[meteorite-list] Meteorite Pricing/Values

[MeteorHntr at aol.com]

Dean,

Great post.  There are so many factors to the value of  any particular 
specimen as you pointed out.  

One thing I think  people selling meteorites should do is take a little more 
time in justifying the  price they are asking.  This means justifying why the 
price might be  particularly low (as you do so well in offering low NWA prices 
- yet you also  put the twist in that you feel that soon the prices 
justifiably will go higher  later).  That is marketing.

On the other hand, if someone is asking  a particularly high price for 
something, that too needs to be explained.   Again, that too is marketing.

Without the explanation offered by the  seller, all to often as a buyer it is 
easy for people think you are asking too  much, if not for the simple purpose 
of positioning yourself for a higher value  in a trade or so that you can 
come way down making the person feel like they got  a great bargain.  Or possibly 
people might think you are indeed trying to  rip people off by overpricing 
your material. 
 
And if one is asking what most consider is a normal fair price, justify  that 
too.  
 
Whatever the case, help prospective buyers at least understand where you  are 
coming from.  
 
I remember Mike Farmer seven years ago posting about how hot it was in  
Portales hunting for PV and how cows were dying and blaoting in the  heat.  I am 
not sure it that was a legitimate justification for a market  price on PV, but 
at least we knew where he was coming from.  We knew in  part why he personally 
valued a specimen at say $18/g rather than maybe $17/g.  

I think as buyers (or on the list - as critics) we should  acknowledge 
legitimate qualities in particular specimens and justify why he or  she agrees or 
disagrees with a stated price.  Without such justification,  the critic looks 
even more foolish than the seller.  Instead of replying  with a statement, why 
not respond with a question as to why they think it is  worth such and such a 
price.  Put the responsibility of justifying a price  back on the seller rather 
on yourself to justify why it is not worth it.
 
And if a buyer doesn't accurately justify why they don't buy (albeit only  to 
themselves) then they are likely to miss out on some great bargains thinking  
they were making a good decision.

Remember, if we all agreed to the value of all meteorites, we dealers  would 
be out of a job, and this list would be very boring.

Steve Arnold  
Arkansas