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View Full Version : Just missed out on the deal of the century - APO Ronars on *Bay



Edward (Halifax,NS)
9-Mar-2004, 18:42
I think that I have made it abundantly clear that I am in search of lenses and extremely frugel (read cheap). I came within six seconds of picking up a 240mm f/9 APO Ronar, 300mm f/9 APO Ronar, 150mm Ysaron, 105mm Ysaron, and 75mm Ysaron for $60. These were all in enlarger turrets so I would need shutters and the weight 50 lbs would have made shipping expensive but when I lost out I could almost cry. Sooner or later I will be upgrading/replacing my lens but the suspence is killing me. I had to share this with people who would understand because my wife and friends are not into photography. I hope nobody minds that this is not a question.

Ed

Capocheny
9-Mar-2004, 19:42
Edward,

I know EXACTLY what you mean but, as with all things on Ebay, they'll come back onto the block at some point in time. And, the funny thing is..."when you miss out on an item they'll appear time and time again."

When I first started buying the odd thing on Ebay I thought, "if I don't bid and win this item...I'll never see another one again!" How wrong I was in that belief!!!

The items came up again and again and again. The interesting thing was that when they did reappear, the prices were "usually" better than the one that got away. Go figure!

So, don't get too worked up over missing these items... they ALWAYS pop up again.

Cheers

Dave Moeller
9-Mar-2004, 19:43
$60 for all of that glass?!? I can feel your pain.

Assuming those were on eBay, I can't imagine how I missed them. Care to reveal what category they were listed under?

Nick_3536
9-Mar-2004, 19:52
I saw that one. They didn't have barrels or anything did they?

kallitype
9-Mar-2004, 20:04
They were overpriced!

Peter Collins
9-Mar-2004, 20:12
I sorely sympathize. In some auctions, I too have experienced the pain, the loss of what I never truly had! My antidote: I counsel myself to have patience, shun auction fever, covetousness, etc. As fellow forum friends have said above, another one always comes along.

When I relax, surprises do come along. This week I got a brand new Schneider 135mm f5.6 Componon-S enlarging lens for pennies over $82!

A final note: Your banner line reads "Just missed out on the deal of the century..." But, the century still has 96 years left! Something better is probably in store for you.

ciao for now.................

tor kviljo
10-Mar-2004, 00:30
For these lenses (I have bought probably 20+ different process lenses cheap over the years - the most expensive equivalent to about $$ 70 I think - brand new in box 240mm Apo-Gerogon), a bargain is at $$ 60 - but I guess You should be able to collect each single lens mentioned above for less than $$ 100 if You pop & out of e bay now & then - not too many is hunting repro lenses these days. I got my Klimch Apo-Ronar 480mm from E bay germany for less than $$ 50, the shorter Ronars tend to be cheaper, and the Ysarons are sold very cheaply as few know them and they are only 4-lens desgins (but quite sharp -I remounted a ysarex 127mm f 4.7 (the taking-lens version of the Ysaron) from Polarioid pathfinder in home-made tilt mount on RB67 & pictures vere very sharp)

Edward (Halifax,NS)
10-Mar-2004, 05:07
Nick, the were each mounted in what looked like an enlarger turret so there was no barrel and no shutter.

As for deals of the century, my last one was my wife buying a set of golf clubs at a garage sale for $11.00. There was $15 in change in the pocket that holds the golf balls.

Dave, they were listed under lenses/for large format.

Dan Fromm
10-Mar-2004, 05:21
Edward, the price you saw is the second highest bidder's maximum plus the bidding increment. To have won the auction, you would have had to bid at least the highest bidder's maximum plus the bidding increment. The highest bidder's maximum is invisible.

"I was out bid by the bidding increment" is a common and false eBay lament. You have no idea of how high the winning bidder was willing to go.

