eBay crybabies
Moderator: Andreas Wideroe
eBay crybabies
Please,
If you feel you've been ripped off buy an eBay con artist then share your story with us. You're doing us a really big favour. But I'm so tired of people crying about eBay prices. Bid what you want to bid. If it doesn't sell, the seller will probably re-post at a low price. Do you really think that all the sellers around the world get together and conspire to align their prices?
I don't want to hear your "I just lost an auction" sob story either. You didn't lose shit. Somebody was prepared to pay more than you.
Get over it.
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Yemi
If you feel you've been ripped off buy an eBay con artist then share your story with us. You're doing us a really big favour. But I'm so tired of people crying about eBay prices. Bid what you want to bid. If it doesn't sell, the seller will probably re-post at a low price. Do you really think that all the sellers around the world get together and conspire to align their prices?
I don't want to hear your "I just lost an auction" sob story either. You didn't lose shit. Somebody was prepared to pay more than you.
Get over it.
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Yemi
Yes, I second that emotion!
I remember when Yemi was selling his Beaulieu 4008ZMII for such a great price. I think way below what it could have gone for. If someone is dumb enough to list say an Elmo ST1200HD for $895, best of luck to him!
I know I wont bid, but I will probably laugh!
Besides, Ebay is for bargains. Unless something is very rare, you can bet that there will be another one of what you are looking for in a week or two. Maybe even sooner. And always it seems, in better condition and with more accessories even.
I remember when Yemi was selling his Beaulieu 4008ZMII for such a great price. I think way below what it could have gone for. If someone is dumb enough to list say an Elmo ST1200HD for $895, best of luck to him!
I know I wont bid, but I will probably laugh!

Besides, Ebay is for bargains. Unless something is very rare, you can bet that there will be another one of what you are looking for in a week or two. Maybe even sooner. And always it seems, in better condition and with more accessories even.
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I've seen eBay prices for the UK drop a bit in the 3 years I've been registered there.
Time was any S8 camera likely to be working would sell for £30 (~$50), even if it was shite. I sold a mid 60's Jelco with non reflex lens for £27 for example.
Now the lesser cameras sell for £5 or so, even a Canon 514XL went 2 weeks ago for under a tenner! I see Lee's Cameras have one in stock and they're asking £179!!! And they're cine specialists!!!
I think though that the market for higher end gear is still good. There's much more S8 gear on eBay than there was 3 years ago, so people know they can wait for the next camera if the bidding goes too high.
I recently got an Elmo 1012 s-xl in reasonable (but working) condition for £50...got its first film back yesterday which confirms that it's working beautifully.
But look at the prices for the Beaulieu and better Nizo cameras, or Bauers....oh and another Elmo 1012 s-xl went for £120 last week so I just got very lucky.
I think that people have become more descerning. You can still sell low end gear (I have a plusmatic registering £4.20 on the bidometer at the moment) but you're not gonna get a lot of money for it.
Things did get crazy a while ago on eBay, it was too much a seller's market.
As for sob stories, I mentioned the only two I have had in another thread and they were quite minor.
Time was any S8 camera likely to be working would sell for £30 (~$50), even if it was shite. I sold a mid 60's Jelco with non reflex lens for £27 for example.
Now the lesser cameras sell for £5 or so, even a Canon 514XL went 2 weeks ago for under a tenner! I see Lee's Cameras have one in stock and they're asking £179!!! And they're cine specialists!!!
I think though that the market for higher end gear is still good. There's much more S8 gear on eBay than there was 3 years ago, so people know they can wait for the next camera if the bidding goes too high.
I recently got an Elmo 1012 s-xl in reasonable (but working) condition for £50...got its first film back yesterday which confirms that it's working beautifully.
But look at the prices for the Beaulieu and better Nizo cameras, or Bauers....oh and another Elmo 1012 s-xl went for £120 last week so I just got very lucky.
I think that people have become more descerning. You can still sell low end gear (I have a plusmatic registering £4.20 on the bidometer at the moment) but you're not gonna get a lot of money for it.
Things did get crazy a while ago on eBay, it was too much a seller's market.
As for sob stories, I mentioned the only two I have had in another thread and they were quite minor.
Yeah, that's a hypothesis I've had myself. If I remember correctly it's not supported for 4008ZM prices for the last two years.What happens with prices on eBay is as much a sign of the economy as any other place of business or trade market. The economy is down, so the prices are down.
