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Re: Portalis - fall out from Monahans

In a message dated 01/07/98 08:54:59 BST, you write:

<< Now for just what price do you think Michael
 Farmer can AFFORD to sell the sliced material? (remember, paid OUT OF
 POCKET double digit prices, LOST 1/3rd to the saw {had to pay the
 sawyer, as well} lost 2 weeks of work & school time, put thousands of
 miles on his car, payed for motel/hotel rooms, payed for food on the
 road, ETC} Anyone who thinks he will MAKE money selling the material for
 $15/g is nuts! >>

Hi all,

Well, that's maybe fair comment Michael, but considering that these are
literally picked up off the ground for free, somebody somewhere (landowner?)
must surely be making a LOT of money.
If the finder IS the landowner, then he or she is the lucky benefactor and
good luck them too! The buyer must obviously bear in mind all of the overheads
incurred, from initial purchase through to finished slices, but it makes me
wonder what would happen if the finder didn't get his asking price even after
lots of bartering. I'd guess that most finders have no idea what the
meteorites are actually worth but would still expect a good price nonetheless.
How good, depends on how willing the prospective buyer is to walk away from
the deal if the asking price is too high.....or is it a case of purchase at
any cost?

As for collectors complaining about price rises etc., the collectors are the
customers and customers tend to grumble when they are faced with prices such
as these.
For instance, I grumble when I see petrol prices rise, and my customers
grumble at me when I increase my prices at work, albeit in line with
inflation. Nobody accepts a high price or a price increase with a smile on
their face even if it is justified.
More importantly perhaps, if the asking price is way too high, then little if
any of the material is actually sold, and at best, collectors end up with
microscopic fragments and dust.....are there any winners if this happens?

I expect to get a bit of flak from some of you over this and that's OK....but
considering that it's been very difficult for anyone to express opinions on
the list recently without being challenged to a duel, how about a discussion
instead of an argument?

Cheers!
Rob Elliott.

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