The best thing to do is not play games. Bid your maximum and then accept the outcome. Not displaying interest, i.e., using a sniping engine to place your bid just before the auction closes may help a little by not encouraging the people who play stupid bidding games.

Cheers,

Dan, who was been outbid by $1 (or so it seemed) more than once.

Edward (Halifax,NS)
10-Mar-2004, 05:31
Dan you are right but being outbid by a dollar makes a better story. :)

Ben Calwell
10-Mar-2004, 06:03
It took me three tries before I finally won an auction for some 5x7 film holders. Someone would always come in at the last second and outbid me. Thankfully, the 5x7 format must be alive and well, judging by the hot and heavy activity regarding film holders.

Edward (Halifax,NS)
10-Mar-2004, 06:24
Ben, I have lost alot of auctions and won three; my camera, lens and light meter. I can't say I really won the light meter one because I just used Buy it Now. I have 7 on the go right now. I am pretty much addicted.

CP Goerz
10-Mar-2004, 11:09
'If' you had the chance to bid again five seconds before the auction ended how much would you bid the second time?

CP Goerz

Max Wendt
10-Mar-2004, 11:12
If I can share my eBay lament here - last week a Balcar flash kit came up, exactly what I was looking for. Two days later (it was a seven day auction) it was gone - my only guess is that someone offered them an unofficial pseudo-buy it now or something.

That happened to me once before. Come to think of it, I think it may have been the same seller.

Edward (Halifax,NS)
10-Mar-2004, 11:30
If I had a few seconds more I would have bid $100.

Curt S.
29-Apr-2004, 15:04
I have had some good and not so good experiences with Ebay. I got a Calumet Cambo 4x5 camera for what I think was a steal at just over $100. But darned if I can't get a lens for it. Someone always way outbids me every time. I was reading on the LF site where a guy got a used caltar II-N for $125. Boy, I'd sure like to know where this guy buys. On Ebay they are always over $300. I thought maybe the local camera show recently might have a bargain or two. Wrong! I think I'll stick to Ebay and maybe the frenzy on lense bidding will die down during the summer months.

Frank Petronio
29-Apr-2004, 15:14
I now just bid my highest price early and take my chances. With all the sniping software and international buyers with their stronger currency, the best stuff is going high - good time to be a seller, not a buyer!

Bill_1856
29-Apr-2004, 16:18
The secret to bidding on eBay is to ask yourself, "If I bid "X" and someone else bids "X+$1" will I be pissed at myself. If the answer is "yes" then you need to keep bidding higher until you get to the point where if someone would bid higher you would actually be a little relieved that you didn't get the damn thing.

Edward (Halifax,NS)
4-Jun-2004, 11:21
I think I can pry myself away from eBay. I have completed my lens kit for the foreseeable future. I have bought a 150mm G Claron and a 240mm APO Ronar - and press shutters to put them in. Now I can stop shopping and start shooting. Both are single coated and have a reputation for being sharp. I am officially a happy camper.

michael Allen
5-Jun-2004, 15:46
The "Sniping" that goes on with e-bay discusseds me, I've been sniped twice, $1,100.00 on the line and 5 seconds to go some scum bag camera show type dealer out bids me by $10.00. Just so he can resell it at -$50.00 retail.

Dan Fromm
5-Jun-2004, 17:11
Michael, if you had bid as much as the things were worth to you in the first place and then had been outbid, you'd have no grounds for complaint. If you bid less than they were worth to you, you're a fool.

You have no idea how much the winning bidder actually bid. Remember that the eBay bidding engine makes the visible high bid the second-highest bidder's limit (that's yours) plus the bidding increment. The winner could have bid much, much more than you. Or he could have outbid you by less than the bidding increment -- sorry, don't know what it is at that level -- and beat you too.

The fact is, you bid too low. When you bid in an auction, youe have to keep your emotions in check, not bid too much, and be prepared to be outbid by someone who values the item on offer more than you do.

Cheers,

Dan, who bids low and is often outbid