Why a $3,500 buffet now sells for $330
The market doesn’t price what something cost, or how well it’s built. It prices what people want right now.
One of the hardest things to accept in the secondary market is that quality and price are not the same thing. A heavy oak buffet that screamed ‘built to last’ can crater, while a plain toaster holds its value across decades.
The reason is simple: the market prices demand — not craftsmanship, and not what something originally cost. Big, dark, formal furniture is hard to move and hard to fit into modern homes, so it sells for a fraction of its old price. Smaller, useful, in-demand things hold up.
This is not a reason to feel cheated. It is a reason to know which way the market leans before you decide. Knowing the difference between what is genuinely sought-after and what just looks valuable is the line between getting paid and getting burned.
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