Will marker resale recover?

[punkncat]

There are TONS of good deals in the B/S/T as of late. In response to our failing economy, people leaving the sport, as well as just selling gear to make bills, or even to put their money elsewhere. Realizing that even the deals go in cycles...one week there are too many to shake a stick at, and the next things seems a bit more reasonable.

With all the good deals my view is that I could pick a few things up, hold on to them for a bit, and resell them for more later. But I got thinking a bit about whether we will actually every see markers regain the loss? It seems like once people get used to paying a specific price for something that it gets hard to sell above it any more...unless it just happens to be one of those times where there are none available, and a motivated buyer. It just seems to me like that is becoming fewer and farther between. Even markers that have traditionally been "exempt" from such pricing are falling victim and are not the safe bet they were as an investment.

This current market reminds me a lot of what is known in real estate as "white flight". A bad element moves into an area, and everyone that can suddenly sells out at a rock bottom price, causing futher damage to the area in both who they are allowing in, and in lost resale to the remaining people.
With top of the line equipment selling to people that previously couldn't afford it, for a price that makes them not appreciate it....and the disparity in price between a brand new TOL marker and what you can buy it for the next year...
There is writing on the wall, and if collectors and marker owners don't get it together we are all going to find ourselves in a virtual paintball slum.

[Spider-TW]

There's lots angles there, and I don't know how it will shake out, but I believe these things:

1) The manufacturers are suffering, or will be soon. If nothing else from the slow sales of new-player markers needed (never mind "new model year" manufacturing) and this will hurt new development.

2) It is a good time to pick up any used marker you care to work on, if you can.

3) The number of people that are actually willing and able to rebuild a worn marker are few compared to the market.

4) When people return to the market, they will probably buy new and suffer the results of the economic downturn. Someone that knows what they are doing should be able to find enough leftovers for a build, mainly because those cases will be relatively few.

5) The gap between 'old and unknown' and the latest and greatest will get larger (faster) as we loose players who maintain the classic markers and we have less playing time with younger players to show them the hard way why they are classics.

[Chronobreak]

i dont see it getting better soon, and here is why

you mentioned that people get used to paying a price, and i agree with that. no ones going to want to pay 500+ for an ego when they can get one for 350.

the amount of players who are still buying new equipment.

lets face it there are way more markers than players and the new players arent taking advantage of the used market since they dont feel comfortable doing so. So this overflow of markers is still increasing as it has.


now this isnt always the case but i recall telling a few members on the nation who were asking why is resale so bad. I skimmed the threads i could find and the only conclusion i came up with was that people are willing to take a loss on markers, for example sell an angel used once for half the price as a new one, that person probly could have asked for more and got it but he diddnt and took the loss, which gets back to what you said about getting used to paying a price, and whats that estimated market value is out there its hard to turn back.

[Dend78]

i think it will bounce back, obviously we will have to bring it back once things are less shaky. you are right there are an overflow of newer markers out there but for those that shoot mags and AKA's the market isnt getting flooded with em. yeah there are some great deals now because some are hurting and have to give up whatever it takes, but when things lvl out you will see holding onto their used gear which will cause others to offer more for what you have.

its a cycle thing look at the prices you were paying for stuff 3-5 years ago, x-mags for 600 or less, emags everywhere for 400 or less, IT bodies 80 all day long. then once everyone bought them up wow now look 1200 for x-mags, 800 for nice emags, 200 for it bodies. things will dip down but they will bounce back. now the other guns on the market ego's ions and whatever else they wont bounce back to well. they have always been known to drop 200 right after you buy it just the way those are.

[Swamp Thing]

Percieved Value

I think another thing that this economic downturn has done is make people wary of percieved value. Everyone was willing to shell out record prices for houses because the market told them that the "value" was there and they could not loose.

I think on a smaller scale the same is true of markers. Vickings, Xmags and such where holding or increaseing in value and I think one reason was that people could think of it as an investment. You buy the marker play with it but keep it in good condition and if you need/want to sell it down the line you can get as much as you payed for it or more. Now that the prices have dropped and some have been burned by this new reality I think it will take a long time for that idea to take hold again (If Ever)

My take on it is that if you have a marker that you want and you can affort to buy that now it a good time. It is a buyers market. Is it a chance to make a killing by hording stuff for the purpose of resale in a year or so?? I think that is a high risk proposition and I would not recommend it.

