Hello,
I hadn't browsed ebay or Reverb in awhile. Tonight I was reminded of why. There seems to be such a sense of greed in the vintage drum market to me. It's everything: kits, cymbals, stands and even spare parts. The bottom of half of a Ludwig 1123-1 hi-hat stand with broken pieces for $95. A run of the mill, red sparkle MIJ in average condition for $895. A Ludwig shell mounted cymbal holder for $129 (new ones, that are exactly the same design are $85). A 70's Atlas Ludwig cymbal stand that's rusted out and has non-original parts for $159. A black, plastic Ludwig wing screw from a Hercules stand with cracks in it for $35. I could go on and on and on and on and on.
I understand that it is very unlikely these items will be selling at that price, but still, why are they asking those insane prices? Ideally, if you're listing it on ebay or Reverb you are, in theory, wanting to sell the item. At those prices, why bother? What ever happened to presenting something with a fair and reasonable price, where both the buyer and the seller feel satisfied? I know in my case, seeing outrageous prices like that turns me off as a buyer, and the longer I look, the more angry/frustrated/disheartened I become.
I know there are still some good deals out there to be had, but they are few and far between. Also, over the last few years, it seems like the vintage drum market has cooled and it's now more of a buyer's market rather than the seller's market it was 5+ years ago. Would you agree? Another reason why the high asking prices just don't make sense to me.
I guess the thing that really disheartens me the most is the whole attitude that pervades so many of those sellers. "This is old and vintage and It's Ludwig/Rogers/Gretsch, so I know it's worth a lot so I'm going to ask an insane price for it.....because everyone else is doing it....and because I'm really greedy and want to squeeze every possible penny out of a drummer/enthusiast, because it's vintage!" I can't help but think that's the attitude so many of the sellers have. Yes, I understand the name of the game is making money, and there is certainly nothing wrong with that, but your local grocery store needs to make money too. Do they ask $9.99 for a 2-liter of Diet Pepsi?
One more point: A vast majority of the people looking for these stands/pedals/spare parts that are insanely priced are going to be well versed and knowledgeable about vintage drums (like us), and will know what a fair and reasonable price is, so who are these sellers trying to fool? Yes, there are the occasional buyers who absolutely need a part or have been waiting to find a certain item for a long time, and will pay a premium for it, but those instances are not all that common. I understand that certain vintage drum items will always command a premium, as will rare/unique/uncommon items, but again, those are rare items and rare circumstances that you won't see every day. It seems like 90% of what I look at, even very common items, are priced at a ridiculous premium. Look, I am realistic. I don't expect to find mint condition 1960's Ludwig or Rogers kits for $500 or a mint condition Speed King for $20. That's just simply unrealistic. However, seeing a 1960's Ludwig or Rogers kit in poor condition with many issues for $3,000 or Speed King with a broken strap and a missing beater clamp for $150 is also just as unrealistic.
It just makes me sad. On the occasion that I do sell, I always price my items fairly and reasonably, so that another drummer like myself will enjoy it and be happy with the reasonable/fair deal that he or she got. I've never been motivated by greed like a lot of people are (not calling anyone out, just as an observation of the market as a whole). It's too bad. Sometimes, Capitalism isn't all it's cracked up to be I guess.
