Actually not!!! Who invented ebay had a good understanding of human behavior so it was used to keep people coming and living their dream to find cheap things and the sellers are returning because they earn more than expected. Today you go on ebay for cheap and end with overpriced old stuff. Don't trust me? Here are some of my experiences with ebay auctions.
Case studies:
Photo cameras - cheap point & shoot included.
Unfortunately I have lost a cheap point and shoot camera rented from my university, kind of old. I didn't need something better and I took the 100 Euro "soap" camera. I manage to forget the camera in tram, and no good people came after me so it was not at the lost and found.The camera was old enough not to be found in shops, or Amazon not even as used so I proposed to buy the newer model that was around 135 Euro in store, brand new. From the rental service they said is too much paper work so I better go on ebay and buy the same model, they even showed me some auctions that were at that moment around 20 Euro. Said and done, went home, opened an ebay account, found 6 offers and waited for the end of auction so I can bid.
The starting price was around 10 - 20 Euro for each of the six cameras. I had a feeling that will go up but I wasn't expected what was to come. After all was a 4 years old cheap point and shoot camera, who wants to pay more than for a new one?!?!? Are you all nuts?
First camera was sold a little more than 200 Euro, I stopped at 100 because a better camera and new was 135 in shop, from the same manufacturer.
Second camera again 200, third one was around 180 and for the fourth one I was the lucky winner with no more or less than 150. WTF!?!?! How can you say you get cheap when you buy used and more expensive than a new and better one? In my case I was forced somehow but I really don't think that all the other bidders were forced to find a replacement camera in one week .... the same make and model.
Out of curiosity I checked the remaining two, were sold a bit higher than mine. I concluded that I was lucky because my auction ended around 4AM in the middle of the week so I had a small competition .... but still ...
WHICH PERSON IN THE RIGHT MIND WILL BUY USED MORE EXPENSIVE THAN NEW???? And still looks like are a lot of idiots on this planet, including me! If I would ask on the street how much will they pay for it ... would have been less than 50 Euros.
Bikes
As a poor student I made a "mistake" when moving to another country to study, I gave away for free my old bike, Was the fair thing, this is how I see it, I don't need it, is old, someone can use it and be happy.Here I needed a bike like hot water. So I looked in the shops, no way to get closer to one of those, so I was "smart" enough to buy a cheap supermarket bike. BIG mistake! But still quarter price. After 2 years started to fall apart, couldn't find parts so now it goes into the trash.
Still student, still poor, I am searching for a used bike that can stand a trail in the forest, mainly a MTB. Now the new bikes are "no touchy", the cheapest one starting at 400. Shops don't get busy selling used ones because looks like they sell well and they sell bikes over one thousand so why bother with "garbage and peanuts".
At least in Europe is this French sports supermarket that offers good price - quality products, and they have their own brand of bikes called B'TWIN with a price range from 120 Eur to 4000 Eur. The basic model is 120 no suspension. A hardtail is 150 with a decent front suspension from SR Suntour XCT with 80mm travel, not so bad, lifetime warranty for the frame, again not bad at all. I don't see Cube or Merida offering this for an entry level. But being "fried" with another 250 Eur bike I don't want to spend again too much and I can't afford this luxury.
You need cheap? Go on ebay ... right! Now I look and wonder if the people on this planet have brain or not. I see some "good to go into the trash bin" bikes sold with 80 - 100 Euros, even a junk like mine is now in auction and is around 70. Old bikes with old suspension at the price of a new Merida or Cube, and no, were not some carbon frame or something special just good old MTBs from 2000. Are you all crazy or I am the only crazy person on this earth? Dude, keep that money and add some extra in the next few months and buy a brand new one!!!
Bikes that in a flea market don't value more than 10 Euros are sold on ebay with 100 .... where is the cheap price in this? And don't get me wrong ... the starting price is 1 Euro.
Then you can see another kind of bidders which I wonder if they are real or not but the price is 1 Euro and instead of bidding 1.5 or 2, he or she or it or whatever it is, throws a bid of 50, then comes another one and puts 80. Are you willing to buy cheap or not? I am not sure, but then the crowd follows and you see a bike with a shelf price of 1400 (but 6 years ago) selling with 1200 .... and I repeat my question ... are you all idiots? Even the producer will sell it for peanuts since is a 6 years old model and used for 6 years as bonus. You could easily buy a new one at this price with disc brakes and all new technology or if you have already 1200 than means money are no problem for you and in two months of putting aside you could buy a brand new UFO compared with the old rusty you just bought.
Conclusion? Ebay is not for buying cheap and good used products. The only thing that you can get cheap is the garbage that otherwise you will get for free, this means that even garbage is expensive on ebay.
Camera lenses
Another hobby of mine and another "don't have" thousands of Euros to buy new lenses, which are overpriced anyways if you ask me. Because of all those DSLR hipsters the prices went crazy also on the second hand market. Used Canon lenses are very close with a new one, at least that's what I have seen on ebay. Why should I buy a used one just with few Euros less? Where is the thing that makes it worth ... ah ... right ... not spending those extra 20 bucks. But extra 20 bucks means new, means a warranty, means no scratch and all the things that come with a new product.I have also a very old film camera so I said maybe old lenses can do and with a small adapter they fit on my DSLR but this comes with the hassle of all manual settings plus learning how the lens works on the body since all is manual and even the light metering is not reliable. But what doesn't do a poor student for a hard workaround to have two extra lenses. But then again are coming all those DSLR hipsters who are full of money and just want to be retro and you find a crap lens from the 60's at 70 Euros and you can go over 300. And really they are scratched, old, mainly 28, 35, 50, 52, 54 and 135mm lenses, they have some chromatic aberration on DSLR and other things, so they are not bought by professionals and yet they are sometimes very expensive.
The same lenses I found on ebay at more than 50 Euros I purchased at a photo flea market with 5 Euros each but even there it is a rising price from event to event because ... well ... on ebay are more expensive. One colleague of mine saw some old lenses at a photo dealer they were for free or to be thrown away, and then you see the same lenses selling at over 50 bucks. Where is the offer and which is the real price? Because in a store you will not buy a 40 years old 50mm f2 lens with 50+ bucks when you have the new Canon 50mm f1.8 at 98 Euros, with working focus, light metering and all things you need.
Did someone really purchased something cheap and good on ebay? I have the feeling that this auction thing is taking out the competitive trait and you want it and you will have it even if is more expensive than new but you won that fight! Way to go!
All products have a fair price but when comes over that fair ... how can you buy it? It is really a must have or it is a contest you need to win?
