What has happenned to the price of phones on ebay?

[Bill Cahill]

I'm now seeing Buy It Now prices ranging from 99.00 to 299.00 for 302's, and,   49.99 for 500's!!! 
What has ebay come to? This knocks me out of collecting phones....    Bill Cahill

[Dan/Panther]

Ebay used to publish a "Hot Items" list.
I don't know if they still do, but people scan auctions and "Opening Price",  or "Buy It Now" Prices are based on current selling Prices. People think because an item sold for $29.95, that the one they have, is worth at least that amount, so that's their opening price,m,or "Buy it Now" Price, then itr just continues to escalate from there. Until the bottom falls out then prices start to drop.
I might suggest that no one else but me buy phones from ebay, until I get my collecting completed, then someone else can get their shot.

Sound good to everyone ?
D/P

[Bill Cahill]

Ebay used to publish a "Hot Items" list.
I don't know if they still do, but people scan auctions and "Opening Price",  or "Buy It Now" Prices are based on current selling Prices. People think because an item sold for $29.95, that the one they have, is worth at least that amount, so that's their opening price,m,or "Buy it Now" Price, then itr just continues to escalate from there. Until the bottom falls out then prices start to drop.
I might suggest that no one else but me buy phones from ebay, until I get my collecting completed, then someone else can get their shot.

Shoud good to everyone ?
D/P

Understand Russian, Dan?
Here's my answer.
N'yet!!!!!
Even if the spelling's wrong, it means one thing.
NO!!!!!
Bill Cahill

[JimH]

I'm now seeing Buy It Now prices ranging from 99.00 to 299.00 for 302's, and,   49.99 for 500's!!! 
What has ebay come to? This knocks me out of collecting phones....    Bill Cahill

It seems to me that it's all in presentation. How good and clear the pictures are.   The guy that sold the shiny red 554 for $360 also sold a turquoise 500 all shined up, and if I remember right, it went for nearly $300.  I guess you just have to ready Dennis' guidelines on buying, and buy CHEAP!

[Mark Stevens]

I'm now seeing Buy It Now prices ranging from 99.00 to 299.00 for 302's, and,   49.99 for 500's!!! 
What has ebay come to? This knocks me out of collecting phones....    Bill Cahill

Are they selling at those prices?  And keep in mind, a 302 that's fully restored typically sells for $350 or more, and has for some time.  Of course they're not being sold to collectors, but rather someone that just wants one great-looking old phone to use and beautify their living room.  Us collectors hold out for the $15 jobs!

[Dan/Panther]

Granted, the 302 I recently cleaned up, is not worth $350.00, but I think it goes a long way to showing that you don't have to pay high prices to have a fairly nice collection.

D/P

[McHeath]

Granted, the 302 I recently cleaned up, is not worth $350.00, but I think it goes a long way to showing that you don't have to pay high prices to have a fairly nice collecti

One of the things that attracted me to collecting phones is the reasonable prices that can be found most of the time.  With some elbow grease, which is always enjoyable to me, junkers like your 302 painted silver can be turned into showroom ready phones.  And phones already in fairly good shape, like my 51' 500, can be made even better with even less effort.  All for very low prices compared to other hobbies like, oh, say boats or skiing or flying.

[BDM]

Granted, the 302 I recently cleaned up, is not worth $350.00, but I think it goes a long way to showing that you don't have to pay high prices to have a fairly nice collecti

One of the things that attracted me to collecting phones is the reasonable prices that can be found most of the time.  With some elbow grease, which is always enjoyable to me, junkers like your 302 painted silver can be turned into showroom ready phones.  And phones already in fairly good shape, like my 51' 500, can be made even better with even less effort.  All for very low prices compared to other hobbies like, oh, say boats or skiing or flying.