Hold on, and I'll run the correlation between final bid prices of 4008 cameras available to the US and the US employment ratio.
Okay, on 101 observations, it's +0.1727. Positive, but not strong. Hardly conclusive since it might just as well prove that 4008 cameras are "rare", though (or a lot of other things). So take it with a grain of photo-emulsion. It's cheap statistics. But, fun.
the price of something is that which a willing seller is prepared to pay a willing buyer.
On eBay one does not see the goods before buying so that element should keep prices down. However, this is counterbalanced by the quantity available which means it might be the only plac one cand find that camera you have been looking for.
I have noticed quite a bit of 16mm kit appearing lately which suggests a number of independent pros are moving over to video.
What really ps me off are the characters who want an extra 5% or so because you pay through PayPal. Don't these wallys realise that by accepting PayPal one increases ones market substancially, especially from overseas. Well that is my experience, so no surcharge on my sales. Trouble is it is usually one of these characters who has the item you want
On eBay one does not see the goods before buying so that element should keep prices down. However, this is counterbalanced by the quantity available which means it might be the only plac one cand find that camera you have been looking for.
I have noticed quite a bit of 16mm kit appearing lately which suggests a number of independent pros are moving over to video.
What really ps me off are the characters who want an extra 5% or so because you pay through PayPal. Don't these wallys realise that by accepting PayPal one increases ones market substancially, especially from overseas. Well that is my experience, so no surcharge on my sales. Trouble is it is usually one of these characters who has the item you want

New web site and this is cine page http://www.picsntech.co.uk/cine.html
The ebay boom didn't start until later in 1998. You got those cameras during the birth of ebay when there wasn't too many people looking. Once ebay caught on with the masses the "period of ga-ga" unsued. Ebay prices peaked in 1999. The drop has been slight but noticeable since. Elmo 1012S-XL's went for $350 and higher at one time.Super8rules wrote:I've seen a couple of models actually rise in price.
For instance, back in 1997, I bought a couple of Beaulieu 4008's, and a 5008 for about $200.00 each, all complete with extra batteries that actually worked!
I also bought a Canon 1014xls for about $150.00.....which is unheard of today on Ebay.
Welcome to the eBay Feedback Forum
Wow, this board is becoming a corollary eBay Feedback Forum! ;)
$40 a cart is fair for sound S8. $25 is even more fair.
Personally, I don't think I would shoot such a precious commodity. But I've often thought it would be cool to transfer an completed film with sound track to sound S8 stock for projection. This seems more worthy of a rare item like this.
I've also wondered how many S8ers have sound stock stashed in a fridge someplace. It seems to be *the* precious artifact of S8 history.
As for eBay whiners: I got a few emails from people regarding my Bealieu, whining about the price, and have experienced similar with other auctions. I usually reply with something along the lines of "GFY." As I said in another place, I'm not too interested in selling to stupid people. Which drastically diminishes my marketplace.
eBay is *not* a flea market. It's an auction. At a flea market, it is expected that you will want to bargain, and the listed price will be decreased. Only crazy old ladies put high prices on flea market items and then refuse to negotiate.
At an auction, it is the opposite dynamic: you bid what you are willing to pay, and if someone bids more, the price increases. If a buyer has an unrealistic starting bid, don't bid: the item will come through again.
$40 a cart is fair for sound S8. $25 is even more fair.
Personally, I don't think I would shoot such a precious commodity. But I've often thought it would be cool to transfer an completed film with sound track to sound S8 stock for projection. This seems more worthy of a rare item like this.
I've also wondered how many S8ers have sound stock stashed in a fridge someplace. It seems to be *the* precious artifact of S8 history.
As for eBay whiners: I got a few emails from people regarding my Bealieu, whining about the price, and have experienced similar with other auctions. I usually reply with something along the lines of "GFY." As I said in another place, I'm not too interested in selling to stupid people. Which drastically diminishes my marketplace.
eBay is *not* a flea market. It's an auction. At a flea market, it is expected that you will want to bargain, and the listed price will be decreased. Only crazy old ladies put high prices on flea market items and then refuse to negotiate.
At an auction, it is the opposite dynamic: you bid what you are willing to pay, and if someone bids more, the price increases. If a buyer has an unrealistic starting bid, don't bid: the item will come through again.