A seller can put any price they choose on an item.  This is true of
almost everything, not just piano rolls.  Asking and getting a price
are two different things!

As a buyer, you need to know what you are buying.  This is where your
own experience and expertise come into play.  Just because something
has a list price, it does not mean that it will sell for that.  On
eBay, look at the Sold listings.  That tends to be a better way to give
you an idea of fair value.  Don't just look at one sold listing, try to
find similar to determine a pattern.

Sellers do not always know what they are selling.  If they say
untested or as is, figure accordingly.  Edison wax cylinders are really
interesting -- you want to see the surface of the record because the
boxes can be beautiful but the records ruined from mold.  Any dull
spots, white specks, etc., mean mold, and there is nothing that can be
done to correct the problem.

A real collector knows exactly what to look for and can usually tell
from a good set of pictures.  The sellers may have bought a batch at an
estate sale and they do not realize that they are basically marketing
junk.  Beware when they say, "these are seconds", or in the case of
piano rolls, "they need a little repair!"  You are far smarter holding
out for good copies.  On cylinders, wax seconds are usually very noisy,
distorted, etc.  On piano rolls, if chain perforations are starting to
let go, the roll has only a very limited number of playings before it
will disintegrate.

There have been a lot of discussions among roll collectors over the
years about the quality of the paper used, etc.  Some companies used
better paper than others, as having stood the time test.  Another issue
is how the rolls were kept over the years.  They can look good on the
surface but if they have spent a lot of years in a hot attic or damp
basement, they will have issues.

With Ampico and Duo-Art rolls on eBay, I am really amazed at a some
sellers.  I do not know where they come up with their list prices.
If you look at some of these sellers, they usually are only selling
a small fraction of their listed rolls.  Most go unsold.  In the record
business, they can list a 78 mint copy of Bing Crosby's White Christmas
for $100 but they fail to realize that it is an extremely common record
and very easy to replace.

If I am going to go through all the work of listing something, I want
it to sell.  Examples of this kind of thing on eBay are numerous.  With
estate sales, it hits the markdown process, and if it is still there at
the end of the sale, it gets donated or thrown.

At the end of the day, if an item is an auction item, it takes two
people who want the same item which will determine the selling price
of the item, whether it be a fair price, high, or low.  If you buy a
buy it now, you agree to a price for a lot according to the seller's
description.  Collectors make sure that they know what they are buying
and they adjust prices according to age and condition.

As Nancy Reagan once said, just say "no" if it is more than you want to
pay.  There usually is another one out there and maybe in better shape.

Randy Hammond