Ebay prices seem fair to me.
Message #1 Posted by Mike Rivera on 23 Feb 2003, 10:45 a.m.
Hi all:
I'm new to your site and have found it very interesting and helpful. While going through the forum (and archives), I see a lot of shock at some of the prices items sell for on ebay. For a lot of you that paid under $50 for near-mint HP's, it must seem hilarious, however, take a look at it from my perspective.
I'm 45 years old and received my first HP (25-C) as a Christmas gift (after months of pleeding) in 1976. It served me through my last year of high school, college, and my first few years in business. My parents paid $200 for it.
I later replaced it with a 15-C in the mid-eighties. The "15" cost me about $200. I used it until about 1998 when it became my briefcase carry-about and my desktop received a new 48G. The "48" just stopped working - the display just went dead. I never really liked the "48" - certainly not as much as the "15", and the "15" didn't hold a candle to my "25".
I pulled out my old "25" and began using it again - it worked perfectly! The only thing I was afraid of is the LED display. I could see the batteries going dead when I needed it most - sitting with a client. What I really wanted was a 25-C with an LCD. My friend (an engineer) recommended a 41-CV or CX.
I found your web-site and fell in love with the "41". I then went to ebay and found one "new-in-box" with all accessories, etc., for about $300. Basically I was able to buy a brand new 41-CX, ten years after it was discountinued, for about the same price is sold for in a store!
Not only does that seem like a deal to me (and others apparently), my parents paid more for my 25-C in 1976 as $200 in 1976 dollars is worth more than $300 today. In fact, the $200 I paid for the "15" in 1985 is probably more than $300 today.
For the cost of a pair of dress shoes or a "very nice" dinner out with my wife, I have a brand-new HP 41-CX. I may buy some accessories and paying what they sold for new (or a little bit more) is okay with me. I'm not a collector, so $300 for a tool that will (hopefully) last at least a decade is okay. I've paid thousands for computers that were basically useless (for my business) five years later.
I'm not a collector (although I'm starting to feel the itch), but I think these little machines are worth $200-$300 in 2003 dollars for near-mint examples. They apparently were worth this when they were new.
Thanks for everybodys help - it's a very friendly site.
- Mike Rivera
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