Bulova SS / 14KGold - Why do people pay so much for junk?

[Majestyk]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0519492666

Honestly, the dude who bought this for $325, plus shipping, has lost perspective. I wouldn't have paid $25 for it, unless I needed spare links. A chipped crystal? Bad module? Beat up case? There's nothing redeeming about this turd at all.

I sold this same watch, last year, for $125 more. It was fulling working, came with the box and instructions and was mint! I applaud the seller who made out like a bandit on this!

[charger105]

Perhaps the melt value drove the price to a certain level ?
There's not much gold in it by the looks of it, but quite a bit of silver.
Would the metal value be more than $100 ?

Rgds.

[Majestyk]

Well in any case, I feel better after posting that. Got it out of my system.

[bruce wegmann]

This probably happened to be a specific model that somebody REALLY wanted. With some work, and a little luck, this could be made to look new...possibly what the buyer had in mind [no, not me...not a Pulsar, remember].

[retroleds]

I'm thinking the 22 solid 14k link might add up to an ounce, so, yeah, possibly $300 in scrap value, not counting the sterling, which would only be $40-50 in scrap value. Or maybe they hope to have it repaired. Glass will be the hardest to come by.

True story: the OP(original poster) sold me one of the Wittnauer bark finish ones a few years back, which looks similar and is sterling w/14k trim also, for a little over $1000, which I resold to a collector from the UK for $2200, boxed, cleaned and fresh glass. Which he resold in an apparent fire sale of his collection(no reserves?), for ........ $734.

Condition really is everything on those, as the finishes are almost impossible to fix if damaged. I havve the Witt/Longines for sale.
http://www.retroleds.com/Items/WA336.htm

[Majestyk]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 534wt_1142

I'm amazed this watch got as high as it did. The seller should have let it go for that price. I dunno, when I see people potentially spending this much for shit, I have to wonder if we are heading to another recession.

[bruce wegmann]

Uh, last time I checked, we already are, and have been, in the worst recession since the Great Depression of 1930. Anyway, my guess is...lucky but overly-optimistic seller, uneducated buyer. Did you notice the colon dots are missing in the display? That counts as "non-working" where I come from. And the case...fair, at best; the crystal, valueless...probably originally done in gold leaf, now worn clean. Overall, at the very bottom of the collectible-condition spectrum. But, everything has its' price...and again, this might be a specific model that somebody REALLY wanted.

[retroleds]

Yeah, beats the heck out of me why the prices and sales spurts. We're having a heat waves across Eastern half of USA - it will be a good week for sales, as people hide inside and seek comfort from the heat. Just the thought of cool steel against the wrist is soothing....ahhhhh!

There was a solid 18k all gold Wittnaur bark I had in for repair a few years ago(I used it for my avatar for a while).....wish I would have offered the guy more. As I recall, I was somewhere around $2500 and he was around $3500. Worth more than that as scrap right now. Don't worry, I would have kept it for my own, small, personal collection.

[Majestyk]

Somewhat unrelated....Well maybe not...

http://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0412992488

Gotta love the same bidders always showing up on these old LCD's.

Mr. c***e and Mr. u***l And I love seeing them get outbid too. :)

[retroleds]

WOW, they totally smoked me...I don't even show up in the bidding list. Although, not total ridiculous. If you have an Optel style case, the stem set might prove useful, the Gruen - hey, people pay more for less. I actually think that is a good deal for some people.

[charger105]

I was interested in this one too. The Optel LCD was worth a bid. But at US$47 shipping to Australia, I didn't have a hope (obviously costs like this have to be built into your maximum bid)!
I used the shipping calculator to check other locations-----not a dearer place on the planet to send it to. Fiji, Bangladseh, Tuvalu.........all only US$44.
It was a relief to see I wasn't either of the 2 guys you mention Jeff

Rgds.

[LEDluvr]

Yes, those shipping charges are a *bit* on the ridiculous side.
It's a shame too - the seller would have done better if he had offered more realistic shipping charges.

[bucko170]

I have noticed a distinct reduction in the number of vintage LED's offered for sale on eBay over the last couple of months so maybe the limited availability is also having some effect on the price?

[Led-Time]

I have noticed a distinct reduction in the number of vintage LED's offered for sale on eBay over the last couple of months

Possibly due to the amount of the modern so called LED watches offered for sale, a search on Ebay for "LED watch" returns 21,200 results that's 409 pages to look through I don't fancy sitting looking through that lot one bit nor do most people I'd guess. I've got a pile of watches I wouldn't mind shifting but listing one auction in among 21,000 others you've got to think who's looking...

[bucko170]

a search on Ebay for "LED watch" returns 21,200

I have it narrowed down to a mere 5,097 using the filters

[rewolf]

I'v also given up searching for LED watches a long time ago.
Just tried my carefully adjusted search which in the "good days" returned about 2000 results - now 17'400.
And most "LED watches" aren't even LED - it seems that nowadays every watch with backlight (be it EL or LED) is listed as LED.

The best filter would be "exclude sellers from Hong Kong, China", but ebay still doesn't offer the option to exclude sellers by Country.

@ Klippie: you cann narrow it down to only 100 pages of you set it to 200 items per page instead of 50

[Majestyk]

More junk...Like this scratched up non working FF Optel:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 500wt_1158

Then again it's always the same 4 bidders who jack up the prices of Optel watches, to unnecessary levels. r***p / c***e / u***i being the biggest offenders...All of which have been customers of mine so I shouldn't be too hard on them.

[bucko170]

One man's junk is another man's treasure

The value is whatever people are prepared to pay, my bet is the winning bidder will be happy with his purchase.