Scarcity, perceived value, etc.

I’m not commenting on price on the $2K BBS-1 thread so as to abide by the BST rules, so I’ll do it it here. 

If a Ti WR2 recently sold for $1400 (listed for, in reality, not sold), why would that make a SS BBS-1 “worth” $600 more? 

There are 421 SS BBS-1s. I’m willing to bet there are far fewer Ti WR2s. If I had to guess, there are probably no more than 60-75 of them in the wild now. Sure, more will probably be produced, but 350+ more? I’m not so sure about that. Not to mention that the Ti WR2s out there are all different gap and comb combinations, not carbon copies of each other (like the BBS-1). I could be wrong, but I think there might be even fewer Ti WR1s in circulation. 

With that in mind, why on earth would anyone perceive the value of a SS BBS-1 to be more valuable than a Ti WR2 (or WR1)? If anything, the values should be flipped around. Of course, the Ti BBS-1 trumps them all.

So, if I hear you correctly, you are questioning the sanity of that asking price for the SS BBS 1. And you would be correct in doing so based upon your statistics. There is a saying in the real estate business. A seller can ask anything they want for their property. It doesn't mean they're going to get it. How often have you seen totally outrageous asking prices for houses that aren't worth anywhere near that number? And of course those homes never sell. I'd say the same will go for that razor.

So, if I hear you correctly, you are questioning the sanity of that asking price for the SS BBS 1.  And you would be correct in doing so based upon your statistics.  There is a saying in the real estate business.  A seller can ask anything they want for their property.  It doesn't mean they're going to get it.  How often have you seen totally outrageous asking prices for houses that aren't worth anywhere near that number?  And of course those homes never sell.  I'd say the same will go for that razor.

I’m not questioning the sanity of the asking price so much as how that price was cooked up relative to the price of the Ti WR2 on there now. IMO, both razors are priced too high. But, if those two prices were actually (what I would consider) valid, they seem to be reversed based on the actual numbers of each. 

We can say, “The BBS-1 will never be produced again,” which would be correct. We could also say, “The Ti WR2 will be produced again,” which it might...be we don’t know if that’s actually true. If it is true, we don’t know how many will be produced, especially in each gap and comb option. To me, the SS BBS-1 seems overvalued compared to any Wolfman razor made from titanium. But one person’s perception doesn’t set market prices...I dunno...seems logical to me.

I don't understand why anyone ever gets bothered by pricing in the marketplace. I face prices every day that seem excessive. Ahi tuna. Prime rib at my amazing butcher. $16 burgers, which seem to be the norm at my local restaurants. If you don't like the price, why not just ignore the product, move on, and enjoy your day?

I don't understand why anyone ever gets bothered by pricing in the marketplace. I face prices every day that seem excessive. Ahi tuna. Prime rib at my amazing butcher. $16 burgers, which seem to be the norm at my local restaurants. If you don't like the price, why not just ignore the product, move on, and enjoy your day?

I’m not bothered. I have what I need. I’m calling into question the value of the SS BBS-1, in general, compared to other razors approaching that price point. The seller could ask for $5K for it. It wouldn’t bother me.

I don't understand why anyone ever gets bothered by pricing in the marketplace. I face prices every day that seem excessive. Ahi tuna. Prime rib at my amazing butcher. $16 burgers, which seem to be the norm at my local restaurants. If you don't like the price, why not just ignore the product, move on, and enjoy your day?

I’m not bothered. I have what I need. I’m calling into question the value of the SS BBS-1 in general compared to other razors approaching that price point. The seller could ask for $5K for it. It wouldn’t bother me.

Sorry, as I re-read my post, it seems a bit strident.

All I have to add is that value is in the eye of the beholder. I suspect there are some well-heeled hobbyists who would love to acquire a BBS-1, which are not readily available.

Happy New Year, all!

I don't understand why anyone ever gets bothered by pricing in the marketplace. I face prices every day that seem excessive. Ahi tuna. Prime rib at my amazing butcher. $16 burgers, which seem to be the norm at my local restaurants. If you don't like the price, why not just ignore the product, move on, and enjoy your day?

I’m not bothered. I have what I need. I’m calling into question the value of the SS BBS-1 in general compared to other razors approaching that price point. The seller could ask for $5K for it. It wouldn’t bother me.

Sorry, as I re-read my post, it seems a bit strident.

All I have to add is that value is in the eye of the beholder. I suspect there are some well-heeled hobbyists who would love to acquire a BBS-1, which are not readily available.

Happy New Year, all!

No worries. I get it. I’m going strictly by numbers, not by any sort of personal feelings about one item vs another item. I realize that going by the numbers only is probably flawed. If numbers were the only metric, brass, bronze and aluminum Wolfmans would sell for more than BBS-1s which, of course, they do not.

I am not a collector so out of the target market for a BBS-1.
From a shave POV, I would imagine any WR2 over 1.05 would deliver a
closer shave than the BBS1....while staying just as smooth or even smoother.

So I wouldn't consider one even if it was $200.

I do LOVE the Wolfman titanium razors though...they just feel and work much better
on the face than his SS variants IMO.

Wolfman Ti would be a better catch for me vs a BBS1.

I think it comes down to perceived scarcity. The Ti could disappear. The BBS-1 definitely has.

Sounds like most people who have tried the SS WR2 prefer it to the SS BBS-1, so to me that reduces my interest in it whatsoever, scarcity be damned.

Similarly, zero interest in Weber razors. They were great and they are rare, but they have been surpassed by so many other razors in recent years.

I don’t see the point in bitching about other’s ability to seek fair market value, but this thread is different in that it is questioning the seller’s stated logic of the pricing. That is just discussion.