As far as I can tell, you will never get ROI on any of the first generation ASICs (110nm avalon, etc).
You might get a return on the Bitfury (55nm), although it all depends on when (if) the next generation of 28nm chips turn up, and what their actual performance is.

And yes, the guys auctioning off gear will probably have a nice return in hand if they manage to sell it.