Photos on EBAY!

[E Williams]

go for really high prices. 20 to over 50 pound sterling.

(I really need a smilie to express my thoughts about this)?????????????????????????

[IrishGunner]

go for really high prices. 20 to over 50 pound sterling.

(I really need a smilie to express my thoughts about this)?????????????????????????

Ed, what type of photos are you looking at?!

I rarely spend more than $10 - even after exchange rates from either Euro or Sterling.

[E Williams]

Ed, what type of photos are you looking at?!

I rarely spend more than $10 - even after exchange rates from either Euro or Sterling.

I'm looking and bidding on the ones everybody with more money than me wants also. A MG studio photo I went up to 25 pound sterling on yesterday went for over 50 pounds. Maybe I should be collecting cook and clerks memorabilia.

It was probably Chris.........................

I was just outbid on another, regular post card group photo non MG that went for over 25 pounds.

Edited November 4, 2013 by E Williams

[E Williams]

I really shouldn't be complaining, if I knew it was going to go that high, I would have went higher also. It was that great of a MG studio photo. I'll know better next time......Chris!!!!!

[IrishGunner]

Yea, I lost a few "unusual" artillery cards recently. I think some people really drive up prices unrealistically. I just can't see the reason sometimes. I just set my maximum and move on...

[E Williams]

Yea, I lost a few "unusual" artillery cards recently. I think some people really drive up prices unrealistically. I just can't see the reason sometimes. I just set my maximum and move on...

It's a Dog Eat Dog world out there!!!!! Sorta like Black Friday shopping fights except we men stay home. :)

[IrishGunner]

It's a Dog Eat Dog world out there!!!!! Sorta like Black Friday shopping fights except we men stay home.

Oh, and I am paranoid. I swear when I'm actively posting a topic on GMIC, it seems the competition for artillery gets more intense on eBay.

[E Williams]

I know, since talking about Lugers, one member here has gone and bought up a chest full and Bavarian MG ones too. I won't say who he is but his initials are H O S S. ;)

[Chris Boonzaier]

Some photos go for insane prices simply because of details normal people do not notice... and some go for insane prices because 2 idiots (one of them usually me) are bidding on them.

I have seen a dealer put up a photo and get EUR80 for it, then put up a second one (had 2 of the same) and it went for EUR10, simply because Bidder 1 already had one (for EUR80), and Bidder 2 got it for what the reat of the market would pay.

I have dug deep for some photos, gotten lucky on others... its always a question of who is bedding against you...

[E Williams]

its always a question of who is bedding against you...

and if they have more money than you.

(Why can't I have access to the forum smilies?)

[E Williams]

Oh, and I am paranoid. I swear when I'm actively posting a topic on GMIC, it seems the competition for artillery gets more intense on eBay.

Combat arms usually is unless the collector has a connection with some other field such as Signals or Medical. Right now I know of an early medic/corpsman's Luger, really great shape for sale and I'd love to have it but it's not a priority.

[IrishGunner]

I'm still not sure who the artillery competition is.... Andy? Odulf? Come on guys... Collusion is the answer to lower prices!

[Pucko86]

In my opinion, some of the collectors that buy photos on ebay either have too much money or take their business way too serious. Also one should keep in mind that next years anniversary will also raise the prices among collectors. But what I've noticed lately is just crazy ... My field of collection isn't that cheap, but just a year ago I got most of these simple Austrian soldier portraits for 2-3€, today even simple potraits went up to 5€ and more. Alpenkorps items were always expensive

Yesterday I read an article of an collector form the US that complained about a German seller on ebay, because the German won't sell his photos to the US. He sold two photos showing Flammenwerfer Pioniere with their Totenkopf patches on the cuffs. One photo was sold for 80€. The american collector said in his article that he found it pathetic that the seller wasn't selling the photos to him, because he would had paid 800€ (!!!) for both. This is a new dimension ... one day only a few rich people will get photos on ebay, because the market will be screwed!

[E Williams]

I've come to the conclusion that better buys off dealer websites are far more achievable but one has to be there at that right time to be successful still.

[E Williams]

I'm still not sure who the artillery competition is.... Andy? Odulf? Come on guys... Collusion is the answer to lower prices!

I'm not into artillery, as you know but, if I ever come across a good artillery luger with MG unit marks at a decent price, I'll pounce on it. They're out there but as Chip said, when the owners die is when the Crème d' Crème will become available.

[Chris Boonzaier]

Yesterday I read an article of an collector form the US that complained about a German seller on ebay, because the German won't sell his photos to the US. He sold two photos showing Flammenwerfer Pioniere with their Totenkopf patches on the cuffs. One photo was sold for 80€. The american collector said in his article that he found it pathetic that the seller wasn't selling the photos to him, because he would had paid 800€ (!!!) for both. This is a new dimension ... one day only a few rich people will get photos on ebay, because the market will be screwed!

