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Is The Collecting Market Blowing Up, Or Are There More Seeking A Profit Via Our Hobby

Rustpot

M Frame Lover
16,599
7,673
Clarkston/Romeo MI
I took a break from buying to help my bank account recover and to avoid shipping hassles during a move. Last week and this I've been hitting the forum a little more often, checking CraigsList every day or so, and been trolling eBay like a man on a mission.

I'm not seeking anything in particular, mostly adding items to my watch list to gauge pricing, looking for a mis-marked item for a deal.

Today for giggles I put in 'Oakley Rare' and I was just blown away.

First, by the sheer number of listings. Sure people just tack on rare to hype it a bit, more words to hit search querys, etc. But current retail pairs? Recently discontinued and Vault items? SI listed stuff?

Second, by the high price tags!

"This pair has been off the shelves for 6 months, super rare" Black with black iridium Radars - $250
"These are authentic super cool Oakleys. Get them while you can!" used Half Jackets - $175

It seems like anything that's not a current retail offering was up for double price. SI M Frames for $250, beat up Eyeshade lenses for $100.

Some of these listings I recall having seen before. If you haven't sold your pair of Oakleys for $400 in 6 months don't you think it's time to lower the asking price?

If it's something I actually want (carbon fiber Gen3 M Frames? NewFrogskin? etc) I usually message an offer. Some might see it as a lowball. But when I've seen 5 pairs go for $50 and you want $150 I'm gonna offer you $50 and let you know your price is retarded. Most of the time I get a response like "No way, I know what these are worth" and the listing is still there 5 months later. And maybe in some instances I'm just a cheap bastard trying to goad a ballsy price into a deal.

Has anyone else seen trends in increased prices? Don't get me wrong, there are still deals to be had, but it just kills me any time I see a frame in a colorway other than black with a buy-it-now of $200.
 
I've noticed it too. Good deals are getting harder and harder to come by, and I suck when it comes to last second bidding on eBay. I always get beat.
 
It feels like there are more people snatching up the deals to flip them.

A few weeks back I was trying to get a set of Mag 4S, a seller had two in carbide/black for a low starting price. They were ending about 5 minutes apart, so I bid on the early one and was outbid by another user. They went for like $50, I just didn't go high enough. Second set has a bid by the same user. Clock ticking down I bid it up a bit higher and the same guy won it. My want and means were not great enough for them, fine, but the same buyer got a killer deal on 2 of the same pair. I should have taken down the names and tracked both the seller and buyer and looked for a relisting for one not being paid or a quick flip after a week by the buyer.
 
The problem with eBay is that even if you go higher, someone could still beat you by less than a dollar. Which is worse than losing by a lot more IMO.

Especially with 2-3 seconds left, it's hard to beat a bidding program. I can't count the number of times I've lost with 2 seconds left.
 
That doesn't bother me that much. Someone wanted it more than I was willing to spend. I'll wait until 30-15 seconds and put in my max. For instance if the bid is $40 and I cap my max at $75 shipped I'll put in $65 (w/ $10 ship) at 15 seconds and watch people scramble their bids by a dollar every few seconds. Or I get outbid, someone wanted it more and I'm not going to watch the last 2 seconds to see if I can get it for $77 instead.

Most of my ebay deals have been negotiated prices anyway. A few low-dollar auction scores mixed in.

I've got my eye on a couple auctions where the seller doesn't know the name of the frame so they just list a generic Oakley Sunglasses. I hope to snag a few pairs for $20 that I'd have no interest in owning if the price was higher.
 
I look at it a couple ways... and Im sure Im gonna get flamed but hey..... First off I troll looking for deals just like you. And sometimes I buy something and a little while later mark it up a but and move on. Yes I marked it up, did I make much? Maybe, maybe not but it helps me fund my habit of buying more. Secondly, if I see a nicer condition pair of something I already have I may try to get them and sell my first pair. Upgrade the condition of my collection. And yes, prices are on the rise.....
 
People buy and flip everything. Right now, the Sunglass market is hot so that's where it's at. Just how things are. Same way with cars, houses, etc.
 
Nah. I'm mostly upset at some decent and cool pairs listed for a couple hundred bucks that just sit there and do nothing but make people think their pair must be worth as much.

There's a listing for a Zero and M Frame (or a blade?) for $400 buy-it-now. Neither pair is worth $200 alone, but they've been up with a $400 price for months without deviation.

And now I'm seeing people listing New Zeros for a couple hundred bucks, and older M Frames are selling for a TON of money. I hope they're going on someone's shelf cuz serious use is just going to break them.
 
I agree. Some pairs just aren't worth that much money. Like tron gascans. People want 250$ for them. Why? Sure they're limited, but theyre still just a gascan. I'd pay 150 max. 250 is a whole different world
 
Honestly as far as vintage stuff goes, the price is fair game because the quantities out there are unknown. With that said though, people still want some ridiculous prices for stuff that you can easily find a week later.
 

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