Let the tube price gouging begin!!

  • Thread starter Thread starter napalmdeath
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Rick Lee said:
I don't sell anything for less than the market will bear.
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I'll happily take less for an easy deal with a good buyer, especially on low hanging fruit. I sold a $120 overdrive pedal for $50 last week to a 17 year old kid - like that $70 makes any difference to my life, and he was stoked.

The oversimplified 'it's a free market explanations' here paint a very, very narrow window of reality. Also price gouging, supply & demand and appreciation are being conflated frequently in this thread. Yes there's some crossover, economists have been discussing this for decades, but they are in fact separate phenomenon.

True tubes are not basic necessities like toilet paper, but if we assume they are important enough in our lives to warrant the term 'crisis' when there's a shortage, then price gouging is the most appropriate term. The housing market over years is as relevant as saying my dad bought a Strat for $150 in the 60's. Whether you understand it or not, this is a different situation to sudden tube price hikes based on short term shortages created by a crisis (war in this case). Economics 101 doesn't cover it sorry.

Anyway each to his own, I hope I never become the person that believes making an extra $100 on tubes from fellow musicians in times of shortages is cool. It's not illegal, it's not uncommon - it's just a petty, beta move in my mind.
 
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About eight yrs ago a guy was moving overseas and listed two EBMM Axises on a VH fan site for $300 each. I didn't lowball him, as that was still a smoking deal. I should have taken them both, but I grabbed one. It needed a little work, which I did and then I flipped it for an $800 profit. Why would I sell it for $300? I wasn't looking for it, am not in the business of flipping gear, but it basically fell into my lap. That $800 profit went into another bigger purchase. I have another Axis getting delivered today I bought on eBay for $2000. But it's gonna be a keeper.
 
napalmdeath said:
https://reverb.com/item/986287-new-4x-tungsol-el34b-el34-matched-quad-quartet-four-tubes
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This is total Bullshit! 399.00 for a quad of Tung Sols :mad: There is no way I believe this is justified and I bet this is from original stock that was sold only a few weeks back for 125.00 a quad and strangely most Tube sellers on Reverb closed up their stores for a couple weeks ...

Coincidence ... ??? I will remember the sellers who tried to pull this now and when prices come back to normal I will not purchase from them.
 
Rick Lee said:
About eight yrs ago a guy was moving overseas and listed two EBMM Axises on a VH fan site for $300 each. I didn't lowball him, as that was still a smoking deal. I should have taken them both, but I grabbed one. It needed a little work, which I did and then I flipped it for an $800 profit. Why would I sell it for $300? I wasn't looking for it, am not in the business of flipping gear, but it basically fell into my lap. That $800 profit went into another bigger purchase. I have another Axis getting delivered today I bought on eBay for $2000. But it's gonna be a keeper.
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I understand what you did and there is nothing wrong with that and that's very different from what some of these people are trying to pull by really ripping people off in a time where there is a shortage of available tubes for working musicians as well as anyone who is in desperately in need for their amp to work who may be really in a tight spot for tubes .

I have a few quads for each of my amps that I have had for some time so I am lucky but there are many who are having no choice but to pay these prices.
 
I don't think it's ripping people off to charge what the market will bear and/or it would cost you to replace your stock. I have a good stock of tubes. I'm not getting out of tube amps, so I'm keeping them. But I'd never sell one tube for less than it would cost me to replace it. And at this moment it would cost tons more than I paid for them originally. Not my fault and not really a profit maker.
 
Rick Lee said:
About eight yrs ago a guy was moving overseas and listed two EBMM Axises on a VH fan site for $300 each. I didn't lowball him, as that was still a smoking deal. I should have taken them both, but I grabbed one. It needed a little work, which I did and then I flipped it for an $800 profit. Why would I sell it for $300? I wasn't looking for it, am not in the business of flipping gear, but it basically fell into my lap. That $800 profit went into another bigger purchase. I have another Axis getting delivered today I bought on eBay for $2000. But it's gonna be a keeper.
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I see this situation as different from what we are seeing with tubes. First you happened into a good deal. Second you put work into the guitar to get it up to snuff. You got a bargain, but it was not available to everyone.

With the tubes, people bought them new, then the price went up. So all of use in that situation, no one happened into a good deal or did any work on these tubes and some are collecting. Also, anyone could try to capitalize on the prices, but thankfully most of us are choosing not to.

I mean I bought a V1 Timmy back in the day and used it for years. Got a Kingsley Page and so went to list the Timmy, which I saw people had for $450. Listed it for $350 and someone bought it, so yes I made money, but I had owned it and enjoyed it for many years and the value exceeded what it was worth to me.
 
blackba said:
I see this situation as different from what we are seeing with tubes. First you happened into a good deal. Second you put work into the guitar to get it up to snuff. You got a bargain, but it was not available to everyone.

