Flashlight Economics (ie Surefire U2)

I've mainly purchased "inexpensive", high-value flashlights (Arc AAA, Streamlight Propoly AA Lux, ...) so I haven't paid attention to the high-dollar lights over time. It seems like the Surefire U2 is being sold at retail ($270) at most internet vendors. On Ebay it is going for ~$210-$230, still surprisingly close to retail for Ebay.

So do the prices of the high-end LED lights tend to stay pretty close to retail or after a few months of the newness factor does the street-price go down? While the U2 sounds like an exceptional light, I'm hesitant to spend near retail for one if the prices will go down by Christmas.

$210 is a huge drop. IMHO after observing prices of lights for a while, they do not depreciate very fast, and if they do, the value loss is minimal.

It would not be uncommon to have found folks here selling a U2 for $240 after buying it for close to $270. I doubt the price will drop a lot, especially since the U2 is their top-of-the-line LED model.

Go for it, don't wait /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Surefire does not allow authorized dealers to sell lights less then retail. That's why the price for pretty much all internet vendors is stable at $270. If it's not, the dealer will not stay an authorized dealer for long. Typically, you only get free shipping or some batteries with most vendors.

I also have not observed any huge price differences on high-end LED lights over time. Compared to other gadgets, the prices stay fairly stable.

If you can find the U2 for $210, go for it. It's a steal.

used u2 on ebay typically goes for $185

If Surefire does not let their "authorized" dealers sell for less than retail, then who are these people on Ebay and where do they get all these new Surefire flashlights to sell?

I believe that authorised SureFire Dealer can not advertise at less than a certain amount but if yoiu don't have a relationship with your Dealer then I guess it is the same thing.

Maybe they are people who have purchased the product and no longer want it, so they put it on eBay to sell it?

Al

[ QUOTE ]
Size15's said:
I believe that authorised SureFire Dealer can not advertise at less than a certain amount but if yoiu don't have a relationship with your Dealer then I guess it is the same thing.

Maybe they are people who have purchased the product and no longer want it, so they put it on eBay to sell it?

Al

[/ QUOTE ]

Or else it's stolen goods that they want to dump, or else they're lying about it being new - much like any person who's bought something that they soon regret buying due to budget or aesthetic purposes may do.

Or maybe they're selling the light for $100 with a $250 shipping charge.

I bought my L4 on Ebay and when I checked the feedback responses for my seller, there were dozens if not hundreds of satisfied customers who had bought their surefires from them. I also checked the feedback from other sellers and they too had many buyers. There are quite a few people on Ebay who seem to be professional sellers who sell lots of new Surefire flashlights.

If it's Surefireparts on ebay, you can rest assured he is one of the Good Guys.

[ QUOTE ]
KevinL said:
If it's Surefireparts on ebay, you can rest assured he is one of the Good Guys.

[/ QUOTE ]

he changed his name a while back

batterystation appears to be selling u2s there

Ok, jcciv/lighthound/lighthound_com/lighthound.com/surefireparts/John, like Topper (I think) said we could call him "my lights suck" and we would still recognize him as one of the best dealers out there to buy from /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Go for it !!!! You will not reget it ........... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/happy14.gif

This flashlight stuff is intoxicating ..... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/happy23.gif

FWIW, I may have my U2 on B/S/T within a few days. I'm waiting on a couple of other lights to arrive before I make the big decision.