K-Lo
9283
Dear Sire Ed.
Jul 10, 2020,18:34 PM
This a tough one.
I think one approach is to look, as people say, to recent selling markers of said piece. This could be auction houses, sites which list third party sellers to certain types of consumers, and/or similar. This is likely to be good for pieces that are well produced, or mass produced, if you will, since these pieces are bought and sold on a consistent basis (e.g., Rolex Sub).
The more one-off, or less produced, and less well-known piece (i.e., non main-stream), I would argue, is more complicated. You can get last sale price, if there is one, maybe retail may be more accurate as a starting point.
These pieces, the so-called one-offs, may require you to apply a little "game theory," negotiation, "deal skill," or the like.
For laughs and giggles, if not to train yourself, or your associate, you should take a piece and quasi negotiate with resellers and potential buyers. Just know that you are "playing" the markets. Start at a certain price, know that many will try to meet you half way, others will straight up low ball you. I think you can see patterns of negotiation tactics with certain "ilks" of people. Others, are just on their own spectrum.
A little Sherlock Holmes may bode well here, what was it he said?
Something like, "I can't tell you what a particular person is doing, but I have a good idea of what the majority is up to."
Let us know!
Ted