# American Pickers Dialogue: "I Bought This Sign For $400. I'm Gonna Sell It For...... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 18, 2012, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pickers-dialogue-i-bought-this-sign-for-400-im-gonna-sell-it-for/613216 "2012-02-18T02:00:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pickers-dialogue-i-bought-this-sign-for-400-im-gonna-sell-it-for/613216/1 "2012-02-18T02:00:06Z")
… $850.00." **Fuck** you Dude! I saw the friggin’ _program_! Quasi ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pickers-dialogue-i-bought-this-sign-for-400-im-gonna-sell-it-for/613216/2 "2012-02-18T02:48:42Z")
**Quasimodem** - I don’t understand your issue with this. Their business is to buy things and sell them for a profit. They don’t lie to the folks they’re buying from to lower the value. They don’t make an exorbitant profit. They do the legwork, they find the stuff, haul it, find the buyer. This is how business works. StG ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pickers-dialogue-i-bought-this-sign-for-400-im-gonna-sell-it-for/613216/3 "2012-02-18T03:07:28Z")
Right, if you pay a price that things are worth to _you_ you can’t ever be cheated. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pickers-dialogue-i-bought-this-sign-for-400-im-gonna-sell-it-for/613216/4 "2012-02-18T03:19:32Z")
okayfine, but _over double???_ Nah! Q ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pickers-dialogue-i-bought-this-sign-for-400-im-gonna-sell-it-for/613216/5 "2012-02-18T03:22:04Z")
how much is cash in hand right now worth to you what’s the sign doing for you rusting in the barn ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pickers-dialogue-i-bought-this-sign-for-400-im-gonna-sell-it-for/613216/6 "2012-02-18T03:23:46Z")
> [@Quasimodem](#): > > okayfine, but _over double???_ > > Nah! > > Q You wanna guess what food in a restaurant costs…a THIRD of what you pay for it. Yes, standard restaurant food cost is 33%. Next time you spend $60 at a restaurant, just remember that they spent $20 on the food. Also, before anyone tells me why that is, I’m in the industry, I don’t need it explained. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pickers-dialogue-i-bought-this-sign-for-400-im-gonna-sell-it-for/613216/7 "2012-02-18T03:37:22Z")
I feel the same way when I see a steak in the supermarket for $9.99/lb. Fuck you! I’ll buy my own cow, raise it, feed it, keep it healthy for a year, and cut that sucker up! eBay has made it a lot easier for a guy with a barn full of junk to go direct to market, I’d rather do that than have the pickers make the $$. But I don’t want to have a cow carcass hanging in my barn, either. Butchers, pickers. Some guys don’t want to hassle with a dozen idiots in their barn, make a couple of idiots a dozen deals and get them out of your hair. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pickers-dialogue-i-bought-this-sign-for-400-im-gonna-sell-it-for/613216/8 "2012-02-18T04:46:48Z")
Okay. The guy said “$400.00 firm”. Fine okay. But if I see that sign offered to me for $850.00 after having _seen_ the fargin’ program and the guy _bragging_ on how much he’s gonna sell it for??? I’d have to be _BATSHIT_ to buy it at that price. Waitaminnit. I _am_ “batshit”, aren’t I? But just little bat guano pellets, not the whole goddam turd. Not _yet_, okay??? :):)🙂 Quasi ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pickers-dialogue-i-bought-this-sign-for-400-im-gonna-sell-it-for/613216/9 "2012-02-18T04:56:59Z")
> [@Quasimodem](#): > > Okay. The guy said “$400.00 firm”. > > Fine okay. > > But if I see that sign offered to me for $850.00 after having _seen_ the fargin’ program and the guy _bragging_ on how much he’s gonna sell it for??? > > I’d have to be _BATSHIT_ to buy it at that price. > > Waitaminnit. > > I _am_ “batshit”, aren’t I? > > But just little bat guano pellets, not the whole goddam turd. Not _yet_, okay??? > > :):)🙂 > > Quasi You had every opportunity to hit the guy’s barn and buy it for $400. What, you didn’t buy it? You’re waiting for somebody to do that legwork and still sell it for $400? OK, $450 is a steep profit. What was the result of the bargaining you did with the pickers? You couldn’t get them to budge off $850? What? You didn’t even try bargaining with them? Sort of academic, no? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pickers-dialogue-i-bought-this-sign-for-400-im-gonna-sell-it-for/613216/10 "2012-02-18T04:59:04Z")
The reason those guys make money is that they know who both the buyers and the sellers are. If you want that sign (or whatever bit of junk), you could go door-to-door asking everyone who _might_ have one, and when you find someone who does, offer them $600 (overcutting the professional pickers but still saving you money). But do you really want to go around asking all of those folks for just one particular item you’re looking for? Or likewise, if you have the junk and are looking to get rid of it, you could go looking for an end buyer yourself, and skip the middleman that way, too. But again, it’d be hard to find the buyer. The professional pickers have a long list of buyers, _and_ a long list of sellers, each of whom has a few odd items they have/want. And the pro then matches up the people on one list with the people on the other. Everyone benefits, so what’s the problem if the picker benefits, too? ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pickers-dialogue-i-bought-this-sign-for-400-im-gonna-sell-it-for/613216/11 "2012-02-18T05:03:50Z")
