Classic & Vintage - help pricing 80's bianchi

how much should i be paying for a late 80's bianchi steel bike in excellent condition with shimano components? dont know the model. i saw similar bikes on ebay for around $250, higher with campagnolo. the bike im looking at is asking $550, this seems a little high to me. also, does anyone know how much a bike like that cost new in 1987-89?

My only calibration point is my Italian-made early 1980s Bianchi, a midgrade machine with Campagnolo derailleurs, Ofmega hubs and cranks, and a Tre Tubi (3 main tubes butted Columbus CrMo) frame, which is evidently worth around $300 (and climbing) on eBay. Japanese-made Bianchis, though probably just as good, are far less interesting to collectors and therefore less valuable.

thanks a lot for the info! the components are "shimano high end" and are in almost new cond. as well as the bike which has very little use on it. im not sure the model but there are the names: small sport ss; piaggio (top of seat post); and ishiwata magny (on side of fork). the serial number begins DS494xxx. unfortunately the owner cant tell me the type of tubing or exact model name. the color is silver light blue. also, its a 12sp, 58cm, brake handles are compe, crank is sakae, stem and handlebar - alloy, technomic, rims araya; deraileurs, shifters, and brakes are high end shimano. no tune-up, no delivery included. thanks again.

Something is not right here. A Piaggio decal indicates early 1980s. Magny was generally used onl ower, mid-range models and was introduced around 1983-1984. The serial numbers indicates a Japanese frame. To the best of my knowledge, Bianchi never produced a model with Shimano's top group, Dura-Ace, so the components must be 600 or less, which is more in line with the rest of the components.

At best, it is a Binchi Limited, and likely something less. A Limited sold for $455 in 1984. It's a good, but not great bicycle. Given, the price, his vagueness on the components and all the other conditions, I'd politely decline. You can do a lot better for the money he's asking.

I concur with T-Mar. The Ishiwata tubing is additional conclusive evidence that this is a Japanese frame. (Measure the BB shell width; I'll bet it's 68mm instead of 70.)