33s at roughly same price as 50g nowadays?

[Claudio L.]

Why is the 33s at the same price (or more expensive) than a 50g? I happen to have a 33s that I got for the PE exam, and very seldom use while my two 50g's do all the daily workload.
I don't use it much, but doesn't feel like a great calculator, at least to me. I wrote a few programs and it feels quite limited, so I don't understand the high price. Or is it just me being spoiled by the power of the 50g?

[rprosperi]

(07-08-2016 02:41 AM)Claudio L. Wrote:  Why is the 33s at the same price (or more expensive) than a 50g? I happen to have a 33s that I got for the PE exam, and very seldom use while my two 50g's do all the daily workload.
I don't use it much, but doesn't feel like a great calculator, at least to me. I wrote a few programs and it feels quite limited, so I don't understand the high price. Or is it just me being spoiled by the power of the 50g?

The 33S was never a very popular machine, so only moderate numbers were bought, many had keyboard issues and many were tossed, so there are relatively few used machines available today in eBay, etc. Any HP machine that is rare commands a higher than sensible price, because there are lots of collectors that want to have one of every (major) model.

At the same time, the 50g was very popular and has been in production for many years, all relatively recently, so most are still in working order. Then HP quitting production lead to many dealers dumping them at quite low prices.

So the higher than should-be 33S price is similar to the lower than should-be 50g. Price and capability have no correlation in a collectors market.

In fact, on eBay, used 33S machines almost always go for much more than Amazon's price for a brand new 50g.

[Martin Hepperle]

(07-08-2016 03:04 AM)rprosperi Wrote:  So the higher than should-be 33S price is similar to the lower than should-be 50g. Price and capability have no correlation in a collectors market.

In fact, on eBay, used 33S machines almost always go for much more than Amazon's price for a brand new 50g.

Ebay Germany, last 3 years:

1. 33s: 7 sold for 26€ average
2. 50g: 45 sold for 47€ average
   

So the main factor is that the 33s appears relatively seldom, at least here in Europe.
There is also a company in Poland which sells obviously new 33s without box, just wrapped in a plastic bubble pack, for around 30€. So not for the collector but for the user.

Martin

[rprosperi]

(07-08-2016 12:44 PM)Martin Hepperle Wrote:  Ebay Germany, last 3 years:

1. 33s: 7 sold for 26€ average
2. 50g: 45 sold for 47€ average
   

So the main factor is that the 33s appears relatively seldom, at least here in Europe.
There is also a company in Poland which sells obviously new 33s without box, just wrapped in a plastic bubble pack, for around 30€. So not for the collector but for the user.

Martin

Thanks Martin, interesting numbers. On eBay US, a quick search shows a very wide range of prices paid, but on average certainly well higher than in Germany, I would estimate about 50 USD, while the 50g is higher, which is interesting considering one can buy a new one for about the same.

Was the 33S a popular machine in Europe? It is surprising to see someone selling them new for use, so many years after being discontinued. Most interesting is the price being paid for new and used is quite close, similar to the 50g in US market. Uneducated shoppers seem to be a worldwide phenomenon.

[Guenter Schink]

(07-08-2016 12:44 PM)Martin Hepperle Wrote:  

(07-08-2016 03:04 AM)rprosperi Wrote:  So the higher than should-be 33S price is similar to the lower than should-be 50g. Price and capability have no correlation in a collectors market.

In fact, on eBay, used 33S machines almost always go for much more than Amazon's price for a brand new 50g.

Ebay Germany, last 3 years:

1. 33s: 7 sold for 26€ average
2. 50g: 45 sold for 47€ average
   

So the main factor is that the 33s appears relatively seldom, at least here in Europe.
There is also a company in Poland which sells obviously new 33s without box, just wrapped in a plastic bubble pack, for around 30€. So not for the collector but for the user.

Martin

Do you have a link to that company?
Günter

[Claudio L.]

(07-08-2016 12:44 PM)Martin Hepperle Wrote:  So the main factor is that the 33s appears relatively seldom, at least here in Europe.

I find strange that the machine is rarity, when I took the exam (2007) it was the only RPN machine on the list of approved calcs, so pretty much every engineer in the US using other HP calcs would have to get a 33s to take the exam (switching to algebraic mode on the one special day when you need your results to be 100% correct is not an option). As of today, only the HP 33s and HP 35s are allowed in professional exams. Perhaps the number of engineers is so small it doesn't make any difference in sales.

[Thomas Radtke]

(07-08-2016 02:59 PM)rprosperi Wrote:  Was the 33S a popular machine in Europe?

I've seen some 20S in France (bought one of it) and a single 32SII in Germany (bought it, too). That was about 25 years ago.

Up to now, I can say I've bought the last HP calculator I saw in a shop in Europe. I wonder if HP management even knew it existed, so I guess the answer is no.

[Martin Hepperle]

(07-08-2016 06:44 PM)Guenter Schink Wrote:  [...]
Do you have a link to that company?
Günter

On eBay Germany they operate under the name "lapkom24.pl".

Right now I see no offers, but they had offers for new HP calculators regularly.
You can try to send them a message and ask for the 33s.
There is also a web site under that name, but my Polish is not polished enough to read that.

Most of their calculators were without documentation and box, just wrapped and I don't know where they fell from. Maybe directly from China or Russia?

In September 2015 I paid €22 for my 33s which obviously was, as advertised, new w/o box (can we call it NWOB?). I had no problems with that company. I find the machine is as useable as the 35s, the keyboard feels a bit more classy and precise for me.

Martin