Why Are Old Gps Models Valued So High On Ebay?

[bridanp]

I just really don't want to spend much to get my first GPS, so I've been looking at eBay for deals. The problem is that models like Magellan Pioneer and 12 (which I don't want) are still selling for $50 or more, and the 300, 310, 315/320 models (which I would like to buy) are selling for $70-80. Since these are pretty old models, and with the eTrex being only $93 or so, and supposedly better technology, why are they still selling for so much? Guess I'm just curious as to who is buying them at those prices, because it doesn't seem like they should be selling for that much.

 

I've pretty much given up on trying to enter this sport cheaply (under $50), and have decided (based on other posts in the forum) that the Legend would probably be the best buy at this time.

 

BTW, I've been reading these forums for a few weeks now, and just want to say thanks to all the good information from everyone.

[+AtoZ]

because people DO NOT know what they are selling. Or they remember they payed $300.00 10 years ago for it and even though it is usless now they want more for it. But on the other side what do you want them to sell for $10.00 or so??????

I laugh at stuff selling on ebay all the time I have seen used items sell for more the a new item cost. Not sure what is going on, unless the guy is in outer Mongolia and doesnt have a WalMart just down the street.

cheers

[+AuntieWeasel]

I don't have an informed reply, but I've certainly observed that old electronics never get as cheap as I believe they should. People think what they paid for stuff just a few years ago and expect to get a significant amount of that back, even if new gear has gotten better and drifted down in price. Used computers used to be a really striking example of this -- people wanted stupid money for digital doorstops.

 

As for your other observation, you're absolutely right, in my experience. I bought my SO a little yellow eTrex for his birthday last year and we had great fun playing with it. But when I decided I wanted a piece of this GPS thing, I ponied up for the Legend. It was worth every additional cent, if you can possibly scrape up enough. Better resolution, interface cable and basemaps make a HUGE difference.

[+BlueDeuce]

It's not just GSPrs, I rarely purchase anything from Ebay primarily because people are willing to spend far more than I think is a decent price. I've been trying to buy a boardgame I played from my childhood. It's certainly not a collectors item and there are 3-4 listed every month, but they sell for 25 bucks or more. Just to play a out of stock boardgame? forget it.

[bridanp]

AtoZ, I actually wasn't as curious about how much the seller wants for the item. It's the buyers who are forking out the money. A lot of these auctions are starting out at ~$25, but the buyers are sending them way higher. At least that's good news for people on these forums that want to buy new models; they can still get good money for their used gps.

 

Now that it's mentioned, I do remember a friend of mine saying people were paying top dollar on eBay for used Harley-Davidson equipment when they could buy the new equipment through Harley-Davidson for the same price.

[+Criminal]

I was in a pawn shop a while back and they had the Garmin III (NOT the III+) for $280! I would normally just shrug and walk away, but I just had to say something.

[+jj3]

Ebay is a crazy world. I have sold 2 gpsrs there...a yellow etrex and a venture. in both cases they sold for only ~$10 below msrp. I started both of them around $25.

 

As mentioned...great for the seller, bad for the bidder.

[+tirediron]

You can still find the good deals on eBay, just keep looking. Try searching under various spellings of the item (eg Magelan or Garmim). You would be surprised how many people mis-spell the item they are selling, and since they usually don't come up in regular searches, often go cheaper. Paitience is the key little grasshopper!

[+Quintheeskimo66]

Don't give up. Keep trying. Recently I acquired an Etrex Yellow (in perfect working and cosmetic condition ) for under $50 AND I also snapped up a Magellan Meridian Platinum for $70. The bargains are out there, you just have to watch for them.

 

(The Meriplat was listed a broken, it didn't power up. But I used information another topic from these forums to fix it in under 2 minutes!! )

 

So keep looking.

Edited July 16, 2004 by Quintheeskimo66

[+Scanogram]

Some of these buyers may be outside the US where things are more expensive. I'm selling my Legend on Ebay right now and I've received several e-mails from overseas.

[Zoptrop]

Check out www.bizrate.com for side-by-side price comparisons... I got my GPS for $100 at provantage.com (retails for $150) and paid $25 for overnight shipping (still saved $25 overall).

 

Ebay has a lot of GPSs listed at crazy prices (I would not buy one off of ebay) - people do some weird stuff. Recently I had two auctions were a book sold for more money than a camcorder (!).

[+fly46]

If you look around on Ebay, you can often find the Yellow pretty cheap.. I'd think if that was good enough for now, you'd be able to find it for under $50.

[+Robespierre]

Check out the garge sale on this site.

It sounds to me like you want a REAL bargain, like a $20 etrex. No harm wanting, but why buy a well-used one, when you can get new for maybe $80. But then maybe you get more extras with the used one.

