you know what drives me nuts

[militarymonark]

I can't stand it when people throw things on ebay and have a reserve and start the bidding at .99 when obviously its not the reserve. Why can't people just post the price they want for the thing at the starting bid OMGOSH!! ............sorry rant

 

[bairdco]

i'll tell you why. i posted up a bike with the bidding started at 600 bucks. it was worth twice that. i mean, if this was 1986, when the economy was good, it was worth that.

no one bid on it. like 50 watchers, but no bids.

so, i posted the same bike with a reserve of 500 bucks and started it at 99cents. got a bunch of low bids the first 2 days, then it started going up. on the last day, it met the reserve, and the final bid was 8hundred something.

if you start it at a high price, it's less likely that someone's gonna bid on it, even if it's worth it. everyone's looking for deals. i love Colsons, and i've paid a good price for some. but i've also got them for pennies. if it starts out low, i'll bid. if it goes up, i'll still bid. if it gets to that breaking point, i might go higher.

ebay also plays off the gambling addiction. how excited are you in those last few moments, hovering over that last second bid button?

honestly, though, i liked it a lot better when there was the ad in the paper that said "old bike for sale..." and you took your chances.

now, it's like, i need a NOS gooseneck washer for my Hawthorne twin tube Zep (commonly, and mistakenly, called a "5 bar") so i'll just get one offa the 'bay...

 

[kunzog]

I hate it when someone has an item with a starting bid of $600 or so and says "No Reserve".

 

[militarymonark]

well the thing is Im just wondering if its worth my time to bid on it

 

[Adamtinkerer]

Yeah, I used to start 'em around $19.95 with a fairly low reserve. After a nice Roadmaster with really excellent Good Year G3 tires sold for the $45 opening bid I set on it-I started going with the reserve. Buying, though, I usually pass if it has one LOL!

 

[Mawthorne]

Bairdco, thanks for the explanation! That makes a lot of sense.
Patrick, when I first started buying on ebay I was annoyed by the reserve thing too, so I just asked the sellers through the "ask the seller a question" and I never had anyone refuse to tell me the reserve. I recently forgot to do this though and tried to guess by bidding :o. So I may have wound up paying more but I really like the look of the bike. Now I'm just hoping y'all will help me learn more about it even though it isn't anything really super cool or collectable .

 

[fatbike]

I was just reading the whole eBay forum for fun. Totally have to agree with you "bairdco" on the whole procedure of ePlay. It's a game and you can easily get worked with out a reserve and not starting a low bid.

I love Colson stuff!

Hi bairdco, I pm you about Colson's.

 

[militarymonark]

yeah Ive had the whole "well I dont want to tell the reserve price" which doesn't make any sense, im just completely frustrated with people not wanting to give up the reserve price at least in the auction listing if not starting the bid at the reserve

 

[53Phantom]

Most people forget that Ebay is an "auction". At the majority of the auctions that I attend, there is a reserve on every item to protect the sellers interest. If the item does not reach reserve, it is PO'd. Same with Ebay. Items generate allot more interest when the reserve is unknown. Some Buyers will bid becasue they think they may get a bargain. The more interest you can generate in your item, the more it will sell for. I never disclose my reserves because it is unfair to the other bidders. If a buyer seriously wants an item, they will bid until reserve is met . As a buyer, I hate the automatic bid programs that snipe at the very end of an auction because they are not used in a real live auction setting but, as a seller, those programs have been very good to me. Most of the time when you see "stupid prices" paid for items on Ebay, its because someone used a sniping program. I think most complaints about Ebay are based on how succesful you have been as a seller or buyer. Its a double-edges sword. Ebay has educated many people about the value of what they have for sale making bargains allot harder to come by but it has also made it easier to find rare items and parts that would normally take you years to find.

 

[Mawthorne]

Wise words 53Phantom. I usually try a couple of bids first but if I don't make the reserve after a couple of trys I do appreciate it when sellers are willing to tell me their reserve. It tells me whether I can even afford to keep trying. I see what you are saying about not revealing the reserve and it makes sense. I guess sellers sometimes do tell because they figure if Iam seroius enough to inquire I must really want the item and telling me might keep me bidding. I only ever ask about items I'm really serious about buying and I always assumed they would tell anyone who was interested enough to ask, thereby eliminating any advantage. I think being able to have a reserve is important and I see the marketing advantage but it is nice to know if I'm in the ball park when I'm bidding. Ultimately it is an auction any way you slice it, and you get what you get and you don't throw a fit (sorry, school teacher slipped out there for a second). Ebay has helped so much getting stuff to people who want, and will use it. Think about how much stuff people might have tossed in the landfills, tossed to the scrap metal heap or let rust away if not for ebay. I'm still gonna' ask about reserves but I'll probably feel guilty about it now! :o