WT. . . . ?

[48MMS]

I was watching the lastest array of patches on ebay from KMCOLL2 and once again, the amounts for a great deal of their patches was staggering. One, the 460th Fighter Interceptor Squadron went for $41, not a fortune, but considering that item #370306626445, yes a 460th FIS is going for $20, "buy it now" and that Radmanpatches.com has one for $7 makes me wonder why more people don't do a little research first. Just wondering. . . .

Oh, and before I get "bombarded" with stuff like, it's their choice, oh well or gee whiz; it is only an observation.

[Jack's Son]

..................."it's their choice, oh well or gee whiz".

 

BOY, I feel better now !

[2Dogs]

Humans are stupid by nature and some refuse to learn.

[Allan H.]

I was watching the lastest array of patches on ebay from KMCOLL2 and once again, the amounts for a great deal of their patches was staggering. One, the 460th Fighter Interceptor Squadron went for $41, not a fortune, but considering that item #370306626445, yes a 460th FIS is going for $20, "buy it now" and that Radmanpatches.com has one for $7 makes me wonder why more people don't do a little research first. Just wondering. . . .

Oh, and before I get "bombarded" with stuff like, it's their choice, oh well or gee whiz; it is only an observation.

 

You know, in this business, reputation has a lot to do with prices realized. Can I get an "Amen" Bill Scott?

 

KMColl2 is Jim McDuff and his partner Tommy Kitchens. Anyone who has spent any time in the militaria collecting hobby knows the name Jim McDuff. He is the new president of ASMIC (assuming some secret write-in campaign didn't unseat him as he was running unopposed), as well as the author of several collector references. In fact, Jim "invented" the classification system for US enlisted collar brass.

 

When people recognize his name and reputation, they are willing to pay extra to buy from him. They know that they are getting a good piece but in the event that they don't like it for one reason or another, they know they will get a refund with no hassle. If you can afford to buy patches at $40 a whack, the couple extra bucks it costs to deal with this type of person is well worth the price.

 

Scotty is another example of people paying more to buy from him than to buy from someone they don't know. If I were to ever question the authenticity of an item I bought from him, he would promptly buy it back from me- no questions, not hard feelings, no problems at all. The flip side of that is that is when a collector goes to buy from a Jim McDuff or a Bill Scott, they don't really have to worry about whether it is real. Their reputations pretty well assure their buyers that they are getting what they paid for- even if it might be a little more than other sellers might get.

 

My two cents,

Allan

[Jack's Son]

The flip side of that is that is when a collector goes to buy from a Jim McDuff or a Bill Scott, they don't really have to worry about whether it is real. Their reputations pretty well assure their buyers that they are getting what they paid for- even if it might be a little more than other sellers might get.

 

My two cents,

Allan

And that .02 is worth paying .03 for.

Thanks for filling us in.

[48MMS]

Good points about a reputation, but in this case, $21 & $34 dollars respectively is a bit much for any reputation. I do agree that it is a factor (reputation) when I buy (and for the record, I have NEVER had any issues with KMcoll2), however the problem with paying too much is that it extends a false sense of value to, in this case, other 460 FIS patches. Case in point, there is a seller who I will not name (PM me if interested) who watches auctions on patches he has waiting to sell and then will list them after the auction for about the same price. Example, a 4123rd Strategic Wing came up for auction about four years ago, there we two bidders, myself and another SAC collector. We got in a bidding war and had I not bid, he in all estimations would have won it for about $30. After it hit $80, he sent me a message that basically stated that he had been in the unit and really needed it. Now whether he was truthful or not is another story. I stopped bidding and he won it for $80. Within minutes I received a buy it now offer for a 4123rd Strategic Wing, at $80. So paying more whether or not you can afford it, based on reputation is not always a good thing.

And thanks for the points of view.