terence_tong1 Posted October 17, 2003 Share Posted October 17, 2003 this is so BS someone paid $200 for a use EF50mm mk1 mk2 are going for $80+ ef85 non L for 200-400 eos rt for250 eos 630+50 mk1 for 300 since when does photo equipment appreciate?? what happened to getting a good deal on ebay? given, i've got a few items thru it that are quite good deal but geez probably furstated cuz i got out bidded :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phule Posted October 17, 2003 Share Posted October 17, 2003 Where is it written that Ebay auctions are required to be below the value at which someone is willing to pay for an item? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sk_arts Posted October 17, 2003 Share Posted October 17, 2003 ebay is it's own weird market, some things go for less, a few things go for more... most things go for the exact same price as retail. The attracted to eBay isn't so much "good deals" anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cgo Posted October 17, 2003 Share Posted October 17, 2003 Yes, eBay can be a little wierd sometimes and you have to be patient to find an auction that eventually goes for a fair price. Many buyers seem to be uninformed regarding values and/or retail prices or get wrapped up in the whole process of winning and end up paying more than they should. I personally had a pleasant experience as a seller two years ago. I had purchased a brand new Canon 100-300L from B&H. After receiving it, I decided to sell my two year old Canon 75-300 (non-IS) on eBay - my first eBay sale. Bidding started slow but went into a frenzy in the last few hours of the auction and I ended up selling it for more than what B&H were selling it for and more than what I paid for my 100-300 a few weeks earlier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebogaerts Posted October 17, 2003 Share Posted October 17, 2003 I guess there are people who are patient enough to find good deals on ebay, and I guess they do happen, but they seem to be getting rarer as time goes on. As was mentioned before, some people either don't know the value of what they are bidding on, or they get caught up in the "excitement" of bidding. One piece of advice that was mentioned to me was: Never fall in love with any one piece of equipment unless if it is truly, truly rare. And if you absolutely need something now, go KEH. At least you'll be buying something from someone with a truly great reputation, plus a no-hassle return policy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douglas_greenberg Posted October 17, 2003 Share Posted October 17, 2003 I have followed a lot of ebay auctions recently and I have found that there are indeed classes of items that sell consistently cheaply. Third party lenses, particularly older MF stuff, sell for a song. Older camera brand equipment that is not considered "classic" also sells fairly cheaply, as long as you don't demand "mint condition." Anything that is "new in box" or "mint" will sell for a premium. I recently gave in to an "inner child" desire to finally own a Nikon 400mm. f5.6 ED-IF telephoto, the one I really wanted twenty years ago but couldn't afford. I saw one advertised on ebay that was/is essentially brand new, barely used, immaculately perfect. I paid the opening bid price of $775 dollars (including case, caps, etc.), and from the prices brought in other auctions of this type of lens I know that I spent more than most people are currently willing to pay. I made the mistake of "falling in love with the item." But on the other hand, at one of the big camera places in New York or at Keh, a "mint" lens of this type would be at least $100 more, maybe even $200. Perhaps surprisingly, I never had a moment of buyer's regret here (even when I got my bank card statement in the mail :-) ). If you consider the ebay situation from the perspective of a seller (lots of people, including me, have joined a mad rush to get rid of the older equipment we don't use so we can finance purchases of new digital stuff), the low prices for used equipment is actually discouraging. But for buyers, it can be a good time to be looking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_muntz Posted October 17, 2003 Share Posted October 17, 2003 All you need is two people who really want the item. They can push the price beyond what something is actually worth on a normal day. I once bought a $15 book at Barnes & Noble's clearance rack for $3, read it and then sold it on ebay for $40. No kidding, three people bid over $30 for it. The list goes on. If you want to buy something on ebay, figure out what you're willing to pay for it and stick to that number. If/when it goes higher than that number, pass for the next one. Most people don't do this, and like I said above - all it takes is two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terence_tong1 Posted October 18, 2003 Author Share Posted October 18, 2003 no no.. don't take me wrong, i sell table cloths on ebay myself and by all mean, higher the better. but as some pointed out, the are gouger and uninformed people out there. My preception to ebay has always been more like a swap meet, and of course, that couldn't be further from the truth. i've got good deals from ebay before too, 450 for a eos 1+pbe1, 30 for a gralab timer, 5 bucks for 2 ss developer tanks, but by god, you must be in love with a seemingly normal ef 50 mk1 to pay 200+shipping for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard_milner2 Posted October 18, 2003 Share Posted October 18, 2003 The 'market' price of any class of item (let's say Nikon FM in used condition) is the average of the buy prices offered by all the buyers, in equilibrium with the sell prices accepted by all the sellers. As there are relatively few buyers and sellers on ebay, distortions of prices are bound to happen. My policy is to never offer more than about 70-80% of the item's general secondhand price in regular shops. I figure the discount covers my risk in not having a gauarantee and so on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron c sunshine coast,qld,a Posted October 18, 2003 Share Posted October 18, 2003 As a regular seller i'm still amazed at the ups and downs of ebay.I've had some UNBELIEVABLE ups but some weeks (good items) get lousy bids.