ebay rant!!!!!
- Thread starter feetabix
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As I said guys it is my opinion thats all.....and my decision to end an item if I see fit,I wont cancel bids as that is unfair.......
Surely to want the best price as a seller is not wrong :?
and what of the buyer that outbids someone else then cancels their bid after they have discovered the underbidders price....another way of cheating that happens regularly........
and it isnt my thread,I was just adding my opinion as others have already.....
Surely to want the best price as a seller is not wrong :?
and what of the buyer that outbids someone else then cancels their bid after they have discovered the underbidders price....another way of cheating that happens regularly........
and it isnt my thread,I was just adding my opinion as others have already.....
highlandsflyer
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My bad, humble apologies.
I know what you are saying MM, and at the end of the day it is up to you of course.
Some of the amps I have sold have run into thousands, and I have had to relist them several times to get a sale, my reserve not having been met. I have had to placate buyers waiting for delivery from the US, refund partially and sometimes deal with items having been damaged in transit. It is not an easy business, but at the end of the day you put all that hassle into your price, and if you can still make money you have a worthwhile endeavour.
I often end up paying more fees but I get my price in the end. Swings and roundabouts.
As a buyer, auctions for me are a way to get things 'cheaper', or find unusual items.
I will pay retail price from a local shop ("We didn't burn him!") if I want to just buy something I need that is not too much more than the best online price I could get. Using an auction site is a different experience.
Never been in the antique trade, but have them in the family.
My whole life has been peppered with auction buying, especially motors.
I love it so much I have toyed with setting one up.
My experience is that the only reason to start bidding is if no one else does. Sounds illogical but you know what I mean.
My last purchase at an antique auction was a made up piece, an oak bureau. My friend fell in love with it, we could not find any information about it anywhere, and pictures of it circulated amongst the knowledgeable came up with nothing.
The evening came for the auction, we went in and I left her standing by the door, as I made one bid just before it was taken off sale and snagged it.
I know fine well had I been looking all keen and green it would have been bid up. If I had been in there an hour earlier standing beside it looking like I was having it no matter what, someone would have got involved. At the end of the day that is their business.
We don't have the opportunity online to feign disinterest, our only chance to snag something is to make a late bid, hoping no one else notices, or don't have time to react.
When I was buying amps from the US I would place maybe 20 bids and get a half dozen successes. I was regimented about it, never going back until the auctions closed.
However when I am buying something I want for myself, I will keep looking at it, monitoring the auction.
It is time consuming.
If someone pulls it off sale, I will be very hesitant to bid again if they relist it.
I know what you are saying MM, and at the end of the day it is up to you of course.
Some of the amps I have sold have run into thousands, and I have had to relist them several times to get a sale, my reserve not having been met. I have had to placate buyers waiting for delivery from the US, refund partially and sometimes deal with items having been damaged in transit. It is not an easy business, but at the end of the day you put all that hassle into your price, and if you can still make money you have a worthwhile endeavour.
I often end up paying more fees but I get my price in the end. Swings and roundabouts.
As a buyer, auctions for me are a way to get things 'cheaper', or find unusual items.
I will pay retail price from a local shop ("We didn't burn him!") if I want to just buy something I need that is not too much more than the best online price I could get. Using an auction site is a different experience.
Never been in the antique trade, but have them in the family.
My whole life has been peppered with auction buying, especially motors.
I love it so much I have toyed with setting one up.
My experience is that the only reason to start bidding is if no one else does. Sounds illogical but you know what I mean.
My last purchase at an antique auction was a made up piece, an oak bureau. My friend fell in love with it, we could not find any information about it anywhere, and pictures of it circulated amongst the knowledgeable came up with nothing.
The evening came for the auction, we went in and I left her standing by the door, as I made one bid just before it was taken off sale and snagged it.
I know fine well had I been looking all keen and green it would have been bid up. If I had been in there an hour earlier standing beside it looking like I was having it no matter what, someone would have got involved. At the end of the day that is their business.
We don't have the opportunity online to feign disinterest, our only chance to snag something is to make a late bid, hoping no one else notices, or don't have time to react.
When I was buying amps from the US I would place maybe 20 bids and get a half dozen successes. I was regimented about it, never going back until the auctions closed.
However when I am buying something I want for myself, I will keep looking at it, monitoring the auction.
It is time consuming.
If someone pulls it off sale, I will be very hesitant to bid again if they relist it.
