Klarinet Archive - Posting 000078.txt from 2006/12

From: "dnleeson" <dnleeson@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] OK. I give up
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2006 11:09:03 -0500

I buy and sell a lot of things on ebay. And one of the
techniques available to a seller is to state a price that is
below what s/he will sell it for. It is called "the reserve
price" and no one knows what it is until someone bids enough to
stumble over it. But any bids made up to the time that the
reserve price is made known are met with a statement that the
bidder is still under the reserve price, or too low to accept.

Now having stated how the reserved price system works, I'd like
to mention that it is one of my least favorite bidding
techniques, either as a seller or a buyer. That is because as a
buyer, I'm working blind, and as a seller I see it as arrogant to
lure a person into a buy position and then say, "Sorry poopsie,
that's not enough money."

It irritates the hell out of me when I see it happen as a buyer,
and so I deliberately chose never to use it as a seller. I hold
the opinion that an intelligent buyer will appreciate the fact
that the seller establishes a reasonable selling price, which is
exactly what I did. Certainly, assuming that the buyer is an
idiot is no way to approach a sale. And assuming that the seller
is either ignorant or a crook or both is also no way to approach
a sale.

In the years of working ebay, I have developed a 100% approval
rating, and I did so by making the most serious effort to supply
an item at a price that is attractive and reasonable. So far, I
have been fairly successful, and never sold anything at other
than a reasonable profit, and, once or twice, at an astonishingly
high profit.

What I think I will do now, is go to the Oklahoma clarinet
festival next summer with the instrument so that any interested
parties can see and play it. The price will remain unchanged,
which is because I am more interested in selling it to someone
who will appreciate it than simply disposing of it. Keep in mind
that I am in the best kind of financial position; i.e., I don't
need the money to live. But that does not mean that I will allow
myself to be manhandled.

Oh yes: the economic issues. Did I mention that, as a basset
hornist, one can make a considerable amount of money if you know
the repertoire, can play well, and live in the right geography.
First, the instrument is tax deductible, and second, with as few
as four gigs a year, it will take 10 years to amortize the cost.
But you have to know something about music, and you need to be
agressive. Anyone who hears of a performance of the Mozart
Requiem and who does not react at once, is never going to get any
work as a basset hornist. Get one performance of Rosenkavalier,
play the part well, and people are going to seek you out. And you
have to be aware of the fact that no one plays Beethoven's
Creatures of Prometheus ballet music because of the inability to
get a basset hornist who can play that part. And the Roger
Sessions violin concerto is underplayed for the same reason.

Oh yes. It is an instrument with a lot of doubling fees. Consider
the Magic Flute.

Dan Leeson
DNLeeson@-----.net

-----Original Message-----
From: Laurence Beckhardt [mailto:lbeckhardt@-----.net]
Sent: Wednesday, December 20, 2006 7:00 AM
To: klarinet@-----.org
Subject: RE: [kl] OK. I give up

have you considered listing your bsthrn at a lower
price to see what the market will pay? you could
always have a high reserve to keep your options open.

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