Is it just me?

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gsmcten's picture
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Is it just me?

I have been buying Apple II systems and equipment from eBay for over 16 years. Most of the time the sellers have had reasonable prices for most everything and I have been 95% satisfied with what I have recieved. The other 5% I have used for parts, etc. and counted myself lucky that it could have been worse.

What has really been great is the fact that if you are a repeat buyer from particular sellers, they go out of thier way for you.

The last six to eight months, some of the Mid-Country sellers, and some of the West Coast sellers, seem to have lost thier minds.

They are asking the most outlandish prices for items such as $499.00 for RAM II cards, $599.00 for SCSI cards and if that is not bad enough, someone in the Mid-West placed a piece of software up for $0.99 as a starting bid, but then wanted to charge $29.00 for shipping.

There are many knowledgable folks up here on AppleFritter. I have come to respect all the folks who answer questions and give thier opinion on all kinds of subject matter.

Is it just me noticing this behavior?

Am I the only one asking the "why" question?

Everyones view is appreciated.

Steven

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Re: Is it just me?

I can assure you Mate, it's not just you!

There is still a mouse card on ebay.com for 200 dollars. I think a lot of this is just a try on, or 'aim for the moon and hit the mountain'. I have wondered if any of these actually sell but just a few weeks ago there was an Apple Europlus with one disk drive on ebay UK that had a buy it now price of £349 and I'm pretty sure it was sold. They do say somthing is only worth what someone will pay for it and I'm afraid it only takes the minority to 'snap up' these 'rare, collectors items' to encourage other sellers to try and push the boat out with inflated prices. Like you, I buy most of my kit from the US and there is plenty of good value kit with reasonable postage rates but there have been times when I am after one particular item and the only one availabe is 10 times the 'real worth' price. There is also presentation - the guy selling the Europlus had an impressive listing of supplied software (all copied) and a link to a demo video on youtube. This adds to the 'attractiveness' of the product to buyers who are not in the know about Apple kit. I don't think this type of oportunistic selling will ever go away, I just hope it is stays very much in the minority!

Just see through it and find the real bargins....

Cheers,

Richard.

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Re: Is it just me?

Richard and all,

I went back up this evening (as I normally do) to see if anything new had been listed.
Lo and behold; someone had 1 Apple IIc and 2 Apple IIc Plus computers as a lot starting at $149.00 and $45.00 shipping.
This is not a bad deal; especially with 2 IIc Plus computers in the mix.

As I read the description, the seller said that this was a one week auction and that once it had ended (if not sold) that he would be placing the three computers on his e-store individually at twice the price each.
I didn't remember seeing a Reserve Price, so I doubt that he has any problems selling these.

It did strike me as funny though that he would turn around and ask twice as much for each computer in his store. Does he think that it it will get any better to jack up the price on bidders? I don't know.

As I said...there is some insanity going on right now with Apple II hardware, and I think that what these folks are doing is having the opposite effect on thier sales. No one wants to look at the rest of thier items because they're afraid to see the prices they want.

But thats just my opinion. Smile

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Re: Is it just me?

Its not just the Apple II stuff, its all apple stuff.
2nd and 3rd gen ipods for like 100 bucks, $200+ powerbook G4's, G3's, even old towers...
Makes it hard to find a decent laptop on a budget.

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Re: Is it just me?

I can understand higher prices on overseas Apple II systems. Apple II systems are much harder to find overseas, and shipping a system from the states costs a small fortune ever since the USPS dropped surface as an international option. The asking price for a lot of stuff does seem crazy, though.

Regards,
Mike Willegal

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Please Delete This Account.

Please Delete This Account.

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Re: Is it just me?

I think the interesting part is that people are asking prices at which product doesn't move.

There is a guy out there asking something like $120 for an Apple III keyboard. Why? Because there is another guy who has an Apple III keyboard listed for $10 more. But, that keyboard has been listed for more than a year.

I need an Apple III keyboard, but I've bought entire III systems for less than that price and a IIe keyboard works fine for now.

I don't track eBay items religiously, so I suppose maybe these guys eventually hook a buyer if they wait long enough, but a lot of the vintage Apple inventory on eBay seems like it has been there for a long time.