Swamp

[madmatt151]

Paintball equipment is not like a house. Yes, some equipment will appreciate due to rarity and such, but in general it is used stuff which does and should be sold at USED prices. It is very comparable to cars. Do Ferraris and Lamborghinis appreciate, yes. Why, because they make 500 per year AND they are expensive and people REALLY REALLY REALLY want them. Again I think there are a few items like this in paintball, but in general most guns are mass produced and will not hold value. As far as AGD stuff, most of it is harder to find and more of a niche than anything else. I see it holding steady at the prices they are at now, maybe even go lower. People are not getting into AGD stuff at a younger age and there is no desire to get them by younger players. Ask any marketing person, advertising is started at a young age for a reason, that is when our opinions are formed about most items. Will an XMag stay above $1000, most likely. Will it appreciate much more than that, probably not. Why, because there are only a finite number of them around, but the number of people who want them is only getting smaller. If for some reason a strong desire for them arises, then the value will definitely increase, but do yo think this will happen? Probably not.

[RogueFactor]

Its a buyers market. Until that changes, the answer to your question would be no.

The cheap 'pro' electros beginning in 2005 were a game changer. Sales at those prices relied on volume. Volume this industry wont see equalled for some time. The industry will have to wait for the next generation of players who dont expect things so cheap and arent accustomed to these price levels.

Even when/if it does change, its a new landscape. The days of $1200 (fill in the blank) markers will only be flagship markers,definitly not what pays the bills and keeps them running.

[Thordic]

Wow, I have been out of the game since 04/05 so I had no clue how far things had fallen.

I just took a look at the B/S/T forums.

God I wish prices has been that low back in the day. Or prolly not, I would have ended up owning one of everything.

[Mr. Mouse]

doesnt help with manufactures comming out with new markers every 6-8 months, and they wonder why their markers have no value

[pk5]

Electro Price: No

Other Collectible Yes : when the economy goes up, such as Palmer Rifle, KPs, AKA, certain cocker model, and carters.

Will it be a nice investment, probably not, but knowing that you can always resell them at a later day at a higher price usually help the purchase. Out of all the markers that i bought, only the electros loose their price significantly, everything else i always manage to get more than what i paid for it.

[chopper duke]

I even see it effecting those markers that hold their value. Take Palmers Brass for example. There was a time when those didn't lose hardly any resale value. Now I see them bringing less and less. I think some of that has to do with the need for money being greater than the need for a paintball gun. I know if things get bad enough for me, I'll sell what I have to that's not a necessity to pay bill, buy food whatever.

[Smoothice]

As soon as people stop needing the money and are willing to wait for their price then prices will come up.

I'm only speaking about AGD collectables though. Cause I don't know much about other markers.

I mean a devilmag still sold for $1,700 very recently...

And an sfl sold for $3,000+...

And once the bunch of xmags currently for sale sell or the owners don't need the money so bad then there prices will come back up as well.

[TippmannGuy]

Yes, the market will recover but when.... In 6 months, a year or maybe a lot longer than that.

The advent of markers that offer ramping compact markers at a $300 range has definately hurt the value of the TOL markers. Also the fact of the new year model gun comes out and the value of last years TOL drops like a rock...

I guess when your looking at buyers there are many types,
1.The Collector * buying rare specific model markers only collecting SFL's, X-mags, AKA etc etc markers that have been out of production for several years
2.Hobbiest * buying parts and many markers to accumulate a huge stash of parts and markers, picking up maybe one really rare marker in there collection.
3.PLayer 1 aka POSER- wants to buy the latest and greatest marker not really looking to play the sport just pose with all the "right" gear.
4. Player 2- aka PLAYER buys gear to use it plays whenever he gets the chance nothing gets dusty, wearing all of gear in a season of play. You'll see his gear and prices are not cheap and the stuff is beat to all hell
5. PLayer 3- wants to get into the sport, they play once or twice a year and acquire enough gear for 2 people to play, never wears out the gear, then decides that its not worth keeping it around because it should be used more often..
6. Tinkerer *This person buys sells, collects, plays and afflicted with paintball. I'm sure you witnessed more than one of them collecting the parts you've been hunting for scooping them up. They also post accomplishments of their work

Value of the rare items are truly set and held by the collectors, If they sell cheap everyone's rare equipment loses it's value...
Everyone plays a role in the B/S/T prices and it definately shows its a hard economic time. As far as scooping up the great prices its not a bad time to consider it, however you are probably hurting for $ just like the next person, and most wives will not let you spend every spare dollar on your paintball addiction....