I would like to add a little more detail as it may prove helpful to some of you, and perhaps to me too. I have two main thoughts. The first relates to my asking price. I was accused of "not doing my research" by Hairtrigger when discussing renegotiating the sale. I pointed out that although I haven't been following online sales regularly, I did do extensive online searching before posting my ad. (The truth is that anyone who knows me will tell you that I tend to overanalyze and over research almost everything I do. I am a trained scientist and teacher, so comes naturally and by training.) The majority of what I found was from 2013, with most firearms priced around $1,300, some with scopes, and some without. I also saw one current ad on Gun Broker with a starting bid of $2,300, but I assumed this was just an outlier; some person asking a ridiculous amount and hoping someone would bite.
When my online posts/ads started
immediately getting lots of attention, and people began contacting me making higher offers, it became quite clear that I had undervalued the item. I went back to Google to see if I could find more. Like before, I did a number of different searches, but this time I went about 5 Google pages deep into each search. Despite all this additional searching, I only found a few more ads. That said, they were somewhat helpful, as one was my same gun (model and chambering), and despite being a 2013 ad, the listed price was $1,700 w/ scope. Another was a 2016 ad, and although it was for the less-desirable Alaskan model, the listed price was $1,850 (gun, bases and rings only, though it did have a Jewell trigger). I also found another Alaskan ad, this one from 2012, asking $1675 shipped. I will post ALL links that I've referred to below.
I would also like to point out that during my conversation with Hairtrigger I stated that I really had tried to "do my research," asked him if he could help walk me through what I should have done differently. He said I should have searched for completed transactions in Gun Broker. He and I both got online and tried to accomplish this together, going into the Advanced Search page, but neither of us had any luck. The only other advice he gave was that he knew the value by watching gun sales over time, and as I've said, I don't have that kind of knowledge/experience.
And this brings me to my final thought. You can say that I was foolish, naïve, or didn't do my research. You have a right to your opinion. But
another way of looking at it is that someone was trying to take advantage of my lack of knowledge and rip me off. This is a point that was made to me by others who contacted me offering me a higher price, and I think there is something to this idea. My father was a big collector of valuable antique clocks, and also dabbled in rare coins. On more than one occasion he had people offer to sell him items well below what he knew to be their actual value. His response was generally to inform the person that their asking price was too low, and then make them an offer that was mutually beneficial. For example, "I think that clock my actually be worth about $5,000, not the $3,000 you are asking. I'm willing to give you $4,000, and if you would like to try and spend the time and energy finding a buyer willing to pay more, that is your prerogative." You take my point, I'm sure.
In this case, I believe my firearm alone (i.e., without scope/rings/bases) may be worth $2,000. Since I was including a very nice scope/rings/bases in the $1,300, I was essentially asking about HALF that. If someone offers to sell you something you know is being grossly undervalued and you take that offer, you may be lucky, you may be smart, or you may be ripping someone off. If you point out that it's probably worth quite a bit more, to make sure they know what they are doing, then your conscience is clear. If not, in my opinion, you are not being forthright; you are taking advantage of someone, even if you want to justify it by saying "it's their fault; they should have done their research."
Once I discovered I had mistakenly undervalued my item by as much as 100%, I was not going to let it go for that price. This had as much to do with refusing to be taken advantage of as it did with the money. As I told Hairtrigger, both before and after the renegotiation, I don't need the money, and I'm in no hurry to sell the gun. I really like this gun, and always have, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let it go to someone with questionable scruples, as Hairtrigger showed himself to be both by way of trying to "steal" the gun (in the words of another poster), and more importantly, by the rudeness he displayed over the phone, calling me "greedy" (I would argue he was the one being greedy; if he had told me the truth and offered even a little more up front, this almost certainly would not have occurred), and saying that he knew I couldn't be trusted because I wasn't "from the south." When I pointed out I was raised in TX, he accused me of lying since I didn't have an accent (I lived in the Midwest from the age of ~ 10 onward). He also said that this lack of trust is why he had asked I have my FFL ship to his FFL, rather than me shipping directly to his FFL. During our first phone call, he told me this was because I was so new to the forum, and I understood and agreed completely. In hindsight, I think the main reason he wanted this done was because he knew this deal was "too good to be true." My ridiculously low price made him wonder if I was a scammer. This is just further evidence he knew, and was not being completely honest with me. If someone is a little off in their price, that's their business, but when they are WAY off, I think the honest person speaks up.
The following ads/links are listed in the order I found them. 1-4 were found before I posted my ad, and 5-7 were found later, after more extensive searching. I'd love to see some additional ads, especially for the older 700 Ti model, that are newer than 2013. Please share if you know something.
1. 2012 Ad - $1,300 (no scope):
http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f25/remington-700-titanium-sale-89793/
2. 2013 Ad - $1,200 (w/scope and hard case):
http://www.armslist.com/posts/13509...-remington-model-700-titanium--308-deer-rifle
3. 2013 Ad - $1,300 (w/scope):
http://www.armslist.com/posts/18988...olina-rifles-for-sale--remington-700-titanium
4. Current Ad/Auction - $2,295 opening bid:
http://www.gunbroker.com/Item/670168060
5. 2013 Ad - $1,700 (w/scope):
http://www.armslist.com/posts/14519...for-sale--remington-model-700-titanium-7mm-08
6. 2016 Ad (Alaskan Model; Jewell trigger, rings/bases, no scope) - $1,850:
https://www.theoutdoorstrader.com/t...ton-700-titanium-alaskan-guide-model.1245306/
7. 2012 Ad (Alaskan) - $1,675 shipped:
http://www.longrangehunting.com/threads/remington-700-ti-in-7mm-08.103087/
