Nothing wrong with a £50 bid, I only see it at £70 tops myself to buy in for stock! 

The vendor through Bonhams would have been stung for £25 picture fee plus 25% seller commission for items under £250 plus entry fee £10 ...adds up to about £75 fees.

So by a professional dealers point of view, which Al is , as am I...£50-£70 is fair money!

We will be paying tax & VAT on our profit too!

Don't ask a dealer if you want top price! Find a punter yourself Kev.

Gaz

 Or you could send someone a really poor picture of a sign you have found in a roof via text message (and possibly neglected to tell the owners). Let the dealer make the first offer and then load it up on ebay with their first bid as the starting price and offering punters free postage. You then neglect to tell the dealer that the sign is available online and wait for them to find out how rough it is with a much better photo than the one you sent them.

After ebay fees of 10%, Paypal of about 5% and the cost of postage, it makes you wonder how far off the mark £175 will have been. Or the second bid of £225? or the offer of being paid cash? etc etc.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/180767819..._876wt_116

If you want a good deal off dealers you have to help them by sending good photos and being straight up. As professionals we survive by taking chances and every now and again (quite often through hard work though) we win enough to continue. I just about manage to do this by offering free advice around the clock and employing restorers and welders to add value to items like the sign linked to above.

I am sorry Kev is not satisfied with the free advice he got from me when posting on the site with the good images shown.

Best wishes

Al.

I've had exactly the same thing happen. Guy rings me for a quote. By chance I visit the place where his machinery is removing a machine for a different client. Access is poor double yellows outside, 1983 Cortina Estate in Beige to move (flat battery, flatter tyres). I give the guy a fair quote, working in the Smoke is always a costly affair.
Next thing a different contact says he's been engaged for the cost of his train fare and some "beer money", to oversee and help on job. Client has decided he will do it himself, with no equipment, no experience, no public liability just to save a few bob.
What I'm saying is echoing both Gaz and Al, we're all trying to make a living. Most of us are not trying to rip people off, there are still honest people in the world, I like to think I'm one of them, and I know Gaz and Al are too. Rant Over.
Jez.