New question (no pics at all)

[zavod44]

Well if you scored that planesman for $25 and sold it for $225, that's not too shabby.  I think there's more money that you might think.  Jeff's Smokey just sold for two bills, half a dozen accessories just did for $300, an old blue 18 sold for $800.  I never made that much flipping grills....

[1911Ron]

I think for the most part people here are more than willing to help someone out, either being an agent or tipping someone off about a grill in their area.  I agree we need to limit who sees the trading post, my feeling is you have to be a member and have a set amount of posts, that way some one can't join and not post anything and snipe grills or tip off a seller to collectability and jack the price out of range of most of us.

[zavod44]

I will say this I spoke with the seller and also made my intentions clear on this white whale I asked if someone local was going after it and if not if someone local would deal as a agent. No responses. I had people pm me that if I got it and decided to part with it to keep them in mind. I even pm the original poster of the add to see if he was close enough to act as an agent. It came down to me having to secure an agent through a friend that had family within 10 mins of the white whale. My plan was to have agent pay for grill seller being none the wiser.  As it turned out the agent was busy so onto that hope full agents best friend and he says yes he can do it. But would I contact seller so that is when Imake contact with seller and get story of the price is no longer $25 but higher and how much am i able to give for it. I ask him what is he looking for he says north of $200 cause he has an offer from Texas for that much plus shipping. Has also talked with 2 people from Massachusetts and someone is on their way from long island area I back out  at this point but probe some for some answers.  He says they asked questions about thumb screws and the vent also said they mentioned people collecting these grills and this one was a rare one indeed.  So somebody IMO could not read my post I posted on the trading post regrading this grill which is how they found the grill also and didn't have the courtesy to post that they were on it also. So that's what I understand happened but everyone has their own version of the story and how it happened and then there is the version that really happened that know one knows completely.if two people are involved in an event  they tell separate stories and yet there is the third real story and yet another fourth story an analyst would give you of that event and on and on it goes. For what it is worth that white whale was for sale on cl at $25 for at least a week.

So what's your stance on the issue?  Just go for broke?  Not sure where you stand....

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[Duke]

  Jeff's Smokey just sold for two bills, half a dozen accessories just did for $300, an old blue 18 sold for $800.  I never made that much flipping grills....

No doubt, I have never made that much flipping grills either. The one thing all of the grills mentioned have is they were sold on ebay. I would like to hear how our members feel about us selling on ebay vs. selling them here. I love helping someone get a hard to find grill in an area where they never see them, but If selling on ebay is the fair way to sell then I would like to hear about it. Maybe I have been unfair?

[AZ_MIKEY]

I will say this I spoke with the seller and also made my intentions clear on this white whale I asked if someone local was going after it and if not if someone local would deal as a agent. No responses. I had people pm me that if I got it and decided to part with it to keep them in mind. I even pm the original poster of the add to see if he was close enough to act as an agent. It came down to me having to secure an agent through a friend that had family within 10 mins of the white whale. My plan was to have agent pay for grill seller being none the wiser.  As it turned out the agent was busy so onto that hope full agents best friend and he says yes he can do it. But would I contact seller so that is when Imake contact with seller and get story of the price is no longer $25 but higher and how much am i able to give for it. I ask him what is he looking for he says north of $200 cause he has an offer from Texas for that much plus shipping. Has also talked with 2 people from Massachusetts and someone is on their way from long island area I back out  at this point but probe some for some answers.  He says they asked questions about thumb screws and the vent also said they mentioned people collecting these grills and this one was a rare one indeed.  So somebody IMO could not read my post I posted on the trading post regrading this grill which is how they found the grill also and didn't have the courtesy to post that they were on it also. So that's what I understand happened but everyone has their own version of the story and how it happened and then there is the version that really happened that know one knows completely.if two people are involved in an event  they tell separate stories and yet there is the third real story and yet another fourth story an analyst would give you of that event and on and on it goes. For what it is worth that white whale was for sale on cl at $25 for at least a week.

So what's your stance on the issue?  Just go for broke?  Not sure where you stand....

