|
|
Post by johnnyboy on Sept 2, 2021 20:11:40 GMT -8
|
|
|
|
|
|
Post by Adam Cotton on Sept 3, 2021 0:10:39 GMT -8
The seller is well known, reliable and a member of Insectnet, so I don't think there will be a fraud problem. As for the price, amazing.
Adam.
|
|
|
|
Post by nomihoudai on Sept 3, 2021 4:57:14 GMT -8
What is the story behind it? New ssp.?
|
|
|
|
Post by trehopr1 on Sept 3, 2021 11:04:07 GMT -8
I don't see what the attraction is...
Only 18 months ago I could have bought a specimen of Australia's Petalura ingentessima for $400.00 (if I had it). More than my pockets could handle...
But, still Petalura ranks as # 1 or 2 on the size list; and of course who gets anything much ever from Australia !
|
|
|
|
Post by exoticimports on Sept 3, 2021 13:19:59 GMT -8
Maybe someone sees something you don’t. I’ve seen that happen before as well.
|
|
erebia
Junior Member
Posts: 30
|
Post by erebia on Sept 3, 2021 14:12:57 GMT -8
There are currently 25 bids for this insect but there are only four bidders whose identities are hidden (private auction). This looks a lot like an example where the price of an item is jacked up by a coordinated team of bidders with the idea that someone from the outside will make a bid in hopes of not being left out of a potentially great sale. Once that outside bid come in then the rest will stop bidding.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Post by trehopr1 on Sept 3, 2021 15:03:08 GMT -8
Well, I never thought about that and it certainly sounds like a probability.
How conniving...
|
|
|
|
Post by trehopr1 on Sept 3, 2021 15:19:08 GMT -8
You know, at 155mm that's specimen is large but, there are larger species. I have one larger from Hawaii !
Also, looking at it I would have to say it is no more handsome a species then our Widow dragonfly of the eastern US.
In fact, our males have white patches on their wings next to the black ones so they look better than this one does.
I think given the location of (Indonesia); that should be kind of a "red flag" for such a high priced item.
There are an awful lot of insects that are sold from there (of all kinds); and virtually none of it is ever terribly expensive. A fair amount of it often gets sold as (lots) of a particular species.
|
|
|
|
Post by kevinkk on Sept 3, 2021 16:17:23 GMT -8
Very little about eBay and bidding surprises me. Ego is also a factor. I've got into bidding wars before I learned about sniping-
waiting until the last 5 seconds, and then tossing in, these guys are driving the price up for no reason and just to 1 up the other guy,
until that guy decides "that jerk can't do that to me, I've got more money".
Chances are just as likely that at the last second, some new bidder could slam all of them.
|
|
|
|
Post by johnnyboy on Sept 3, 2021 21:57:13 GMT -8
While some big specimens of the species auctioned, Tetracanthagyna plagiata, may have the largest recorded wingspans of any dragonfly, there are damselflies, such as Megaloprepus, that attain bigger wingspans. Also, while impressive, it is not a particularly attractive dragonfly, many of the Chlorogomphids are far more beautiful and may be bigger in wing area in some females.
Johnny
|
|
|
|
Post by jshuey on Sept 4, 2021 8:01:11 GMT -8
For that much money, I could fly anywhere in the Caribbean or Central America, spend a couple of weeks in the field, and have accomplished something that I would remember until I'm dead. Or I could buy a big dragonfly.
This is the part about collectors who would rather track insects on the web versus in the forest that I don't get. Why would you spend that amount of money, when you could use that money go there and make a run at the species yourself? How many people are going to tell their grandkids about the time a "really expensive express mail package arrived at the door"? But think of the stories you could tell about how you nailed that bug yourself. Or even if you came up empty, about how much fun you had trying! (plus the other, non-target wonders you managed to collect on the trip).
It took me 21 trips to Belize to finally capture Prepopna (Agrias) amydon. I saw it on trip 7 - I captured it on the 21st trip. Not all those subsequent trips targets the species directly, but we returned to that same spot on at least half of the subsequent trips with amydon as my main motivation. I can tell you details about every one of those excursions, who I was with, where we went, what bugs we collected, and what near disasters we avoided. Or I could have purchased a few Mexican bugs from eBay and given up on Las Cuevas. Like I said - I have a hard time understanding this. I've always plowed my extra money into the field, because life is too short to sit around waiting for the post to arrive.
That said - many of you know I do buy and trade bugs - but I always try to find collectors who "bulk collect" samples from small areas that interest me. Not really trophy hunting, as much as broadcast netting! (in a family, Hesperiidae, with perhaps 4,000 species on this side of the planet).
John
|
|
|
|
Post by exoticimports on Sept 4, 2021 11:40:39 GMT -8
John I’m with you, but not everyone has the time or physical condition to do such overseas trips. And some are simply bauble collectors.
Chuck
|
|
|
|
Post by yorky on Sept 4, 2021 12:35:09 GMT -8
Ebay is a dreadful way of buying specimens but for some there is no alternative. A few years ago I thought I would test to see how far the madness would go so I sold a collection of British butterflies, half of which I had caught myself the other half from insect fairs, probably about 40 species in total. With a minute to go bidding was around £100, in the last minute it jumped to over £600, pleased yes, shocked very.I wasn't complaining, I bought some superb rarities at the next fair with the money.
|
|
