Old Crap-Ass Phones That Cost Way Too Much
- July 9th, 2007
- Read 1436 times
- 5 Comments
If you’ve got too much money, loathe technology, and can’t stand the weird smell of your local GoodWill store, AbleCom will sell you a dumpy-ass old phone for way more than it’s worth.
Remember the old, white rotary phone that your grandma had hanging in the kitchen next to her ficus plants? All it takes is $49 and a pack of Benson and Hedges Ultralight 100’s and you’ll be connected to the old timey gossip network in no time.
Or maybe you’d prefer the rotary-dial handset that used to sit on the table next to Grandpa’s favorite scotch-soaked chair. It’ll set you back a measly $67.
Seriously, folks. There’s a fine line between old-school nostalgia and 1,000-percent markup. If you’re really into old phones, though, this might be a great site for you. But I mean really into old phones.
strider_mt2k
2007-07-09 13:19:58
I think the fun would be finding one on the wild somewhere.
My buddy still has his mom’s old original Bell “Kitchen” phone that we’ve kept working over the years. It’s great!
The things will damn near outlive us all, and would pay us better testament than some other stuff future archaeologists may find of us.
Someone will always be willing to pay a little (or a lot) more to expedite matters though, thus these folks.
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michael
2007-07-14 08:27:13
Doug Aamoth needs a course in business math, or maybe a very patient tutor.
There is no such thing as 1000% markup!
Even if the cost of a product is ZERO, and it sells for a million bucks, the maximum markup is 100%. It can never be higher than 100%, and is usually in the 10 - 50% range.
In traditional “brick-and-mortar” retailing, wholesale cost of something is $6, selling price is $10, and markup is 40% — the percentage of the selling price beyond the direct cost of the merchandise.
That 40% should not be confused with profit, and it has to cover lots of expenses including salaries, shipping, advertising, rent, repairs, services, utilities, taxes, insurance, etc. The actual profit is usually in the single digits, or may not exist at all.
As for the “way more than it’s worth” comment, aim your sympathy at the pathetic old people who still RENT phones, paying monthly fees adding up to hundreds of times the cost of a new phone.
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Jeffrey Clark
2007-07-18 11:12:39
I also purchased a phone that ended up defective and was returned for a new higherpriced one and was not refunded the shipping as promissed.
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Doug Aamoth
2007-07-20 17:30:54
Michael, you’re confusing margin and markup.
It’s absolutely possible to have 1000% markup on something. Margin is the thing that covers expenses like salaries and so forth.
Here’s a refresher article for you if you’re interested:
http://www.entrepreneur.com/startingabusiness/inventing/inventionscolumnisttamaramonosoff/article170964.html
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Spencer
2008-08-16 19:02:11
I haven’t seen the AbleComm site in a while so I don’t know what they are charging for rotary dial phones, but I can assure you that there are plenty of people who want them.
At BoldOldPhones.com, we sell about a thousand units a year and almost all of them are the standard black rotary dial phones like grandma had. They certainly go better with a roomful of antiques than some silver thing from Walmart and your kids won’t lose these phones between the cushions.
Also, I think the 1000% markup is a bit of an exaggeration. Our phones sell for less than the modern replicas do. Even that phone from Walmart will cost you 20 bucks or so… and it won’t last 30 months much less 30 years!
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