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

[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.