I was fortunate to have a loaner Garmin12 for months, until I saved to buy the Vista. The electronic compass is valuable to me.

[Swagger]

Supply + Demand = $What the market will bear

 

I've bought a fair amount of stuff on eBay, and continue to due so. Sure, not everyone has a clue about what things should go for, and those people don't sell their wares (0 bids).

 

The fact remains, though, that if people are consistantly buying an item at a certain price point, then that's what it's worth. What it's worth to you may be different, so bid accordingly, but if it's a popular item then don't expect to get it at the price you want without spending some time and effort to do it.

[+Renegade Knight]

Lot's of buyers for those old models driving up the prices. Thanks to fee's if there was less buyers and more sellers so the prices were lower they wouldn't list them on eBay.

 

You can find bargains but you have to know what you are looking for and I swear there is a mass mob psychology you have to figure out. Timing is everything if you just knew when that time was...

 

I've watched an item consistatnly sell for twice what I wanted to pay. I got in the habit of bidding on 4 of them at once. One day the timing was right and I got all 4 for my price. Not quite what I wanted but it's exactly what I won.

[+E = Mc2]

(The Meriplat was listed a broken, it didn't power up.  But I used information another topic from these forums to fix it in under 2 minutes!! )

So YOU are the one who snapped that one up! I wanted it, but was at work. I ended up spending 205 for my "like new" Meriplat that has model airplane cement all over the case, and the picture on the auction was altered to hide that fact... Needless to say the seller got a piece of my mind.

 

Advice is to keep looking. These things get listed every day, and you never know when you might score. I've seen some idiots that will pay more for a used item than what you can buy it for just about anywhere else. I've also scored some really neat stuff for a heck of a lot less than retail. One lava lamp I bought, the seller screwed up the shipping amount on. He ended up owing more for the shipping than what I paid him in the first place.

 

Another thing you might consider is intentionally buying a unit listed as non-functional. Garmin will fix just about anything of theirs for a set fee no matter what is wrong with it even if it is out-of-warranty. I'm not too certain how much Magellan charges, but I saw two broken eTrex's go for less than $20 for the pair. Garmin charges $59 including shipping to refurb them...

[+Quintheeskimo66]

(The Meriplat was listed a broken, it didn't power up.  But I used information another topic from these forums to fix it in under 2 minutes!! )

So YOU are the one who snapped that one up! I wanted it, but was at work. I ended up spending 205 for my "like new" Meriplat that has model airplane cement all over the case, and the picture on the auction was altered to hide that fact... Needless to say the seller got a piece of my mind.

 

Yes, that was me. I was somewhat nervous about bidding on it, but I figured that it was worth the risk and luckily it paid off. I used it on Monday to get 3 caches. I took my Sportrak Map along to compare the two. I made certain to leave feadback for the seller telling them that it works great, no problems with power up.

 

Sorry to hear that you got a bad seller. They are out there, and do whatever they can to get every penny out of someone.

[Major Catastrophe]

Why Are Old Gps Models Valued So High On Ebay?

 

Because buyers are crazy! Ebay is both a blessing a curse for buyers; a blessing because you can usually find just about anything you need, and a curse because all those other bums keep bidding the prices up. Of course, if you're a seller this is mostly just good...

[coolclay]

I know from personal experience that the selling side of ebay is much better than the buying. I sold a 5+ year old Eagle Explorer II gps on ebay, I figured it might sell for >$50 but it sold for $80 plus $20 shipping. The reason I think at least in this case was because he lived in Italy. I don't think us Americans, Canadians, and Europeans, realize how uncommon electronics and stuff are in other countries.

[Pilgrim, Rhubarb, & Sweet Pea]

In my eBay experience, the time and day of the week when the auction ends makes a difference as well. When I used to sell a lot of items, I would list them so they would end on a Sunday evening around 6 or 7 Pacific time - you are more likely to get buyers all across the US who are home and watching the item, willing to place those last minute bids and push your selling price up.

 

When I'm buying something, I do the opposite - try to find an item that ends mid-week during morning hours when people are working, etc. Sure, you still have people at work or whatever who can bid, but it's not as likely in many cases. Doesn't always work, but it's my strategy!

 

Also, many many times I've seen to identical items which end near the same time that go for very different prices. I think some bidders decide they want a certain item and bid or put it on their watch list, and don't bother to check for other auctions of the same item. They get into a bidding war and push the price way up, and 20 minutes later the same items sells for half the price of the first. That also happens on similar items with one of them having a ridiculously low starting price - people jump on it at the beginning because the start price is so low, and they just bid it up.