What a difference a picture makes - ebay
 

The difference a picture makes.

Two ebay listings
One with lousy picture Dura Ace front hub 36 hole 7400 with 7700 skewer. Listed as new $10.50 plus $4.90 shipping.

http://i.ebayimg.com/20/!BYPH8hQ!mk~...b5,IQ~~_12.JPG

Second with good listing Shimano Dura Ace FH-7400 Front Hub w/ Skewer - 32H NOS $202.50 +12.50 shipping.

http://i.ebayimg.com/03/!BVs587!!2k~...yPgrQ~~_12.JPG

The first one went for close to what shipping cost for the second.

I guess there could be other factors like really crazy bidders and the second seller has been selling a lot
of NOS Dura Ace. And you are left to wonder about the condition of the first one. Photo may or may not show damage
from poor storage. Plus the first doesn't have the correct skewer, but really.

Crap shooting...
 

I have pretty much stopped placing a reserve on any of the bicycles or frame sets that I offer for auction on Ebay. Most items are offered for $9.99. Why? Simply because I no longer have any idea of what these old bikes and frame sets are worth these days. Look at two near identical Torpado bicycles, both the same size and both nearly identical cosmetically and mechanically. $120.00 won the silver/red Torpado as I recall and the yellow/white one tipped the scale at $1,225.00 a week or so ago.

And I do predict this will continue to be the case with vintage road, touring and racing bicycles. As they become more popular, the demand will increase and the prices will go up.

Why the difference in prices of these two near identical mounts. Demand! Two or more people really wanted the yellow Torpado. And they put their money where it counts.

Its hard to say why the second hub went for so much more than first. I could only speculate it has to do with the skewer. Chroming on early DA skewer nuts D-rings is 'delicate' to put it mildly so perhaps spmeone was on a mission for a mint piece.

True, but also the less-experienced new buyers contribute to the volatility just by virtue of being over-anxious and under-informed.

I got my John Howard frame built by Dave Tesch on the cheap because the seller did not take good photographs. Many people must've figured it was a KHS and moved on.

The fixie craze has jacked up prices on a lot of components but left others alone and often starving for attention.

I've noticed a Super Record RD going for peanuts while an identical one gets top dollar; both on auction at the same time.

I appreciate Campagnolo going to a new crankset design. Their square taper cranksets are now much cheaper. I've gotten two Record 53-39 cranksets, NIB, for $100 plus shipping apiece.

I let the fanatics go crazy over C-Record and grab Daytona, Athena, Chorus or even Record components at much lower prices.

I then use my money saved to get outrageous paintjobs. ;)

I have bought lots of things on ebay that had crappy pictures, always cheaper than they should have been. Seldom have I been disappointed. OTOH, when I sell, I take lots of pictures and self-host so I don't unduly enrich ebay.

The answer is obvious, groom your lawn and paint the fence before offering the bike on eBay! Those of us without white garage doors as photographic background will always be afflicted by this.

That Torpado on the left looks in much worse condition than the yellow one, but not $1100 worse.

Neither is a high-end example.

Not just the photo, although it can factor the bidding obviously, but ebay is just strange like that.
Maybe the fact the first one is a 36 hole hub made it less desirable too. I won a rear freewheel dura ace hub never used 28 hole for almost nothing before, the picture was great, only me and one other guy seemed to want it and it ended at like 11 bucks.