I am keeping an eye on the Eames lounge chairs as I plan on buying one in the upcoming year. Just missed the August sales. But no rush. I see them come up at auctions or listed on ebay/Chairish/1stdibs and I can see that you can buy a used Eames in good condition for what turns out to be comparable prices as buying a brand new one once factoring in auction commissions.

And plenty of Eames private resales are effectively asking the same as a brand new one.

I'm aware of subtle differences in wood and leather that may have a factor. But in general, what prompts people to pay the equivalent of a new Eames for a secondhand one at auction?

For example, this one recently sold at an auction for $3500 https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/133844346_eames-lounge-chair-and-ottoman

When you add the commission and taxes, you're looking at a final sales price of closer to $5k, which makes it comparable to buying a brand new Eames, no? And we haven't even factored in any potential shipping costs.