FleaBay - Prices going daft?

[porteous]

Is it just me, or are the prices of older bikes and bits going through the roof on Fleabay? I see lots of the same sellers asking two or three figure prices for stuff that used to be genuinely cheap. Or is it just me?

Back to hunting in skips and hedges!!

 

[compo]

It's not just you. Things have been getting worse for the past couple of years or so and since the Olympics prices have rocketed. That's the Olympic legacy. It seems that a few years ago many older bikes were available for £25, now they are a real rarity. I have been looking for months for a bare 22" road bike frame that I can afford so I can build it up but the few that have come up have all gone for silly money.

 

[EltonFrog]

I've seen some daft prices too, on eBay ATM there are several Dawes Kingpins for sale, most of which are around 40/50 quid, which I think is a bit too much considering the condition of some of them, but there is one which the seller is asking 150 quid for. NUTS!

 

[biggs682]

@porteous & @compo i have this for sale http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/dawes-medalion-project.138005/ not quite £25 but close enough if you ask me quickly as garage is full !

but yes e bay prices are stupid

 

[Davidc]

Not just ebay - everywhere else I look too.

As compo says - the Olympic legacy.

 

[byegad]

I was in the market for N Gauge model locomotives a few years back. One particular model, freely available on mail order from UK companies at £225 sold, as a used but box item for £400+. This was not typical but routinely used locomotives were going for prices similar to, or more than the cost of a brand new model, from a UK Model shop in the high street.

 

[uphillstruggler]

I think youre right. a mate is looking for an old steel frame to use in London and to bring back on the train, but looking on ebay, everyone seems to be selling refurbished frames for silly money. the search continues

 

[sidevalve]

Not too sure what is meant by cheap. If you are looking for a decent 531 frame - even now a superb piece of engineering that can hold it's own with many modern bikes then why should anyone give it away ? If all that's required is a bike that nobody's going to steal then there are lots of cheapo modern things out there. Just equating old with cheap is not really realistic. Further when you look at the cost of a new bike being £500 - £1000 before you are exceeding the quallity of of a good steel frame then £100 - £200 doesnt seem so much.
Disposable income has increased [believe it or not] after all how many people paid to have a bike serviced only a few years ago ? We will not be going back to the days of the £5 Dawes galaxy that just needs a clean. {OK cue all those who've just picked one such up for 50 pence].

 

[DCLane]

It seems there are fewer eBay bargains, or on Gumtree even, which is eBay owned.

Both my son's bikes I sold recently went for far more than expected; the Probike raised £76 and the Maxima, which I'd expected to go for £25-30, went for £62 . The old Carrera Virtuoso raised £176, my wife's wreck of a bike £55 (it was £50 new ) and the folding Universal £38.

The only one (of 5) I've been a bit disappointed with was the Ammaco Tony Doyle road bike, which still sold for £60.

Mind you, I'll still look and bid on a few items. You never know ...

 

[biggs682]

a clean 531 framed bike that still has its original paintwork is worth good money especially when compared to how much you would have to pay for a new 531 framed bike

i always try and steer clear of refurbished frames as how can seller prove what it was originally

 

[MontyVeda]

it's not just bikes, there's a lot of over inflated prices on Ebay.

For example, the 1970's dinner service my mother had when i was a kid... a single plate was going for £10, a saucer around £6, side plate around £8.... ... so getting my hands on a full dinner service would be far too expensive. I kept checking every six months or so... but after a few years I realised it was the same few items and they just weren't selling... then i saw an entire dinner service of this supposedly highly collectible design so bid the asking price, which was very reasonable... and had another 60 quid set aside so i could hopefully outbid the other collectors... did anyone else bid? no, not one... collectible my arse! But it's mine

 

[Davidc]

Photographic kit is another area where prices are now silly. Old computer stuff has been mad for a couple of years. I've sold a number of redundant old bits and pieces for more than I paid for them.

 

[Cycleops]

Does seem strange. I find prices asked for bikes on places like preloved and gumtree are very much more reasonable.

 

[classic33]

I was in the market for N Gauge model locomotives a few years back. One particular model, freely available on mail order from UK companies at £225 sold, as a used but box item for £400+. This was not typical but routinely used locomotives were going for prices similar to, or more than the cost of a brand new model, from a UK Model shop in the high street.

Still looking?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Arnold-Ar...=UK_Trains_Railway_Models&hash=item2a30bed7fb

 

[Sara_H]

I struggled when I was looking for a Raleigh Caprice. I eventually picked one up for £89.