[fernando]

Originally Posted by ALEX

Rick - you're absolutely right.
Fernando, last thought: I understand and respect your opinion. Please allow me to ask for more: I have very nice and rare sword (18th Cent wootz shamshir. signed, in original silver fittings, double kirk pattern). How much does it cost. i.e. how much should I ask for it? What references do I use? Ebay? Other websites? Auctions? etc... I know that many will say: "shamshir like this will cost $2500 on Ebay", but I also know it'd cost about 10 times more on any decent auction (and the buyer will pay 20% on top of it in commissions). I do not know how much it'd exactly fetch though. So, why one can not ask for offer? Of course I can ask $25000 right away, but if I prefer someone who understands the above math to offer something in the acceptable range, and then work on that "seller/buyer click" which Maurice described so nicely earlier on, and without offending others - should I be able to? and I know the Forum is not an auction, I am using it as an example.

Try to start by taking into account how much you have paid for it ... an ingredient that amazingly you have failed to introduce in your above example .