<BR>These days i put a sensible minimum price to be safe.Oddly,the items that start at $1 or similar tend to go the highest on average,probably because they've attracted the lunatic bidders who get addicted.I can't do that because i don't have 'backup bidders' like alot of the big sellers do for each other. <br>Oh well,i can't complain-i've still done well from ebay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douglas_greenberg Posted October 18, 2003 Share Posted October 18, 2003 You have to remember also that when something is listed on ebay it's only listed for a short time, maybe five days, maybe seven. During that time there may be no one who is particularly interested in your item, but the very next week there might be two people who are dying for what you are selling and will drive the price up. That's why it's good as a buyer to have an idea of what you are willing to pay and then stick to it (i.e., don't get "addicted"), and as a seller, it's a tough choice between setting a minimum or reserve price that is the lowest you will accept and taking the risk of a low opening bid auction that might attract the "addictive" bidders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_muntz Posted October 18, 2003 Share Posted October 18, 2003 Hard to know one day to the next. Richard Milner has a good strategy for buying. It's just a piece of equipment! If someone needs that particular lens/body/filter than let them pay what they want for it and wait for the next one. Now when I'm selling, it's a different story!! Some auctions have been much higher than I would have expected, some lower, but overall I've done well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douglas_green1 Posted October 18, 2003 Share Posted October 18, 2003 There are CLEARLY some very reliable strategies for buying and selling on ebay. I am able to CONSISTENTLY sell items on ebay for more than I pay for them. As a buyer, the ONLY reliable ways to get bargains are the following: 1) To only buy with last minute snipe bids on items that are being undervalued, and 2) to Buy Now from very recent listings that have been posted at prices that are lower than the item is worth. Any other buying method, and you will likely pay more. As a SELLER, I start my items with HIGH minimum bids that are the least that I would HAPPILY sell the item for, and I ALSO ALWAYS have very fair and reasonable BUY NOW prices. The majority of the stuff I sell sells for it's BUY NOW price. And nothing I ever sell gets sold at a loss, because my minimum starting bid is higher than what I would lose money at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crackers_. Posted October 19, 2003 Share Posted October 19, 2003 Some things close at high prices. Then the fun of collecting, getting credits, and relisting begins. It's the part where ebay abandons the seller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron c sunshine coast,qld,a Posted October 19, 2003 Share Posted October 19, 2003 Just listed a bunch of items tonight(well i STARTED this afternoon...) I managed to list about a dozen items with not ONE computer lockup.<br>that has got to be some kind of record!!<P>That is one of my main gripes with ebay-it all takes Sooooooooooooo long to list an item. <br>The other one is a total lack of contact info *when* something goes wrong.I see in new zealand that there is a competing auction site that is killing ebay(for camera gear anyway).With a helpline number on the main front site page i'm not all surprised.If they started up here i would allmost imediately change over and never look back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philslade Posted October 20, 2003 Share Posted October 20, 2003 As a newcomer, I find that some equipment is consistently bidded up by collectors. Also, there is the problem of finding a reliable seller, so a premium will be acceptable if, say, the manufacturer of a discontinued item that is highly regarded is clearing inventory on eBay. Finally, I am a little distraught to see so little of high value on the shelves of reputable camera stores in the way of secondhand equipement because, by their own admission, eBay has sucked it all in. It seems to me that eBay is beginning to act as a de facto monopoly in some market segments and that is troubling, considering that its original rationale was mostly to reduce transaction costs. As it undermines the viability of local retailers and allows the savviest and most motivated buyers to stalk an ever-growing pool of sales, the little market puddles where a good deal and / or good advice and support were to be found are drying up. In addition, there are so many sellers with no photographic experience now peddling specialized equipment that much of eBay feels like a vist to a giant pawn shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric_bogaerts Posted October 20, 2003 Share Posted October 20, 2003 "Finally, I am a little distraught to see so little of high value on the shelves of reputable camera stores in the way of secondhand equipement because, by their own admission, eBay has sucked it all in." Or, in the case of the local dealer near me, they have some ragged used equipment that they have overpriced stickers on them. Some dealers also refuse to budge when they know that they have cosmetically less-than-desireable equipment. They also won't meet some on line or nationally advertised used dealer's 90 day warranty either. So, it isn't entirely ebay's fault. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_s Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 Where I've made the most outrageous deals are on camera parts that I paid a couple of bucks for at swap meets in the 1980s, but are now in demand by collectors. A year ago I cleared out a box of prewar odds and ends that I thought was near-junk, and hung up about 20 items on ebay. There's collectors out there that were climbin' over each other slobbering, trying to get at it-- made a few hundred bucks. I think my record is an item (I won't identify it in case one of you bought it!) that went to a collector for 22 times what I paid for it. Some mothers do 'ave em. Maybe I should buy a couple of dozen Canonet GIII's and Spotmatics now, to fund my retirement in 20 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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