Barring Zimbabwe-style hyperinflation, it is hard to imagine that there will ever come a time where someone will pay $500 for a Z80 card or $150 for an 80 column card. But, I suppose it is possible - I am consistently surprised by the prices that accelerators get.

II+ systems seem to have really shot up lately and I was blown away by the prices the recent IIs have achieved. They weren't even the legitimately rare early revs. IIs with Applesoft ROMs are pretty common. Slap some Integer ROMs in one and you have a high dollar item on eBay.

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Re: Is it just me?

It really is unfortunate that these folks will have thier items up for over a year at the same large prices with no bidders/buyers due to cost. If thier intention is to move thier wares, then they are pretty bad job of it.

There are a couple more systems for sale that claim to be "mint", or "near mint" for bid as of yesterday. One of them is a IIgs system. Not sure which ROM Revision it is and the description does not say.

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Re: Is it just me?

You've got to see this to believe it!:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-5-Disk-Superdrive-Unidisk-Controller-Card-Apple-IIe-IIgs-sealed-New-Box-/190583456355?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c5fa8c263

Apple 3.5 Superdrive Contoller Card.

Starting Bid: $399.00 , Buy It Now: $450.00

Maybe if it came WITH a Superdrive...

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Re: Is it just me?

And Another!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-III-Computer-10MB-Profile-External-Floppy-Drive-Documentation-/330620918397?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4cfa8ada7d

An Apple III for $590.00

I believe these folks have gone completely insane!

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Re: Is it just me?

Like I said earlier Chaps,

An item is only worth what someone will pay for it!

Like all of us I wouldn't entertain paying these prices when there is so much kit out there for 'sane' prices. I (like others) occasionally buy a cheap SSC (for example) for £20 or so knowing I have a spare in case of failure.

But would I be tempted to pay (only a little) more if I didn't have a spare and there were no bargains about? Probalby so but I would still have to consider it to be value for money.

If these people would knock one of the digits off thier prices they may sell 'em!

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Re: Is it just me?

Sanity returns!

Just got an Orange Micro Grappler card for £12.54 including shipping from the US!

God Bless America!

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Re: Is it just me?

You have to see this to believe it:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120789477567&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123

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Re: Is it just me?

For that price it must include the house and from the photo it looks like he's throwing his wife in as well!

Bargain!

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Re: Is it just me?

Heres a twist...

Some yahoo up on eBay is trying to sell a potato chip that is shaped like an Apple.
He says that he pulled it out of a bag the day Steve Jobs passed away and figured it was fate.
It just proves to me that it takes all kinds......

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Re: Is it just me?

STOP THE EBAY INSANITY!!!

$500.00 IIc's
$900.00 IIe's

Yeah. Like I'm going to spend $500.00 on a IIc when I can buy 16 to 20 of them for that price. DOH!

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Re: Is it just me?

Now here is a real deal Smile http://www.ebay.com/itm/ORIGINAL-APPLE-IIC-COMPUTER-w-APPLE-PRINTER-BOOKLETS-PAPER-MUCH-MORE-/160664476786?pt=Apple_Desktops&hash=item2568595c72

I agree with most of you in this thread that most these prices are crazy. But Ebay has been that way since I first started using it back in 2001 or so. You will always have sellers looking for a sucker or the seller who somehow believes that his apple items are worth far more then they actually are. I find the only solution to insane prices on Ebay is to simply exercise some patience and buy when I can get a decent price...may take some time but it usually works. I leave the overpriced apple goods for the bidders with more money then sense.

Jim

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Re: Is it just me?

Jim,

You are absolutely correct. Smile

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Re: Is it just me?

For all Religious Icon Lovers:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260869765325&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123

This seller is from Iowa. Don't ask me what he is smoking out there, because I just don't know. lol Smile

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Re: Is it just me?

For all Religious Icon Lovers:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260869765325&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123

This seller is from Iowa. Don't ask me what he is smoking out there, because I just don't know. lol :)

I'm not sure what he's smoking either. I did manage to get what I consider to be a decent deal off of eBay recently:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380375897058&ssPageName=ADME:L:OC:US:1123#ht_4301wt_1166

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Re: Is it just me?

