And $500 gets you...

[gordonjcp at gjcp.net]

> On Wed, 2005-04-06 at 01:12 -0500, Patrick Finnegan wrote:
>> Another example of where the Christie's auction helped to make people
>> think that things are worth *way* more than they really are.
>
> A while ago I was discussing EBay-like prices with people (for old
> computer stuff). Their argument was that EBay prices reflect the true
> state of the market and the true worth of classic computer items.
>

I was discussing this on another mailing list, this time for Citroen XMs
(you don't get them in the US, so a bit of background - they are a big,
weird French luxury car that cost a fortune when new).  You'd be amazed
how many people try to sell their "Immaculate R at RE Meteor grey 2.0Si Auto"
with a starting bid of £500 - for possibly the most common and least
desirable model.  Then they get all snotty when you point out that better,
newer and more sellable ones are going for less than £100.  "Oh well if I
can't sell it for £500 then I'm just going to scrap it" - Well, that's a
shame, you could have got a ton for it, but now you're going to have to
pay to have it taken away.

Gordon.