Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/07/17
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Donal wrote: but I am putting my entire Pentax 67 system (2 bodies, 5 lenses, polaroid back) on market and finally looked at eBay for the first time today and it looks a wonderful place to buy gear cheap, but a terrible place to sell for anywhere near what prices are advertised in Shutterbug. Or am I missing something?? Sure a place to buy Leica, though. donal (who hopes he hasn't started a stampede). - - -- The first stampede was from Shutterbug to the WWW and E-bay.... Have you noticed how few ads are in Shutterbug as opposed to 2 or 3 years ago? Second... ebay and the www have really brought in the supply and demand economics to the sale of many items.... It used to be that your local dealer could charge really high prices for uncommon items as you weren't likely to find them at the competitor down the street. Now things that weren't so common at your local store are "everywhere" on the www and the price has dropped..... I've noticed over the last couple of years certain items that are now selling for 50% or so of their former value on e-bay as well. I've bought stuff for a lot less on e-bay than I had ever seen at a show or dealer. And one can now find nice Scoville Waterbury cameras and other stuff that you never saw before. On the other hand, when I sell my Canon FD system... I won't get anywhere near what they used to sell for. At the same time... things that are truly unusual or in great shape can bring higher prices because now you've got some guy in Wisconsin, Montana or New York who is willing to pay more for an item than any of the people who would drop by the local store. Remember that store prices will always be higher because they have salaries and overhead to pay and in many cases offer a 90 day mechanical guarentee that costs money too... and dealers tend to ask a higher price hoping someone will pay it and lower it over time as opposed to giving it away early on. But you will probably find that you will end up with more money by selling it yourself on e-bay as opposed to paying a commision to do so on consignment through a store or trading it in. But I've been wrong before. Duane Birkey HCJB World Radio Quito Ecuador Duane's Photographs of Ecuador http://duane_birkey.tripod.com