Fair price for Bauer Junior

[tlawler]

Ok, I'm still on the hunt for a small personal compressor and have been constantly perusing ebay, craigslist, govt. liquidation, scubatrader, usedscubacompressors.com and the gear classifieds at SB and TDS in search of one.

So I found a 10 year old Bauer Junior on ebay, the 225 bar version, in "perfect" working order and close enough (150 miles) that I could go and inspect the condition and make sure it pumps up to the specified level before I commit to parting with quite a bit of my hard earned money. I'm looking for something of a "fixer-upper", not one I have to completely overhaul, and this one looked promising.

Anyway, from what I've read on here and elsewhere, and judging on the visual condition that could be seen in the photos, I figured it should be worth in the neighborhood of $1000. I bid a grand on it and waited to see where it went. Man, was I surprised when the final price went past $2100!

Here is the link for it. Let me know if I was way off in my estimation of it's value. I'm pretty sure that the price it went for was way out of proportion, but is it somewhere in between, like say $1400 or $1500? I'm just curious and want to be better able to determine value in a compressor before I buy one.

Thanks...DS

 

[pescador775]

The Junior has been exposed to salt, probably on a boat trip. Otherwise, I see no specific signs which would indicate a "fixer upper". Factoring a risk premium, the selling price was a bit high but not outrageous. Auction dynamics are strange and often result in very high prices being paid for items which could be bought new for less or for little more. There is actually a very recent SB thread on this subject. Stranger still are the missed opportunities. Several years ago, a Junior showed up as "buy it now" for $1200. It appeared to be new, govt surplus. Somebody pushed the button within 1/2 hour of the offering. I was tempted but I need another compressor like the proverbial "hole in head".

 

[Isaac-1]

Like pesky said auction dynamics are strange, plus we probably have our own skewed vision of value based upon the "deals"we see. My first compressor was a Purus bought off ebay "buy it now" just after it was listed for $250, of course it was pick up only, and I had to drive 500 miles to get it. My second was a Davey under $400 off govliquidation (sealed bid auction) bought a few months ago, this after bidding on several others over a period of time. Combine this with location, and time of year, and you get a wide spread of prices.

 

[CraigAClark]

Anything is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. In a bidding process, like e-bay, the customer sets the final price, if there is no "Buy it now" or "reserve" price.

Off topic, but I sell moderately expensive snakes, usually between $300.00 to $1200.00 for one sub-species and $800.00 to $2500.00 for another. I list them on a site with prices, ones I have left after my "waiting list" purchasers. It is up to the prospective buyer whether or not the snake is worth the price. I don't usually have any left. Some will pass, some will buy. It is the same with any product, IMO.

Craig

 

[vshearer]

Off topic, but I sell moderately expensive snakes...

Craig

Oh, so YOU'RE the guy responsible for those alligator eating pythons.

 

[CraigAClark]

Oh, so YOU'RE the guy responsible for those alligator eating pythons.

I guess you could call it a GUY, since its name was Andrew. Don't believe all the hype from the media about pet owners being responsible.

Craig

 

[Peter_C]

We just picked up a Max-Air CE3 via ebay, which is a 10.4 CFM compressor for $2025. It was originally sold for around $7500. Fully automatic and 5000 psi. Plus we stole a 4500 psi cascade system with all gauges, hoses and another filter for $650. Oh and that included a Peter Built reg rebuilding setup with a sweet IP gauge and reg flow tester. There are deals to be had. Jumping onthe first thing that comes along usually leads to regrets. Well at least for me.

 

[widget]

I think its a little expensive for a 10+ year old Junior - its condition dosnt look bad externally, but without checking you could find it needs internal repairs like valves, which could add another wack to the bill.

I would agree with your estimation of $1.5 K maximum.

 

[rcontrera]

As everyone has already said, Ebay is NUTZ!!

When I first started listing compressors there, according to mey distribution agreement, I could only sell at "list price" on the net. I actually had one compressor go for about $500 more than list ... even though I said in my auction what list price was!!

Go figger!!

 

[Dawgdirt]

1st you should go to the Yahoo group.../Compressor_Team/
and look at all the cool home builts.
Then go to sheldensportinggoods .com/
Jim will set you up at a reasonable price. Complete unit or build it up yourself.
It is a can-do at the budget you mentioned.
Steve