I totally agree with all you say but as an example hf....
I had a very rare english edition of cinderella which was published at the temple of fancy in london....it was one of the first interactive childrens books and had all its pop up dolls complete....it dated to 1814 and was virtually unique in that it was complete......
after putting a good three weeks into researching it I poppped it on ebay as it should have been worth a good 800 pounds so I thought I will start it at 9.99 and see what happens.....often this results in a plethora of bids.....not this time......one watcher right up until the last day.......erm....nope ....I ended it and sent it to bonhams where it made 1400....could have been a real bargain for someone but at my expense and putting a reserve on it would have been uneconomical if it failed to sell......
I earn my living from my trade and am not going to likely give away a good profit so that joe public can make a bomb.....
Just my opinion as I say......
I had a very rare english edition of cinderella which was published at the temple of fancy in london....it was one of the first interactive childrens books and had all its pop up dolls complete....it dated to 1814 and was virtually unique in that it was complete......
after putting a good three weeks into researching it I poppped it on ebay as it should have been worth a good 800 pounds so I thought I will start it at 9.99 and see what happens.....often this results in a plethora of bids.....not this time......one watcher right up until the last day.......erm....nope ....I ended it and sent it to bonhams where it made 1400....could have been a real bargain for someone but at my expense and putting a reserve on it would have been uneconomical if it failed to sell......
I earn my living from my trade and am not going to likely give away a good profit so that joe public can make a bomb.....
Just my opinion as I say......
marin man":259yvsp4 said:
Which no doubt means you watch ads/auctions like a hawk waiting till some rube...........er, joe public posts an ad for something he unknowingly undervalued so you can swoop in and make a tidy profit. Works both ways......except for you, of course.
As it happens I rarely buy from auctions or joe public....my trade is primarily through other dealers and traders....
When I buy from the public,they ALWAYS get the best price possible....that is why I have been trading for near 15 years in my town
Makes you laugh that people will gladly buy a pair of shoes from a chain shoe shop for 50 quid that cost three quid from a chinese sweat shop.....but will complain if an antiques shop owner wants to make a 20% mark up..... :roll: :roll:
Anyway.....I like my job.....because I am in charge 
When I buy from the public,they ALWAYS get the best price possible....that is why I have been trading for near 15 years in my town
Makes you laugh that people will gladly buy a pair of shoes from a chain shoe shop for 50 quid that cost three quid from a chinese sweat shop.....but will complain if an antiques shop owner wants to make a 20% mark up..... :roll: :roll:
Anyway.....I like my job.....because I am in charge
marin man":32ayjeti said:As it happens I rarely buy from auctions or joe public....my trade is primarily through other dealers and traders....
When I buy from the public,they ALWAYS get the best price possible....that is why I have been trading for near 15 years in my town
Makes you laugh that people will gladly buy a pair of shoes from a chain shoe shop for 50 quid that cost three quid from a chinese sweat shop.....but will complain if an antiques shop owner wants to make a 20% mark up..... :roll: :roll:
Anyway.....I like my job.....because I am in charge
And the above has to do with what?
Sorry,im losing the place on this ,youre covering so many topics its hard to keep up.
highlandsflyer
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marin man":1i8n387g said:I totally agree with all you say but as an example hf....
I had a very rare english edition of cinderella which was published at the temple of fancy in london....it was one of the first interactive childrens books and had all its pop up dolls complete....it dated to 1814 and was virtually unique in that it was complete......
after putting a good three weeks into researching it I poppped it on ebay as it should have been worth a good 800 pounds so I thought I will start it at 9.99 and see what happens.....often this results in a plethora of bids.....not this time......one watcher right up until the last day.......erm....nope ....I ended it and sent it to bonhams where it made 1400....could have been a real bargain for someone but at my expense and putting a reserve on it would have been uneconomical if it failed to sell......
I earn my living from my trade and am not going to likely give away a good profit so that joe public can make a bomb.....
Just my opinion as I say......
Did you ever think eBay was a rational place to try and sell that item?
Like I said I am not in the trade, but I know fine well something like that would need to be in a specialist auction.
I have a watercolour from the early 20th C I am looking to flog, if I put it on eBay it will make a fraction of its value.
Not really the place for such pieces.
highlandsflyer
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I guess so.
Where is a good place to get a pocket watch restored?
Where is a good place to get a pocket watch restored?
