I have been watching ebay now for about 2 years now and there does indeed seem to be a seasonality of both supply and demand. I believe there has been a recent increase in supply of interesting bikes and a decrease in demand with many bikes going largely unbid.
A few bikes that I have been tracking that might be interesting to CR listmembers are:
The Colnago has a few rather interesting bits to it: Hi-Lo hubs (which are not visible in the single photo), Campagnolo freewheel (worth over $100 on its own), pantographed chainring, pantographed seatpost, Cinelli leather-covered VIP handlebars with 1R stem. When it first came up, I thought it would attract an almost immediate 'buy it now' bid of $750.
This Maruishi bike has already been discussed on the list when it first came out. Lou Deeter is the only bidder so far and has not yet met the minimum. Initially, th ebike was offered with a higher opening bid and with a considerably lower 'buy it now' option. If I recal correctly, it initially had a 'buy it now' of only $850. Given the ICS parts, I believe it would have been quite an interesting purchase at that price.
This NOS, supposedly never ridden, Colnago on German ebay already passed through unbid the first time round. If I remember correctly it was offered with a opening bid of 1200 euros. For a mint bike in an interesting frame size, this seems to be quite a good possibility.
There have been a few weeks over the summer when I didn't have more than a few items bookmarked to follow and I am once again back up to close to the limit. Have others noted the same?
Steven Maasland
Moorestown, NJ