Do "Pre-Owned" radios get cheaper on EBAY after Christmas?
 

Just wondering if buying a used radio is better after Christmas
because people either got one as a gift or maybe don't have too much
more money to spend. Anyone out there that's been buying/selling
radios for awhile know when the best time to buy is? Is there a best
time to buy a radio? Or if it's a good unit maybe it's just worth a
particular amount of money no matter when it's sold.

Ken Thomas wrote in message . ..
Just wondering if buying a used radio is better after Christmas
because people either got one as a gift or maybe don't have too much
more money to spend. Anyone out there that's been buying/selling
radios for awhile know when the best time to buy is? Is there a best
time to buy a radio? Or if it's a good unit maybe it's just worth a
particular amount of money no matter when it's sold.

I don't think it matters a whole lot. But prices tend to dip when the
economy is down. And it's not exactly hopping right now...If I sold a
radio, the time of year wouldn't vary the price. Would depend more on
how hard up for cash I was at the time...:/ As far as dealers, after
xmas is usually slow, and they are more prone to dicker on the price.
MK

Ken Thomas wrote in message . ..
Just wondering if buying a used radio is better after Christmas
because people either got one as a gift or maybe don't have too much
more money to spend. Anyone out there that's been buying/selling
radios for awhile know when the best time to buy is? Is there a best
time to buy a radio? Or if it's a good unit maybe it's just worth a
particular amount of money no matter when it's sold.

I don't know if there is a best time, calendar - wise. But one good
rule of thumb when shopping on ebay is to look for an auction that
ends at an odd hour, like very late at night into the wee hours of the
morning, or during weekday working hours. These are rare, as most
sellers have the sense to time their auctions to end in prime time.
But I was able to get a Sangean ATS-909 for about $60 less than the
going rate by winning an auction that ended at 10AM on a weekday. So
it is possible.

MB

KT,

Hello... When you read the eBay Auction Listing Descriptions and it
says: "I just got this for Christmas, Birthday, Wedding Gift, ETC.

Its time for that little voice in the back of your head to start
whispering one word: warning, Warning. W A R N I N G ! ! !

jftfoi ~ RHF
..
..
= = = Ken Thomas
= = = = wrote in message . ..

Just wondering if buying a used radio is better after Christmas
because people either got one as a gift or maybe don't have too much
more money to spend. Anyone out there that's been buying/selling
radios for awhile know when the best time to buy is? Is there a best
time to buy a radio? Or if it's a good unit maybe it's just worth a
particular amount of money no matter when it's sold.

Ken Thomas wrote in message . ..
Just wondering if buying a used radio is better after Christmas
because people either got one as a gift or maybe don't have too much
more money to spend. Anyone out there that's been buying/selling
radios for awhile know when the best time to buy is? Is there a best
time to buy a radio? Or if it's a good unit maybe it's just worth a
particular amount of money no matter when it's sold.

I have been selling on eBay for a few years now and find that AFTER
Christmas prices tend to go UP because there is a whole NEW GROUP of
people on the internet who seem to have no idea what the same items
had been selling for previously. However, the MAIN event I find that
causes prices to be low or high is the economy. Another point - I can
list an item for seven days and get NO bids at all, then relist the
same item at the same price and sell it at a HIGHER PRICE with someone
using the BUY IT NOW feature. That has happened to me several times.
So it just depends WHO is looking at the auctions when you list them,
or are watching them.

it seems like the past few weeks in general have been full of foolish
buyers. I have seen DX-302's go for above $200 and right now a Kenwood
R-600 is above $200. I could give more examples but the point has been
made


Ken Thomas wrote in message . ..
Just wondering if buying a used radio is better after Christmas
because people either got one as a gift or maybe don't have too much
more money to spend. Anyone out there that's been buying/selling
radios for awhile know when the best time to buy is? Is there a best
time to buy a radio? Or if it's a good unit maybe it's just worth a
particular amount of money no matter when it's sold.

