$491.00

[David]

...for a box of 20x24 Grade 2 Azo on eBay. Stunning!

 

[Daniel Grenier]

...for a box of 20x24 Grade 2 Azo on eBay. Stunning!

Beyond stunning. Especially since this very same 20x24 Azo 2 can still be purchased from M&P at 1/2 the price! However, I can see this kind of bid in 5, 7 years time with the recent "death" of Azo.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Was it Rochester grade 2? Grade 2 from Rochester commands a higher price than the newer stuff from Canada.

 

[User Removed]

I believe it was the new AZO, because the guy said it was purchased only a few years ago. Either way....I know there is tons of people out there that bought up the AZO just to turn around and sell it for more money on Ebay.

Its sad to think there are some fellow photographer out there that would take advantage of other photographers in this way, but I guess that is life.

 

[c6h6o3]

Beyond stunning. Especially since this very same 20x24 Azo 2 can still be purchased from M&P at 1/2 the price! However, I can see this kind of bid in 5, 7 years time with the recent "death" of Azo.

This Azo was made in the US and is the old one minute Grade 2. Is that what M&P are selling?

In any case, I'm seriously considering putting up some of my Grade 3. It should fetch enough to get me a new camera.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

In any case, I'm seriously considering putting up some of my Grade 3. It should fetch enough to get me a new camera.

This was my thought when I sold off my cache of Kodachrome 25. K-25 is great stuff, but it was still just a 35mm film.

 

[mark]

Its sad to think there are some fellow photographer out there that would take advantage of other photographers in this way, but I guess that is life.

It is called making a buck, Ryan. No one expects a free ride. while I do not like AZO, just does not fit my style, I had thought of doing just this very same thing.

No one is taking advantage of any one. Taking advantage would mean there was no other choice. I see lots of other choices for BW printing AZO is just one and in truth not a very popular one. These guys just cornered the AZO market in a very smart business move. People will pay for what they want and someone will provide it.

 

[Steve Hamley]

Actually M&P don't have any 20x24 Azo right now (as of a couple weeks ago); they are expecting some soon. Maybe worth it if you need it RIGHT NOW, as for printing up an exhibition or print sales. i'd have liked to have had it, and bid on it, but I don't want it that badly.

Steve

 

[jmdavis]

It is true that there is nothing wrong with making a buck. But this is price gouging as clearly as gas at $5 was after Katrina. Is one OK, is the other wrong?

We can go into contortions about needs vs. wants etc, etc. But I will not spend one penny with the price gougers for Azo. I will not reward greed.

Once we made things. We were farmers and artists and inventors. Those are the days that I long for.

Mike Davis

 

[bill schwab]

But this is price gouging as clearly as gas at $5 was after Katrina.

So, Mike... you're saying that if I put something up for auction on eBay and some schmuck decides to outbid all others with a ridiculously large offer that I am the greedy one?

Unless this seller put a $491.00 fixed price on this paper, I would hesitate in accusing them of "price gouging".

Bill

 

[Steve Hamley]

Just because a bidder in an auction thinks something's worth more than another bidder doesn't make the seller a gouger.

This isn't the same thing as gas gouging IMO. In most true gouging cases, customers don't have a choice (not buying any gas is not a reasonable choice and all gas is about the same price; there are other reasonably priced papers). In the Azo case, the bid started at 0.99 and the "customers" decided what it was worth.

I don't have any problem with it, but it wasn't worth that to me. For the record, I did bid a modest amount over what M&P price it because I knew they didn't have any and I wanted some - but not that badly.

Steve

 

[Ole]

... Its sad to think there are some fellow photographer out there that would take advantage of other photographers in this way, but I guess that is life.

I find it even more sad that there are at least two photographers who are prepared to pay $490 or more for paper...

 

[jmdavis]

All,

This auction is preying on peoples fears. And we, the users of AZO are trying to outbid each other over pieces of paper. Maybe this auction is not gouging. But they will start soon enough.

Again, I will not reward the people who tried to buy up as much azo as possible to then raise the prices. When the Hunts tried to corner the market on silver, they wound up in jail. Although in this case we don't actually know that the seller had any ill intent.


Mike Davis

 

[jmdavis]

So, Mike... you're saying that if I put something up for auction on eBay and some schmuck decides to outbid all others with a ridiculously large offer that I am the greedy one?

Unless this seller put a $491.00 fixed price on this paper, I would hesitate in accusing them of "price gouging".

Bill

Bill,

I'm saying that if you consider people schmucks you're wrong to begin with. I will not prey on peoples fears. Making a profit is good but preying on fear is not.

Mike Davis

 

[Ole]

Let's be a bit realistic here????

One single auction ending at (far) more than retail price is nothing unusual. It happens all the time, and noone has cried out with phrases like "trying to corner the world market" before (well maybe I have with reference to the current prices on old Petzval lenses...)!

The "world market" - as far as one exists - for Azo is still in the hands of Michael and Paula. Without them there wouldn't even be a domestic USA market, much less a world market.

