I sold my first ever items on ebay today........might be the last!!
I know now why I have enjoyed getting some real bargains with ebay for my vintage stuff......I know sometimes certain stuff goes for a very high price, but usually you can pick something up for a reasonable amount.
Today I sold a frame I'd made for myself [sorry Dale its off topic, as is the tri bars and Colnago saddle] but I was disapointed to only get £144 for the frameset, and only £20 for a virtually unused Colnago titanium railed saddle......although I was reletively pleased to get £80 for the tri bars.......now I know why I have got so much stuff....might as well keep it as give it away!
I'd say definately a buyers market on ebay.........
cheers
Kevin..not as rich as hoped. Sayles
Bridgwater. Somerset UK
>
> This auction is a great example of how eBay can tell us almost exactly
> what the *real price* of something is- If I counted correctly, there were
> 22 bids from 12 different bidders. The progression of bid amounts was
> orderly, and all of the last 10 bidders had a lot of eBay experience.
>
> I see plenty of posts on the CR list that seem to imply that people are
> paying too much for items on eBay. Don's post stops short of that, but he
> seems very surprised... that's OK. Here's what I see:
>
> 1) Raleigh is one of the most popular marques ever
> 2) The Professional was their top model
> 3) Its size is smack-dab in the middle of a bell-shaped curve
> 4) Pretty much all of it's components were exactly what all the
> professional racers were using at the time
> 5) In particular, the rear der is special, and the wheelset is really nice
>
> I have been messing around in this game for more than 15 years, and my
> opinion is that:
>
> a) For the last 10 or so years, in general, our beloved high-end vintage
> racing bikes and parts have appreciated in value faster than our savings
> accounts, mutual funds, and homes. (I'm NOT saying that's good or
> bad -because most people don't do this as an investment- I'm simply saying
> that it's a reality)
> b) I believe that these bikes are still undervalued (could continue to get
> more expensive) because more and more people are interested in things from
> the past, like pro-quality bicycles that embody the romance and grit of,
> for example, the Tour de France. Lance has raised the visibility of
> bicycle racing and racing bicycles to the highest level ever in america,
> if not the world.
> c) There's a "flight to quality" whether people know they're doing that or
> not. There's not a whole lot of "quality" perceived in the US dollar right
> now... and there's no practical reason to be holding Euros or Yen either.
>
> Summary:
>
> * Sorry for sounding like a no-it-all junior economist
> * I just work in a print shop
> * If more and more people are as passionate as I am about vintage bikes
> and parts, then it's predictable that prices will go up over time...
> * With some notable exceptions, I believe that eBay should be viewed as
> the *actual* state of affairs (vis a vis values), rather than a venue to
> see off-the-chart transactions. (LIKE IT OR NOT, EBAY IS THE MARKET)
>
> I'm done, thanks for reading
>
> John Barron
> Minneapolis MN USA
> http://www.velostuf.com
>
>
> Don Gillies wrote:
>
> Date: Sat, 27 Feb 2010 13:37:55 -0800
> From: donald gillies <gillies@ece.ubc.ca>
> Subject: [CR] Amazing Price for 1970 Raleigh (White) Pro (Used)
> To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
> Message-ID: <20100227213755.4FA357EC6A@lvs1-r2.ece.ubc.ca>
> Content-Type: text/plain
>
> Well, at least it was a happy valentine's day for SOMEONE ...
>
> http://ebay.com/
>
> $1351 + $90 shipping. I think this is definitely a record price for a
> Raleigh that's NOT NIB/NOS (note that two NOS/NIB mid-70's bikes were
> sold in the $2000-$3000 range a few years ago on ebay.) Wowie !!!
>
> - Don Gillies
> San Diego, CA, USA