Yes, but boats skiing or flying have a certain physical & mental attribute, that collecting phones radios or coins just can't achieve

[McHeath]

That is true.  Getting out in the fresh air with a boat or car or motorcycle or bike or whatnot has a certain pleasure about it.  Speaking of physicalness of certain hobbies, I find that having to use a dial on a rotary phone, and picking up the large handset, having the weight of it and the cord, makes the user experience a rather physical act.  There is, to me and maybe others, a certain satisfaction that comes with having to manually manipulate things that is lost with modern technologies like iPhones and most cell phones and TVs and radios.  Using the "clunk clunk" dial on an old TV is somehow very pleasing as well, compared to sit in the recliner and press a remote button.  We still use our record player a lot, and it's much more enjoyable than the MP3 players and iTunes on the computer as I get a certain sense of being involved with the technology more. 

But maybe I'm just too old.  (at 42!)

[Dan/Panther]

I think the relation between simple hobbies like collecting coins, radios, or telephones, is that we can have a smaller rush more often than say boating, flying, or skiing, but collectively over the lifetime of the hobbiest, I would bet the total amount of adrenaline producted will add up to about the same.

Collecting phones a few drops of adrenaline several times a day, or week.
Flying a cupful once a month.
Either hobby Priceless.

If the satisfaction wasn't similar over the long run, no one would colllect anything, and we'd all be pilots.
Some want the rush in huge amounts all at once, other prefer a little much more often, that's me.

D/P

[HobieSport]

Well said, Dan and Heath, In this push-button age the physicality of the old phones is a welcome relief, for me anyway.  I forgot how much I enjoy dialing.  And while my sons can understand and work on computers and such, I enjoy all the mechanical aspects of these solid old phones.  As for getting more physical, I can always go bike riding or kayaking...

Back to the subject of Ebay prices, they just seem all over the map, and I guess they always will be.  As has been said, so much of it seems to be in the presentation, both in photos, layout and description, and whether the phone is being sold by a person who doesn't know phones (or pretends not to?) or those who have a good idea of what they are selling.

I find the best bargains, as I think Mark and Dennis have pointed out, are sometimes a blurry single photo with not much info, maybe in the wrong Ebay category, but the trained eye can see potential, and by asking a few simple questions one can find good deals.  I rarely pay more than $15-25 for a good old phone.

Then there are just some downright bizarre ads out there, like this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Automatic-Electric-retro-vintage-PINK-rotary-dial-phone_W0QQitemZ120327100145QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item120327100145&_trkparms=72%3A1208|39%3A1|66%3A2|65%3A12|240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

Gosh.    That seems an insane starting price, and no info to back it up.  Do they think that just because it's pink that it has solid gold bells or something 

Basically I find the good deals just take patience, a calm head, and the thrill of the hunt.  That's where the mild adrenaline comes in...  Just my .02 as a newbie of course.  -Matt

P.S.  Speaking of asking questions of Ebay sellers; here is a funny one:  I asked them if there where any numbers (dates) on the base of a WE500.  Their complete reply was "Yes there are.  Thanks for asking."  Like I say...patience...

[Bill Cahill]

I use my WE 500 for many of my calls, and, yes, I have the bell hooked up.
I use my 1963 Symphonic stereo almost dayly..
I get enjoyment from using my old restored equipment that just isn't there with the modern trash made in China. OOOPPPPSS!!
There's that word again!!!
Bill Cahill

[TelePlay]

It's a buyer's market so this eBay offering seems a bit on the high side . . .

http://tinyurl.com/3lyshrk

[Dennis Markham]

But the shipping is "free"!

[Greg G.]

I'm now seeing Buy It Now prices ranging from 99.00 to 299.00 for 302's, and,   49.99 for 500's!!! 
What has ebay come to? This knocks me out of collecting phones....    Bill Cahill

I just took a quick peek, I'm still seeing $9.99 late 50s, mid 60s-era phones that I would otherwise snatch up were it not for the usual $15 shipping charge.  I rarely buy phones off ebay for that reason.