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254 posts tagged buying
Questions to ask before bidding on an estate lot
How much of this have you actually been through? Everything else follows.
Questions to ask before bidding on outdoor gear
Was it ever packed away wet? Ask that one first.
Questions to ask before bidding on sports equipment
What is the specification, what has been repaired, and can I see it working?
Questions to ask before bidding on furniture
Measure it, and ask how it is getting to you. Both before the bid, not after.
Questions to ask before bidding on womenswear
Flat measurements, the lining, and whether the fabric was stretched when it was measured.
Questions to ask before bidding on menswear
Measure it flat. A size is not a measurement, and an altered garment is neither.
Questions to ask before bidding on electronics
Can you boot it, and have you signed out? The second one saves more sales than the first.
Questions to ask before bidding on a bag
Corners, zip, lining — and does it smell?
Questions to ask before bidding on a collectible
What makes this one different from an ordinary one? The answer tells you what you are paying for.
Questions to ask before bidding on manga
Which volumes, exactly — and can you show the publication page?
Questions to ask before bidding on a mineral
Put it on a scale and hold something beside it. Photographs lie about size.
Questions to ask before bidding on handmade work
Who made it, is this the exact piece, and how do I look after it?
Questions to ask before bidding on artwork
Original or print? Then show me the back. Two questions, most of the risk.
Questions to ask before bidding on an antique
What has been repaired, replaced or restored? Ask even when nothing looks wrong.
Questions to ask before bidding on a film poster
Show me the back, and measure it. Both answers change the price.
Questions to ask before bidding on cricket memorabilia
How do you know? Everything else follows from the answer.
Questions to ask before bidding on sports memorabilia
Three words and one question: worn, issued or replica — and how do you know?
Questions to ask before bidding on sports cards
Which parallel, show the back, tilt it. The parallel is often the whole value.
Questions to ask before bidding on toys and collectibles
Show me the back of the box and lay out what is inside it.
Questions to ask before bidding on video games
Boot it, show the spine, and tell me what is in the case.
Questions to ask before bidding on records
Tilt it, show the run-out, and tell me if you played it.
Questions to ask before bidding on books or films
One page answers most of it. Ask for the copyright page and hold your bid until you see it.
Questions to ask before bidding on a saree
The reverse, the fold lines, and the blouse piece. Three answers decide whether you can wear it.
Questions to ask before bidding on comics
The indicia and the spine. One tells you what it is, the other what it is worth.
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