Are new bows too expensive? Good question.
I'm very close to buying my second bow ever. I'm considering a great many points. A one year old top quality used bow goes for 1/2 the money of the same bow brand new. Add to that I'm a Southpaw. New LH bows sell for the same as new RH bows, but used LH bows are running about $100 cheaper than their RH counterparts due to the lower demand. Some will say, "but with a used bow you get no warranty" which is true. I want a brand new bow, but I'm not a wealthy person, and I'm having a tough time justifying $850 for something like a bare 2008 Vectrix when there are 2007 models available for $450-$500. As far as the warranty goes, I could buy a used bow, and accidentally destroy it, buy another used bow, and still have spent no more than I would have for a new one. Ome must also consider that a used bow has an unknown history, as opposed to a new one. This doesn't seem to be a major factor with the used bows sold, and traded here, as I can't remember the last time I saw a complaint. My first bow was a new Hoyt that I bought at Lancaster Archery. It was a very good entry level bow, and I spent $500 for the bow, with all the accessories on it. It was a great experience in that I had no idea what I was looking for, and they steered me to a perfect fit for my situation. Now I'm looking at $1200 for for a similar situation with the kind of bow I'd like to upgrade to, or I can take the top of the line accessories off of my current bow, and add them to a new bare bow and save some cash that way...or I can buy a one year old bow either way for about half of either price.
Much to consider.