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I am torn where I stand..... if I had more money maybe go for broke if it was something that meant something to me and I had to have it. I do this all with a budget in mind. I have yet to buy a kettle for more than $50 and felt that one hit my budget harshly. The whale was going to hit my budget also after paying $25 for the kettle then a crap load for shipping and then sending a nice card and gift card to my agent. But I was not willing to put up more than $150 for the whole shabang. I have never told a seller the words rare, discontinued, collectable or asked about stamping or particulars. I believe in a poker face and not showing my hand. I deal with collectables on a lot of different items and I deal that way with people who know what they have. I always go for the cheapest I can get it possible. Never over bid try to reason and bargain. Last night in picked up an easterner pat pending for very very cheap.  Something to be said about subtlety.

[zavod44]

I'm with you I'm torn, I guess if it was something I felt I had to have, but then if it was that rare I'm sure if it was that rare I would prob be out bid my pockets aren't that deep.  Post pics of that pat pend when you get a chance

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[tattooedant]

I will tell you this. I really had no intention of paying that much for a grill. To be honest, if it wasn't posted here, I would've never had seen it. The seller had no idea what he had until today. Within minutes of the original post, this guys phone blows up with WKC members calling him. By the time I got to him, he was offered more than $200, but with the idea of cash in hand, he went for $125. It was only after someone called him again and told him it was worth much more, and proceeded to offer more. It was at this point, the gloves were off, and I didn't give a shit, that grill was gonna be mine. Clearly there was no WKC utopia going on when someone is letting the seller know he's getting ripped off.

Brian, I think it's gonna be a free for all going forward...

[AZ_MIKEY]

Brian the pat pend I posted a few pics of in the off topic section. I had asked earlier in the week about cold calling on it.

I wish I wasn't torn on this matter at hand but I am. When getting into bbq/webers in general my family, friends and girlfriend thought it to be good. They thought it good cause it would dirvert me from other hobbies/collections that have took large quantities of my time and life and even larger sums of my pocket book and also something that I wouldn't become a fanatic about and just enjoy.

Right now (I know when I clam down a bit I will feel differently) I feel as though to get some really cool kettles I need to put all hobbies on hold for this hobby which would free up large sums of money to play with. <----- I don't want to do this and feel as though what I have in my collection of kettles is good and that maybe might just be for the best to take a break from it to not become a fanatic about it.  I don't know what to say about rules or common respect here as I ama pretty new member here and feel as a whole everyone says this is what rthey believe but many ate not practicing what they say they follow. As far as the trading post goes I think it is fun to go there and check things out. I am starting to believe some way to limit access to it would be good but at the same time how would you go about it fairly.In the long of it aall, it is probably best to decide going into this hobby where you will put yourself ..... are you going to be a small collector, are you looking for a few nice cookers or just that one gotta have it, or the one who dies with the most toys wins person. I hope there is no one on here of the last one.

[Eastex]

I just can't see under cutting another persons deal. I had a Hasty Bake that the seller told me I was second or third in line for and he then asked if I would give more than the price he'd agreed to sell it to the first guy for. That just shut me down, totally lost interest. If I was staring at a mint Westerner I guess I could change my mind but I think it would bother me in the future.  My favorite grills all have a story and I just can't imagine looking at one and thinking "that's the one I undercut somebody on" and enjoying it as much.


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[Duke]

I just can't see under cutting another persons deal. I had a Hasty Bake that the seller told me I was second or third in line for and he then asked if I would give more than the price he'd agreed to sell it to the first guy for. That just shut me down, totally lost interest. If I was staring at a mint Westerner I guess I could change my mind but I think it would bother me in the future.  My favorite grills all have a story and I just can't imagine looking at one and thinking "that's the one I undercut somebody on" and enjoying it as much.


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Here Here! Wise words Eastex, and good to hear from you.

[tattooedant]

Brian the pat pend I posted a few pics of in the off topic section. I had asked earlier in the week about cold calling on it.

I wish I wasn't torn on this matter at hand but I am. When getting into bbq/webers in general my family, friends and girlfriend thought it to be good. They thought it good cause it would dirvert me from other hobbies/collections that have took large quantities of my time and life and even larger sums of my pocket book and also something that I wouldn't become a fanatic about and just enjoy.

