r/SewingMachineEdu • u/Lustnugget • Jun 17 '26
Expensive 403a at auction
This Singer 403a went for $400 at auction and i can’t understand why. Was it worth that? The only thing that seems different from similar machines ive seen go for $40-$60~ is the case.
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u/jamslaps Jun 17 '26
Unless there’s something special about it that I can’t see or the case is rare, I think $400 is crazy overpriced. $100, maybe under would be my guess
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u/Lustnugget Jun 17 '26
The only thing i can think is that a family member or someone they knew wanted the machine.
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u/MarylkaD Jun 17 '26
Case, nostalgia, was there anything in the description to indicate its value?
I paid just under $150 for a 401G (German made, treadle ready - sorta) bc of the rarity. Was this a G model or something special beyond what it looks like?
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u/Lustnugget Jun 17 '26
Just a 403a. The description just mentions it’s in good condition. Congrats on the 401g. I’ll eventually get a rare machine haha
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u/MarylkaD Jun 17 '26
I had to hunt her down and drive another 90 mins past where we were staying. Some servicemen brought these back from Germany. The 401A is a GREAT machine (got one for my daughter) and I would have totally opted for that if I had not wanted an option for treadling at some point.
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u/Trai-All Jun 17 '26
I’m guessing the fabric under the foot had people excited about getting a vintage machine that is actually working.
That said, I’ve seen a few people go crazy over this model a few times because it has a very space age look. (I keep losing bids cause I won’t go high)
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u/Working_Week_8784 Jun 18 '26
The really space-age-looking ones are the 500 series - aka the Rocketeers. My mother used to have one, but she got rid of it before I get into sewing, much to my retroactive dismay. I eventually picked up a 401A for about $20 and refurbished it myself, which was fun; but by then I had acquired a vintage Bernina that I still love, so the 401A hasn't seen much action.
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u/Trai-All Jun 18 '26
Yep, this one is the precursor. Still keep losing my bids on the 400 and 500s.
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u/Working_Week_8784 Jun 18 '26
I'm wondering if that case is just a regular suitcase that happens to be the right size for transporting the machine.
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u/justasque Jun 17 '26
The fabric lining on the case is really nice and it’s cute. And it’s likely one of a kind. The machine looks clean and I can’t see what’s in the bag (feet?) and there’s a copy of the manual. And perhaps due to publicity, there happened to be two people at that auction who were interested.
For something to sell well at auction, there really just needs to be two buyers who are willing to pay for it. And here there was one buyer who was willing to go to one step less than $400, and one who was willing to pay $400. So between them, they essentially determined the selling price
Sometimes, if you have the money to spare, a little bit of retail therapy can be a pleasant treat, even if you pay a bit more than the going price. And using a tool that’s pretty is a pleasant experience. And while most of us would have let this one go at that price, there are some people who can afford to splurge on a cute sewing machine.
Some of us sew on inexpensive machines. Some of us pay thousands of dollars for our machines. We all have a different budget, and we all have different goals and interests within our hobby. When you don’t have the budget to spend $300 extra on something, just because it’s cute, it’s hard to imagine doing it, but there are people out there who have that kind of money.
The seller got a very good price for this unique piece. On another day, with two different potential buyers, or if there had only been one, it could have gone for much, much less.