Just watched a Fatboy go for $152! Didn't think it was anything special... Not a red dot or other rarity as far as I could tell. $152??? No way am I ever paying that for a razor I'd actually use. Maybe a collectible, one day I the distant future... But wow. I would think you could get several nice razors for that kind of money, with funds to spare. Am I wrong?
That's the world on online auctions. Fatboys are coveted—no matter the condition—and although they are nice razors, its my opinion the auction feeding frenzies create selling prices on certain items that are out of line with *REAL market values. This is why you can find the occasional FatBoy for less than $50 elsewhere (antique stores, garage sales, flea markets). *'Real' inferring not artificially inflated by the auction atmosphere.
I paid $62 for my FB on the bay in May with a case and shipping. I use it about 3 times a week and it still looks new. You have to take your time to find something, and not get pulled into a bidding war. The problem I have is that I can get nothing here locally. Awhile ago I went to a store and asked to get a SE and a boar brush. Look what they gave me. I do hear that if you get the correct angle this SE will work great, and the brush does lather well with Williams.
I do believe that it is aluminum, no wait it is that dreaded pot metal. Curse you zamak! will have to return it. Thanks for catching that.
You think that's bad, try buying a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, from Carmax. You can go buy brand spanking new one from a local Chrysler / Dodge/Jeep /Ram dealer for $2500.00 less than a used 2010 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon @ Carmax.
I can't let such things slip past me and I will crush the evil pot metal when ever it rears it's ugly head.
It's the free market at work, nothing wrong with it whatsoever. It's the buyers money to spend it as he or she sees fit.
While the prices on ebay can be kind of crazy at times which can be a real PIA, when it's something "YOUR" wanting , however as @HoosierTrooper just said "thank God" we live in a capitalistic "FREE" market society. It's up to us the consumers to exercise control of our wallets and not let our "desire to own" drive prices out of hand. IMO the biggest asset to dealing on ebay is patience, you have to remember there's always another item coming up the road. I've had RAD since I started this hobby about 3 years ago now, and have never paid more than $50 for a cased FatBoy. As an example I want a "3 piece" slant bar "VERY" much at the moment, but rather than pay what I consider a "HIGH" price($100+) I just wait, hunt and bid over and over until I can get what I consider a fair price for one...
Yeah I discovered that by using the search on eBay with "-fat" I could find several Fatboys that had not been listed as such. Had a nice (low) bid in on one, but I think someone else must have gotten wise to it, because his initial counter-bid was much, much higher than mine... Which I don't think would have happened had he not also figured out that it was a Fatboy up for auction. Patience is a virtue. Too bad it's not one of mine =)
Be patient. I figured a fat boy wasn't going to be in my arsenal for a while, I refuse to pay what ebay wants. Picked one up local for $10. Visit antique shops, flea markets, Thrift stores, auctions. It has worked for me. I come up bust more than I score, but that makes it enjoyable.
I got a FB for $25 shipped - it needs some cleaning up but in the kind of Guy that likes a vintage look to some of my razors, mugs and brushes. http://www.ebay.com/itm/261569116108 http://www.ebay.com/itm/131285919936
