Ebay Experiment

bob cole

bob cole

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Feb 12, 2006
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Because of the weak economy and reports that buyers are sitting on their hands, I tried an experiment to see how buyers of rangefinder cameras and lenses were responding...

There are at least 15 pages of rangefinder cameras, ranging from Leicas, Canons and Nikons, to Retinas, Olympus XA and rangefinder lenses...

I selected 15 items with bids starting at around $10 usd or so and low-balled all of them, except for the Leicas. Nikons and Canons...

Almost immediately I was outbid on the lower-priced items and now I am rapidly being outbid on the Leicas, Nikons and Canons. I believe I will be lucky to win even one...

Conclusion: rangefinder buyers are actively bidding...
 
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Probably there's going on another experiment - outbid first bidders and see in how many cases they'll try to recover :)
 
Based on what you've described, I don't see that as a fair experiment at all, especially given that many people are savvy enough to bid at the latest second. You have to look at completed auctions. I have personally watched and bid on a couple of very nice cameras lately that sold for excellent prices. I missed getting a Fuji 670 medium format camera, and it sold for $380! So yes, I have definitely noticed items selling for much less than they did even a month ago. But ebay always seems to have lulls....
 
I`ve seen lot`s of equipment sell for way lower than what it`s worth lately, a seemingly rare 1940 Leica IIIC didn`t ever reach $200 the other night and there has`nt been a K shutter Grey paint Leica (new offer) online there for almost 4 months now, evilbay is NOT a healthy place to sell right now, I`m suspending any of my further personal auctions with valuable equipment for now......

Tom
 
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Its due to the weak $ that foreign ebayers are very active on the US market.
Bad for us buyers good for us who sell ;-)
 
I have never been able to figure out RF pricing. It is all over the place. When I was using Nikon SLR cameras, I could sell, for instance, a Nikon F4s camera and an 80-200 AF-D 2.8 zoom lens and know within a few dollars of what it would sell for. Prime lenses like an 85 1.8 or 1.4 (if you can find a used one) sometimes sell for more than a new one! But I am constantly being surprised at what the RF gear sells for. Even stranger, I have seen Leica IIIa cameras and LTM or M mount lenses that are described as being in near mint condition, just CLA'd, etc sell for less than someone who simply posts a fuzzy picture and obviously is selling inferior gear. Now does that make any sense?

In the past I have always given exact details when I sold something, as well as lots of good pics and a refund if any problems. Now I am going to do what the top sellers are doing. Post one pic, give a one or two line description, and that's it. When in Rome....
 
leicasniper said:
I'm not sure it's the devalued dollar at work, here. I think the whole film camera market is just approaching burnout, except perhaps at the high end. The film camera bubble has been going full out since digital caused film cameras prices to drop into the toilet. I suspect everyone who lusted after film cameras of old have bought and sold them several times. The lust is fading. They have either abandoned them for digital or have finally settled on what they want. How many AE-1's does a guy need, anyway?! :)
Click to expand...

- whats with the predominantly negative approach to film Mr. Sniper?

it seems to be your general idea in numerous discussions...

let us love our film...it will still be around for many years to come.
 
bob cole said:
Because of the weak economy and reports that buyers are sitting on their hands, I tried an experiment to see how buyers of rangefinder cameras and lenses were responding...

There are at least 15 pages of rangefinder cameras, ranging from Leicas, Canons and Nikons, to Retinas, Olympus XA and rangefinder lenses...

I selected 15 items with bids starting at around $10 usd or so and low-balled all of them, except for the Leicas. Nikons and Canons...

Almost immediately I was outbid on the lower-priced items and now I am rapidly being outbid on the Leicas, Nikons and Canons. I believe I will be lucky to win even one...

Conclusion: rangefinder buyers are actively bidding...
Click to expand...


I've come to the unsubstantiated conclusion that either some funny business is going on or there are some compulsive bidders on ebay.

Low priced BIN items go unsold and then relisted, but a similar item for auction gets run up at the last second. Yeah, sniped another one!
 
Thardy said:
I've come to the unsubstantiated conclusion that either some funny business is going on or there are some compulsive bidders on ebay.

Low priced BIN items go unsold and then relisted, but a similar item for auction gets run up at the last second. Yeah, sniped another one!
Click to expand...


A couple of years ago, I traced some "funny" business between buyers who would shill bid for each other, reported it, and of course never got a reply from ebay. Now everything is hidden, so you cannot even get an idea of what is a reasonable bid from the history. People were allowed to bid on their own stuff as well.

Then there are the people who misspell something and it may not be forwarded during he search.

Whatever bargain you get, you often have to work for it.

I am watching to see if that 120 Spool goes up very high. ;-)

Regards, John
 
I have been looking to buy a Plaubel Makina 670 for awhile .
After following the auctions at Ebay and Yahoo auctions in Japan I notice the same thing ...a camera with a poor description and blurry photo will sell for over $2000.00 .
Same camera a week later in mint almost new condition sells for $1300.00 or not at all. Japan auctions always seem to go high ...maybe there is more of a trust between camera owners and buyers about the condition stated . When you see a photo of camera handled by white gloves and condition is stated as mint chances are it is .
 
Ebay sales are always slow in the summer, unless you sell swimsuits.
 
ClaremontPhoto said:
Was that really 'he search'?

You're having a laugh writing about misspelling and 'he search' at the same time.
Click to expand...

Hve to watch those quick crowds, ;-).

I once tried to go to a Besseler web site, (should have been Beseler, but hey, if they cannot spell their own name?) and a porn site had grabbed the name, as if they have to lure people to porn from a photo company site, or perhaps Besseler is something I never heard of in the erotic world?

I did find a good deal on a Beseler head, but I was not sure of any real advantage as it seems few people know how to spell it to begin with.

Ebay might be too busy counting their money to worry about clients manipulating the bidding. Some of the bigger retailers do not have time to address the boxes and boxes of returned merchandise, the more honest ones just tell you they have a room full of unopened returns and they just send you a replacement.

I sold a camera that had been carefully gone over and serviced, yet was still a problem child, gave the guy his money back, told him to keep the camera as a project, and he still flamed me.

He never contacted me directly, just posted trash, well, I guess it says more about him. You make some people happy, others not, he is off my Christmas Card list now.

Regards, John
 
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