Blaming the seller for a bidding frenzy is just - silly.

 

[Steve Hamley]

"The auction" isn't preying on anyone - an auction is inanimate. The bidders may have fears (or not), and I agree with Ole, it's sort of sad if people are hoarding, but not if you need that paper at that price to make a buck or do what you need to do. We've seen the same thing in Dagors, especially late ones and longer focal lengths, and anything Jim Galli uses to take a picture

But what's the seller, (who started at 0.99) going to do? At some point say "O.K. the price has gone as high as APUGers think is reasonable so I'm ending the auction and giving it to the last bidder."? That wouldn't quite be fair either. IMO, if the reserve was reasonable, the seller didn't gouge.

Steve

 

[jmdavis]

You are right, we don't know that the seller had ill intent. But they will start selling soon enough.

I will buy from M&P.


Mike Davis

 

[jmdavis]

Let's be a bit realistic here????

One single auction ending at (far) more than retail price is nothing unusual. It happens all the time, and noone has cried out with phrases like "trying to corner the world market" before (well maybe I have with reference to the current prices on old Petzval lenses...)!

The "world market" - as far as one exists - for Azo is still in the hands of Michael and Paula. Without them there wouldn't even be a domestic USA market, much less a world market.

Blaming the seller for a bidding frenzy is just - silly.

We will know more when the Grade 3 selling starts.

Mike

 

[bill schwab]

I will not prey on peoples fears. Making a profit is good but preying on fear is not.

Did you even see the auction? What makes you think this person was preying on people's fears?

As far as the "schmuck" remark, anyone paying this kind of money for Azo of all things has earned the schmuck label in my opinion.

Bill

 

[laz]

Good lord people take a chill pill! We're talking photographic paper here!

Not food. Not water. Not medicine.

In fact it is nothing that anybody even remotely needs.

With all the furor being kicked up here I'm thinking that investing in Azo is a grand idea. People who can get this worked up over paper will pay through the nose in the future to get their hands on Azo.

Bob (future owner and CEO of Bob's AzoRama, your Azo superstore)

 

[reggie]

You are right, we don't know that the seller had ill intent. But they will start selling soon enough.

I will buy from M&P.


Mike Davis

It's just the free market doing what it does by nature. Noone is right or wrong here, not the seller nor the buyer. The buyer is entitled to bid as much as he\she wants to and isn't subject to our judgement. The seller is entitled to make as much profit as the open market will let them. They can even put all sorts or fear-raising rhetoric in their ads if they want to. eBay is caveat emptor personified.

BTW, when the supply of AZO dwindles how do you know M&P won't raise prices? If they do, will this make them gougers or just good business people? According to their latest thread, Grade 3 is near extinction. There are other groups that have bought up a lot of the available AZO so M&P will have competition. If these other groups start selling it at a premium, will M&P hold the prices down or raise them? It will be amusing to see how it works out.

-R

 

[c6h6o3]

There are other groups that have bought up a lot of the available AZO so M&P will have competition.

I'd surely like to know who these other groups are.

 

[reggie]

I'd surely like to know who these other groups are.

It is interesting. I wonder if it could be other re-sellers like Freestyle, etc. Of just some guys buying in together and holding onto it until they think the timing is right and putting it up on eBay. Such a plan may backfire if there are a few alternatives available when they put it up on eBay.

-R

 

[jmdavis]

It's just the free market doing what it does by nature. Noone is right or wrong here, not the seller nor the buyer. The buyer is entitled to bid as much as he\she wants to and isn't subject to our judgement. The seller is entitled to make as much profit as the open market will let them. They can even put all sorts or fear-raising rhetoric in their ads if they want to. eBay is caveat emptor personified.

BTW, when the supply of AZO dwindles how do you know M&P won't raise prices? If they do, will this make them gougers or just good business people? According to their latest thread, Grade 3 is near extinction. There are other groups that have bought up a lot of the available AZO so M&P will have competition. If these other groups start selling it at a premium, will M&P hold the prices down or raise them? It will be amusing to see how it works out.

-R

M&P refused to sell large quantities so that more people could have access. They could have raised their prices the moment Kodak shut down the line. They didn't. They could have bought enough for themselves and then said the "hell with the rest of you." The didn't.

Those are facts, not speculation.

Mike Davis

 

[mark]

M&P refused to sell large quantities so that more people could have access. They could have raised their prices the moment Kodak shut down the line. They didn't. They could have bought enough for themselves and then said the "hell with the rest of you." The didn't.

Those are facts, not speculation.

Mike Davis

Are they selling anymore grade 3. No, that is a fact. SO they have said, "the hell with the rest of you". Of course AZO users understand this decision by them, but not the decisions of others who are not them.

M&P were very smart not to allow large purchases. They hyped up AZO knowing that the more folks using it meant it might be around longer. Now they are not selling anymore grade 3. Another good business decision. Sucks for the rest of you, but for them it was the smart thing to do.

Welcome to reality folks.