Yeah, to elaborate on what **Chronos** says, you could spend thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours travelling and searching for the item to buy (if you’re lucky) for $400, or you could let the American Picker dudes do the work for you and you only pay $800. Sounds like a good deal all around to me. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pickers-dialogue-i-bought-this-sign-for-400-im-gonna-sell-it-for/613216/12 "2012-02-18T05:33:35Z")
Wait! You actually _watched_ some guy buy a stupid sign on _television_ for $400.00 dollars, right? With me so far? Good. But then he announces to the world he’s going to sell it for $850.00! **You** saw the program, and all of a sudden, this stupid sign attracts your attention and you want it. Bad. Are you really going to tell me you’d give _DOUBLE_ that amount, having seen the program??? Really. Q ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pickers-dialogue-i-bought-this-sign-for-400-im-gonna-sell-it-for/613216/13 "2012-02-18T05:45:42Z")
That’s a perfect knowledge fallacy. Everyone doesn’t know everything abut everything. It may well be that going rate for that sign on eBay/craigslist/whatever is $900. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pickers-dialogue-i-bought-this-sign-for-400-im-gonna-sell-it-for/613216/14 "2012-02-18T05:56:43Z")
That’s NOT the fucking _POINT_!!! I wrote from the very beginning that the program was actually seen by me, I liked the sign, saw how much was paid and how much it would be offered for re-sale! How many other people do you think saw the same program, and would they all be stupid enough to buy this sign at twice the price? Fine! Then BUY the motherfucker at twice the price and enjoy it. Q ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pickers-dialogue-i-bought-this-sign-for-400-im-gonna-sell-it-for/613216/15 "2012-02-18T05:57:58Z")
I wouldn’t buy the sign at any price. But if I wanted a sign, I’d figure out what price I’d pay. If that price is under $850, I’d by the sign. Or, if I wanted to pay $400, I’d have to do that other guy’s job–roam around junk sales and old barns looking for old crap. How much effort am I going to go through to find a $400 sign? If the amount of effort to find a sign for $400 is greater than $450, then I’d be an idiot not to buy the $850 sign. I guarantee that if you tried to start a business buying crap and reselling them like this guy, you’d be broke in five minutes. You can’t buy shit as cheap as this guy can, and you can’t sell shit for as much as this guy can. That’s why this particular guy has this particular business, and not you or me. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pickers-dialogue-i-bought-this-sign-for-400-im-gonna-sell-it-for/613216/16 "2012-02-18T06:20:51Z")
See:Barrett-Jackson ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pickers-dialogue-i-bought-this-sign-for-400-im-gonna-sell-it-for/613216/17 "2012-02-18T07:31:38Z")
All the caps and cursing in response to reasonable explanations certainly don’t make you look obtuse. What would sound fair to you? Buying for $400 and selling for $500 - $550? I’m sure that small of margin would not cover overhead and other business expenses. Doubling the price doesn’t equal 100% profit. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pickers-dialogue-i-bought-this-sign-for-400-im-gonna-sell-it-for/613216/18 "2012-02-18T08:11:14Z")
Your outrage seems to be derived from an uninterested purchaser’s point of view, with no interest in the sign and no knowledge of the market. If you were a collector, though, you may be looking at it going “wow, that lucky bastard got an $850 sign for $400.” But they may still be willing to buy it (or something like it) for $850 anyway. Think of it in some other context. I don’t know how much a candy bar goes for in the US, but let’s imagine you can get one in a convenience store for $1. Would you be flipping out so much if you knew the wholesale price was only 55c? Would you still buy one if you wanted one or would you be too outraged at the markup to part with your money? ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pickers-dialogue-i-bought-this-sign-for-400-im-gonna-sell-it-for/613216/19 "2012-02-18T08:31:38Z")
He may have sold the sign before the show airs too. ---
**Author:** ![BeaMyra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@BeaMyra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeaMyra)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pickers-dialogue-i-bought-this-sign-for-400-im-gonna-sell-it-for/613216/20 "2012-02-18T08:57:26Z")
I’m lost what show are you talking about? How 'bout a little help? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pickers-dialogue-i-bought-this-sign-for-400-im-gonna-sell-it-for/613216.md?page=2)