is smart enough to market a product to the right audience and garnish the highest price, more power to him/her.

If the original seller(s) does not or did not have the time and or energy to list an item as to maximize potential, then it is on them...

My .02

Absolutely! If someone lists something on a classified ad in the back of the newspaper in a town of 30,000 and someone buys it and lists it elsewhere (and writes the ad and takes the photos and works through the process) and makes twice more? Who cares.

I've long said I'm putting my D1 up on BAT unless it sells here, it hasn't yet, but to put it on BAT and have a successful sale will require more work on my part, more photos, more willingness to be available for questions during the entire auction period, day or night, etc.

Bigger audience, more buyers. ExPo is a small slice of the buyer's market. If someone took advantage of that and sold on a larger platform, more power to them. It's like Discoweb - people on there seem to think any LR is worth $2500, tops, no matter what it is. Bad bad place to sell. I put it on the sellers to seek the best venue to put their vehicle up.

 

[Msand]

The original seller could've put it on BAT, just like the "flipper" did. Almost every sale after the original owner sells is flipping, people want to make their money back and in some instances like this one, they got it back and some. All used/new car dealerships, and RV dealerships, are flippers. I don't quite get why people get upset from reselling vehicles hoping to make a profit.. Everyone on this forum who has built their own vehicle understands that you can either make money on a vehicle or lose quite a bit.. So in a sense all expo members that have bought a vehicle, modified it, and then sold it for more is a flipper.

 

[DaveInDenver]

All used/new car dealerships, and RV dealerships, are flippers. I don't quite get why people get upset from reselling vehicles hoping to make a profit.

It's interesting to me how enthusiasts get bent out of shape sometimes. I think the difference is subjective and sometimes it comes down to a person's history. I'm more familiar with Toyotas in this context, but there are known flippers who cruise Craigslist or forums for underpriced (relative to a broad market) trucks with the only intention being to resell for profit.

As a business transaction that's logical but I think it rubs people wrong when it's seen as taking advantage of a community. By that I mean take old Land Cruisers, just as with Land Rovers, aren't growing new on trees and the parts supply is finite. So collector groups tend to be about pricing things so-called "fairly" to keep old iron going. When someone abuses that it becomes emotional. People don't want their hobby become a cut-throat business, always about getting the most dollars everything.

Add to that the idea of giving back. Some dealers seem to be allowed to charge a going rate while others are cursed for their high prices. Comes down to supporting forums or events, being there to assist, positive customer support, etc.

 

[Factoid]

I didn't see the original poster as beating on flippers, more advising hobbiest to make wise choices in where and how they sell their prized vehicles. Frankly, vehicles are commodities and are sold as such. If a buyer negotiated a great deal and then “flips” it for profit, more power to them. It is interesting how home flippers are revered and auto flippers despised by some.

Let the buyer beware and the seller prosper.

 

[1range]

So with all this said... I have a TReK I am willing to sell to someone for silly money ha ha ha

 

[Airmapper]

Yep, sure got to watch out for those flippers:

 

[MTSN]

IIRC the Trek sat on this site for well over a year before someone bought it. That means there was PLENTY of time for a real enthusiast to grab it off this site. Someone saw an arbitrage, went for it, and made good money. I think the people who get the most fired up about stuff like this happening are ones who are upset they missed the opportunity to do it themselves. I rarely keep a vehicle for more than a year, and I hope to not lose money / ie hope to gain when I turn around and sell. I don't do it explicitly to make $, but I certainly don't mind if that's what happens. I think more than anything this thread should be a good lesson for any seller to explore whatever venue will bring them top dollar in a sale, and it stands to reason the original seller here would have made more on the sale if he listed on Bring A Trailer. I'm new to BaT, but it seems pretty cool for unique vehicles with a growing audience all the time.