P3D Re: eBay crazy prices (part III)]

[michaelk@xxxxxxxxxxx (Michael Kersenbrock)]

> Thanks Mike for giving some explanations for some high
> eBay prices... Here is a tough guestion:  If the seller
> is aware that Romney's book is available new for $17
> don't you think it is fair to let people know about it?  

If Sears knows that Walmart sells a sweater for less than
they sell it for, should Sears put that info in their
Sunday paper ads in fine print next to their offering?

> >How much is their time worth if they
> >wanted to spend that time to find out?  
> 
> If they have time to search eBay, their time is worth 
> very little :-)

Ebay is very easy to search for items, the web generally
is hit-or-miss.  You wouldn't find my web site(s) with 
a web search (and I want it that way for the time being).

If you mean finding about Romney's book by checking it out
by means other than web searching.... uh..... right.  That'd
be like checking all the nation's yellow pages in a library
(a "standard" technique in the olden days).  I'll take Ebay
searches.  

Note that Romney's book is only an "item placeholder", whether
it's easy to find his particular site isn't the point.  Because
I was able to find a refurb ALPS MD-1300 dyesub printer for the
mid 200's (magnificient photo printer!) on the web doesn't 
make all higher prices on the web rip-offs, nor make me ripped
off if there are lower prices.  Prices vary.

If you're checking Ebay regularly, there are a lot of Realist
cameras being sold.  There's six being sold at the moment,
which extrapolates to over three hundred realist cameras per
year, and that's only the David White ones, there are plenty
of other realist-format cameras on ebay as well.  COULD all
of those purchases been from Dr. T. ?   Probably over
a thousand stereo cameras per year (all CLA'd, etc) ?

> >I'm happy for those who are finding their first cameras 
> >on Ebay.  
> 
> Are you also happy that they are finding their first
> junk-advertized-as-properly-working camera in eBay?  :-)  

No, but I'm not assuming that.  Almost everything I've bought
has been as good as I expected (or sometimes better).  But
in those other cases, it's sad... but a realist who's slow
shutter settings don't work is still a WHOLE lot better than
no Realist at all -- and that's a possible alternative which,
for many, is the most probable one.   Maybe we can start a poll
as to whether one found/joined photo-3d AFTER or BEFORE
acquiring their first stereo camera (or stereo adapter, etc)
of any sort.  I had the adapter first, even before the
"original" stereo mailing list in which I was a lurker-only.

> That can mean a lot of frustration for newcomers to 
> stereo.

It certainlly can be!  But also, I don't think most people are quite 
so fragile that they'll blame  3D photography for a broken camera
that they bought.  They'll just blame the evil empire (Ebay).

Mike K.


> 
> George Themelis
> 
> 


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