I actually got a long distance phone call from another collector TODAY,who was appalled that anyone would even suggest this. I too oppose this idea, because this puts the watch that was sold ridiculously cheap or expensive, into the mix as part of the real world average. For instance(as another member mentioned in the thread about "phenomanal catches"), you
could log into ebay one morning and find a sold gold P1 that was posted up at a $50 Buy It Now 1 minute before. So, if you buy it immediately, does that mean that the realistic value of a solid gold P1 is then $50? No way -
you just got a fantastic deal!! There will be always be good deals where the seller didn't know what they had, there will always be ridiculously high prices paid because two people BOTH want a particular item. Real world collecting takes knowledge and diligence, pitted against how badly you and others want a particular item. IMO, even an unemotional, non-collecting dealer would suffer a bit, as many buyers would approuch items as if they can dicker(negotiate) every piece down to a lower level of quality and price. And having people self-report what they bought, at what price, may not be really accurate....some people really don't understand what a truly Mint as New watch looks like. Also, what would stop a group of dealers from collectively reporting sales at inflated prices, just to drive prices or seeming rarity up?
I think ebay is a good rough guide - a dealer may want more than you consider the "average", but a dealer may be more established and they may be more interested in repeat business,etc. And many people just simply hate ebay, hate PayPal and don't trust the feedback system,etc. Finally, how do we compensate for the very real problem of there being a very large body of collectors in North America, where much of the old stock remains, who don't have the same shipping,
duty and pilferage concerns that collectors in some other countries have? A person who is in the same country as the seller can always bid a little higher, since they have lower shipping costs and much greater confidence of receiving the item. :?
Sorry I wrote a freakin book here.....bet this will be hotly debated. :P