Do "one-cent opening bid" card auctions

storm888

do well on eBay? Tiny value cards only.

With the "gallery and PayPal," the cost is about
one-dollar per listing.

I see many with "bubble mailer shipping." Where
is the profit? Volume?

Anybody here tried it b4?

storm

ToppsCo1lector

most collectors will bid quickly and higher on cards started at .01 and .99 than any other start bids imo. Plus, you have so much more traffic that it lends itself to a higher ending.

iamthegreatcornholio

<< <i>do well on eBay? Tiny value cards only.

With the "gallery and PayPal," the cost is about
one-dollar per listing.

I see many with "bubble mailer shipping." Where
is the profit? Volume?

Anybody here tried it b4?

storm >>



I've never tried it, but I guess it depends on what a "tiny value" card is. Too often, I've seen $10-$20 cards sell for a dollar or two... probably just bad luck. It's $0.20 to insert at $0.01, but $0.35 to insert at $9.99; I believe the extra 15 cents is worth it to ensure you don't give a card away.

If you want to make money on shipping, create about 100 different ID's and don't combine shipping from one ID to the other

Wizardsguildcards

I start most of my raw card auctions at one cent and let the bidders choose the price. I do not use gallery as it is useless and is just a wasted fee unless the item is over 25.00.

Occasionaly I have cards end at one penny, but most of the time they sell for much more.

Barfvader

Well THIS SELLER has figured out how to make a profit on the one cent auctions.

money orders only. pay within 7 days.

shipping price is 33 dollars.

absolutely no shipping discounts. especially since starting bid is a 1 cent.
Keeps my prices down on listing fees so i need less money to be happy for selling these cards to you
at a lower competitive price.
shipping address is
Chris Beiermann
757 13th Avenue
Columbus, Nebraska 68601

Wizardsguildcards

Hopefully someone is reporting this numbskull

storm888

"Occasionaly I have cards end at one penny, but most of the time they sell for much more. "

////////////////////////////////////////////////

The way I am figuring it, the ending price would not really matter that much.
If some came in high, great; otherwise, OK.

Shipping charge would be less than $2.00. The problem I see is that
without stating that there is "no combined shipping," one person
could slay the dragon. Stating "no combined shipping" sounds like
gouge-speak.

More suggestions?

storm

Wizardsguildcards

I charge 2.25 and combine additional items at no extra charge.

Barfvader

<< <i>Hopefully someone is reporting this numbskull >>



Me and some others have been reporting this seller starting almost 24 hours ago and so far one auction that had a shipping price of $200 was removed.

The first one that I reported was for a 323 card lot with a $60 shipping fee.

This was eBay's response. I've shortened it but you'll get the idea.

Thank you for writing eBay in regard to inform us about a seller who is
charging a high amount for shipping.

In this case, I want to inform you that sellers may charge reasonable
shipping and handling fees to cover the costs for mailing, packaging,
and handling the items they are selling. Shipping and handling fees may
not be listed as a percentage of the final sale price. If you want to
report the seller then please see the link given below to report the
seller to us.

RichG

I'll never start an auction for 99 cents unless I also use a reserve. I'll start my auctions with the first bid equaling the minimum amount I'm willing to sell the item for. I'm not about to take a chance on selling something for a lower amunt of money than what I want to.
Rich

ctsoxfan

On the other hand - I start basically everything at .99, and let the market dictate the final price. Rarely, if ever, have I "given a card away". It does make you nervous sometimes, because a lot of the bids come in the form of snipes, but I am never let down by the free market determining the end result. I save on listing fees this way, and generate more traffic and bids. And, I use this strategy most of the time - from $10 cards to $500 and up cards.

RichG

ctsoxfan:
I also let the market decide my selling prices. However, I'm willing to spend the extra money it takes to start the bidding at my minimum sell price for each item. To me it doesn't make sense to sart an auction for 99 cents if I want a minimum of $250 for the item. Plus, starting my auctions with the first bid equaling the lowest amount I'm willing to sell each item at helps protect me from a listing error. If I made a spelling error in the auction title, the worse I can do is sell my item at my minimum sell price.
To each his own I guess ESPECIALLY if you or anyone else doesn't cry if your item sells for well below expected price.
Rich

usmc1986

That seller is also avoiding ebay fees. If the auction ends at .01 and he charges $33 for shipping, he's getting his money but ebay gets Final Value Fee off of one penny. Very pathetic and I'll be surprised if ebay doesn't suspend his account! I charge $2 for raw cards and $4 for graded cards. I usually start auctions at .99 and let the bidders take it from there. Win some, lose some. It's the name of the game.

earlycalguy

if selling low priced items like you asked about the gallery photo is not worth the money

RichG

usmc:
Since I don't like losing, I'll do whatever is needed (within the rules) in an attempt to prevent it.

