Valuing classic computers, was re: eBay sniping

Vintage Computer Festival wrote: Why does there have to be an objective value? There are far too many variables to provide any sort of meaningful value, you cite some such as regional scarcity etc but there are also others such as the physical state of the item in question, its configuration, what comes with it in terms of documentation etc, the availability of such documentation if not included with the item, transport costs, number of people interested. All these factors play a role and that is why I think eBay prices DO reflect market value. eBay provides an almost perfect global marketplace and in such an environment prices will fluctuate around a "market value". If you as a buyer feel the prices are too high then that simply means there are people around who consider the value of those items to be higher than you do. I might as well gripe about the exhorbitant prices charged for BMW cars, I might be willing to pay say $10,000 for one yet the "market" price can be as high as $100,000, does my griping change anything? Not having had the opportunity to see a copy I cannot comment, but without denigrating his good work, I would question the real world relevance of any value placed on any particular machine at a particular moment in time. And probably never will, it is a fluid, ever developing market as items come up for sale and collectors join and leave the community. -- hbp