Well, technically the potential Buyer would only have paid EUR800 if there had been someone else willing to pay EUR799 as Undebidder ;-)

[Chris Boonzaier]

I was considering bidding on a nice pic with a group of men wearing the Draeger Gasmasks on some Pionier course... but it went for over EUR140....

[E Williams]

I was considering bidding on a nice pic with a group of men wearing the Draeger Gasmasks on some Pionier course... but it went for over EUR140....

Sounds like a 'specialty' collector and they usually don't set limits.

[Paul R]

This very issue was what brought me into my LW collecting focus of Admin and Beamte. Despite their overwhelming rarity and very interesting career fields(Such as test pilots, LW Secret Police, and etc), there was not really a market for LW Beamte. I was able to find some super rare and cool treasures for a fraction of the cost of a common flight piped tunic.

[jaba1914]

50, 60 or 80€ for one picture is not realy a high price, Depend on what kind of picture this are regular prices.

I see pictures went for more than 400€ and more than one time. Pictures for more than 200€ are normal for aviation or tank theme.

I bought several times pictures for more than 70€ and was outbid more time for this amount.

Regards

Alex

Edited November 16, 2013 by jaba1914

[IrishGunner]

"Normal" does not mean there isn't price inflation. Prices for photos (and sterbebilder) have definitely made a significant jump in the last few months. At every price level, things are now double or triple. And then there are the really out of whack high prices...

Supply and demand (supply is dwindling...esp on the prime themes...thus prices are rising)

Preference (more collectors in the market looking for everything, esp prime themes)

Expectation (we're getting close to the 100th anniversary)

Knowledge (more people are educated about the images, but not educated about realistic prices)

Knowledge 2 (forums like GMIC are increasing overall interest in the product)

Probably a combination of the above. But it's getting a bit out of hand I think...

[E Williams]

"Normal" does not mean there isn't price inflation. Prices for photos (and sterbebilder) have definitely made a significant jump in the last few months. At every price level, things are now double or triple. And then there are the really out of whack high prices...

Supply and demand (supply is dwindling...esp on the prime themes...thus prices are rising)

Preference (more collectors in the market looking for everything, esp prime themes)

Expectation (we're getting close to the 100th anniversary)

Knowledge (more people are educated about the images, but not educated about realistic prices)

Knowledge 2 (forums like GMIC are increasing overall interest in the product)

Probably a combination of the above. But it's getting a bit out of hand I think...

Less people, if none at all, are sharing their collections with others, like Chris and Eric. If they shared more, I'd buy less.

[dksck]

Many people would agree that there has been a pattern of price increases in many, but not all, areas of military collecting. However, I think that I've noticed another pattern that may explain the first one. In the past nine months or a year, I've noticed many items that "sell" for what would appear to be high prices reappear after a few weeks or months, being offered by another seller either on fleabay, a dealer's website or even on a table at a show. In the case of one photo that interested me, the original sale price was less than 20 E. but that was more than I was willing to spend. Six months later I saw the same photo offered on line for 2 E. by another dealer. A week later the photo appeared on a table at a show for 5 E. Now maybe that original sale just attracted a lot of attention and dealers just dug out their copies of the exact same photo, but somehow that's just a little too suspicious for me. I suspect that a dealer bought the original and is now turning out copies that appear suitably aged and are being sold as originals. In another case, there were a couple of documents that caught my attention. They sold on fleabay for less than 100 E. Those same award documents are now offered on a dealer's website for 500 E. In yet another example, there was an item listed for sale at an auction that interested me. It sold for about $1500 which was more than I was willing to pay. A day later, that same item appeared on a dealer's website for more than $2500. There wasn't even time enough for the dealer to have received the item in the mail but he was offering it for sale! He was even using the photos from the auction company! The point of all this is that it seems collectors are part of the reason prices are going up; some dealers believe that they have captive clients who are willing to pay the price, even for fakes and overpriced originals.

Edited November 17, 2013 by dksck

[Marcin L]

Sadly, I think less and less people collect German militaria now. Irrespective of the prices, I think the collecting society was just bigger few years ago. Some quit / died, and we have no new comers.

By the way - where do you buy your stuff? Ebay only? I can't believe, there is so much crap there.

[E Williams]

I spent a total of 13 years in Germany spread out over the 60s through the 90s. The 60s was almost the best, I say almost because a lot of vets were still hanging on to their items or you had to go find them and offer an amount they would take. The 70s, I stopped, not just because I used the collection for divorce money but in the 70s started the rise of the 're-strikes', far better than copy fakes but still fakes. Now I'm talking strictly about WWII. It wasn't until I returned in the 90s and among vets again that I started collecting again. That time they were getting older, their offspring wasn't interested and items were hitting small local flea markets too. After another divorce....I went with WWI Lugers and small accompanying memorabilia !!!!! Repros will always be around but wisdom comes with age along with a lot of experience and research..........if you can remember it.