Source Confirmed
Seller-confirmed
- Olympus IX81 microscope, IX2-UCB controller, Prior ProScan III, Prior joystick, installed Prior motorized XY stage, Tokai Hit Thermo Plate hardware, transmitted illumination, and multiple objectives are evidenced.
Analysis snapshotSnapshot decision:BUY
Olympus IX81 Motorized Inverted Microscope — Auction Analysis
The $75 observed bid is below a conservative ~$800 blind ceiling for a real Olympus IX81 motorized research microscope with IX2-UCB, Prior ProScan III automation, Tokai Hit temperature hardware, and visible objectives. No camera, workstation/software, complete fluorescence chain, or demonstrated function is established.
Analysis snapshot · Historical — observed September 13, 2026. The scheduled close date of September 16, 2026 has passed. The price, evidence, economics, and recommendation remain exactly as recorded and are not current.
Decision at a glance
RecommendationBUY
- Maximum hammer bid
- $800
The auction bid ceiling supported by this analysis, if one is defensible; see costs below for buyer-premium treatment.
Why this decision
BUY at the immutable $75 observation only while the hammer remains below the ~$800 blind/as-is ceiling; a buyer premium or higher price reduces the permitted hammer.
See costs and maximum bid for the displayed assumptions and buyer-premium treatment.
- Snapshot observed bid
- $75
- Bidders
- 1
- Blind-model resale
- $4,500
Snapshot provenance and timing · observed September 13, 2026 · scheduled close September 16, 2026
GSA Auctions sale 1-1-QSC-I-26-293, lot 055 · VA Ann Arbor Healthcare, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Snapshot observed September 13, 2026
Scheduled close September 16, 2026
Analysis prepared September 13, 2026
Published September 13, 2026 · page updated September 13, 2026
Prepared and published by Oleksii Udod for LotCaliper.
View official GSA lotContinue after this auction
This auction snapshot is historical. Continue with related research, or review a relevant published analysis whose recorded scheduled close has not passed.
Relevant analyses with future scheduled closes
Olympus BX60, BX41, BX40 and BX45 microscope lot with Marco Keratometer IIScheduled close October 7, 2026 · Same clusterNox T3/T3s + Nonin 3150 BLEScheduled close October 13, 2026 · Same categoryRoche LightCycler 480 II /96Scheduled close October 13, 2026 · Same category
These are individually prepared, time-stamped analyses with recorded scheduled closes. Verify the official auction before acting.
Auction snapshot
This page preserves the September 13, 2026 GSA observation for sale 1-1-QSC-I-26-293, lot 055: $75 with one bidder. A later bid, extension, close, cancellation, relisting, or award does not replace that observation.
A configured motorized IX81 can be worth far more than a bare microscope, but automation hardware does not make it a tested turnkey imaging system.
Review and correction history
Independent review not recorded for this legacy analysis. No corrections recorded.
View review and correction details
Independent review not recorded
Published before the current independent-review gate; no completed independent review is recorded.
How independent review worksHow evidence is classified
Seller facts, photo-derived observations, manufacturer context, unknowns, and LotCaliper assumptions remain explicitly separated.
Photo Derived
Photo-derived
- The system appears substantially assembled with no obvious catastrophic frame, optic, or stage damage.
- Objective markings support UPlanFL N 4×/0.13, UPlanFL N 10×/0.30, and LCAch N 20×/0.40 PhC observations without establishing additional optics or a complete fluorescence path.
Not Established
Not established
- Exact Prior H117 suffix, Tokai model/function, controller-board and cable completeness, scientific camera, workstation/software, fluorescence hardware, service history, and demonstrated operation.
Manufacturer Context
Independent context
- Evident lists IX81 service termination in September 2022; current support pages conflict on Best Effort availability, so guaranteed OEM repair support is not credited.
Lotcaliper Assumption
LotCaliper assumptions
- $4,500 conservative whole-system resale without camera/software/complete-fluorescence value.
- ~$800 blind maximum hammer after selling friction, careful packing/logistics, testing, profit, and uncertainty reserves.
Equipment identity
Laboratory · quantity 1
Olympus IX81 motorized inverted research microscope
Identity confidence: High
Identity evidence
Supplied photographs directly show the OLYMPUS IX81 badge and configured microscope system.
GSA Auctions · Image · observed September 13, 2026
Configuration
IX2-UCB controller, Prior ProScan III, Prior joystick, and motorized XY stage
Confirmed · High confidence
Configuration evidence
The supplied photographs show the IX2-UCB label, Prior ProScan III, joystick, and an installed motorized XY stage.
