Q4 prices have been high, but clearly for collectors. I can tell you for a fact that if there is a reel I want, I will usually go in excess of $100, and you know why? I can afford it!
(And not from selling "illegal" DTS CDs)
Many times I am outbid by people who do not do conversions. For instance, member "rustyandi" usually outbids me, and he clearly is aquiring for his own collection. "lbrenner", "quadg", "philco5556", "CD-4guy","tomjenkins" and many more are Q4 regular bidders. Let me tell you this, if "quadtrade" or "cshimada" want a Q4, forget it, for they bid like me.
I never bid until the last minute, because I do not want to get in a bidding war. Then, with 30 seconds or so, I bid a ridiculous amount (sometimes in excess of $250) just to insure I get the bid. Sometimes I do, and sometimes someone else does.
Don't forget <em>If someone wins a reel for $99 on eBay, that means that at least one other person bid $98!!</em>
Ebay is a free market, and these reels are rare and collectible. They are the best quad medium ever created until the dawn of SACD and DVD-A. I would be thankful that Tab and others have preserved them via "illegal" DTS CDs, as that may be the only way many people have to hear them.
Values of the reels change with time, and currently they are high. There was a time when I could not afford them either. Same goes for many of the above bidders. A by product of being around for the first go around of "quad" is that we are now old, and with age usually (hopefully) comes a time when you do not have to live paycheck to paycheck.
:-jon