Things are ultimately worth only what people will pay for them. The price
changes from time to time, and place to place, dependent on the number of
people seeking to buy the item. In any transaction free from _major_ fraud
and/or coercion (i.e., making a party to the transaction an _offer_ they
_can't__refuse_), the price agreed on by the buyer and seller is a fair
price.
For many years I kept about 20 HO-scale passenger car kits from the late
1960's and early 1970's. For a long time, I could not sell them for even the
list price, the price I originally paid. However, in the last few weeks I've
sold them on eBay for about $700 net.
BTW, those HO-scale kits were not a good investment. They cost about $120
circa 1970, and allowing for 4% average inflation for those thirty years my
HO-scale kit "investment" netted about 2% real growth in value over
inflation. That 2 0s optimistic, since I spent some money on film for my
OM-1, which, of course, was used, along with a 70-150mm Vivitar macro-zoom
and a 35-70mm Korean macro-zoom from the Olympus Guy, to obtain pictures of
the kits to post on eBay. I scanned the 4 x 6 prints at 75 dpi and 100 dpi.
The ones scanned at 75 dpi sold for more money, likely because they loaded a
bit faster via the usual 28.8 modem connection, thereby attracting more
potential buyers.
My OM-1 outfit on the other hand, has been an excellent investment, counting
the many happy hours I've spent using it for many different photographic
pursuits.
Nicholas Smoliga
1103 Avenue B, MS-1400
Arnold AFB, TN 37389-1400
(931) 454-6947
Nick.Smoliga@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ron Spolarich [SMTP:caesar2@xxxxxxxxxxxx]
> Sent: Saturday, February 26, 2000 10:37 AM
> To: olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: RE: [OM] RE: great find today! WAS Adorama purchase
> experience
>
> Well said and defended p.j! Barry also expressed exactly my sentiments.
> BTW: I could be mistaken but I believe Adorama has never gotten high
> marks
> for "ethical" behavior in the photo newsgroups. (or was that Cambridge
> Camera?)
>
> RonS
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> [mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Johnsonpa@xxxxxxx
> Sent: Friday, February 25, 2000 6:49 PM
> To: olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [OM] RE: great find today! WAS Adorama purchase experience
>
>
> I had a bit of Zuiko Magic today...although I am beginning to wonder if I
> did
> the right thing after one of the replies to my last post. In reference to
> offering Adorama a few hundred for the 250/2, it went:
>
> >I have seen pricing negotiated at Adorama's used department. But I found
> >the rest of your email an unethical way to do business, particularly
> since
> >the salesman trusted you.
>
> My jaw dropped when I read this. It's a difficult argument to make, but
> his
> tone in no way indicated trust. And why do you think he asked the price?
> If
> I had said $500 for a $250 lens, for example, he could just have easily
> accepted that price and said nothing about it (although another reply
> about
> KEH indicates differently). Also remember, I chose not to say something
> cheaper than the web price. Did you really interpret my joking offer of a
> few hundred dollars for a couple thousand dollar lens serious? In any
> case,
> read a few web pages about photo mail order. They say one thing over and
> over WATCH YOUR BACK!!! And even if I did rip Adorama off for a few
> hundred
> or even thousand dollars, it would never make up for the people who have
> been
> robbed by Smile, Cambridge, and all the others. No, and "eye for eye" is
> not
> the way to live, but camera stores have a bottom line that drives whether
> they try to screw me out of money and many others or treat me with respect
> with hopes that I will be a repeat customer.
> So, getting back to my Zuiko Magic: If I am to live by Denton Taylor's
> ethics, I should have been honest to the guy at the local pawn shop who
> sold
> an OM-1n (ex++) w/ 50/1.8 (covered in fungus) for $35. Yes, $35! I
> should
> have said, "That 50/1.8 is a paper-weight, but the OM-1n has an average
> sale
> price of $135 on Ebay. What do you say I give you $100." S**t, the way I
> see it, I was generous to give the guy $35 and not get it for less, which
> I
> could have done EASILY! Altruism doesn't exist in the business world...or
> the animal kingdom, for that matter.
> Leaving sarcasm and anger aside (and for those who look at life
> differently), how about that find! I wish it would have been a 3 or 3T,
> but
> I'm satisfied. It didn't have shoe though. Anybody have a shoe 4, new or
> cracked, they want to sell? Also, it is setup for the 1.35s. I know
> there
> has been some discussion how these are discontinued and hard to find, but
> I
> have never paid much attention to these threads since I didn't have an
> OM-1.
> With that in mind, can somebody tell me where to find some or do I have to
> send it off to our resident repairman, John H., to get it converted?
>
> Thanks in advance for the help and apologies for the flame. If it matters
> to
> anybody, they can trust me as a seller and a buyer on this list. There is
> a
> community here and people have something at stake if they don't follow
> through with a transaction and break the trust that obviously exists.
> Whereas, Adorama or any other company loses very little if they rip me
> off.
> I may tell a few hundred people and they may not buy from the company, but
> business like Smile keep selling b/c there are always fresh recruits and
> even
> an informed person will take a chance when the price is right.
>
> stepping down from my soapbox now...
> --p.j.
>
> BTW: The gold sticker is in place and in mint condition!
>
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