I do agree that this seller you talk about should be suspended.
Rich

ctsoxfan

Rich - I never complain if the final price is too low (it rarely is, but it has happened). I just take my hit, and move on. I used to list cards with bids of, say, half what I was looking to get for the card. Too many times, it seemed like bidders were afraid to make the first bid, and my cards went unsold. I relisted at .99, or something like that, and sure enough - the final price was met.

I agree, to each his own. But the seller using a .01 opening bid and an unreasonable shipping fee will be (and should be) kicked off Ebay, according to their recent policy changes.

RichG

ctsox:
Once again, I agree that any seller that starts his auction for a low price but a crazy shipping price to save money on his listing fees should be suspended.

I hear what your saying with regard to starting auctions for a low amount, but like I said earlier, I'm not willing to take a chance in selling my item for under my minimum price. Plus, if someone can't place one bid for my minimum, I'll be happy to either keep the item, try selling it again at another time, or add that item to another and make a lot.
Rich

slatsme

Rich - How often do you have to relist your items? I found that most people like to bid and create the price-point for a certain item. You will get your people that need a card and just Buy It Now or will bid at a higher price-point. Was just curious, seems like fees could add up. To each is own.

Wizardsguildcards

I find the same thing that my sell through is alot better when I start lower and my final Values are within the normal range on most items. I generally run a 85% sell through

RichG

Slat:
I generally don't have to relist too often. I never kept track of a percentage, but the main thing is that I'm happy with the results. Once again, keep in mind that I don't start my auctions with the first bid equaling the price I want/hope to sell the item for but instead start them with MY MINIMUM selling price (which is usually a decent dollar amount difference).

On a side note, lately I've been using another selling method that has worked very well for me. I'll start my listing with a high fixed buy it now pay for it now price and also provide a best offer option. Each and everyday that I don't either sell my item or get a reasonable offer, I'll lower my fixed price. I'll keep doing this until my item sells or I hit my minimum sell price. This method allows me to either get immediate payment or at the very least gives me the opportunity to pick my buyer (with regard to feedback and/or other issues).
Rich

goose3

I have always started all of my listings at .01c with no reserve. No complaints here.

iamthegreatcornholio

Rich, I think that’s a good strategy.

This is a classic debate that I enjoy hearing both sides: listing higher dollar cards very cheap vs. at an acceptable price. I list at the lowest price I am willing to take (like Rich). I think some of the paranoia of starting low is justifiable; namely, failed snipes.

However, I’ve often seen higher prices commanded by items that started off very low.

Over the years I’ve come to the conclusion that there is a fallacious assumption made by those who start their items at a higher price: most people know what they are willing to pay for an item regardless of what others have bid on that particular auction. Based on experience, the aforementioned statement is not true. Most people are insecure and only feel comfortable bidding if they are “following” other bidders. Moreover, I believe there is an additional psychological aspect to it: most bidders feel the sellers need to lose in order for the bidders to win. If you start the item off at a fair price, that won’t happen.

An example would be the time I saw a card sell for $330 (SMR $230), there were 2 underbidders that bid over SMR. I listed the same card (same grade and also high-end) at a starting bid of $250, contacted both underbidders, and no one bid on the card. I relisted it for $10 and it sold for $300

usmc1986

In my experience, I have started auctions at a higher price only to get no bids. I re-list at a low opening bid and it goes higher than what I previously started it at. I suppose alot of it is timing, which is key. Some of it has to do with two or more bidders with the attitude that they don't want to be outbid and it creates a bidding frenzy. As a buyer, though, I know what I am willing to pay and will bid accordingly, no matter what the starting bid is. Rich, I like your idea about fixed price with best offer option and lowering it every day or so. Great concept....
Dan

Wizardsguildcards

I like your idea about fixed price with best offer option and lowering it every day or so.

I have on a couple of occasions had items in my store that people are watching, I will raise the price a couple of dollars and the item will sell. I just don't get bidders sometimes.

JVette

If I list cards that I feel might have a rather limited audience, such as raw short prints, variations, high numbers, etc. then I set a price that is the minimum that I would not feel badly about selling at. I get less participation, but am protected on the price.

On the other hand, if I have a card I am confident will draw sufficient interest, such as lots, superstars, etc. then I will start the auction at $0.99 or $0.01. I want to build participation and competition. So far this has worked well for me, and I have not been burned by a $0.99 or $0.01 closing price.

FWIW - Jack

CDsNuts

I go with the .01 listing. I'm pretty confident that cards are going to go what they're going to go for in the long run. When I decide to sell something, I've pretty much made up my mind that I'll take what I can get for it on eBay. Sometimes it's a little high, sometimes a little low. Only rarely does it ever go for a lot lower than I thought, and sometimes it goes way higher than I expected. My feeling is that it evens out over time if you sell enough crap. I don't think it's worth the extra $2 or whatever to set a higher starting price because if anything, that usually limits the bidding and there's less chance of a bidding war. If I'm selling something extremely rare or expensive I might change it up a bit.

Lee