reply to Ed Medina at https://www.facebook.com/groups/TypewriterCollectors/posts/10163822675949678/

Antique/Vintage shops have a different market that isn't really "us" (collectors or enthusiasts with some baseline knowledge.) They're getting machines either at yard sales or house clean outs for $5-20 and marking them up for presentation long term in their stores until they can turn their profit. They'll rarely go less than 10-20% (in my experience) because they know that some sucker who knows nothing will come in and buy it. Most of their customers are buying things for display and not for actual use. They're also buying based on perceived value rather than solid research.

Generally I find that there is a "dead zone" for typewriters between $50 and $250. When you find one in this range it's almost always being sold by someone who has no idea how to use a typewriter, knows anything about the market, or what sort of condition a machine is actually in.

Often people may get their start by overpaying for a machine at an antique store, but then as they research how to use it they find out either they need to self-service it or that they need to take it to a repair shop. If it's the latter, they realize they ought to have bought a machine from the repair shop and they'd have come out far ahead. Based on my experience from type-ins, people are limping along using and putting up with some machines in pretty marginal condition.