Many of the on-line auctions of used art supplies are outrageously over priced.
When I browse auctions of art supplies looking for paints or other supplies, I no longer find bargains. What I have been finding lately is prices that are higher than the same items bought new. One auction for six tubes of student grade watercolor paints, in used condition, were priced at 160% of the price of the same tubes of paint if bought new today. Another lot of watercolor paints tubes had some of the tubes that were missing caps or the cap was on crooked with paint leaking out, some tubes were split open, and many tubes look squeezed out with most of the paint already gone, yet the auction price was still high. Another auction was asking $36 for 2ml of PO49 squeezed into a half pan (plus $4 for shipping).

I really miss the days when bargains could be found; when someone getting out of painting or selling off a deceased relatives paints would pass them along to a new painter just getting started at a price that reflected the value of used supplies. Now it seems as if the on-line sellers are only looking to gouge unsuspecting buyers. To those sellers: a half used tube of burnt umber is not a rare antique worth more than the same tube currently being sold in the stores.

Had to get that off my chest. Sorry for the rant.

Mel