Just curious about it because I saw a used 2010 (excellent condition)
go for $406 on Christmas Eve. And a few weeks before a "new" Grundig
700 went for a $1000. Well after the holidays the 700's are now
getting $450 and the 2010's in great condition are near $300 or less.
Oh well, so it's not the timing. I'll figure it out someday. Guess
the 900 coming out may affect things though.



On 5 Jan 2004 16:14:50 -0800, (Mike Maghakian)
wrote:

it seems like the past few weeks in general have been full of foolish
buyers. I have seen DX-302's go for above $200 and right now a Kenwood
R-600 is above $200. I could give more examples but the point has been
made


Ken Thomas wrote in message . ..
Just wondering if buying a used radio is better after Christmas
because people either got one as a gift or maybe don't have too much
more money to spend. Anyone out there that's been buying/selling
radios for awhile know when the best time to buy is? Is there a best
time to buy a radio? Or if it's a good unit maybe it's just worth a
particular amount of money no matter when it's sold.

Ken Thomas wrote:
Just curious about it because I saw a used 2010 (excellent condition)
go for $406 on Christmas Eve. And a few weeks before a "new" Grundig
700 went for a $1000. Well after the holidays the 700's are now
getting $450 and the 2010's in great condition are near $300 or less.
Oh well, so it's not the timing. I'll figure it out someday. Guess
the 900 coming out may affect things though.



Timing is part of it, but not how you might think.

It's a bad idea to have your item close at a time that's inconvenient
for your likely bidders to bid - the middle of the night, when they're
at work, the middle of a holiday weekend...

It's also a bad idea to have your item closing just before others just
like it - alas this is often beyond your control.

Perfect pictures of a fuzzy item do better than fuzzy pictures of a
perfect item. Doesn't make sense - it just works that way.

The description is important - here's an example of an auction where
perhaps the seller might get more action if he gave a few more details:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2584410339&category=15 04&rd=1

Puffery works. Here's an auction for a hank of wire with an alligator clip:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3068786105&category=15 051

My favorite line is "The antenna wire is covered with high quality
plastic insulation, one the best insulators in the world!"

Mike Maghakian ) writes:
it seems like the past few weeks in general have been full of foolish
buyers. I have seen DX-302's go for above $200 and right now a Kenwood
R-600 is above $200. I could give more examples but the point has been
made

So maybe that's the Christmas money coming into play? Grandma sends money
for Christmas, so the recipients rush out to buy that shortwave radio
on Ebay?

Next thing you know, people will be able to buy Ebay "gift cards".

Michael


Ken Thomas wrote in message . ..
Just wondering if buying a used radio is better after Christmas
because people either got one as a gift or maybe don't have too much
more money to spend. Anyone out there that's been buying/selling
radios for awhile know when the best time to buy is? Is there a best
time to buy a radio? Or if it's a good unit maybe it's just worth a
particular amount of money no matter when it's sold.

This is nuts. A 2010 just went for over $400 on Ebay. Of course, the
indications are that this was the buyers first purchase, but there were a
few who chased him that high.

Harlan

"Ken Thomas" wrote in message
...

Just curious about it because I saw a used 2010 (excellent condition)
go for $406 on Christmas Eve. And a few weeks before a "new" Grundig
700 went for a $1000. Well after the holidays the 700's are now
getting $450 and the 2010's in great condition are near $300 or less.
Oh well, so it's not the timing. I'll figure it out someday. Guess
the 900 coming out may affect things though.



On 5 Jan 2004 16:14:50 -0800, (Mike Maghakian)
wrote:

it seems like the past few weeks in general have been full of foolish
buyers. I have seen DX-302's go for above $200 and right now a Kenwood
R-600 is above $200. I could give more examples but the point has been
made


Ken Thomas wrote in message
. ..
Just wondering if buying a used radio is better after Christmas
because people either got one as a gift or maybe don't have too much
more money to spend. Anyone out there that's been buying/selling
radios for awhile know when the best time to buy is? Is there a best
time to buy a radio? Or if it's a good unit maybe it's just worth a
particular amount of money no matter when it's sold.