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02-27-2015, 01:14 PM   #16
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Proper functioning of a market depends on all parties having perfect information, or so goes economic theory.

02-27-2015, 01:17 PM   #17
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I disclose prices that I paid; bargain or too much does not matter. But it is mostly bargains And I don't see a problem with lower prices; unless people stop selling in which case the prices will automatically go up again.
02-27-2015, 01:18 PM   #18
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Used prices fluctuate. In general most second hand lenses are cheaper now than they were a few years ago, but then again the whole world has been feeling a little poorer than it was a few years ago. If you are buying lenses in the hope it's a good investment, well, you're probably going to lose money. This isn't a great time to sell lenses to be honest.

On the flip side of the coin, I just bought a da12-24, fa28, fa43, dfa50, da70, dfa100, fa135, and a da50-135 in a bargain basement job lot (all in perfect condition). I won't tell you how much I paid, because everyone will hate me!
02-27-2015, 01:27 PM   #19
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Someone gave me a K-3 for Christmas. If I review it and I enter Price Paid = Zero, does that affect the residual values of all K-3's?

By the same token, I paid $389 for a K35/3.5 in 1999, at which time they were generally 'cold, dead fingers' lenses. Should I in fairness delete my review since that price is no longer representative of the market? K28.3.5; K200/2.5; A50/1.2; Vivitar Series 1 105/2.5 Macro NIB/NOS? They're all worth what buyer and seller agree they're worth at the time they made the agreement.

Come October the prices of some of them will rise and others will fall, depending upon CA/PF and the number of copies that come out of canvas bags and off shelves.

02-27-2015, 01:32 PM   #20
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QuoteOriginally posted by geomez Quote
I feel that the prices of used K-mount lenses has gone down quite a bit in the last couple years.
I think so, except for some of the rarities. I'm hoping for a revival when the full frame body hits the market.

QuoteOriginally posted by dcshooter Quote
The "average" prices in the database here do the community a disservice, since the fact that they are self-selected, reflect garage sales, bargain finds, and other outliers, and are averaged over a period of 5 years in which the value of many lenses has changed drastically render the values given statistically meaningless.
I agree it's meaningless, at least in many cases. Fortunately there's the graph, which gives a good picture of prices over time. Looking at the graph it's easy to ignore the anomalies.

eBay sold listings, current prices at used-gear shops, and Marketplace history, taken together, make it pretty easy to figure what prices things are likely to sell for.
02-27-2015, 02:25 PM   #21
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The difference between a bargain priced piece of unwanted 'junk' and a highly prized & highly priced
artifact is knowledge. Bargains will be found wherever the seller doesn't know the value of their product
or know where to find the buyers will to pay for that value.

Bargain prices are as legitimate as any. They're just as legitimate as the over inflated prices that many
sellers ask, and occasionally get. Neither effects the true value of the item when it comes to a knowledgeable
buyer. The knowledgeable buyer will shy away from an overpriced item. And two or more knowledgeable
buyers will quickly set the 'going rate' for an item of mutual interest.

My latest bargain find that I'm still smiling about: a nearly spotless Super Takumar 85/1.9 for $40. >If< I were
thinking to sell it, (I'm not), I'd ask $250. I got it for $40 because the seller didn't know what they had, (and
it wasn't well presented, so presumably other buyers didn't know either). I >can< sell it for $250 because
I do know what I have AND I know where to sell it.
02-27-2015, 02:54 PM   #22
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I'm not questioning whether people should look for bargains, spend their time researching and wait for opportunities, that's by all commendable . What I'm asking is whether disclosing such information, for any personal reason (to boast or inform) skews other's perception on the current value of the item in question.


Last edited by Stavri; 02-27-2015 at 05:17 PM.
02-27-2015, 03:03 PM - 1 Like   #23
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QuoteOriginally posted by Stavri Quote
What I'm asking is whether disclosing such information, for any personal reason (to boast or inform) skews other's perception on the current value of the item in question.
Well, what if it does? It doesn't force sellers to reduce prices. It probably increases the number of lowball offers one gets, but it's still the seller's choice whether or not to haggle. Information is good. I wish it weren't so common in the Marketplace for sellers to remove price information from expired listings.
02-27-2015, 03:20 PM   #24
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QuoteOriginally posted by Stavri Quote
I'm not questioning whether people should look for bargains, spend their time researching and wait for opportunities, that's a by all commendable . What I'm asking is whether disclosing such information, for any personal reason (to boast or inform) skews other's perception on the current value of the item in question.
No it doesn't, for the reasons I gave above. You can stand around until you're blue in the face before
a knowledgeable seller lets you walk away with a A* 200 Macro for $100. It doesn't matter if your
cousin just scored one at a garage sale around the corner for that price, and the knowledgeable seller
knows it. He's knowledgeable and so will NOT lower his price to accommodate. Simply put, the
garage sale bargain did not skew the 'going rate'.
02-27-2015, 03:42 PM   #25
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It's a 2 ways street. I have numerous lenses I bought for bargain basement prices (ex,I didn't need my 100-300 but someone who changed to Nikon let it go for a good price). I have no need for $100 right now (average price for this) so keep it along with my 55-300 and every once in a while throw on an old teleconverter and utilize the apreture ring the 55-30 doesn't have. It's pretty much the only reason I use this lens.

Simply put, lens prices going too low will mean that many people will not sell them and with less lenses on the market, prices will go back up.
02-27-2015, 04:16 PM - 2 Likes   #26
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QuoteOriginally posted by monochrome Quote
Someone gave me a K-3 for Christmas. If I review it and I enter Price Paid = Zero, does that affect the residual values of all K-3's?
How dare you. Posting $0 for the price paid of your K-3 will affect markets in Asia causing abrupt and dangerous fluctuations in the Yen, thereby destabilizing the monetary system in the Far East which will consequently have dire effects on the entire eastern coastal seaboard of the United States thereby increasing material costs of surfboards at a point in which no one can afford. Do you really want Californians to go without Surf Boards? Next time think before you post.
02-27-2015, 04:28 PM   #27
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I can understand the elation of finding a great deal. I mean, how often does it really happen? When I decided I wanted a 50 1.2, I looked at Ebay, this site, and the major online sellers. It was pretty obvious to me that the online sellers were a bit higher than some of the deals on Ebay, but for the most part, with online sellers, description is more accurate, and the item is shipped promptly. Plus, there is a good return policy.

An incredible deal is something you stumble upon. If I want something, I know how to figure out what is a fair price. The Incredible finds are kind of fun to read about. And with the internet, more rare than ever.
02-27-2015, 04:49 PM - 2 Likes   #28
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Yes, let's stop the unfettered flow of information--it only confuses things.
02-27-2015, 05:04 PM   #29
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QuoteOriginally posted by Stavri Quote
I'm all for transparency but I don't think a Goodwill deal on a bunch of lenses reflects their value but should be categorized as a lucky find. I believe that the value of gear should be determined between two informed parties. As an example the latest review of the -F 50mm f1.7 (one of my favorite lenses) state its value as $30, a thrift store purchase non-including the PZ-10 camera attached to it. Although the market price values here at the forum vary I've never seen a -F 50mm f1.7 sell for that much. I personally think the price should be left blank or n/a. The lucky finders should get their own thread on detailing such exploits.

Does this graph make sense?
I just looked at the review you mentioned, and the reviewer states the price of the lens was $30, not the value of the lens. Price and value are two very different things.
02-27-2015, 05:16 PM   #30
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I for one, enjoy being ignorant. It makes life so interesting when I discover that $200 I dropped* on that 50mm f/2 was a touch too high.

* - didn't really drop
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