Holy appreciation, Batman!

[kermaier]

Check out this completed eBay auction: http://www.ebay.com/itm/160661843138

I sold this lens (I mean the same one -- I recorded the S/N) last year on RFF for $195. It was resold earlier this year on RFF for a bit more, as the matching hood had been added to the set. Now it sells on eBay for over $500?! Sheesh..... I guess RFF really isn't the place to sell rare-ish collectibles.:bang:

::Ari

 

[Keith]

I agree that this is not the place to sell collectables. You have to price these sorts of things conservatively to move them here and to see something you sold at a fair price appearing on eBay for at least twice what you got for it is frustrating.

The alternative is to use eBay, take the risk, and let the market decide what it's worth!

 

[sparrow6224]

A. I saw this earlier today while it was still live and not looking carefully I assumed it was a ridiculous Buyt It Now price....

B. My experience here is that it's a sophisticated and discriminating market and to sell something quickly it has to be noticeably below what the buyer would have to pay for it elsewhere. Not insanely low, just a best likely price in the buyer's mind. But if you do that you can move -- as I did recently, under duress -- almost $2000 worth of stuff in about six or seven hours. Fully paid in under 12. You cannot do that anywhere else I know of.

C. That is one very shiny set of old RF lens and hood. If I were rich I'd want it.

 

[ruby.monkey]

And D) You sold it originally for a price you considered sufficient; or else more fool you.

 

[ItsReallyDarren]

I wonder how many hands had changed before it wound up on ebay. Dealers could also be looking at sites like this to score a good deal on items they can sell on their store front.

 

[kermaier]

And D) You sold it originally for a price you considered sufficient; or else more fool you.

I sold it for about what I had invested in it, between buying it (on eBay), and having it overhauled. RFF family pricing, so to speak, and it was bought by an active forum member.

Apart from the insane (or so I thought) prices on kevincameras.com, the only other example of that lens available at the time was on igorcamera.com, for the same $195 (coincidentally, as I saw it there after I'd sold mine).

::Ari

 

[kermaier]

I wonder how many hands had changed before it wound up on ebay. Dealers could also be looking at sites like this to score a good deal on items they can sell on their store front.

Could be. I don't remember whether the final purchaser on RFF (after I sold it) was a forum regular or an "outsider".

 

[farlymac]

I remember looking at that auction, and thinking what a wonderful job the seller did of presenting the lens. I would think that a collector more than a user won it, as they would spend a bit more for a pristine item.

PF

 

[kermaier]

I remember looking at that auction, and thinking what a wonderful job the seller did of presenting the lens. I would think that a collector more than a user won it, as they would spend a bit more for a pristine item.

PF

It wasn't mint, that's for sure, but it was a really nice example.
Maybe the same buyer is interested in collecting my Serenar 50/2 collapsible with hood. 😀

 

[nikon_sam]

Ebay prices can get out of hand...some auctions can mimic a shark feeding frenzy...
32 Bids, 16 Bidders...people see that and figure "I gotta have it"
I don't know how rare this lens is but sometimes that will get people out and bidding...


About 4 years ago I bought a Mamiya m645 1000s, it came with the 80mm 1.9 lens and PDS Prism...I bought it all for $300 (shipping included)...
Lately, I've seen several of the 80mm 1.9 lenses go for close to $400...one was a BIN auction for $395 and when I saw that I said "No way"...it sold for $395...

Or maybe that was a $374 lens hood...

 

[goamules]

The few things I've tried to sell here, at about 15% less than the going Ebay rate, never sell. When I move them to Ebay, they sell as expected. But then I get hit with the 13% fees of Ebay and Paypal.

A few weeks ago I had a LF lens listed on the LF board for about 3 weeks. Bumps, people posting example pictures they'd taken with an identical lens, everyone proclaiming how good a deal it was. No buyers for weeks. I finally put it on Ebay with the same Buy it Now as my LF forum ad. Bidders started ticking it up, then it sold with days to spare with the BIN. But THEN they buyer answered my LF Forum post saying, "hey, I just bought your lens on Ebay...!" Big favor, I paid 13%, about $60 dollars, because he wanted to click the button on Ebay instead of PMing me there.

 

[hausen]

At least most eBay listings these days can be bought worldwide. I rarely look at classifieds here with more than just a glance to see what people are selling because most have to will ship to CONUS only disclaimer anyway. I barely buy anything from onsellers here in NZ. Buy all photography gear, motorcycle gear and golf gear from US or European online onsellers. Only classifieds here that I seem to see that. Mind you Bob (bobkonos) saw me moan about that and made contact and I bought a superb Canon 35/2.8 from him. If you expose your products to the world they just might sell.

 

[John Shriver]

Hood could be more than half the value of that auction -- the early hoods like that are very rare.

 

[airds]

At least most eBay listings these days can be bought worldwide. I rarely look at classifieds here with more than just a glance to see what people are selling because most have to will ship to CONUS only disclaimer anyway.

If you expose your products to the world they just might sell.

Here, here hausen

 

[kermaier]

Here, here hausen

Hey, no problem: Do either of you want to buy my Canon 50/2 collapsible with hood/filter set for eBay prices? C'mon, it's even rarer than that 50/3.5.... 😀

::Ari

 

[kermaier]

Ebay prices can get out of hand...some auctions can mimic a shark feeding frenzy...
32 Bids, 16 Bidders...people see that and figure "I gotta have it"
I don't know how rare this lens is but sometimes that will get people out and bidding...

Pretty rare -- I've only seen 3 sold in the past few years. The hood is even rarer than the lens -- I think that's the only one I've seen. So I guess it's just a collector's frenzy in this case, which you don't see much on RFF. 🙂

 

[uhoh7]

Look at the seller--what he has up and recently sold.

Looks like he's making his living..no junk, great presentation, in fact very clean interface with big clickable product images professionally shot.

"You will not be disappointed" 14 days to send back no questions asked.

Ships anywhere.

and as has been pointed out, the hood is prolly worth 150 all by itself.

For someone with more money than time it's a beautiful piece.

When I think how much time I've wasted to save 50 bucks on this or that....