World gone mad!

[Steve Campbell]

But as a collector it's in my best interest to get the best deal, as I can spend the savings on another item for my collection. Therefore, my wise shopping has helped my collection because I have added 2 or more items for the price of one. This is not a quality vs quantity arguement here as we are assuning the first item was fairly common and bought at a high price. I always see items overpriced. I could still afford them if I wanted but I usually say the hell with that and wait. It's nothing to see an EK1 being offered for $275 or more and another time seeing a similar or better piece going for under $200. If I paid $275 no one would think I was insane, but by being patient I can feel much better about my decision, I have another $75.00 in my pocket, and if I shopped right just as good an item in my collection. That $75 can go towards a daily expense so my hobby doesn't get out of control as it can, or be reinvested. I can easily put a nice 1914 EK2 in my collection with that money and have enough left over for six pack of beer. Now which scenario do you like more?

[Joe D]

But as a collector it's in my best interest to get the best deal, as I can spend the savings on another item for my collection. Therefore, my wise shopping has helped my collection because I have added 2 or more items for the price of one. This is not a quality vs quantity arguement here as we are assuning the first item was fairly common and bought at a high price. I always see items overpriced. I could still afford them if I wanted but I usually say the hell with that and wait. It's nothing to see an EK1 being offered for $275 or more and another time seeing a similar or better piece going for under $200. If I paid $275 no one would think I was insane, but by being patient I can feel much better about my decision, I have another $75.00 in my pocket, and if I shopped right just as good an item in my collection. That $75 can go towards a daily expense so my hobby doesn't get out of control as it can, or be reinvested. I can easily put a nice 1914 EK2 in my collection with that money and have enough left over for six pack of beer. Now which scenario do you like more?

Very well put. We tend to share the same view.

[Darrell]

But as a collector it's in my best interest to get the best deal, as I can spend the savings on another item for my collection. Therefore, my wise shopping has helped my collection because I have added 2 or more items for the price of one. This is not a quality vs quantity arguement here as we are assuning the first item was fairly common and bought at a high price. I always see items overpriced. I could still afford them if I wanted but I usually say the hell with that and wait. It's nothing to see an EK1 being offered for $275 or more and another time seeing a similar or better piece going for under $200. If I paid $275 no one would think I was insane, but by being patient I can feel much better about my decision, I have another $75.00 in my pocket, and if I shopped right just as good an item in my collection. That $75 can go towards a daily expense so my hobby doesn't get out of control as it can, or be reinvested. I can easily put a nice 1914 EK2 in my collection with that money and have enough left over for six pack of beer. Now which scenario do you like more?

I don't think anyone is arguing with this point of view. Why would you? But if you have deep pockets, and don't give a rats crap about the price, why shop around and wait (how long?) for another one to come along whether it's common or not.

There is a different type of collector that buys like this rather than saving that 50-75 bucks by waiting for another one another day.

[mvm71]

The prices on the two badges mentioned in the thread only continue the upward spiral of the militaria we collect, I think that can be said for sure.

What I would like to know is do we have any members that would come out of the woodwork and say "yeah that was me who paid an extra $200 for a GAB" or another previous transaction that was above market price.

It was a beautiful badge and I would be glad to have one in my collection but the wallet is weak!!

Mike

[Levesque]

My point was simple guys...if you look around even a little you can find this badge for around 200.00 dollars. It just amazes me that ANYONE would pay so much for an RK PAB. Maybe the buyer only shops at Detlev's site! I certainly was not picking on Detlev for his prices...if he can get that much for it more power to him. What's next a 400.00 zinc unmarked F&R
Dan

[WenRan]

Detlev has his name ....
Iff he sell's friday the first off June a Silver WB for 600 $ somebody WILL buy it.
Easy ,, No ?
A Reputation

[WenRan]

Detlev has his name ....
Iff he sell's friday the first off June a Silver WB for 600 $ somebody WILL buy it.
Easy ,, No ?
A Reputation

Forgotten to say.
A World Wide GOOD Reputation .
He can ask what he want's .

I do not have a problem with that.
It still is the buyer who says yes or no .

[Robert P.]

We all know that the e-stand is an exception to the rule. Bargains can be found here, and shared over and over again because of the standard we all try and keep. We all hate to see retail prices pushed up, knowing that in the long run it will effect our 'safe haven' too. Have we ever been exempt from price-hiking, even on the e-stand? Never. At times we see items selling on the e-stand at the same rate the dealers are selling for. Not as a general rule, but sometimes. And I'm speaking about items that are harder to find than that PAB that was sold on Detlev's site. Let's face it, every one of us has experienced tremendous price-hiking if we've been collecting for any time. It's never going to change. New collectors coming in causing greater competition, sources drying up, etc. all drive prices up.

I'll speak for myself here. I watched an early cased Assmann Flak sit on a site at $895.00 for weeks. I thought it would never sell for that price. I have recently started collecting flak badges, the early types. I soon realized how rare the Assmann was to find, and called to discuss a layaway plan for the cased award. It was too late. It had sold weeks before I called. Would I have paid that elevated price? Yes! Try and find one now, anywhere. They're out there in private collections, but few would part with them. Please call me if you would. I started a thread awhile back on the 1st pattern Spange to the EKI, and asked the members to consider rating the badge as 'rare' over 'hard-to-find' simply because of the difficulty in finding one. Look at the RK's for instance - every site has them for sale. They're considered rare, yet these 'impossible' to find Spanges are 'hard-to-find'...??? Off subject I know. But not really. I personally would pay more than the average person for rare items because I know the opportunity to ever find one again, especially today, is nearing near impossible. This may sound ridiculous to others who have become accustomed to waiting for better priced items to show up. And I do some of that myself on lesser, more common items. I'm not talking about that. What I'm saying is, when a rare item is offered I think twice about turning off my computer. I've learned in the past that if you wait too long, you'll stand empty-handed, and the opportunity may never come around again.

Robert

[Darrell]

I'm taking Robert's side on this one. The guys that wait for another item to "come along" are ... well ... still waiting. By the time it does, it's probably more than the one they passed up.

Now, there are extremes I will admit, but in the end are you a Real Estate Agent, or the Old Farmer still living on his farm surrounded by the growing city?

[Robert P.]

Darrell,

I'm always amazed of how much you can say with so few words. "Wait, and the price will go higher." This is true.

There are those who would say, "The dealers are depending on us to think this way." This is where our liberty to say 'no' comes into play. Still, too much is too much at times. I've seen dealers like the Collectors Guild lower prices because their prices don't move the item. Dealers will dicker.

Robert