Ever auction bass / gear at $0.99 with no reserve? What happened?

[chuck norriss]

I need to sell my stuff. No bites here on TB so I also got things going on Feebay & CL. I usually lose my bum so I need some tips on how-to not-be a jackass.

At the moment there's another Sting on ebay that started at .99 and hit a plateau at $500. with a day left. I'd cuss out loud at grandma's church if my bass sold for only 500. I'm guessing it will go for a little more. I suppose lack of demand for Stings is out of my control.

By the way I'll take 575 for mine and free shipping. Maybe that's too high but I'm sick of dropping the price.

[Relic]

Originally Posted by chuck norriss

I need to sell my stuff. No bites here on TB so I also got things going on Feebay & CL. I usually lose my bum so I need some tips on how-to not-be a jackass.

At the moment there's another Sting on ebay that started at .99 and hit a plateau at $500. with a day left. I'd cuss out loud at grandma's church if my bass sold for only 500. I'm guessing it will go for a little more. I suppose lack of demand for Stings is out of my control.

By the way I'll take 575 for mine and free shipping. Maybe that's too high but I'm sick of dropping the price.

Know what sucks? I'm SOOO looking for a damn Sting bass at the moment, but have no $ I think I still even have a Fralin p/up for it from my old one. $575 's not a bad price at all. I think I paid less for mine, but not by much.
Maybe just do one of those eBay sales where it's just a fixed price? Or do a "Best Offer" and price it at $600?

[chuck norriss]

No action at $600 I tried for a long time. Thanks. Yeah it's a sweet bass. I didn't favor the neck at first but I've been comparing it to others & this neck is nuts. Sitting at home practicing small necks are nice & all, but when you're playing live & getting into it, you need a Precision neck, I noticed.

[MJ5150]

Are you pimping your bass for sale in OT, and you're not even a supporting member?

-Mike

[tinman 1967]

Never any gear or instruments at no reserve.

I have sold many a Harley Davidson part on E-Bay though,..

Sometimes I would put something up at no reserve just out of boredom or just to see what the outcome would be.
One item I let go, went for $11.00 and because Im an idiot, I ended up undercharging for shipping costs.... Total profit was around 4 bucks for that little move. Should have made a few hundred..

Moral of story: Dont be a jack ass like me, Use the reserve option, or start the bid where you are comfortable, It only costs a few bucks more in the end.

Remember,.. its all about supply and demand (and there just might not be a demand while your auction is going on)

[chuck norriss]

MJ: I am a supporting member (see top right corner of my post)
tinman: Lately people bid on stuff at a low price then commit or quit as the auction gets traction, but it's hard to get them in the door so to speak at a price that I want to sell at. I'll pull the auction if it doesn't go well. Now I have both basses on feebay.

[Let It Fall]

In my entire eBaying life [started when I was 13] the auctions I have started at .99 ALWAYS sell for more.


However the only time I DONT list for .99 is when its not something in high demand. If not many people want it and you start it at .99 the one guy that wants it will bid 1.50 and win it. if its a fender bass heck yeah list it at .99 cents.

if its some random bass that goes for new 900 and average resale is 500, Id list a buy it now at 450 to move it fast.

[Darnell Jones]

The point of an auction is to get more people involved and attached to the item at a low price. Once they make a bid or decide they want something they are more likely to pay more than they would if it was a flat price. It doesn't always work but if you're willing to gamble you'll generally get more by starting low and getting a lot more bids. Having 20 bids on an item makes it look more popular and desirable.

I've had pretty good luck starting at .99 and posting ads that don't try to hype the instrument. I stay away from ads that use words like Wow and if I see a reserve I will rarely even watch an item.

Search for completed listings on your type of bass and if those prices seems good and it seems like most of them have sold give .99 a shot.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Interesting, as Stingrays still go for ~£800ish (used) here!

I find that starting at £0.99 usually works out well, as long as you don't have a cryptic title for the auction, granted, there will always be cases where you auction falls through the cracks.

If you start it really low, more people tend to get interested. They'll think "not overly keen on the colour, but I'll see if I can get it cheap" (or similar). Then, the human nature of wanting to win seems to take over. More people = better bidding war IMO.

And yes, as you've seen, the prices will rise fairly steadily over the first few days. But when there is only a day or so left, people will start waiting. You'll see a massive jump in bids in the dying seconds of the auction.

I'll also add, try and make the auction timed so it ends at a reasonable time. If it's going to end at 5am, chances are there'll be fewer people in that last minute dash!

[Darnell Jones]

And pictures, lot's of big clear pictures!

Pointing out all the flaws in clear pictures will build trust and avoid headaches later.

[MJ5150]

Originally Posted by chuck norriss

MJ: I am a supporting member (see top right corner of my post)

My bad bro. I was posting on my Droid, and it doesn't always capture that info. Sorry.

But yeah....good clear closeup pics do the trick for me, even on CL.

-Mike

[jmattbassplaya]

Originally Posted by MJ5150

My bad bro. I was posting on my Droid, and it doesn't always capture that info. Sorry.

But yeah....good clear closeup pics do the trick for me, even on CL.

-Mike

+1

It's amazing how much a couple good pictures can spark interest.