You know, it's interesting that you should pose that question, Neil ... as I have just fired off quite a lengthy
rebuttal to a gentleman on another forum who had the temerity to suggest that some of the classic computer equipment I had up for sale was er, a little
over-priced!I won't go to great lengths about "Economics 101: cost and price (two entirely different things)"
etc. here (mainly because I know that most visitors to this forum are not interested in that sort of thing), but I
will say this:-
Over the years I have tried all sorts. Over-charging, under-charging, working for nothing, working out costs to the
n-th degree, all the rest and everything else in-between. Learning the hard way (as usual), I have come to realise that there is an art to selling, whether it be in small ads, on eBay, or off the back of a barrow (or wherever). For instance, when clearing out stuff in the past, I have sometimes literally tried to
give stuff away (rather than having to load it back into the van in a muddy field at the end of a car-boot sale). But people wouldn't take it. Yet, with a change of tactic, by doubling the price the following week, the same stuff went within an hour (it could even have been the same guy)!
Why is that? It's what I call the "perception of quality". If something is pitched too low (or even for nothing, or next to nothing), it's perceived as being junk ("there must be something wrong with it"). However, on the other hand, if something is correctly (or even outrageously) priced, chances are it will sell, sooner or later ... because it's seen as something of value. Just think about art, antiques and [censored] like that! Heck ... never mind
objet d'art ... what about (new) medical equipment?
It also works with computer software. If you give it away, you don't even get feedback from the users. And I speak from experience here of having hundreds of "users" whom I never hear from. They're probably too embarrassed to admit to using free stuff, I imagine. Either that, or worried that I might sting them for updates (or whatever). Why did I do that (give stuff away that I had spent hundreds - thousands - of hours working on)? Marketing:- finding out if there was a need. Finding out what users actually wanted. Exposure. "Spreading the word". Marketing 101:- marketing and advertising (again, two entirely different things).
And now, with my involvement in "charity" work, I have come to doubt the wisdom in working literally for nothing, and simply giving away equipment (however desperately in need the recipient may be). I have come to believe that only when the person actually
pays for an item is its real value appreciated. It doesn't have to be much (in the case of the charity scenario), but just something sufficient (a
token, if you like) to promote not only pride of ownership, but also an empowerment granted to the (now) buyer that would be lacking with the "take it or leave it" model!
If a person
pays for something, then s/he has the right to "enquire" when something goes wrong. But what rights do the recipient of hand-outs have? Man, they don't even get to keep their self-respect!
This is one of the reasons why personally, I always charge at least a nominal amount for my efforts (and my time), and always offer at least a tin of biscuits when I'm out scrounging kit!
The bottom line here is:- yes, never simply give stuff (or your time,
etc.) away. Believe me (and I know), you are no more highly thought of (and it could well even be the reverse)! And not only that, you are doing a disservice to the the new "owner" (you could even call it an insult)!
