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Ebay Hats: Victories, Defeats, Gripes & Items of Interest

carouselvic

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,984
Location
Kansas
NRA Panama

nra002.jpg

nra001.jpg
 

Tango Yankee

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,433
Location
Lucasville, OH
Thank you, gentlemen!

Rodkins, I am glad you held off as yes, you did save me abut $70 as my own max was significantly higher.

I really don't understand it; there were 56 watchers on that hat, so I was expecting some heavy competition for it at the end but very little materialized. Marc's Oxblood had 44 watchers, I think, but again the competition for it that I expected failed to materialize.

I guess in the end all you can say is that there's no accounting for eBay!

On the subject of Reserves, as a buyer I find them a bit annoying. My position is that a seller should set their opening bid at the absolute minimum they'll accept for the hat. Of course, the problem with that position is that many people will not bid on an item with a high opening bid because they're hoping against hope to score a diamond for pennies so I understand it when a reserve is used but with a low opening bid. But if there's an item I'm interested in and it has a reserve I'll set my sniper at the max I'd be willing to go and let it do it's thing. If it's under the reserve, oh well. I don't get into the multiple small bids to find the reserve thingie.

Carouselvic, that's one heck of a nice Panama! :eusa_clap

Cheers,
Tom
 

HatsEnough

Banned
Messages
1,142
Location
Cincinnati, Ohio
I find nothing at all wrong with a reserve price. I don't have any idea why anyone would be against it.

High opening bids (if the first bid is pinned to what the reserve might be) absolutely does quash bidding. Bidders that would pay $200 for an item on ebay would never start their bidding at $200 if that was the opening bid! Plus, some buyers pay more for an item just because they get into the adrenaline charged atmosphere of a bidding war. So, a high opening bid would have kept them out of the game in the first place and a seller loses all the way around.

On the other hand, if a seller just doesn't want to lose a $400 item for $50 it makes perfect sense to protect himself with a reserve. As a seller I'd rather put an item up 3 or 4 times before the auction finally gets to my reserve than sell it once for far less than I'd hoped.

Remember this: sellers are not in the game to give you an item for pennies on the dollar. They are in it to make money.
 

Tango Yankee

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,433
Location
Lucasville, OH
HE, I think that for the most part we said the same thing other than I find reserves annoying and you don't.

As a bidder I find them annoying because if the reserve is greater than what I'm willing to spend I don't want to waste my time with it or sit there doing bid after bid trying to find the reserve. Fortunately, these days I don't have to do that as I just employ a sniper on the rare instance I decide to bid on something with a reserve. Still, if I knew that the minimum the seller was willing to let it go for was higher than I was willing to pay I wouldn't waste my time setting up the sniper.

I do know that sellers are not in the game to give me an item for pennies on the dollar, but it is the hope of getting something for pennies on the dollar that they are trying to tap in to when they set a low opening bid. That's the whole allure in the first place--the chance is there to score that diamond at cut-glass prices. As you yourself say, most bidders won't bid on an item with a $200 opening bid even though they'd be willing to pay that much for an item. Some bidders then negate that hope by setting a reserve, some don't. Sometimes it works out well for the buyer, sometimes for the seller.

For me it's simple: if I want an item more than I'm annoyed by a reserve being set on it, I set up a sniper with whatever maximum amount I'm willing to spend and walk away. Either I win or I don't.

Cheers,
Tom

P.S. Nice catch on that Strat, Justin! I saw it in passing and loved the color but alas, much too small. Enjoy it!
 
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