Know Idea wrote:
The power of the interwebz . . .

Not just the interwebz, but auctions in general.
I was at the local county auction where they were selling off items from the airport lost and found.  Tons of computers and iPads were selling for more than a new factory sealed unit... mind you, most of these things were missing all of the accessories, were used and abused, and had absolutely no guarantee.

The AB's also seem to be generating near list price on non auction sites, too which really makes me wonder.

SayCheeZ!  wrote:
So, what gives?  What part of the equation am I missing?  It's not like fine wine that improves with age.  Why are older AB units being sold at almost the same price as brand new from the factory?

My theory (ignoring the usual slams by the usual folks ;-)...
PCB stuff offers a good bang vs. buck ratio and their great CS (think $40 to repair an AB you drop in a puddle while shooting and $20 flash tubes compared to $200 flash tubes for a lot of name brand gear) and inexpensive modifiers make them popular w/ hobbyists so there's a good demand for them (hobbyists outnumber pros).

I used to have Speedotron gear...sold for 30% original cost...worked great still because they're tanks (you could probably hammer a profoto or elinchrom system into a ground w/ a Speedotron pack and it'd still keep working).  But it's not popular any more (replaced by Profoto).  And repair costs aren't great ($100-200 tubes so it was cheaper to buy a used head for the tube than buy a new one)-:
I've seen Elinchrom gear go for 60-70% of cost too...same thing w/ less demand, higher operating costs, more expensive modifiers.

It's all supply vs. demand...

SayCheeZ!  wrote:
I did a photo shoot at a llamas home twice in two weeks.  I think her home is possessed because one of the lights fried the first week, then the other stopped working the next week.

So...

I've been looking for a new set of studio flashes.  As GREAT as my old Bowens were, it appears that there's been many, many improvements and innovations over the past few years where even some of the lowest priced units seem to be better than the pro lights that I've been using.

I've been checking out the usual places, Adorama, BH, Craigslist, ebay, etc.  What I was really shocked to see is that Alien Bees seem to be selling for practically the same price USED as you can buy 'em for brand new!

These are not isolated incidents.  I've seen those results on MANY ebay auctions that have been completed.  In some instances, I've seen used AB's sold for MORE than the price of new units (after all shipping costs are factored in from the ebay seller and from PCB).

So, what gives?  What part of the equation am I missing?  It's not like fine wine that improves with age.  Why are older AB units being sold at almost the same price as brand new from the factory?

I've had nothing but solid success with my Bees!  Couldn't Be Happier. 

Doobie the destroyer wrote:
Inflation?

Haha...it's just people profiting off stupidity.

Or people thinking that if an AB unit has been working for a while then it is a better bet than taking a punt on a new unit that is yet to have any ills ironed out. I do not know how good Hensel's service is despite using the gear for 7 years, including events etc, not just the odd 'studio session'. I'd rather not have a need for 'customer service' repairs than to know that it good. In 2006 a fourth head that I purchased had the changed frequencies for the radio trigger / power adjustment that is built-in from the 2004 model. They reverted a unit to those frequencies and sent it out to me before I was able to send the one I had back - that's a unit being shipped from another country.

SayCheeZ!  wrote:
I did a photo shoot at a models home twice in two weeks.  I think her home is possessed because one of the lights fried the first week, then the other stopped working the next week.

Cherrystone wrote:
Auction fever......PT Barnum was right.

No kidding. A bit ago, I was looking for a Nikon F4. All these idiots on ebay were listing them at these insane prices. And bigger idiots were buying them. I went to KEH and picked one up for $120.00.    I love that camera.  

Connor Photography wrote:
Come on.... folks. 

When my kids were small, I taught them that everyone is beauty, created equal with same intelligence.  Now I am old and they have grown up.  I was wrong and realize that some people is dumber than others.

If I have grandchildren, I probably will lie to them again. 

Ha ha   Good one !

Death of Field wrote:
Simple supply & demand.

