Sign of the Times?

Just watched the first Christmas piece (Big Bay Point) go for $62 + just under $20 S&H on E-Bay. Even if hosing 'em on S&H, the seller just lost $13 off what he paid ...unless he's a dealer!

It's truly a "sign of the times". I use to go to the eBay site a few times a day. Now I take a peek about once a month. Great time to buy if you have the money and trust the seller. Building a great collection is relatively inexpensive at the present time. I've got hundreds of HL's in stock. I just don't have room to store any more. Maybe if I sit tight for another ten years things will improve.

Bob

Besides for a few special HL pieces, I think the secondary market for HLs has DISAPPEARED!! ...especially on ebay

Buy them because YOU like them, NOT to make money off of them in the future.

Quote by BigBird
Reading posts like this just make me want to cry! I paid $250. for my Big Bay Point back in 2003, when the seconday market was... I guess at it's highest.

Shipping and insurance costs has increased considerably within the past 6 months. Packing materials have also increased.
Transporation to the post offce/UPS/other shipping methods have increased.
The listing fee/final value fees on ebay have increased.

The statement of "hosing" with the S&H fees was not necessary.

Maybe the seller combined shipping expense if the buyer purchased more than one item.

The seller lost more that the original price of the Big Bay Point with listing on ebay.

But $20 for shipping and Handling is a little on the high side. I shipped a lighthouse to West Coast about a month ago by UPS for $14.00. When your paying shipping and handling the cost of packing materials and gas to the shipper should be on the seller and not the buyer. When you buy something from a store they only charge for the actual shipping. I agree "hosing" is not the correct wording to use. It's another way to "pad" the selling price in my estimation.

I always figure out what the shipping costs will be before I buy or bid on something and if they are "padding" the costs I will not think about buying/bidding no matter how much I want the item.

Bidders get turned off when they see a high shipping cost.

Although it's really a shipping and handling cost. That could include the cost to get to the Post Office, packaging material, Ebay selling fees, and Paypal fees.

Buy you HLs from a "good" Dealer and you usually don't have to pay shipping!

OK, there's my pitch for the dealers out there....

I look every now and then to see if I can fill holes in my collection. Now's a great time to do so. I picked up an Ocracoke HL 135 in mint condition for $35.50, including shipping in October. It seems 5 years ago you could never get one for less than $100.

That's one heck of a deal on an Ocracoke, Bob! Ten years ago that piece would probably sell for $250.

Bob

Sorry about the "hosing" comment as someone on here (possibly, though doubtfully) may have been the seller, but that was a quick post right after the bidding closed and I didn't search my mental thesaurus.

Yeah ten years may be a good barometer ...one way or the other!

When I put my Big Bay Point on an online auction a couple of days ago, I hadn't yet discovered this site. I had no idea one had recently sold for so little!! So, mine is listed at a much higher price. I think this beautiful piece is worth it. One thing I am doing differently is offering shipping to a handful of other countries besides the US. I think there may still be a market in places like Japan or Germany that might help the HL line hold its value. I think most of this community own their lighthouses because they simply love them. If I didn't have circumstances that require me to raise cash, I would keep this Big Bay for myself. It would look so wonderful on my mantle this Christmas!

I recently sold a Big Bay Point on Ebay at close to $100. So the market may vary depending on your timing. I don't think it will ever reach $250 again, more like $75 to $150.

FYI: This is not the one I won in the recent Opportunity Drawing, but the one I had prior. The winning one is Priceless in my collection since it came from Rich's collection.

Did anybody notice a recent auction for the Burnt Island Christmas piece. Last I seen it, it was at $320 with 17 bids and about 12 hours to go.