With the tubes, people bought them new, then the price went up. So all of use in that situation, no one happened into a good deal or did any work on these tubes and some are collecting. Also, anyone could try to capitalize on the prices, but thankfully most of us are choosing not to.

I mean I bought a V1 Timmy back in the day and used it for years. Got a Kingsley Page and so went to list the Timmy, which I saw people had for $450. Listed it for $350 and someone bought it, so yes I made money, but I had owned it and enjoyed it for many years and the value exceeded what it was worth to me.
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The way I look at it, considering all of the money I’ve lost flipping gear over the years it’s nice to make a little once in a while
 
LP Freak said:
The way I look at it, considering all of the money I’ve lost flipping gear over the years it’s nice to make a little once in a while
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For sure, lost a ton over the years.

In short I kind of see those trying to capitalize on the tubes as like ticket scalpers.

And I did need some 6v6s for a repair, thankfully the local shop has me covered. Still crazy trying to find anything.
 
Personally, I'm glad I have spares, and though I certainly don't hoard, I could probably retube 4 amps with what I have, EL34 or 6L6's for power tubes. Came in handy when my brother's EVH 50 watt was losing some volume. Felt good to have a brand new pair of 6L6's when he's going through financial struggles and losing his business. Then you have some people that have to be exceptionally greedy, opportunistic, and selfish..

Everybody can have their opinions on whether it's right or wrong. I just feel sorry for people with blown tubes and can't afford any, for God's sake. Sad.
 
blackba said:
For sure, lost a ton over the years.

In short I kind of see those trying to capitalize on the tubes as like ticket scalpers.

And I did need some 6v6s for a repair, thankfully the local shop has me covered. Still crazy trying to find anything.
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I actually have a stash of RCAs and GEs and a whole bunch of NOS 6v6s that I will never ever use, if you ever need some again, get a hold of me.
 
Chubbs said:
Nice, quite an underrated tube. Wish I had known as I just recently bought 5 more of them.
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Vintage Tungsram are great tubes. I have at least 1 in all 3 of my Marshalls. I like them better than most of my stash.
A few things…..
Covid shut most of the world down. This and only this is what’s mainly responsible for inflation. Demand resumed, but NO supply-of mostly everything. Lumber, silicon chips, EVERYTHING. Building became impossible, so most stayed in their homes. Not selling. New families coming up? No homes to buy. Same with cars, guitars, amps EVERYTHING.
Prices jumped. People are forced to pay more.
It’s very simple, and it’s all about supply and demand. Occasionally I see a pre Covid price on gear at a GC and within the hour it’s gone.
Before some Polititard comes in to blame this admin on inflation; that makes as much sense as someone else blaming Covid on the last. It’s stupid, and wrong.

Oh, and gas prices? Set by commodity traders. Another stupid assumption that it can be controlled by politics.
If that were true than George Bush still holds the record for me when I paid 4.25 per gallon in my old Suburban 44 gal tank back in 08. That was one expensive trip to the Black Hills.
Supply and demand. More oil hits the market, prices go down.
Same with tubes, cars, guitars etc..

This isn’t hard to figure out. Hopefully most can wait it out on cars etc for production to ramp up again.
 
avg%20gas%20price%20putin.jpg
 
Racerxrated said:
Vintage Tungsram are great tubes. I have at least 1 in all 3 of my Marshalls. I like them better than most of my stash.
A few things…..
Covid shut most of the world down. This and only this is what’s mainly responsible for inflation. Demand resumed, but NO supply-of mostly everything. Lumber, silicon chips, EVERYTHING. Building became impossible, so most stayed in their homes. Not selling. New families coming up? No homes to buy. Same with cars, guitars, amps EVERYTHING.
Prices jumped. People are forced to pay more.
It’s very simple, and it’s all about supply and demand. Occasionally I see a pre Covid price on gear at a GC and within the hour it’s gone.
Before some Polititard comes in to blame this admin on inflation; that makes as much sense as someone else blaming Covid on the last. It’s stupid, and wrong.

Oh, and gas prices? Set by commodity traders. Another stupid assumption that it can be controlled by politics.
If that were true than George Bush still holds the record for me when I paid 4.25 per gallon in my old Suburban 44 gal tank back in 08. That was one expensive trip to the Black Hills.
Supply and demand. More oil hits the market, prices go down.
Same with tubes, cars, guitars etc..

This isn’t hard to figure out. Hopefully most can wait it out on cars etc for production to ramp up again.
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Lol.

Did food prices also go up because of covid, and supply and demand?

Sure was a large demand for the vaccines though, with a seemingly endless supply. And they were "free". Get your 2nd booster ?
 
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