Not a coin question- just an eBay selling question

airplanenut

Hi,

Sorry that this isn't about coins, I just figured that everyone here knows best about eBay selling.

The problem- One of my items is ending tomorrow night (mind you, I won't be online until Sunday night starting in a few hours). It is a boxed item (new) and has seen 120 views; it is at $10.50 (5 bids)... the identical item, ending a day later, is at $30 with only 40 views. My description is far more detailed, outlining everything that this thing offers vs. the more expenisive one's concise auction...

should I...

1- Pull the auction and relist it with a shorter description (a link will go to the full one)- I feel this may be a real "problem with description"

2- See on Sunday how much money I just lost.

Thanks for your help, even though its not about coins!

Jeremy

PS- to see the item, go to the link in my sig... to see the competitor's, seach "vtech phusion" and find the 3rd item available

calgolddiver

Jeremy -

I don't think you should pull the auction just because there is another that is doing better.

Regards

Clint

goose3

you win some and you lose some on ebay. It all evens out. Besides, there might be 50 people watching that item waiting to run it up to double the other one's price in the last minute.

jtryka

You can pull it, but I would let it go. You should learn a lesson from this, and list the auctions with a starting price that is the minimum you would be willing to sell for. I always find it annoying when someone pulls an auction because it isn't high enough, after all, as a buyer I bid in good faith, so I believe a seller should sell in good faith. Of course there are exceptions for errors, and if a person listed a Saint with a $20 BIN, I wouldn't expect them to live up to that as it's an obvious error. But if they list it with no reserve and I am the high bidder at $300, then I expect them to honor it, even though they are likely losing money on it.

PS-I would bid on them, but I have no idea what those things are you are selling!

airplanenut

I could only hope that! I have seen some go signifcantly lower than others, although even used ones are about double... hmmm...

Iwog

I would never pull an auction for any reason other than a factual/legal issue. You risk alienating the current high bidder (who will never again bid on your auctions) and you might miss out on some very heavy bidding action in the last few hours. As you said, lots of people have viewed this item so many probably are watching it hoping to get a bargain.

You're doing the right thing by not having a reserve. It all evens out in the end, and perhaps the next auction you'll get double what you expected.

Good luck.

airplanenut

<< <i> PS-I would bid on them, but I have no idea what those things are you are selling! >>



The one I am referencing is basically a kids palm pilot with a small digital camera... the other one with bids is doing fine for me (then there is the unbought one...)

airplanenut

thanks for the bump, Iwog I think I'll just let it go its own way... lots of praying this weekend with longer than ever New Year services... so... I think I know what to ask for

goose3

that's kinda neat. If my boy were a bit older, I'd bid on it.
He's only 4.5 and already knows more about my PC than I do. it's sickening.

airplanenut

<< <i>that's kinda neat. If my boy were a bit older, I'd bid on it. He's only 4.5 and already knows more about my PC than I do. it's sickening. >>



I built my own computer I'm soooooooooo smart

calgolddiver

another bump ... my son will like this.

airplanenut

thanks for the bid

BAJJERFAN

Why PRAY TELL is NOT having a reserve the "RIGHT" thing? I can run my auctions as I wish since I intend for them to benefit ME and not the bidders. OTOH other eBayers can do as they wish too.

Iwog

You can have a reserve if you wish. I simply said it shows contempt for the bidders who only want to give YOU money, and shows that you have no respect for a price set by the market. Furthermore, there's an excellent chance that you're shorting yourself money since reserve auctions get lower bids than true auctions.

Stop messing around. If you absolutely must get $20 for that buffer Morgan, have the guts to make the minimum bid $20. Most of us on Ebay are adults and don't need that childish pretend bidding game.

Strange, I always thought a good sale benefitted both the buyer and the seller, not just you.........

BigD5

The only glitch I have here is interpreting the "market" as items selling on Ebay. Not necessarily the same. Ebay sales may contribute to how things are perceived in the market, but Ebay sales don't necessarily establish the market.
Reserves are funny. All the major auction houses have reserves, not necessarily on all the coins, but a lot of coins are consigned with set reserves. We still bid. Someone sets a reserve on their Ebay auction, and BOOM, BANG.....he/she gets beaten up. Well, maybe just slapped around a little I could care less either way, buying and selling. I don't usually use a reserve, but occasionally I do. Doesn't seem to be that big a deal to me. You like the coin, bid. You don't like the coin, don't bid. If you don't bid on a coin you like just because there is a reserve......get help.

BAJJERFAN

When I sell on eBay I do it because I want to not because I have to, therefore on some items I don't necessarily feel like I want to give them away or let them go too cheaply. The listing fee is lower if your first bid is $1 than it is if your first bid is $2000 so I start with one dollar and have a reserve. If my item sells thats fine and if it doesn't sell thats fine too.

Iwog

There is nothing that has been said that can't be handled by a higher starting bid instead of a reserve. Reserves are childish and amount to nothing more than the first few people interested in your item pretending to bid and not having the slightest chance of winning.

Another very important aspect of reserves on ebay is the way auctions attract buyers. As always, some sellers are clueless as to why people come to ebay in the first place. Ebay is a giant garage sale where people get excited by the possibility of discovering a hidden treasure and buying it for cheap. If every seller on ebay used a reserve, most of the buyers would leave.

BAJJERFAN

I fully understand the garage sale concept of eBay but more often than not you will rarely get anything good at garage sale prices. Higher listing fee for a high first bid vs a reserve fee is probably a push. If I use a reserve I plainly list my reserve price in the item description. I don't necessarily equate the use of a reserve with arrogance but I suppose some do.