NEW O'RIORDAN FOR SALE.

PETRUS · Post by **PETRUS** » Thu Oct 28, 2004 11:02 am

Brand new O'Riordan D whistle.Anodised black tube ,delrin head in corduroy bag.Price is $350 cash,for a wonderful whistle.
Cheers,Simon.

PETRUS · Post by **PETRUS** » Thu Oct 28, 2004 11:06 am

Please reach me through private messages.
First firm offer gets it.

PETRUS · Post by **PETRUS** » Thu Oct 28, 2004 12:43 pm

Whistle is sold.
Thanks,Simon.

Lizzie · Post by **Lizzie** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 3:28 pm

This rather irks me...my math is poor, but this sounds like a 250% mark up. To me this is taking advantage of the thoughtfulness of a wonderful man who keeps is prices low so that just about anyone can afford his whistles. Alas, I guess there are greedy whistle players.

Brian Lee · Post by **Brian Lee** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 6:00 pm

"whatever the market will bear". Supply and demand. Right now there is a great demand for Pat's work, and absolutely no supply. It's no different from buying some old chair at an antique dealer. You'll pay ten or even hundreds of what the chair sold for new - especially if it's in good shape, and the ONLY reason you do it, is because there simply aren't many of them around. It doesn't matter what the original cost was if you can't easily buy one anymore ya know?

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 10:01 pm

Brian Lee wrote:"whatever the market will bear". Supply and demand. Right now there is a great demand for Pat's work, and absolutely no supply. It's no different from buying some old chair at an antique dealer. You'll pay ten or even hundreds of what the chair sold for new - expecially if it's in good shape, and the ONLY reason you do it, is because there simply aren't many of them around. It doesn't matter what the original cost was if you can't easily buy one anymore ya know?

Do you seriously think that Lizzie has never heard of market forces? My impression is that, like Pat O'Riordan, she simply has a more elevated set of values. Kindness and fairness have rewards, even material rewards, that aggressive entrepreneurs can't even dream of.

I collect records and in the record world there is a saying a bit like Brian's sentiment here. Many very poor records are priced outrageously high because of their rarity. Some 78s and singles could be priced at $5,000-10,000. These are rarely the good records. Now the saying is this: no matter how hard you protest that you would never pay that sort of money for a record, should a copy ever come your way that's what you'll be asking for it when you sell it.

Actually the situation in the record world is worse. Price guides have all but eliminated the bargain but they have also led to unintended inflation. No dealer ever seems to pay any attention to the grading system according to which you take money off for wear and tear. The only price that ever stays in their mind is the mint condition price, even though almost no old record ever surfaces even close to that condition and the guides carefully coach readers in grading procedures. Even when I've proved to dealers that the record they are offering is at best near mint—there are subtle give away signs that a record has been played—none has ever responded favourably to my insistence that they lower the price accordingly.

I'd love to play an O'Riordan or two, but I won't be paying the asking prices. It's a shame, but there are plenty of good whistles out there.

Miwokhill · Post by **Miwokhill** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 10:47 pm

I guess it's like going to a concert where you paid $50. for the ticket and scalpers are getting $150. outside the concert. What are you going to do? It's the way of the world.

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 10:58 pm

Miwokhill wrote:I guess it's like going to a concert where you paid $50. for the ticket and scalpers are getting $150. outside the concert. What are you going to do? It's the way of the world.

No, it's ONE of the ways of the world. Lizzie and Pat O'Riordan exemplify another.

Actually, almost everybody has a conception of a fair price, which leaves room for a reasonable profit, but which is not closely related to free-market value. Even the worst profiteers don't like it when it happens to them. Scalping is also illegal in a lot of places although selling at or around cost is not.

It's ironic that we get sucked into a system that hardly anybody really likes very much simply because we get sick of being scalped ourselves. Obviously, though, once you start investing in property or antiques you are taking a risk and your livelihood depends on your making a profit.

Miwokhill · Post by **Miwokhill** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 1:06 am

okay...

Lizzie · Post by **Lizzie** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 8:05 am

I most certainly have heard of market value......just becasue you can get what the market will bear does not mean it is right to do so. And sometimes this works against one...look at the hockey players..exhorbitant salaries (yes, I know they have short careers, but most of them up here end up working for beer companies and making good money)and ordinary people cannot afford to go to hockey games anymore and now the rich players are shut out; I have no sympathy for them at all.

I sold my D O'Riordan last summer at Celtic College. (I had a newer one). A horde of people wanted it...I could have gotten way more than the asking price, which was what I had paid. Several people offered me more money. Instead we held a draw(ticket entries went to charity) . The winner got to buy the O'Riordan. I got to feel good about someone getting the O'Riordan.

"It's the way of the world"..what a sad commentary. Because the world might be going to hell in a handbasket does not mean you have to go too. I think more than ever the world needs examples of ethical behaviour.

And thanks, Wombat!

Byll · Post by **Byll** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 8:38 am

Well said, Lizzie.
Best.
Byll

Brian Lee · Post by **Brian Lee** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 9:02 am

Didn't know you wanted to get into the ethics of whistle pricing, but again, is it really fair to charge someone as being a pirate or a swindler on the only premise that you would have done it differently? He may have had some very good reasons for asking what he did for that particular whistle. Or he may not. Either way, the whistle is sold, and I would guess it's new owner is relatively happy with that fact. You may want to gather more facts before you jump to conclude there must be some evil intent there. You may be perfectly right, but you may also not know everything there is to know about the whistle, the sale, or the people involved in it. Perhaps asking them directly OFF list (mind you, not accusing them of anything) if you're really interested would help you to understand the reasoning behind it.

Lizzie · Post by **Lizzie** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 9:26 am

Pirate or swindler??? Those are your words, not mine. The word I used is 'greedy', and as for a good reason.....perhaps if his child was sufferng and he cannot afford the medication, well, then that would be different....but more than a few have asked high prices for their O'Riordans.,.they can't all have had a compelling reason. I will stick with 'greedy' for most of them.

liz

Joe_Atlanta · Post by **Joe_Atlanta** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 9:40 am

Lizzie wrote:but more than a few have asked high prices for their O'Riordans.,.they can't all have had a compelling reason. I will stick with 'greedy' for most of them.

And certainly much easier to paint them all with the same brush rather than find out the actual facts of each case.

Brian Lee · Post by **Brian Lee** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 9:42 am

You're welcome to stick with whatever term you like. Call it what you will, you don't like the asking price for this whistle. Fair enough. You didn't buy it - someone else did. I'm sure they were happy to or else it wouldn't have sold in the first place. But it did sell. I don't know enough about it to make any sort of judgement as to the whistle's actual value or the maker's integrity nor have I alluded to. If someone offered me thousands of dollars for my O'Riordans, I'd certainly accept it. But I'm not going to be selling them here anytime soon - they're too valuable to me. Lots of folks feel that way about a whistle they really click with. If it makes you feel any better, you could buy one of the mysterious invisible Davy Spillane whistles. They cost a veritable fortune, and apparently don't even exist yet. You'll pay more for one of those than you will for many whistles on the market. If I were you, I'd try to forget about this sale. Know that the buyer is very likely happy, and move on to more enjoyable things...like playing the whistles you do have. If it's killing you to play an O'Riordan, you are welcome to come and play mine anytime I'm not using them. Just put them back when you're done.

Best,

Bri~

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NEW O'RIORDAN FOR SALE.

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