Calculating (depreciation of) second hand 'white goods' prices

[Oboulez]

We are buying a house & the owners are offering to sell several appliances - fridge freezer, washing machines, lawn mower etc. They are all 'mid range' - not Miele or Bosch for example, and are 2 to 3 years old on average. Does anybody know whether there is some sort of formula to roughly calculate the depreciation value? We could do with some of the items, however as they are out of warranty, we think that they are possibly asking too much for them (e.g. a €550 fridge freezer on offer at €350).

[Quillan]

As a general rule of thumb for out of warranty white goods (of the ages your talking about) you should be looking to pay around a third of the 'new' price but no more than half. Don't forget they are probably trying to sell them because they have nowhere to put them if they sell the house so your doing them a favour as well. If you don't buy them they have the grief of storing them elsewhere and selling them and possibly the cost of advertising as well. For insurance purposes you should also try and get hold of the original bill's as well. If they are French owners they will probably have these.

[YCCMB]

Welcome to the "French way" of selling anything secondhand. Of course, there are bargains to be had, but in general a quick stroll round a Vide Grenier will show you that people believe their secondhand stuff (and at Vide Greniers it's often tat) is worth a fortune when it's actually worth next to nothing.

Why not have a look on "Leboncoin" or "Paruvendu" or even "Troc.com", or if there's a Troc.com (or Troc de l'Isle) shop near you, and see what sort of prices are being asked for secondhand white goods. That should give you a bit of an idea. Also, check out the prices of new stuff.

If it were me, I'd probably tell them you don't want their stuff if it really is overpriced.  You can pick up a brand new fridge freezer for under €300 so paying €350 for one that's 2 years old isn't exactly a bargain

[Pommier]

Sounds as if they're over valuing to me! I wouldn't pay more than €150 (probably more like €100) for a second hand freezer, and that'd be only if it looks pristine. After all, it could stop working the day after you buy it!

[Quillan]

[quote user="Pommier"]Sounds as if they're over valuing to me! I wouldn't pay more than €150 (probably more like €100) for a second hand freezer, and that'd be only if it looks pristine. After all, it could stop working the day after you buy it![/quote]

Exactly and sods law says it will.

[Benjamin]

We were offered a similar type of deal, although mostly furniture.

We told them to come up with a price for all of it rather than getting into discussions on individual items. We then decided what everything was worth to us.

When they come up with a figure just tell them that it is exactly twice/three times/quadruple what you thought and leave it at that.

We ended up paying our figure rather than theirs.

[Loiseau]

The previous owners of a tumbledown cottage we were buying asked us what we would pay for the (admittedly magnificent) ox cart that was entirely filling up one of the outbuildings.  We said we had no use for it at all, so they were welcome to remove it.

They didn't.  And it's been a splendid (though disintegrating) feature in my garden for 25 years.

So it might be worth calling their bluff and saying you don't want them.

Angela

[AnOther]

It astonishes me the sort of ridiculous prices the French seem to routinely demand for secondhand stuff.

As it's so common you have to assume that this does work and that they do really expect to realise those sort of sums although it won't be from me I assure you!

Vide greniers are something else too, tat you wouldn't pay 50p for at a UK car boot sale can be priced at many 10's of Euros, mind you you do see far more browser than people actually parting with cash.

[cooperlola]

I bought a two year old chest freezer from my neighbour for 50€.   These people are taking the p*** aren't they?

The second hand market here is certainly daft.  I bought (as I mention on another thread) a mobility scooter on my last trip to the UK.  Admitedly it's not new but it is virtually unused (to the extent that the tyres still have those stringy bits of rubber on them which they have when they're fresh from the mould and the seat, floor etc have no wear on them at all )and the most important bits (battery and charger) are brand new.  I paid £320 for it and they about £1500 new.  In France even if I can find one of these things for less than a grand they are mega-tatty at that price.

Say no thanks and walk away.

[Will]

Be careful. Selling 'non-fixed' items like furniture and appliances (even fitted kitchens etc) at inflated prices is a way of reducing tax. You may benefit in paying less for the French equivalent of the UK stamp duty by buying these things separately, but the seller may be looking at a way of reducing capital gains liability or some other dodge to avoid putting some of the purchase price through the taxation loop, but if when selling on there is capital gains tax to pay you could lose out through there being a bigger difference between purchase price and sale price than there should have been. It's a more sophisticated version of the old cash under the table trick, that may get picked up and you could be asked to pay the taxation shortfall.

But it's most likely to be just a typical French overvaluation.

[idun]

Tell them you'll give them a couple of hundred euros cash for the lot. Or they can take the lot with them. I wouldn't touch them otherwise. I have had too many things break down as soon as the warranty has finished. They are taking the mickey.

[Ejc]

Also check out what you can buy new - we made a take or leave it offer to our vendors when they wanted a huge price for an oven and hob - they took them but I was able to buy new at a reasonable cost, the firdge freezer they made a huge fuss about leaving for us didn't last a week. But having declined to buy from them - the vebdors also took every light fitting and light bulb as well as everything else not screwed down and some that were.......

[idun]

When we sold our house we were told that we couldn't take all the light bulbs, it was not permitted. We didn't and left all the light fittings.

[Mr Ice-ni]

We are lucky in that we live reasonably near a white goods shop specialising in end-of-line and shop soiled so some of the stuff we buy may have slight scratches etc but it is all new new at a more sensible price.

Offer what you think it is worth, buying "a pig in a poke" is risky and don't worry about their being offended as you will probably not see them again.

John

 

 

[pachapapa]

But a price on BonCoin is for me a start of negotiation price.

At the moment I am looking for rechargeable 3D IR  Active glasses.

Todays email interchange on the subject:

Bonjour *******, bien toujours intéressé, si votre offre inclus frais de
port, alors on peut y aller ensemble avec bonheur, cordialement, michel.
De toute manière j'attend avec anticipation votre réponse, je sens que on
approche un accord.
----- Original Message -----
From: "******  *****" <********@neuf.fr>
To: "'mike'" <********@libertysurf.fr>
Sent: Monday, March 05, 2012 9:07 PM
Subject: RE: Votre annonce "2 paires Lunettes 3D Actives rechargeables
SAMSUNG" sur Leboncoin.fr

Si vous êtes toujours intéressés, je suis prêt à vous céder les 2 paires
pour 85 Euros (offre de départ 100 euros). Il n'y a pas de meilleure offre
sur le marché à ce jour.

[Mr Ice-ni]

Well said, PPP, any advertised price is merely an invitation to treat.

John