Yeah, I realize this, but I don't think there's a short supply of brand new units at PCB (I could be wrong, I haven't checked yet), and I'm not talking about any 'special edition' units.   Other than expensive shipping outside of the 48 states, I don't see any reason why they'd sell for as much as a new one ,and it's really stumpin' me.

Julian  W I L D E wrote:
I've had nothing but solid success with my Bees!  Couldn't Be Happier. 

That a solid endorsement considering your beautiful portfolio. Do you use anything else other than Bees?

SayCheeZ!  wrote:
I did a photo shoot at a models home twice in two weeks.  I think her home is possessed because one of the lights fried the first week, then the other stopped working the next week.

I had the same thing happen. Check to make sure they have not over heated and that the bulbs are not lose at all. Mine work fine now.


I love my AB 1600s myself. I'd like a few more or some Einsteins

Death of Field wrote:
Simple supply & demand.

Very few people sell off their old units.
I also think they had a few limited editions.
They hold their value so well people people are willing to buy at any market price.

It's not supply and demand. Bees are good. I think what the o.p. poster is missing is, those higher priced ones on Ebay are sold by private owners.

SayCheeZ!  wrote:
I did a photo shoot at a models home twice in two weeks.  I think her home is possessed because one of the lights fried the first week, then the other stopped working the next week.

So...

I've been looking for a new set of studio flashes.  As GREAT as my old Bowens were, it appears that there's been many, many improvements and innovations over the past few years where even some of the lowest priced units seem to be better than the pro lights that I've been using.

I've been checking out the usual places, Adorama, BH, Craigslist, ebay, etc.  What I was really shocked to see is that Alien Bees seem to be selling for practically the same price USED as you can buy 'em for brand new!

These are not isolated incidents.  I've seen those results on MANY ebay auctions that have been completed.  In some instances, I've seen used AB's sold for MORE than the price of new units (after all shipping costs are factored in from the ebay seller and from PCB).

So, what gives?  What part of the equation am I missing?  It's not like fine wine that improves with age.  Why are older AB units being sold at almost the same price as brand new from the factory?

Alien Bees hold their value.  It's no different than any other popular product that retains it's resale value.

MichaelClements wrote:
You'd need a machete to grab my Bees from my sweaty little mitts.

+1 small, powerful, consistent and cost effective. What more do you people want.

Robb Mann wrote:
Many people never even outgrow ABs.

I've always shot AB 800's and can't imagine a reason to use anything else (although I have, but not in MY studio and not my preference, for sure).

Jim McLintock wrote:
I wouldn't buy a product called Alien Bees. Been stung too many times with fancy marketing techniques.

The cute brand-name and the colorful units are fancy marketing, but the units are good little workhorses. I've had mine for five years. They've tipped over onto concrete (dented the reflector, didn't faze the unit itself). They've operated in rain and had cold water dripping into them from an overhead airconditioning unit. They just keep working.

129 Imaging wrote:
I had White Lightnings and wanted to add ABs several yrs ago and saw the same thing. I watched ebay for months and all auctions got to $20 or less from the new price. Never could figure that out but I just bought em from paul cuz it was not enough savings to not buy new. I have been thinking about selling some to get Einsteins, at least I wont loose much if I do.

Many people here have stated how much they love their AB's.  Yeah, I get that.
I'm just trying to figure out how and why the units consistently sell for about the same price as a brand new unit directly from the company.

Yes, I know "auction fever" can come into play.  I understand that it may be cheaper to have a private person ship it outside of the continental USA.  In reality, those may be contributing factors, but unlikely to be a factor in a majority of cases.

For the people that just want to come here and say nothing more than "I love my AB's", thanks, but that's not really what this thread is about.  I'm really interested in finding out why people are paying so much for them... so now I'll pose other more specific questions to help find the answer to my original post.

IF YOU PURCHASED USED (or "preowned"), AND PAID CLOSE TO RETAIL (within 10% of the price of a new unit):
Why did you purchase them at the price?  Did you feel that the need to save $25 or so outweighed the need for a brand new, shiny object with a full warranty?
Was it because it was available from someone close to your location and can get them immediately?  Were they out of stock at PCB?  Or was it another reason?

Tnx!