Ah' I understand but it assumes that your supplier is able to do a 30% markup for you which is minimum fair for a normal customer but not persay what is attempted at times. But it still assumes that your supplier has the same cost as my own cost. Could be doubtful that the distributer is able to get their own cable for less than a buck a
foot. This much less that cost per
foot doesn't include shipping or pickup costs. I get these things shipped to me which costs on average like $180.00 per
pallet shipped added onto the cost of the cable. This or
send a
driver out to pick it up at not more than a few dollars less overall in cost savings. That cost per
foot is not compensating for shipping or your supplier's own costs in getting your cable in
stock.
Not back steppeing, just a caution about trying price wars or leveraging, be really careful in this attempt - at times you step on a toe and you remember it later in having done so or if not you your supplier might just in no longer giving you the same discount on what they can get more cheaply. For me, those same suppliers that supply the
wire could only wish they could also supply my plugs. They quote out some price and it's almost double my own pricing
thru other dealers. On some things they are worth buying stuff from, on others just as with buying cable from them, I buy the plugs elsewhere in a big
network that took years to establish and hundreds of thousands of dollars a year spent to establish. Unless you have time, volume & budget, price about but be really careful how much leverage you attempt is my advice.
On another
point to this section and getting back to the concept, Just priced out a Century theorized to be 8x16
fixture for $55.00 today to a co-worker. This was the price I would not budge on. Here is how I fixed the price...
First step upon seeing the
fixture, no matter if I’m buying it or not I cut off the
asbestos whip and open faced
Edison plug. My job as a ME to do this step of making gear safe immediately. I have four assistants in my area and don’t need them or I exposed, much less the person owning the
fixture to
asbestos any more than is part of our job in general. Found a Zip Lock bag, put the
plug & cable into it, cut the
wire flush to the
strain relief & cut it. Sealed up the bag after this.
This is immediate action with me cleaning up my area after cutting the
wire -
masking up would not have helped, this
fixture was already in my area that’s fan cooled. The
plug at like $3.00 to $7.00 each even if brand new is not worth the health risk to attempt to save. Bag it and trash it with the
cord. An open faced
Edison plug - old style with screw terminals exposed even if it has a laminated material
cover also is against code to use without a grandfather clause. All makes for a cut
whip with what’s left of the
asbestos whip inside the
lamp cap a later detail to take care of once the
fixture is service called. That’s a later operation but given it’s protected and enclosed by the
lamp cap, less a danger.
So, that’s the first step I used in evaluating the
fixture - cut the
whip off. So I opened the cap, opened the
base & the
barrel & looked at it’s condition. Lamp came with the
fixture, it was a EGE upgrade, I extracted it & cleaned it’s contact as it was pitted & oxidized. At least this if it works would work properly. Was not in the market for a
halogen upgrade lamp, If I buy the
fixture I’ll lamp it with an original lamp for the
fixture. This than for me since a 8x16 Century
fixture is obsolete as a
stage lighting
fixture as a lamp was not worth me paying money for it. If the seller didn’t want the lamp, I would donate the used lamp to a local theater this now cleaned lamp. Put a bad lamp into a good
fixture, it trashes the
fixture. If one cannot clean the contact of the lamp properly & protect it, best to
throw it out.
So on lamp, that’s zero dollars.
Lamp
base was cracked in half and would need replacement if this
fixture were to be made serviceable. That’s a like $15.00 part and the goal on even an antique light is a serviceable light
fixture. Even “Antiques Roadshow” notes on the TV show that a re-wired and cleaned light
fixture in the workings for it does not do away from it’s value as opposed to with other antiques. A light
fixture is meant to work and be in serviceable condition. This
fixture with broken lamp
base needs a replacement thus in making it work that cost of a new lamp
base deducts from the value of the
fixture by in this case a lenient $15.00 out of being nice and not including labor for me fixing it.