Magnus,

Actually, that really was a pretty good deal. One of the few that seem to pop up from time to time these days.

Since SJ died, folks have gone absolutely nuts. Items that they once had for auction for less than $20.00, they now want $200.00 or more for.

I imagine it will die down in a few months and the feeding frenzy will stop.

I have already told several sellers what Richard and I have both been saying all along...It is only worth what people are willing to pay for it.

And believe it or not, the guy selling the Religious Icon (otherwise known as the Potato Chip) has a bidder. I just don't know whether to laugh or cry. lol Smile

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Re: Is it just me?

I'm not seeing where Potato Chip Man is specifically from Iowa. The item "ships from Upper Midwest, United States." His other items for sale include a South Dakota SU sweatshirt.

I am from Iowa, and I'm not certain I'd claim him.

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Re: Is it just me?

I agree that these prices are insane. Someone on craigslist wants $500 for his iigs so now anytime I try to find a iigs in the area everyone wants too much money. Luckily one person realized that he was crazy and sold me his for $50 It is very annoying and it just misleads people that are trying to sell their older computers and they think that their items are worth 10x what they actually are.
Another problem with prices is ebay, the fees they charge way too much and sellers just pass those costs right down to the buyer by jacking up the prices. People used charge a lot for shipping because the fees were based on the buying price only and did not account for shipping but e-bay has changed this and now they charge 7% on both. Here is an example of an Item that I sold recently:

I sold an item for 34.99 and was charged 2.45 in "final value fees" about 7%
I was also charged a $0.70 final value fee on the 9.99 that I charged for shipping again 7%
I was paid 44.98 for the item and the shipping and charged a fee of $1.60 by Paypal (who happens to be a wholly owned subsidiary of eBay)

So the total fees were $4.75 for and item that was sold for 34.99 which is 13.5%!
Imagine how many thousands or millions of dollars of items that are sold daily on eBay. Between eBay and Paypal fees eBay makes 13.5%. How much does it actually cost them to run the site?

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Re: Is it just me?

I was thinking about all the comments and my own in this thread while I was sitting here having a cup of coffee. Yep...these prices are crazy, but at least the sellers are upfront about it. On the other hand you have the seller with a low bid price and an insanely high shipping charge! Earlier this week I saw a frequently listed software program for a reasonable five dollar price....then I got down to the shipping cost....instead of the expected 3 to 6 bucks this yahoo wanted $27.95! Tell me if I am wrong, but I feel like these type of sellers are purposely and a bit underhandedly trying to sucker the buyer. Why else would a seller hide his hoped for profit in the shipping? I believe this type of seller is hoping you don't look at the shipping charge before you bid.

So...stop the insane shipping prices too!

Jim

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Re: Is it just me?

A couple of contemporary reasons for the
strange pricing....

1...Expect everything "Apple" to increase in price
(at least for a while) due to Steve Jobs' passing.
This happens with all items associated with famous
people or role models. The prices will eventually
go down. Just wait it out.

2...The reason for the high "shipping prices" is
that the sellers are trying to dodge all of the
"add-on" tariffs that E-Bay and other e-sellers
are now adding to the sellers' wares. The seller
is still basically getting what he/she is asking
but is not having to pay all of the (unfairly) added
costs to E-Bay, etc.

3...When you see BOTH shipping and asking prices
are high, well, that is just plain old GREED and
if you are experienced in buying from e-sites, you
will just realize that and take a pass on it.

Hope this is helpful...

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Re: Is it just me?

Woogie and all,

Yes...I happen to know which seller you are talking about with the almost $30.00 shipping charge for a $5.00 item. I reported him to eBay for excessive shipping practices. I look at everything to do with an item before I bid on it. I even suggest that they can use USPS Flat rate boxes sometimes for a lesser shipping cost.

Flat Rate boxes are what I use when I sell. It's far and in between that I do, but I have sold a few items over the last couple of years at what I hope were reasonable prices.

I figure in about three to six months all of this Bru-ha will settle down and the prices should go back to relatively "Normal". Smile

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