I have to confess to surfing eBay, Etsy, and other sites almost (Notice I said almost) obsessively.
In these browsing adventures, I’ve noticed that prices of some Radiation Detection Devices (Geiger Counters) have increased significantly over the last couple of years. Yes, the prices of lots of things have increased over the same period of time, but other things that I see on eBay have not increased as much — especially other electronic devices of the same vintage.
Furthermore, I am talking about prices of exactly the same devices — for example my EcoTest MKS-05 Terra-P. (Show at top of Page. My Review of the EcoTest MKS-05 can be found on Linuxslate.com, and will soon be moved to RadHunter.com). Now I have to be honest here — I can’t find the receipt for my MKS-05, but I’m pretty sure I paid less than $300 for it in 2007 or 2008 – Possibly less than $200. Today the same EcoTest MKS-05’s are selling for an average of about $500. Yes there are new versions of the EcoTest Radiation Detectors, but I am comparing prices of exactly the same, yellow MKS-05 Terra P — Not the Terra-P+ (Plus), or any of the newer versions. What other specific electronic device that was made in the mid 2000’s and is still made or readily available today has held its price, let alone doubled in price?
The story is the same for antique Civil Defense Geiger Counters such as the Yellow Victoreen “Survey Meters”. In the past, I’ve seen literal piles of these things at Hamfests and Flea markets. Prices vary, but generally, sellers would be happy to get $50 dollars for a nice looking one. [Relevant, somewhat comical post on Linuxslate.com Forums — Skip to “So Have I Found Anything Radio Active?”] As far as I recall, the person in that story wanted to sell them to me for $25 a piece without batteries or headsets. These days, they seem to be going for $160 on eBay.
What really prompted me to write this article is what I interpret as increased demand for the old Civil Defense Pen Dosimeters. (Pictured below with their charger/reader). I generally expect to pay about $2 a piece for pens in good condition. I purchased the ones shown (without the charger) for $3 a piece on eBay recently. Now, even shopping for a large lot, where I would expect to see a quantity discount, I’m finding that scratched up, untested pens are being sold for at least $4 a piece. Some eBay sellers are asking $45 dollars each for ones that are supposedly tested.
Now, I get that there are some mitigating circumstances for the Civil Defense items. Things go for higher prices on eBay than they do at Flea Markets. It’s reasonable for a “mid century” antique to increase in value over time, and some Dosimeter pens could also be gaining popularity as cosplay props, but I can’t see people bidding on a lot of 100 CD radiometers for their post-apocalyptic drip. (Must be a pretty “Rad” costume party!) Companies may also be becoming more aware of Radiological Hazards and the associated workplace rules, but I don’t think these companies would be able to meet regulations with surplus items that were last calibrated a half-century ago. Even large lots of Dosimeter pens are apparently being bought by individuals.
Making it more worrisome is that in surfing 100’s of eBay listings, the price of some of these devices have not increased significantly, in fact over all, Basic nuclear detectors have gone down in cost as we would expect for a portable electronic gadget.
Basic Chinese Geiger Counters are available on eBay — and they have much more functionality than the EcoTest meters. Small devices such as the Unbranded Chinese device reviewed here (Linuxslate.com Forums) are available for about $35. Even the more elaborate and functional FNIRSI GC-02 is available for an average of about $80. (Check back for a review).
I’ll also note that even other models from EcoTest — are not affected. The trendy, but less durable and thus less disaster-ready EcoTest VIP was expensive in the 2010’s, and still sells for about the same $479.
So if modern Chinese Radiation meters with Color TFT displays, USB-C ports and Graphing functions are selling for $35, why are people paying $500 for a Terra-P or a Civil Defense kit with a Victoreen CD-700, a few Dosimeter Pens and charger, and a packet of iodine pills?
It seems to me that they are willing to pay more for the Chernobyl-proven Terra-P’s (at least Chernobyl Tour Proven) or a Civil Defense unit, and they are not interested in the less durable/proven Chinese gadgets. Even Soviet-era units seem to be up significantly from 3 years ago. I’d rather not post specifics for fear of altering the market, but another one of my vintage Soviet units is currently selling on eBay for 2.5 times what I paid just 3 years ago.
There is also the issue of the current situation in Ukraine and Russia — While some of the Ukrainian vendors are still active on eBay, others have been forced to evacuate. Supplies of e.g. the Rodnik-3 — a personal favorite — have been largely cutoff from the Russian Federation itself. I paid $123 including shipping for mine in 2019. They are now going for $179. I get the Supply side driving factors, but for price to increase (when e.g. a mobile phone of the same vintage has dropped significantly), there must also be the demand side of the equation for prices to increase.
So what I genuinely want to know is what is it that seems to be driving demand for the trusted and more durable Radiation Detection equipment? Is it the situations in Easter Europe and the Middle East? The recent advance of the Doomsday Clock? Awareness of possible apocalyptic situations brought about by the SARS viruses? Stress on civilization from mass migration? Dissatisfaction and Distrust of Governments/Leaders? (I’m not being vague here to avoid politics. I perceive that people are dissatisfied with their governments/politicians in multiple parts of the world.)
Are you concidering the purchase of Radiation Detecting equipment? Check out the The RADHUNTER.com Guide to Buying Personal Radiation Detectors.
Disclaimer:
THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR “AS IS”. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, INJURY, OR ILLNESS ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS DOCUMENT, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE, INJURY, OR ILLNESS.
IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING THAT YOU THINK IS RADIOACTIVE, OR OTHERWISE HAZARDOUS, OR IF YOU SUSPECT OTHERS OF HAVING SUCH, CONTACT YOUR LOCAL EMERGENCY SERVICES.. THIS GUIDE IS A TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION OF CONSUMER ELECTRONIC DEVICES ONLY. IT DOES NOT, NOR DOES IT PURPORT TO, GIVE MEDICAL OR ANY FORM OF HEALTH ADVICE. IF YOU SUSPECT THAT YOU HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO A HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE, OR ARE HAVING HEALTH PROBLEMS, CONTACT A PHYSICIAN OR YOUR LOCAL EMERGENCY SERVICES.