After considerable discussion, the following has been added to the rules:

Equipment Value Questions: Although value may come up in the discussion of the general features of a piece of equipment, it is impossible to provide an accurate valuation for a specific piece of equipment for sales or insurance purposes without a physical examination and testing. Further, such questions during a new member's probationary period will likely be interpreted as a back-door effort to sell the item, subjecting the poster to unpleasant reactions. Because of that, valuation requests are not allowed, and may be deleted. The best ways to get an approximate value range: (1) examine past sales at auction sites (2) search the web sites of vendors who sell used equipment. There is also a "sticky" thread in each of the major equipment categories about how to value a particular piece of gear.