John Barron wrote: "Said another way, that
> guy's purchase of that part DOESN'T change the intrinsic value of it- it
> can't! But he's willing to trade some (a lot) of his cash for it... so
> what?
Yes, so what? This was my only point, John. I wasn't questioning the right that someone has to do this.
"I have been around a while, and I know that there are a lot of folks who
> have VERY different values from me. I try my best to accept it and not
> make judgments about them, such as how much disposable income they have"
I've been around a while too, John, and very different values are what makes the world an interesting place. Because I have an opinion about these values is not necessarily a "judgment" in the context you seem to be using. If someone can spend $1000 or so on a deralleur I think it's a pretty safe assumption that he/she has a good deal more disposable income then many folks will ever have.
"I would consider the $20,000 purchase price of a minivan to be
> "unimaginably high" because I don't value minivans the same as others
> do. BUT, that doesn't make my stance some sort of "truth"."
I feel the same way about a minivan, or any other kind of automobile, but that certainly doesn't mean that I am trying to represent my *opinion* as any sort of "truth". That's an assumption you made on your own. Usually "truth" knocks on the door and most people, irritated, yell, "Go away! I'm looking for the Truth!"
Collectors can sometimes be a little defensive about the "value" of something. Weren't you one of the first ones to speak out, defending the guy who paid $100 for an empty box? ;-)
Mark B. wrote: "If we agree that rarity adds to the value, then how can you put a value on something that most of us have never seen before - "the rarest of the rare"? I know this derailleur isn't a one-of-a-kind, but it is very rare indeed. If ten of something sell on ebay and one goes for a lot more than the others, then maybe that guy overpaid. But if (hypothetically speaking) one has never been auctioned before, how can you put a value on that?"
I wasn't putting a value on anything. I was only stating my opinion that I find the prices astonishing and have a great deal of difficultly relating it to my *own* values. Jeez, you guys jump to the defense on these things as if I'm sitting in judgment and condemning these buyers to an everlasting hell. I don't seriously give a damn what they do with their money,but I am entitled to MY 2 CENTS (that means just my opinion. YMMV).
John Dunn, respectfully disagreeing, in Boise
> John-
>
> I bet Dale IS speaking strictly in monetary terms.
>
> eBay doesn't eke out the intrinsic value of anything- it finds the
> person who wants to trade the most money for it. Said another way, that
> guy's purchase of that part DOESN'T change the intrinsic value of it- it
> can't! But he's willing to trade some (a lot) of his cash for it... so
> what?
>
> I would consider the $20,000 purchase price of a minivan to be
> "unimaginably high" because I don't value minivans the same as others
> do. BUT, that doesn't make my stance some sort of "truth".
>
> I have been around a while, and I know that there are a lot of folks who
> have VERY different values from me. I try my best to accept it and not
> make judgments about them, such as how much disposable income they have.
>
> This is an awesome group of people on the CR list, and I appreciate that
> we can, at times, disagree respectfully. Thanks John
>
> John Barron
> Minneapolis
>
> John Dunn said:
>
> Well, remember the real life rule;
> > "Something is worth exactly what someone is willing to pay for it!"
>
> Sorry, but with all due respect, I couldn't be more in disagreement with
>
> this. Unless you are speaking strictly in monetary terms. I watch in
> awe
> as some of these parts go to unimaginable heights and am reminded of the
>
> line by Oscar Wilde about someone who ".... knows the price of
> everything
> and the value of nothing."
>
> I simply don't believe that because someone out there, with a lot of
> disposable income, decides that he/she will have something, regardless
> of
> cost, adds anything to the intrinsic worth of a bicycle part (or a
> Picasso,
> or the Hope Diamond, for that matter). Just my 2 cents.
>
> John Dunn in Boise
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <OROBOYZ@aol.com>
> To: <chasds@mindspring.com>; <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
> Sent: Saturday, December 15, 2001 8:20 PM
> Subject: [CR]Re:Rally?$230...
>
> > In a message dated 12/15/01 10:08:29 PM Eastern Standard Time,
> > chasds@mindspring.com writes:
> >
> > << No way that der is worth that much >>
> >
> > Well, remember the real life rule;
> > "Something is worth exactly what someone is willing to pay for it!"
> >
> > Dale Brown
> > Greensboro, North Carolina