FleaBay - Prices going daft?

[Gravity Aided]

Even the older digital cameras are going cheap, now. A good thing, because 90% of my photography just gets posted here and elsewhere on the web, so huge files not really necessary. I like the older Zoom lens reflex cameras because you are looking through the eyepiece monitor instead of the LCD on the back, and that seems best in bright conditions for me. Got a higher end Fuji ZLR with manual focus and exposure for less than the price of lunch.

 

[bigjim]

There are also people looking for somewhere to offload their cash. It's a waste of time sat in the bank. Inflation is eating savings and the investment markets are pretty volatile. I believe thats why a lot of so called "collectable" stuff is fetching good money. Classic car prices are pretty high at the moment. So are classic cameras. I have a 3.5 Rollieflex that would have fetched £200 a few years ago. They are now fetching close to £600!
Better than money in the bank and you can still enjoy using them. If you don't have to sell your classic steel framed bike, then it's worth keeping and riding.
You can still pick up the odd bargain on flebay but it's rare IMO. Last year I was the only bidder on an old Raleigh Sprint. The picture was terrible but I fancied the wheels and other bits. It was covered in crap when I picked it up, having been stood for over 20 years.
I cleaned it up the next day and found a mint, unused bike beneath all the muck and dust. Not bad for £49.

 

[Gravity Aided]

Loved the 3.5 Rollei, bigjim. sharper than the 2.8, and reliable, as long as the film advance kept going. eBay has sort been supplanted by Gumtree in UK and Craigslist in the US for bargains and specific bicycle searches, it seems. Look at Chicago's Craigslist, often more than 200 listings a day.

 

[robsa]

Hi all bit late on this thread but hey, bargains are still out there on ebay.
Ive just bought a 1950 rod brake job for £22 all complete, mechanically bang on

 

[User42423]

Well, reading all the above posts, you guys have now officially worried me. I must be the only cycle person on this planet who still under sells his bikes.
I've recently sold an original 1930s Dawes tourist for under £150.

 

[jim55]

I agree prices have increased greatly yrs ago I sold a fixed I had built up (531 frame and forks) and have regretted it ever since , so Iv been on the lookout for a decent frame in my size that I could build up.
So I found one on eBay , the seller advertised it as seat pin MAY be stuck ,,, my arse , it bloody well was ! Anyway it looked as if it was stuck at a useable height for me so I bid on it and won , in the end I got a 531c frame with two brakesf fitted ( shimano 600) looks nice and it's the rightish size , it cost me 49 quid and a tenner in fuel to pick it up ,which prob sounds quite dear to some but they are hard to find and I've got a few bits lying about I can use them to build it up and use it , and even sell it once built up lol , but I tell u what it'll not b an eBay bargain , il have to buy a few bits ( wheels and crank , had all the rest) but even so all told I think itlstand me 150 for a quality bike that's worth ( going by eBay prices ) at least 300