Not your garden variety "be on the lookout for... " post

[Tallone]

I was browsing fishing stuff on ebay the other day. I see fishing gear all the time at auctions and garage sales so I thought I should learn more about what's valuable and what isn't. I picked up on something I thought y'all might be interested in. Do a search on ebay for "Sage Fly Rods". Look at the completed listings. I'm not responsible for the damage to your eyeballs or your keyboard.

 

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[hunts with son]

One of the items I deal in is vintage fishing gear. Thank you for the info!

 

[diggummup]

You should look up Paul Young or E.F. Payne. Always on the look out for a good bamboo rod.

 

[Tallone]

You are certainly right about the Young and Payne rods. Rare and expensive stuff.

The Sage rods aren't all that rare. I don't know how long they have been in business but I didn't see any old bamboo ones made by them. Sage appears to be more modern stuff but very expensive and VERY popular. One of the things that I always do when researching a new item is try to gauge the demand for it. One useful way to do this is to look at the ratio of Sold listings to Completed listings. I have found that, for most items, the ratio is around 40% - 50%. So, any item I find that sells with a ratio in that neighborhood I can feel pretty confident it will sell rather quickly. Here is the data for the Sage fly rods as of right now:

Sold: 1,202
Completed: 1,447
Ratio: 83%

I don't know that I have ever seen a ratio that high for an item with that many units listed. Look at the prices and the number of bids, too. Phenomenal.

 

[vwayne1]

Funny story.... I'm a diver. One day while diving the local river fishing swimming spot, I found a reel. Pulled on the attached string and pulled in the rod in two pieces. It was broken so I left the rod. Checked it first and it was a sage. Got home and almost kicked myself. The rod was retail $400 and they sell used for $200-250. Plus they are guaranteed for life. I could have got a new one for free. Went back to the river many times and never found it. But, I sold the sage reel for $175.

 

[tamrock]

I got a bamboo fly rod at a yard sale for $5.00 that was made by Wright & McGill. I sold for $455.00 to a guy in Ohio. Old vintage fishing tackle items are around to be found and much of it is worth something to collectors. I posted this bamboo rod in the "What is it" forum. I still have it and I want to find a nice reel of the same vintage for it. http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/what/381876-horrocks-ibbotson-bamboo-fish-pole.html

 

[tamrock]

You should look up Paul Young or E.F. Payne. Always on the look out for a good bamboo rod.

bamboo rods, Yes! "good ones". I've found though, some ain't worth as much as one would think. If made in Japan or no info on them, don't spent allot as they may only go for $15-$20? Be selective in buying and know what your looking at. I took a loss on a bamboo rod I paid $35.00 on. Was maybe worth the twenty dollar lesson on seeking education on vintage fishing gear. New and later model fishing gear can also bring a profit as mentioned in the original post. I need to remember that when on the hunt I get to focused on the jewelry and other stuff.