Ebay etiquette and Snipe program information
georgebailey2
Posts: 1,080 ✭✭✭
I have a relatively high $ item that is pretty scarce: Is it too whiny or too much like begging to ask the "watchers" to e-mail me with their intent? I have previously rejected unsolicited offers since I had more than a dozen watchers. Then no one bid.
Also, with snipe programs, can you set them to make a bid ONLY if there has been a bid on an item? This would be in the hopes that if there were no bids when there was a material, yet fair, initial starting point that the item would go unsold and relisted with a lower starting point.
Thanks for the input in advance.
Also, with snipe programs, can you set them to make a bid ONLY if there has been a bid on an item? This would be in the hopes that if there were no bids when there was a material, yet fair, initial starting point that the item would go unsold and relisted with a lower starting point.
Thanks for the input in advance.
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Comments
Edited to add: You'd be better off starting with a high BIN and using Best Offer.
Snipe programs will execute based upon the sniped bid and the current bid regardless of whether a bid has been placed. Most snipe programs do not allow a bid to be entered on a BIN.
If you're concerned about the level at which an item will sell, you are best served to either place a reserve or begin the auction at the lowest price that you'll accept. A BIN is another option, but you may scare off potential bidders or undersell yourself on a scarce item if the BIN is below what someone may have been willing to bid in a true auction format.
Don't email anyone about their intent...they may not follow through anyway. Your best bet is to either do an auction and set the start price at the least you will take OR do a BIN with best offer.
Jeff
This is not accurate. A snipe will be placed for the sniper's maximum bid amount even if no bids are placed as long as the bid total is at least one increment from the snipe amount. If no one else bids but the lone sniper, he will win the item for the opening bid amount.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
<< <i>You cant set snipes to bid if there are no bids... >>
As grote15 and I stated, snipes will be executed regardless of whether a bid has been placed. If any sniping service will not place a bid on a zero bid item, then that sniping service should be avoided. However, I am not aware of any that operate in that manner.
<< <i>Im sure Im not alone on this.... 3/4th of the time I "watch" an item is to see what they sell for, not to wait to bid, I usually own a similar item and want to see what its worth. >>
You are not alone. I keep detailed notes as to what items I either have or am interested in sell for. I probably bid on only 10% of the items I have on my watch list.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep."
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."
Collecting:
Any unopened Baseball cello and rack packs and boxes from the 1970's and early 1980s.
As far as watching out of serious interest or tracking/curiousity, do you think the 10% ratio would be correct?
In the previous run, someone made an offer via e-mail contact when there were 3 days left and 18 watchers with about 90 pageviews. I thought I would get two bidders and decided to wait until the auction finished.
No bids.
Kinda sucked, particularly since the card is pretty fairly situated considering the last two known completed sales that I could verify.
<< <i>As far as "intent", I meant as to whether they actually wanted the card and were considering bidding or were watching out of tracking/curiousity. I would never ask about the amount they were considring bidding.
As far as watching out of serious interest or tracking/curiousity, do you think the 10% ratio would be correct?
In the previous run, someone made an offer via e-mail contact when there were 3 days left and 18 watchers with about 90 pageviews. I thought I would get two bidders and decided to wait until the auction finished.
No bids.
Kinda sucked, particularly since the card is pretty fairly situated considering the last two known completed sales that I could verify. >>
If you're really that worried, just put a reserve on the item or start it at your minimum acceptable price. If it doesn't sell, then wait awhile and try again. Trying to figure out how many watchers might bid or when bids will come in or how they'll come in will end up driving you silly.
<< <i> the card >>
Am I the only one dying to see "the card"?
<< <i>
<< <i> the card >>
Am I the only one dying to see "the card"? >>
If you check the B/S/T board, you may have already seen it.
It is the UD POH 500 Club Babe Ruth card (#714HR - not the original #POH which started it all).
The last two VERIFIED sales I could find were $4,150 in November of 2010 and a $5k private sale (found on FreedomCardboard forum).
I started with a high BIN with BO and got some low offers and two mid-range that I thought about. Did that for two cycles.
Then I changed to auction with a BIN starting at $3k. Plenty of watchers and a couple of offers over the start price, but surpisingly no bids.
It should go between $3.4 to $4.2. It is the key to the set and comes up maybe once a year.
Let them watch in peace
Might not be a good time to sell an item with that price tag
Some of your potential buyers might have other uses for $4,000 this time of year
The 3rd bidder could easliy be considerable less.
Thats a lot for a off the wall ruth card and a really knowledgable buyer probably wouldn't touch this.
You can buy a nice RC of Koufax or most of an AAron in PSA 8 for that.
# watchers for this item IMO is all curiocity. As others have stated, when I sell and its not often easly 90% are all just curious.
If the item is hot then that # should be higher. Never ever email watchers.
The higher the starting bid or BIn the less snipes will come into play. If the is no 'room' between what the card gose for and your starting price then you will probably only get a bin buyer.
IMO...on a card like this grab what you can. Start at the minimum you can afford or want to take. No reserve. You might want to try
a auction with higher start and higher bin but put a best offer on it. Be sure you have a decline set for ridiculous offers.
If you get an offer you cann then make a counteroffer. Now at least you are dealing with someone serious.
1948-76 Topps FB Sets
FB & BB HOF Player sets
1948-1993 NY Yankee Team Sets
Under no circumstances would I put anything in your auction that requests watchers to contact you.
<< <i>I misread the statement.
Under no circumstances would I put anything in your auction that requests watchers to contact you. >>
Yeah, that pretty REEKS of desperation. If you can't handle the angst of seeing watchers but no bidders up until near hammer time, you just may not be cut out to sell on EBay.
Working on the following: 1970 Baseball PSA, 1970-1976 Raw, World Series Subsets PSA, 1969 Expansion Teams PSA, Fleer World Series Sets, Texas Rangers Topps Run 1972-1989
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Your best best if you want to move this in a hurry is set a high opening bid you can live with and let it fly. The 99 cent auction works great if you have a liquid card such as Jordan Rookie or a Wayne Gretzky but can sometimes yield poor results if a bidding war does not develop. I think history has shown setting a reserve price for what ever reason tends to turn bidders off and thus the higher initial opening bid in my opinion works the best.
If you are not in a hurry, use the way over priced Buy It Now Best Offer strategy and see if anyone bites. That works great for me sometimes. You would be surprised at how effective it can be. I had to a few times do a double take when a few offers have come in on a few of my items.
Good luck.