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What's better, putting a coin up at $0.99 with a high reserve or starting with that high reserve, wi

Hopefully you get my question. My father will not let me put up coins at $0.99. So is it better to put them up at what he wanted me to put up as the reserve, cause he said he'd let me do that?
Scott Hopkins
-YN Currently Collecting & Researching Colonial World Coins, Especially Spanish Coins, With a Great Interest in WWII Militaria.

My Ebay!

Comments

  • dthigpendthigpen Posts: 3,932 ✭✭
    Hi Scott,

    I'm wondering your motivation for wanting to get into the ebay selling game so much; given your situation. Are you trying to cash out on your coins or do you just want to explore the seller aspect of numistics?

    Just curious.
  • Personally for me, as a bidder, I will often times avoid auctions with a reserve... and as a seller, I always start at $0.99 with no reserve, and just let the EBay market set the price...
    -George
    42/92
  • Both start options tend to turn off bidders but if you only have a choice between the two, go with the high start price and no reserve. Of course, from a seller's perspective, if I have a coin that I know is worth good money, I'm going to start the bidding out at a price I can live with if it sells.

    Jeff
    Jeff

    image

    Semper ubi sub ubi
  • RussRuss Posts: 48,514 ✭✭✭


    << <i>My father will not let me put up coins at $0.99. >>



    Tell your dad to grow some stones. image

    Russ, NCNE


  • << <i>Hi Scott,

    I'm wondering your motivation for wanting to get into the ebay selling game so much; given your situation. Are you trying to cash out on your coins or do you just want to explore the seller aspect of numistics?

    Just curious. >>



    Both. I want to rid myself of the coins I don't collect anymore and at the same time am quite fascinated with the selling aspect.
    Scott Hopkins
    -YN Currently Collecting & Researching Colonial World Coins, Especially Spanish Coins, With a Great Interest in WWII Militaria.

    My Ebay!
  • dthigpendthigpen Posts: 3,932 ✭✭


    << <i>

    << <i>Hi Scott,

    I'm wondering your motivation for wanting to get into the ebay selling game so much; given your situation. Are you trying to cash out on your coins or do you just want to explore the seller aspect of numistics?

    Just curious. >>



    Both. I want to rid myself of the coins I don't collect anymore and at the same time am quite fascinated with the selling aspect. >>



    Flipping coins that you no longer collect so that you have more money for coins you do want to collect is a great thing to do as a YN, and being conservative, as your father has forced you to be, with the pricing is also a great thing. I'd hold off on selling just 'to sell' and that whole side of numistics until you can do so without your father's approval on every aspect of a transaction, though (Just my opinion, take it for what it's worth).
  • Thanks dthigpen, I do see your side of things. Mainly now it's to rid myself of what I don't want in collect, but in the future i'd like to become a dealer.image
    Scott Hopkins
    -YN Currently Collecting & Researching Colonial World Coins, Especially Spanish Coins, With a Great Interest in WWII Militaria.

    My Ebay!


  • << <i>

    << <i>My father will not let me put up coins at $0.99. >>



    Tell your dad to grow some stones. image

    Russ, NCNE >>



    image
  • Ebay is both a great way to get the best prices for your coins AND to get burned. Here's what I've seen from my experience: let's say you have a coin that should retail around $15-$20--- there's a good chance you'll get around that amount IF you begin the bidding at $1 or less, no reserve. OR you could start the bidding at the least amount you'd expect for that coin-- say $7 or $8 dollars. Of course if you do that, it's most likely you'll get no bids, or perhaps you'll get that one bid at the last minute that hits your minimum, but you probably won't get any more than that one minimum bid. Starting with low opening bid, with a reserve, your coin is safe, but you lose a LOT of bidders-- chances are even if you get bids you won't hit your reserve. Bottom line: starting bids at $1 or less is THE way to attract bidders and drive up the price. But with that comes a warning: unless you have a real in-demand coin, there's a very real chance your coin may only attract the attention of two low-ball bidders, thus your $20 value coin closes at $1.25. Overall though, a low opening bid ($1 or less) with no reserve probably serves you best --- but it also really does leave you open to getting burned here and there.
  • I would say starting the coin at the minimum that you'd like to receive is
    better than using a reserve - many people avoid reserve auctions.

    If you can afford the risk, I agree that the best route is starting the coin
    at $1 with no reserve - you are sure to get action that way, and the listing
    fee is lower.

    Perhaps you could gather some statistics and go over them with your
    father. Find similar coins to yours that start at $1 NR, $1 with reserve,
    and high starting bid with no reserve. Track what the final selling prices
    were and what fees you would have paid - that will provide you with hard
    data. If it clearly is better to start at $1 with no reserve, he may see
    the light and let you try to sell a coin or two that way! image

    Ken
  • Why do you want action ... Just to have action ????

    I think you'll find your father is correct. Only one bidder will win your coin so why not place it with a reasonable starting/selling price you can live with if there is only one bidder. That's all you need then is one bidder any more is gravy.

    I believe you will find the snippers will want you to start you auction at 99c.

    This reminds me of an auction I was watching. The seller had the same coin up for 3 weeks with zero bidders. On the 4th week the coin sold 75% above his starting price, which was the same all along, with 8 bids. If any of the bidders had looked in any of the 3 previous weeks they could had purchased the coin for the starting bid. Which I'm sure the seller would have been happy to get. If that seller had started at 99c he might not have been happy with the sales price.

    Why take a chance at giving you coin(s) away ???

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