P3D Internet and sell/buy 3D

["Dr. George A. Themelis" <DrT-3d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Just came back EMPTY HANDED from a local camera trade show.  

One observation:  The internet is changing the rules of the game.  
I used to be able to find stereo Realists for $75-$100.  The dealers 
who sold these to me are now in Ebay and are making well over $100 for 
them.  So they are not bringing anything for sale in the local shows
any more.

One lady told me last time that she had a metallurgical microscope
for sale.  Being a metallurgist, I told her I was interested.  Today 
she said she sold it in ebay for $220.  I would have paid that much 
or more.  Who cares?  If I wanted it I should have been monitoring
ebay, I guess...

My friend Jim told me he went to a local store and found a VM model
D.  The guy did not know what this thing was, but put it in ebay
anyway.  If it was not for ebay, he could have sold it for $50 max.
In ebay, a few days later, it brought $178!!!!

Who is winning and who is losing?

Winners: 

- People in isolated parts of the world who would not have a chance
  to see that stuff in the first place.  Anyone in a small village
  in the USA or in Germany, with a computer and modem, has now access
  to a global market.

- First level dealers, i.e. those who buy directly from the "old lady".
  In the past they had to go to camera shows, advertise, pay entrance,
  etc., and then be in the mercy of the few local buyers, offering
  any darn low-ball price they wanted.  Now, same dealers, sell things
  in their pajamas.  And at what prices?!  Not to mention the thrill
  of the process.  This dealer told Jim, "I cannot wait to get home
  tonight and see what this viewer is up to!"

Losers:

- "Second hand" dealers, i.e. people like myself how were buying
  from dealers, were able to find good bargains here and there,
  and then moved the goods to the final consumer in a specialized
  market which they knew well, after using their experience and 
  possibly labor to clean/inspect and sell the goods with warranty.

- Final users/consumers.  Now, you would expect that this group is
  gaining, having eliminated an extra layers of "second hand"
  dealers.  But, obviously, they are not.  If I had bought the VM
  model D for $100, I could have sold it for $135, after putting
  my cheap labor to clean it and sell it in top-notch operating 
  condition.  Instead, someone just paid $178 for a viewer that will 
  still need a $35 service to be the best it could be.

How about the "old lady" (say, the widow of the stereo photographer,
who is selling the stuff in the first place)?  Most probably, she is
not gaining anything.  She still gets $5 for the VM model D.  The
dealers who were paying $5 for the viewer will still be offering
$5 for it.  But now, knowing what this viewer could bring in ebay,
might be able to go higher but ONLY IF THEY HAVE TO (not because
they are being nice to the "old lady").  

UNLESS IF THE OLD LADY FIGURES OUT HOW TO SELL IN EBAY!!!! 

Why sell in a garage sale when there is ebay?  That will send the 
ebay dealers in bankruptcy!  Eliminate the dealer completely!  If 
all sellers and buyers are hooked into universal electronic 
selling/buying then the only law in town would be that of "Demand 
and Supply".  We are moving in this direction but are still far
away...

Bottom line:  Expect to see less activity in sell-3d and more 
activity in ebay in the future.  Less of a chance to find a bargain 
in the future, now that you are bidding against the "universe". 

-- George Themelis


------------------------------