[Boatanchors] Re: [Milsurplus] Hosstraders Fall 2005 hamfest report (Long)

[Don Buska]

Some excellent reports on Hosstraders guys, thanks.  I also agree with 
the comments regarding eBay.  One area that I recently encountered at 
one of the bigger fests in the Chicago area is just the opposite of what 
the reflector conversations lean toward, i.e. fest prices being lower 
than eBay prices or those who ask eBay prices and take the stuff back home.

For many of us BA collectors we also work at having a good shop and lab 
to work on the equipment we aquire.  Thus test equipment is an essential 
part of our needs and wants.  However, since the early part of this new 
century the test equipment market has taken a big hit.  New equipment 
sales are down and the used market is overstocked on equipment.  I work 
for a major test equipment manufacturer and in the past two years they 
reduced individual instrument offerings substantially.  Where three 
years ago we might have offered eight different spectrum analyzers today 
there may only be four models offered.  You build and supply for the 
demand and cut all excess.  In the USA electronics manufacturing has 
been going down year-by-year, due to many factors including outsourcing, 
off-shoring and the simply change in the direction of products in our 
high tech electronics industry.  Well all those factors add up to a big 
positive for us basement techs who want good low cost test equipment. 
Ebay has been a great supply and demand monitor.  Scan through the test 
equipment area and see how much goes unsold due to high starting prices. 
Five years ago it would have been easy to sell a $40,000 (Original Cost) 
piece of equipment manufactured three years ago for $20,000 today.  Now 
it goes unsold at $10,000 or even $5000.  Wow, talk about fast 
depreciation, hi.

Back to the fest.  I saw a a few sellers with some nice 80's vintage 
test gear with asking prices much higher than what I've been seeing on 
eBay in the past year.  So in this case I'm more than happy to pay the 
going high seller/buyer volume eBay prices for test equipment.  Last 
month I picked up a nice 990MHz HP synthesized signal generator off eBay 
for $350 shipped!  Not bad for a mid-80's piece of microprocessor 
controlled equipment.  It has a temperature compensated high stability 
oscillator option.  I measured a total frequency inaccuracy of 300hz at 
990MHz.  Yes, it is off only 3Hz at 10MHz!  Sure will make IF and RF 
alignment easy on those 30's and 40's superhets, hi.  That same 
generator was on a table at the last hamfest for $3000.  Maybe five 
years ago, but not today.  I do feel some sorrow for these guys, but 
heck I lost eight KW-1's worth in 401K value in the past five years too. 
  That's the way it goes.

We all want to find those deals.  Still eBay can be a great source of 
other equipment for us BA collectors due to it's realistic pulse on the 
supply and demand behind each sale. (Subtract the periodic fixed or 
questionable sale)

73 all and thanks again for the Hasstrader reports.  I love'um.

Don N9OO


Todd, KA1KAQ wrote:
> On 10/11/05, David Stinson <arc5 at ix.netcom.com> wrote:
> 
>>Many of these are examples of people trying to get Ebay prices
>>without the massive Ebay market.  A lot of conventional antiques
>>dealers with high prices and the time-value of their items trickling away
>>are learning the same, hard lesson:  20 people walking
>>through your booth do not have the pricing muscle of
>>20 million looking online.  IOW: if you take it to a hamfest and
>>try to get an Ebay price ($44 BC-422), you're probably going to
>>be taking it back home.
>>73 D.S.
> 
> 
> Absolutely Dave, and while ebay no doubt does cut into hamfest
> activity somewhat, it doesn't appear to me to be having much, if any
> more affect than the natural aging process. Plenty of good stuff at
> hamfest prices is still there to be had. The cheap stuff sold fast,
> the overpriced stuff went back home, and the rest was haggled over if
> anyone was interested.
> 
> In other words, a pretty typical hamfest.
> 
> ~ Todd,  KA1KAQ
> 
> 
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