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04-10-2010, 11:32 AM   #1
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old Pentax * lenses on Ebay...OMG!

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There is a slightly banged up SMC Pentax-F* 300mm f4.5 ED IF being auctioned at the moment. I was initially interested but quickly lost appetite after the price started to climb (it's at 665 USD as I write this). Why is it that people are willing to pay this much for certain lenses? The copy is hardly a collector piece after all and Adorama currently sells a used DA 300mm f4.0 in excellent condition for a bit over 800 USD. I don't see anything that the old lens could do better than the DA, except for the presence of an aperture ring...and the one on ebay has minor problems with the aperture ring too. I don't understand what's going on with some of the auctions.

04-10-2010, 12:30 PM   #2
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QuoteOriginally posted by Boucicaut Quote
There is a slightly banged up SMC Pentax-F* 300mm f4.5 ED IF being auctioned at the moment. I was initially interested but quickly lost appetite after the price started to climb (it's at 665 USD as I write this). Why is it that people are willing to pay this much for certain lenses? The copy is hardly a collector piece after all and Adorama currently sells a used DA 300mm f4.0 in excellent condition for a bit over 800 USD. I don't see anything that the old lens could do better than the DA, except for the presence of an aperture ring...and the one on ebay has minor problems with the aperture ring too. I don't understand what's going on with some of the auctions.
Nostalgia. Plus, people are idiots, including me:

I way overpaid on eBay for all of my lenses. (Just see list below.)
04-10-2010, 12:55 PM   #3
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I couldn't count the number of times I've hastily bid on something, only to realize later that it wasn't really what I was looking for in the first place.

Just a few weeks ago I got into a bidding war over a Pentax 35-70 macro lens. I confused it with another 35-70 F4 constant version, whereas the one I won was actually the less sought-after 3.5-4.5 variety. In the end I paid $75 for a decent lens, but I wasn't what I really wanted.

I wonder how many of these people are letting their urgency over-shadow certain details of the auction. Yes, we're all very particular about the lenses we seek, but sometimes, well, you just can't help yourself!
04-10-2010, 01:08 PM   #4
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I was one of them...

Heck I was one of them too. But I realized quickly enough to actually cancel my eBay account because I found myself monitoring and bidding on Pentax gear that I didn't even want.

Now I just monitor and buy directly from the Market Place

04-10-2010, 01:13 PM   #5
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I'm not up on current prices. What should an F*300/4.5 go for? Seven hundred doesn't sound too bad, if I wanted one. My idea of prices for these was formed when there was no new version available.

The only time that you can be absolutely sure that no one is paying crazy prices on eBay is when you have something for sale.

QuoteOriginally posted by LowVoltage Quote
...Just a few weeks ago I got into a bidding war over a Pentax 35-70 macro lens. I confused it with another 35-70 F4 constant version, whereas the one I won was actually the less sought-after 3.5-4.5 variety. In the end I paid $75 for a decent lens, but I wasn't what I really wanted.
I withdrew my A 35-70/4 ($50) from the Marketplace after one query and a very low offer.
04-10-2010, 01:14 PM   #6
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I blame it on GoKevinCameras

I think this guy is buying up lenses and then selling them for 2X normal price. Most normal people would never pay his prices for a lens, but if you happen to "need" a lens or "want it now" ... then he is one of your only options.

eBay Store - goKevincameras: Classic Collectibles Lenses, Nikon Rangefinder Lenses, Exakta Mount Lenses

(okay so maybe its not his fault alone ... that was kind of a joke. sort of. yeah.)
04-10-2010, 01:28 PM   #7
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if the F*/FA* 300/4.5 were a BIN item selling for $500, consider them gone within a few minutes. that's how bidding works. on how much people really want to have a certain item and how much a seller could get from selling the item.

it's like going on an auction. you get excited with how an item initially is being bidded, just to get upset afterwards when someone in the crowd drop a huge amount for it and want to mug that person.

04-10-2010, 04:08 PM   #8
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It is simply a phenomenon of the crowds. The eBay market is gigantic so there is always someone somewhere who really wants a certain piece. Now, if two such people want the same one, it gets bid up outrageously.

And even if that is not the case, the process leads to inflation.

QuoteOriginally posted by Ira Quote
people are idiots, including me
I would have pegged as a dummy, not an idiot.

...

...

...

...

Judging by your avatar of course!

04-10-2010, 04:16 PM   #9
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The bidding mentality on Ebay, at least in my opinion, does this to everything that is sold on there. I saw a K100D go for $500 not too long on there, a used one.
04-10-2010, 04:18 PM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by jct us101 Quote
The bidding mentality on Ebay, at least in my opinion, does this to everything that is sold on there. I saw a K100D go for $500 not too long on there, a used one.
There is ample economic evidence that most people overspend in the auction format, largely because of the heat of the action. They get in a little, feel they have an irrefutable stake, and sell the cutlery to buy a spoon. There's many an episode in films and TV (Seinfeld) where this occurs, for good reason.

You can get a good deal on eBay and in auctions, with strict discipline.
04-10-2010, 04:22 PM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by Aristophanes Quote
There is ample economic evidence that most people overspend in the auction format, largely because of the heat of the action. They get in a little, feel they have an irrefutable stake, and sell the cutlery to buy a spoon. There's many an episode in films and TV (Seinfeld) where this occurs, for good reason.

You can get a good deal on eBay and in auctions, with strict discipline.
Which Seinfeld episode is that? I've seen all of them and don't remember that!

Yeah, it gets kind of ridiculous sometimes, but the ones that really get to you is when you see an auction that just ended for half of the price that everyone else is paying for it!
04-10-2010, 04:28 PM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by jct us101 Quote
The bidding mentality on Ebay, at least in my opinion, does this to everything that is sold on there. I saw a K100D go for $500 not too long on there, a used one.
Yikes. That's a P.T. Barnum moment.

It is always good to have the KEH site open when you are bidding. It boggles my mind that people will pay more for something from a "no returns accepted" Ebayer than a reputable retailer charges.
04-10-2010, 04:57 PM   #13
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But that's another thing. Peope rarely take into account the risk of buying. At the moment of bidding it is all adrenalin and gear-fixated.
04-10-2010, 05:10 PM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by rparmar Quote
But that's another thing. Peope rarely take into account the risk of buying. At the moment of bidding it is all adrenalin and gear-fixated.
Early on, I will admit to having gotten caught up in the moment and ending up with slightly dodgy stuff from Ebay, such as a lens with perfectly clear elements, but catchy focus. Things like smooth focus and feel are not usually described.
04-10-2010, 05:29 PM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by GeneV Quote
Yikes. That's a P.T. Barnum moment.

It is always good to have the KEH site open when you are bidding. It boggles my mind that people will pay more for something from a "no returns accepted" Ebayer than a reputable retailer charges.
That's too funny, because that's exactly what I do! I think that KEH is the best indicator for most things, but it is off on a few. I don't quite think that the *ist DL is worth the $300 they ask used for it sometimes.
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