Home U.S. Coin Forum

Things I'll never understand about eBay buyers

ziggy29ziggy29 Posts: 18,668 ✭✭✭
I was looking to pick up a $20 Lib for my type set today. In so doing, I noticed that someone bid $650 for this raw 1899-S $20 Lib. Not a BIN, but a bid:

imageimage

Meanwhile, they could have hit a $669 BIN on a much nicer, PCGS-certified AU-58 (which I just hit for my type set, especially with gold rising):

imageimage

For just another $19 and the certainty of a BIN, they could have had a more detailed, more lustrous, less-hit PCGS-certified coin. Their pass is my gain.

Comments

  • I don't understand it either. I have never tried to investigate, but I have a HUNCH that some of those early bidders are shills.

    I think sellers are willing to shill on bullion because if the spot price sinks during the first few days of their auction, they can become locked into a losing game. Does that make sense?
  • MisterBungleMisterBungle Posts: 2,308 ✭✭✭
    Never try to figure out the people on the bay!!

    They're unfigureoutable!! image

    Nice looking Double Eagle you got there!!

    ~


    "America suffers today from too much pluribus and not enough unum.".....Arthur Schlesinger Jr.

  • You just never know what is going on in the minds of ebay bidders. I have placed nice slabbed coins on ebay with a BIN at ask and not had a nibble, relist it a week later and get ask + 20%. I guess timing is everything.
  • mach19mach19 Posts: 4,002 ✭✭


    unfigureoutable!!


    This must be the word of the day!!
    imageimage
    TIN SOLDIERS & NIXON COMING image
  • ziggy29ziggy29 Posts: 18,668 ✭✭✭
    Good point above. I hadn't thought about it being a shill. Seems like an incomprehensible bid for the raw one when the nicer PCGS coin was only $19 more.
  • MisterBungleMisterBungle Posts: 2,308 ✭✭✭

    Unfigureoutable

    This must be the word of the day!!
    ------------------------------------------------------

    Yeah, I "coined" a new word.

    (Did that bring this back on topic?)

    image

    ~


    "America suffers today from too much pluribus and not enough unum.".....Arthur Schlesinger Jr.



  • << <i>I don't understand it either. I have never tried to investigate, but I have a HUNCH that some of those early bidders are shills.

    I think sellers are willing to shill on bullion because if the spot price sinks during the first few days of their auction, they can become locked into a losing game. Does that make sense? >>



    It makes sense, but I believe you're crediting the average Ebay bidder with far too much intelligence.
    Proudly upholding derelict standards for five decades.
  • lordmarcovanlordmarcovan Posts: 43,895 ✭✭✭✭✭
    In the same vein as your double eagle example, I once wasted a bunch of money doing that "featured auction" nonsense, bold print, two categories, and so on, to list an ANACS MS63 RB 1799 British halfpenny. A lovely coin with lots of red.

    I started it low (one cent or one dollar, I forget which), and ended up losing money on it, while somebody elses's raw brownish slider, listed in one category with none of the frills, ended around the same time and went for about 25% more than my coin.

    Explore collections of lordmarcovan on CollecOnline, management, safe-keeping, sharing and valuation solution for art piece and collectibles.
  • lordmarcovanlordmarcovan Posts: 43,895 ✭✭✭✭✭
    PS- nice pickup on that double eagle. image

    Explore collections of lordmarcovan on CollecOnline, management, safe-keeping, sharing and valuation solution for art piece and collectibles.
  • Cam40Cam40 Posts: 8,146
    some buyers may not be numismaticly inclined about a coin and may opt for the one they can
    actually hold in their hand as opposed to one,albeit entombed in plastic.
    or the buyer just didnt do his homework. the latter is truer most of the time i bet
  • braddickbraddick Posts: 24,860 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>In the same vein as your double eagle example, I once wasted a bunch of money doing that "featured auction" nonsense, bold print, two categories, and so on, to list an ANACS MS63 RB 1799 British halfpenny. A lovely coin with lots of red.

    I started it low (one cent or one dollar, I forget which), and ended up losing money on it, while somebody elses's raw brownish slider, listed in one category with none of the frills, ended around the same time and went for about 25% more than my coin. >>

    Please keep in mind, more important, in my opinion, than the listing features are the meta-tags you use for your auction header.
    It is these key words that will drive potential bidders to your auction more than anything else.
    Now, couple the right auction headline with some of the features eBay offers and you have much better chance of having a successful auction close.

    LordV: Go back and check your auction title vs the competitor's and see if he received more hits because of it.
    More eyeballs on your auction the more bids will be in play.

    peacockcoins

Leave a Comment

BoldItalicStrikethroughOrdered listUnordered list
Emoji
Image
Align leftAlign centerAlign rightToggle HTML viewToggle full pageToggle lights
Drop image/file