HP-11C: What is going on with the asking prices?

[jebem]

I wonder what is happening with the HP-11C machines to justify the very high asking prices in the TAS.
I mean, asking above 200 USD for a used fair condition machine, without printed user guides, or double that figure for a complete set, it is completely insane in my humble opinion.
Even the top of the range HP-15C can be found at a lower prices!

Is it because it is a rare machine to find when compared with other similar models?

[John R]

(03-18-2015 09:18 PM)jebem Wrote:  I wonder what is happening with the HP-11C machines to justify the very high asking prices in the TAS.
I mean, asking above 200 USD for a used fair condition machine, without printed user guides, or double that figure for a complete set, it is completely insane in my humble opinion.
Even the top of the range HP-15C can be found at a lower prices!

Is it because it is a rare machine to find when compared with other similar models?

Searching for "HP-11C calculator" and then filtering to show sale prices in descending order, it seems that these exorbitant asking prices are not resulting in sales. All of the transactions with really high sale prices look like they involve mint-condition calculators with the original box and accessories. The run-of-the-mill 11Cs are selling for much, much less.

I would bet that a handful of poorly informed or overly optimistic sellers have inadvertently locked themselves into a positive feedback loop, with each successive exorbitant listing tending to increase the perceived (but not realized) value of the HP-11C, and thus nudging the next asking price higher.

[John Galt]

(03-18-2015 09:18 PM)jebem Wrote:  I wonder what is happening with the HP-11C machines to justify the very high asking prices in the TAS.

I'm almost too embarrassed to ask... what is the TAS? I've heard it mentioned many times. I'm assuming it's a commerce site but I am not familiar with that name.

[Jlouis]

(03-18-2015 11:54 PM)John Galt Wrote:  

(03-18-2015 09:18 PM)jebem Wrote:  I wonder what is happening with the HP-11C machines to justify the very high asking prices in the TAS.

I'm almost too embarrassed to ask... what is the TAS? I've heard it mentioned many times. I'm assuming it's a commerce site but I am not familiar with that name.

EBay. That Auction Site

Don't be embarassed. At the First time I read it, I googled and found nothing

[Gerson W. Barbosa]

(03-18-2015 11:54 PM)John Galt Wrote:  

(03-18-2015 09:18 PM)jebem Wrote:  I wonder what is happening with the HP-11C machines to justify the very high asking prices in the TAS.

I'm almost too embarrassed to ask... what is the TAS? I've heard it mentioned many times. I'm assuming it's a commerce site but I am not familiar with that name.

The Auction Site or That Auction Site, that is, eBay. This used to be a taboo word here, not anymore (I think), but the acronym has caught.

[John Galt]

Ah. The auction site that shall not be named! I LOL'd at that one.

[Jlouis]

(03-19-2015 12:58 AM)John Galt Wrote:  Ah. The auction site that shall not be named! I LOL'd at that one.

Yes. It reminds me the movie The Village

[rprosperi]

(03-19-2015 12:46 AM)Gerson W. Barbosa Wrote:  The Auction Site or That Auction Site, that is, eBay. This used to be a taboo word here, not anymore (I think), but the acronym has caught.

I've no idea if it is still taboo or not, but I do know it's easier to type tas than eBay, at least for this non-touch-typist.

[Les Bell]

(03-19-2015 12:46 AM)Jlouis Wrote:  Don't be embarassed. At the First time I read it, I googled and found nothing

You should have found "True Air Speed" (as opposed to "Indicated Air Speed"). In fact, I'm pretty sure it can be found in the occasional HP calculator manual.

[Jlouis]

(03-19-2015 05:46 AM)Les Bell Wrote:  

(03-19-2015 12:46 AM)Jlouis Wrote:  Don't be embarassed. At the First time I read it, I googled and found nothing

You should have found "True Air Speed" (as opposed to "Indicated Air Speed"). In fact, I'm pretty sure it can be found in the occasional HP calculator manual.

Yes Les, I'm familiar with that, as a former flight engineer. I used my 15c very much doing some calculations.

I meant found nothing related to calculator or e-e-commerce, but later I figured out what TAS mean.

Cheers

JL

[John Galt]

(03-19-2015 05:46 AM)Les Bell Wrote:  You should have found "True Air Speed" (as opposed to "Indicated Air Speed").

Imagine my confusion when I first read discussions about CAS (with the Prime).

[Jlouis]

(03-19-2015 12:08 PM)John Galt Wrote:  

(03-19-2015 05:46 AM)Les Bell Wrote:  You should have found "True Air Speed" (as opposed to "Indicated Air Speed").

Imagine my confusion when I first read discussions about CAS (with the Prime).

LOL!