GSA Auctions · Image · observed September 13, 2026
Tokai Hit Thermo Plate controller and stage-temperature hardware
Confirmed · High confidence
Configuration evidence
A Tokai Hit Thermo Plate controller, stage-mounted hardware, and associated cabling are visible.
GSA Auctions · Image · observed September 13, 2026
Exact Prior H117 stage suffix and encoded versus non-encoded configuration
Not established · no source evidence establishes presence or absence
Configuration evidence
Current compatibility documentation lists H117P1I4 and H117E1I4, but no readable auction label resolves the installed variant.
GSA Auctions · Image · observed September 13, 2026
Scientific camera, acquisition workstation/software, and complete fluorescence excitation path
Not established · no source evidence establishes presence or absence
Configuration evidence
The supplied photographs do not establish a camera, PC/software environment, lamp or LED source, filter cubes, or complete fluorescence path.
GSA Auctions · Image · observed September 13, 2026
Condition
Untested
No boot, motor initialization, X/Y or Z movement, nosepiece motion, illumination, optical, temperature-control, camera, or fluorescence function is demonstrated.
Evidence confidence: High
Condition evidence
Clean, substantially assembled photographed hardware is not functional evidence.
GSA Auctions · Image · observed September 13, 2026
Market evidence
Market evidence strength
Medium Low
Public auditability
Limited Legacy
Evidence recency
Not Recorded
No structured comparable-evidence metadata was preserved for this dated snapshot. Public auditability is limited; the numeric resale snapshot cannot be independently audited from comparable records on this page.
Legacy evidence counts were not preserved. Unknown is not reported as zero.
Sensitivity and robustness
Survives
The published decision survives the selected downside check under the stated bounded assumptions.
Blind/as-is configured-system model
- Max hammer
- $800
- Gross resale model
- $3,500–$6,000
The ~$800 ceiling credits IX81, IX2-UCB, Prior automation, Tokai hardware, and visible objectives, but no camera, workstation/software, complete fluorescence path, or demonstrated function.
Costs and maximum bid
| Transaction / operating cost | Amount | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Selling Fees | $675 | LotCaliper assumption: 15% of modeled gross resale. |
| Shipping | $800 | LotCaliper pickup, packing, rigging, and inbound-logistics reserve; not a carrier or GSA quote. |
| Testing Repair Reserve | $600 | LotCaliper functional-test and diagnostic reserve. |
| Risk Buffer | $700 | Legacy controller, stage, optical, temperature-control, cabling, support, packing, and workflow-completeness risk reserve. |
- Buyer premium
- Not modeled
- Return requirements
- $500 minimum profit · 30% minimum ROI
- Computed bid constraints
Profit floor: $1,225
ROI floor: $842
Binding: ROI floor
- Snapshot blind/as-is max hammer
- $800
- Modeled result at recorded bid
- $1,650 profit · 75.86% modeled ROI
This is a reseller ceiling, not a prediction of the auction's closing price. Any buyer premium or other unquoted acquisition charge must be deducted before bidding.
Automation, imaging-chain gaps, and bid economics
The auction configuration is materially stronger than a bare IX81, but the economic model does not use refurbished fluorescence-system asking context as if it described this untested lot. No scientific camera, acquisition computer/software, or complete excitation chain is established.
The normal OEM service path ended in 2022. The photos must not be read as proof of controller communication, motor motion, useful optics, illumination, or temperature stability.
- Verify IX2-UCB startup, Prior stage homing and joystick response, Z/nosepiece motion, illumination, optical image quality, and Tokai temperature response.
- Inventory controller boards/cables and any separately stored camera, workstation/software, fluorescence source, filters, or documentation before rebuilding the resale model.
Recommendation and rationale
Snapshot decision
BUYBUY at the immutable $75 observation only while the hammer remains below the ~$800 blind/as-is ceiling; a buyer premium or higher price reduces the permitted hammer.
Confidence
- Identity
- High
- Configuration
- Medium High
- Condition
- Low
- Market Support
- Medium Low
- Costs
- Medium
Market support assesses how well the available evidence supports the resale assumption. Exact third-party marketplace records may be omitted when source-use rights are unclear. Each dimension uses the published methodology rubric; a confidence label measures the strength and boundedness of its evidence, not the likelihood of a profitable outcome.
Risks and unknowns
High · Motorized Function Unverified
No controller, stage, illumination, optics, or temperature-control operation is demonstrated.
Installed hardware and clean cosmetics do not prove working function.
High · Imaging Workflow Not Established
Camera, workstation/software, and complete fluorescence configuration are not evidenced.
The auction photos show a configured microscope, not a turnkey imaging workflow.
Sources
View cited public sources
- GSA Auctions item 377129
Official auction provenance for the immutable preview observation.
- Evident product service termination list
Official IX81 lifecycle context; linked and paraphrased.