ArtyomTheMetroHopper wrote: ↑01 Dec 2022, 10:09
Most recent acquisition from eBay, its a JDL Topre 126-key but it does not match the models shown on the wiki:
wiki/Topre_JDL
I got it for around £200 as my first Topre and curious if it really was worth the price. Here's the picture from the listing:
s-l1600 (5).jpg
These JDLs show up on Yahoo Auctions every now and then. There are a bunch of different "EKUJ-" models with slight differences, but they're very similar. They're certainly not common like Realforces and HHKB, but they're also nowhere near the rarest. They usually sell for around 7000-10,000JPY*, which comes out to about 60 quid max. If you use a proxy service like Buyee, your total costs including shipping/customs to the UK would be about 100 quid (using Buyee's FedEx service for shipment, which is super cheap but usually very fast too).
*
my reference for these prices (you'll need a VPN if located in EU/UK, and you'll need to scroll past a few irrelevant items)
So, in that sense, you've overpaid by a fair bit.
But if you really like the model, you might have been waiting a few months for more of them to show up on Yahoo. That's time and effort, which could be worth more than the 100 quid difference to you, and could make it a great value purchase from your perspective.
For what it's worth, that eBay seller "c.p-81" almost never sells things at competitive/"good" prices. I think I've seen maybe one exception to that rule over the past few years.
Muirium wrote: ↑01 Dec 2022, 10:58
£200 is probably market value for such a board. It looks a solid piece. How do you like the layout?
I know you probably mean well Mu, but I think you should refrain from offering your appraisals on items you have no clue about. It's benign here; the other member already bought the keyboard and they're clearly happy with it, but in other situations you could easily mislead people and influence their decisions - you are an active and "elder" member here, after all, your words probably mean something to new members.
Not only that, but if you have no exposure to the (surprisingly active) vintage keyboard markets, I think you should refrain from giving appraisals entirely. Because without exposure to the markets, how could you possibly comment on the "market price" with any accuracy? I'm not trying to be harsh, I've just seen how inaccurate appraisals can cause a lot of issues for people. Both on the "too high" end and the "too low" end.
)