Posted By:
Frank WakefieldI understand, Bruce. But I kinda agree with Joe D.
I've done "BIN" a few times. It seems that it is always for something I'm passionate about; not something that is based on it being a good buy for the money. My Dad used to tell me that whenever I bought something at auction I knew that I was willing to pay more for whatever it was that day than everyone else at the auction. I understand what he was thinking, and what he wanted me to realize.
My point, I think some of the collecting that occurs is for pure or near-pure collecting, not because it is being bought for less than a catalog or website says it should be worth.
Not only in BINs but also in regular eBay auctions, I've paid way more for something than I thought it was worth out there in the open market. I think that many collectors do that. Our collecting passion drives us to that. Truthfully, most of the stuff is realistically worthless, it would make fair kindling. Maybe what the catalogs gauge is the relative collective passion out there among folks interested in the item.