[jebem]

(03-18-2015 09:50 PM)John R Wrote:  (...) All of the transactions with really high sale prices look like they involve mint-condition calculators with the original box and accessories. The run-of-the-mill 11Cs are selling for much, much less.

Thanks for the reply, John.

Still, for someone based in Europe like myself, where we have to add s&h costs and many times the additional customs charges, ordering from outside European Union results in excessive total price to pay for such a desirable machine.

My initial question was related to the fact that today I managed to acquire a used but in good condition HP-11C with pouch, made in BRAZIL, s/n: 2647B41650, to join my collection

This Brazilian original owner bought it in São Paulo (Brazil) during his engineering studies but he never really used it too much, so it stayed in a drawer for years.
Later on he moved to Portugal to make a living here in Lisbon, and brought the calculator with him, despite having lost the paper user guides in transit.
Now he is rebuilding his nice apartment in Lisbon city and he is getting rid of stuff that he doesn't use or need anymore.
So I was lucky to call him yesterday in time to secure this calculator for 45 Euros.
I couldn't bargain because he had another offer from other Portuguese collector, so I had to cover it in order to win the auction.

[rprosperi]

(03-19-2015 12:45 PM)jebem Wrote:  So I was lucky to call him yesterday in time to secure this calculator for 45 Euros.

An excellent deal for an excellent calculator. I honestly prefer it over a 15C for basic number crunching. This is the machine that goes everywhere with me in my briefcase (in an HP leather case of course). I carried a 12C for many years, but finally got an 11C and "upgraded".

[Jlouis]

(03-19-2015 01:25 PM)rprosperi Wrote:  

(03-19-2015 12:45 PM)jebem Wrote:  So I was lucky to call him yesterday in time to secure this calculator for 45 Euros.

An excellent deal for an excellent calculator. I honestly prefer it over a 15C for basic number crunching. This is the machine that goes everywhere with me in my briefcase (in an HP leather case of course). I carried a 12C for many years, but finally got an 11C and "upgraded".

Hi Bob,

Tell me, what's the difference in use a 15c and 11c?

Cheers

[Gerson W. Barbosa]

(03-19-2015 01:56 PM)Jlouis Wrote:  Tell me, what's the difference in use a 15c and 11c?

Olá, JL!

You can find an answer here, in the museum:

http://www.hpmuseum.org/cgi-bin/compare....ON&diff=ON

[Jlouis]

(03-19-2015 02:38 PM)Gerson W. Barbosa Wrote:  

(03-19-2015 01:56 PM)Jlouis Wrote:  Tell me, what's the difference in use a 15c and 11c?

Olá, JL!

You can find an answer here, in the museum:

http://www.hpmuseum.org/cgi-bin/compare....ON&diff=ON

Thanks Gerson, I'm aware of that, as I had a 11c as well.

My question was about his preference on the 11c for crunching numbers, for in my understanding, they are the same for such task.

Grande abraço!

[jebem]

(03-19-2015 01:25 PM)rprosperi Wrote:  (...) I honestly prefer it over a 15C for basic number crunching. This is the machine that goes everywhere with me in my briefcase (in an HP leather case of course).

Hi, Bob, thanks for your comments.
I agree that for basic number calculations the HP-15C is over the top by featuring matrix, complex numbers and offering solver, among other niceties.

What I was expecting was a lower street price on the HP-11C when compared to the HP-15C, but my observation since at least one year ago is that this is not the case.
The perceived value for these machine series is very high, no matter what model we chose. Even a 10C can have a final auction price as high as a 15C or a 16C.

[Massimo Gnerucci]

(03-19-2015 04:21 PM)jebem Wrote:  The perceived value for these machine series is very high, no matter what model we chose. Even a 10C can have a final auction price as high as a 15C or a 16C.

Of course: its lifetime span was of only 2 years, and didn't sell well.

[rprosperi]

(03-19-2015 01:56 PM)Jlouis Wrote:  

(03-19-2015 01:25 PM)rprosperi Wrote:  An excellent deal for an excellent calculator. I honestly prefer it over a 15C for basic number crunching. This is the machine that goes everywhere with me in my briefcase (in an HP leather case of course). I carried a 12C for many years, but finally got an 11C and "upgraded".

Hi Bob,

Tell me, what's the difference in use a 15c and 11c?

Cheers

I find the keyboard layout on the 11C easier, but this is primarily due to having used it longer/more than a 15C. Basically, most (all?) of the 15C-unique features are things I use rarely so they never became familiar. I suppose by "easier" above I really mean more familiar. I thought that once I got a 15C I would switch to it and not look back, but that didn't happen and I stayed with the 11C. And I still sometimes look for functions where they were on the 12C - old habits die hard....