cctalk Digest, Vol 30, Issue 5

[mark at markesystems.com]

>> least.. but yeah.. might be impossible to ever really know.  I'm just
>> wondering why the price jumped to $40+ each all of a sudden!

> a very large number of schlock IC sellers all communicate with each
> other.  They all have a continuous stream of wants or needs that they
> exchange.  but they make their own prices.  The probability is that you
> may have hit the original stocking guy with your first query.  Querying
> any others will result in them looking at the wants that others shared,
> or buys, and he saw someone else had it and quoted you the same info.

It takes surprisingly little to trigger this effect/behavior.  I did a bulk 
buy of some 1960's era miniature vacuum tubes (500 pcs) for around 50 cents 
each; the next time I looked, the price from all vendors who had them had 
jumped to around $3, and it's up to $6 now.  (Fortunately the vendor I 
purchased from originally extended approximately his original pricing to me 
again.)  I think I was - and still am - virtually the only volume buyer of 
these parts, but the price remains high.  I've also had the same experience 
with other vintage new-old-stock parts.
~~
Mark Moulding