Right now (I know when I clam down a bit I will feel differently) I feel as though to get some really cool kettles I need to put all hobbies on hold for this hobby which would free up large sums of money to play with. <----- I don't want to do this and feel as though what I have in my collection of kettles is good and that maybe might just be for the best to take a break from it to not become a fanatic about it.  I don't know what to say about rules or common respect here as I ama pretty new member here and feel as a whole everyone says this is what rthey believe but many ate not practicing what they say they follow. As far as the trading post goes I think it is fun to go there and check things out. I am starting to believe some way to limit access to it would be good but at the same time how would you go about it fairly.In the long of it aall, it is probably best to decide going into this hobby where you will put yourself ..... are you going to be a small collector, are you looking for a few nice cookers or just that one gotta have it, or the one who dies with the most toys wins person. I hope there is no one on here of the last one.

Mikey,

Sorry to hear that you are torn, and I too, took up this hobby in lieu of more expensive ones. Much cheaper than collecting cars and motorcycles, and they take up less room. I think for the most part, the folks around here really do look out for one another and understand the grillfella mentality. However, as passionate collectors of something, we also realize that there are grills/grails all over the world. Unfortunately there are only so many white whales, speckled joes, glen-blue 22s, and red 26ers to go around. I've bought and sold over 20 grills in the past year. During that time, I've scored a bunch of cool grills, and didn't spend more than $50 on a single kettle...until today. I don't believe I would've even seen the grill unless it was for this club, so I cannot fault anyone here for wanting a rare grill, nor am I surprised what people will do. We cannot help it. It's in our competitive nature. It would suck if you no longer wanted to be a part of this because you think it'll become too expensive to collect. You are a tremendous part of the community, regardless of how many or what grills you have....

[MaxBobcat]

My personal opinion: Release the hounds.

By trying to prop up this false grill economy by artificially lowering the market value of these grills through esprit de corps seems like it is more likely just causing friction and hurt feelings whereas letting the free market value determine the true price of these grills would be fairer to sellers and even the playing field for everyone.

WKC can still have an esprit de corps though.  If a Cado popped up in my area and somebody posted it in the Trading section, I could post on there, "hey guys, I already agreed to pick up this grill after work, please don't contact", and we could all be happy.  Not that it would stop the lurkers in that case, but it doesn't stop the lurkers now either.

But in the case this afternoon, that grill had been up for almost a full week, no one local had been on it, so personally, I have no qualms with what happened, when someone from another state offered $300 or whatever it was.  The market dictated a much fairer price for the seller and in the end the buyer got a cool old grill.  Now, if someone else out of state or non-WKC member would've got it, I can agree, we would all be pretty miffed, but c'est la vie.  Life ain't fair and cash is king. 

A Weber utopia would be awesome and I would love it, but I think the definition of utopia sums it up succinctly: "an imaginary place in which the government, laws, and social conditions are perfect."

[G$]

Good thread.

[Troy]

I'm glad I waited this one out, everyone brings up good points

It's important to realize that in the BIG PICTURE, there are TWO moving trains.

Trian #1 is the overall, abstract idea that Weber kettles are collectible. This train was moving before the WKC started and would still be moving with or without the WKC

Train #2 is the WKC.  Our site and community is growing like crazy. It would be ignorant to state that the WKC doesn't have a STRONG influence over Train #1. But it would be equally ignorant to think that the WKC has complete control over it (or that the two are one in the same.

What i'm saying is - the supply and demand of old and vintage Webers ("Weber Kettle Gold Rush") is going to happen no matter what we here at the WKC.

Camaraderie is great and is the heart of the community. I adore every ounce of it and every effort people put into maintaining it. But this mutual respect and friendship is simply an etiquette of our virtual society - a "Weberquette" if you will... It's great to have, but be aware that there will be people without it, and scenarios that convince people to ignore it.

A few days ago an old gray 26" popped up in san diego. I want it, but I alerted Jamesnomore to it since it's in his hood. If he takes it, awesome. If not, maybe he'll pick it up for me. I like James and I think it's a cool thing to do as a friend and GrillFella.
BUT - if that grill had been a 26" westerner, that motherbitch would be in my garage and I wouldn't have mentioned it until I had it.

I'm reluctant to say, "release the hounds" - because it's simply not an ON of OFF status.
I think rarity and desire play a big part. If a Georges original BBQ Kettle pops up somewhere on craigslist for 25 bucks - all bets are off and I'm going for it with as much as I can afford

[zavod44]

Hey Max don't forget that new in the box GA you scored.  That seller stuck to the old CL code that he accepted the very first offer he got.  I would bet if he hadn't you wouldn't have got that bad boy for $20.  You would have had the hounds released on you.  You would have been bummed if someone offered $75 on that when you could have had it for $20....