Rewiring the
fixture costs were a scratch in that it’s an obsolete
fixture and not expected to be ready to work. In other words, it’s just as acceptable for a antique
fixture that is not designated ready to use for a modern
stage to be sans wiring or with wiring at all in it’s value. Given the cut
whip and necessity to remove the rest of the
asbestos from the
fixture, I called it a
wash in doing a favor, but could have deducted around $20.00 for this added expense. On obsolete gear - or retail of gear it must be safe and proper, this by way of not wired or properly wired. On an antique, removing the wiring is ok, selling it with the
asbestos is not proper or ok.
Were this something from the 1970's or later in an
axial fixture that could reasonably be expected to work on
stage in an other than obsolete way... than it either is without wiring for less a value or provided with proper wiring and a clean and working lamp
base or you should expect that $20.00 less in value (these my standards.)
This
fixture is obsolete, a 8x16 Century radial
fixture will put light out but be really inefficient. Single
step lens etc, it’s just an artistic
element these days in value.
Overall
fixture, missing some knobs on the shutters but other than that paint was in decent shape & shutters /
gate while rusting were not so bad given an as is condition - but one in need of service
call.
Again in being nice and given a few missing knobs - like $10.00 worth of them I did not deduct from the
fixture’s overall value.
So we get into overall value of the
fixture.
Base price range or value. A
Altman 360Q is worth at least $95.00, a used
Altman radial
incandescent 6"
Leko is worth around $45.00. These in servicable condition or antique condition. Without clamp or lamp. A
Altman 65Q is worth in the say $65.00 range given the same without clamp (origional clamp) or lamp (origional lamp) standards. Used lamps are at best worth like $5.00 antique or modern upgrade but for the upgrade only if the buyer wants the upgrade as with original only if the buyer wants an original lamp. This based off antique verses modern needs. Could dependant upon the buyer and lamp go for 80% off cost of lamp if one can prove it’s a brand new lamp with only a few hours on it...
Clamps sell for like $5.00 to $15.00 each, an antique clamp with assorted rust is worth $5.00.
Dependant upon a
fixture, a 6" radial
fixture is often worth about $45.00 each if serviceable in condition, into the $25.00 to $15.00 range if not for them and other types of gear by way of obsolete antique. This
fixture is an 8"
fixture but one with about a 16"
focal length which is fairly common on the resale market and or being not as useful for a low budget
stage use. More popular resale fixtures will have a wider
focal length. Let’s
face it, if you gonna put a working
fixture in your living room, what you gonna want, one that puts out a say 50 degree beam spread or one that’s like 19 degrees? Were this like a 8x12 or 8x9 if such a
fixture available, it will have been worth at least $20 to $50.00 more. Still the more rare
step lens type
fixture balanced out the missing knobs, need for work both wiring and rust and in general, it’s a little more rare to see an 8"
fixture than a 6"
fixture.
I estimated it’s value at $65.00 for one in good shape. Given the broken lamp
base, work needed and 8x16 instead of smaller
focal length size I estimated it as worth $50.00, and added to that $5.00 for the Century clamp.
$55.00 take it or leave it in a fair price. And this a price of me not recommending he sells it to me but instead keeps it as his own antique. I’m not in the market for this type of
fixture and if it’s because he does not have room for it in his apartment as described, I would hang it off an I-Beam for him at work in him still owning it. The price offered was not negotiable, don’t want the lamp, he can either have it back or donate it to the local theater.
Fixture price was set in being benevolent but not over it’s value after I were to fix it up.
Kid will get back to me in perhaps not getting his theorized few hundred or at least more dollars for it, or listening to frank advice to him in not selling off his memories for quick cash or space in an apartment. Hope he goes for that better advice, but otherwise I’ll give it a good home and add it to my growing museum after it’s cleaned up. $55.00 was all the
fixture is worth in my estimate and that’s in being fair but even kind.
Hope the above helps others to have a basis for
fixture value. I see and buy lots of old fixtures these days. Love working on them, but worth a lot, most likely not. Still a shame to
send them to the scrap heap. Worth more than the aluminum that makes them up in a sentimental way.
