Asking an Ebay seller what the reserve is???

No, you're correct because that's the point of a reserve. You don't want to give the lowest price you'll take, so you're making people bid to get there.

 

No - you are absolutely right IMHO.

Not a lot of point in having an auction with a reserve if you are going to reveal it.

 

I see nothing wrong with it, and assuming you'd be happy receiving the amount you stipulated, you should be fine too.

Usually, people ask what the reserve is if they want to know if they should bother pursuing that auction or not. No point bidding if the reserve is higher than your highest bid amount.

You don't have to disclose your reserve, of course, but don't think people are doing anything bad by asking you either.

Oh, and I've been buying and selling on eBay on and off since 2000.

 

That works.

 

I think you're in the right NJL. If ebay thought it was a good thing then surely they'd publish your reserve in the auction - they dont... so

 

Totally.

 

Well, if you didn't want to tell me, just say so!
No need to be rude!

 

I got asked what the reserve was several times when I was auctioning my Epi 410 on the 'bay. I just told them that I wouldn't tell them, but they could bid if they'd like.

 

I don't think it's against Ebay rules, I just think you can't negotiate a sale outside of the auction while it's going on.

 

Can't you?

I may be wrong but, I believe you can just end the auction early if you wish to sell it outside of ebay. You still have to pay for the auction, but I don't think you get hit with the actual SALE fee's they tack on at the end.

It depends on the item for sale, but I usually give a round figure if somebody is curious about the reserve.

 

I have to check, but I know you can end the item early if you need to. Maybe it's just that once someone has bid you can't negotiate with someone else or them to end it early.

 

Psh... You don't know how to make money, do you? Ask the guy how much he is willing to pay to find out the reserve price... say about $20.

Then again... Maybe its just my jewish blood in me talking... No wait... i want 25% of that transaction... there ya go... Now it looks right

 

From the website:


"If needed, you can choose to end your listing before the scheduled date. If there are bids on your item, you can cancel them.

Reasons for ending listings early include:

The item is no longer available for sale.
There was an error in the starting price or reserve amount.
There was an error in the listing.
The item was lost or broken.

Timing Matters
When there are 12 hours or fewer remaining and the item has a winning bid, including a reserve met bid, sellers may not make any changes to the listing, including:
ending the item early. Sellers may cancel bids, but not end the item unless the item is being sold to the high bidder
adding to or changing the item description
converting the item to pre-approved bidder
Canceling bids or making changes to a listing with bids when there are 12 hours or fewer remaining damages the buyer experience and can undermine trust in the marketplace.


Note: Sellers are not permitted to cancel bids and end listings early in order to avoid selling an item that did not meet the desired sale price. This is considered to be reserve fee circumvention. Although there are legitimate reasons for ending a listing early, abuse of this option will be investigated."

 

Not really. The point of a reserve is to make sure that you get the minimum price that you want. If you reveal it they still have to give you the minimum price you want for it. Like someone else stated, I sometimes ask to see if the price is in the area that I can afford to see if it is worth pursuing. I recently wanted to bid on a nice Sadowsky that a local guy had. I knew what the bass sold for new and what Sadowsky sold it used for. It didn't reach reserve and I ended up contacting the seller and purchased it for less than his reserve was. And yes, I've ended many auctions to sell outside Ebay. You still have to pay Ebay the listing fee.

 

I take the latter point of view. In the past, I've told my reserve straight out, or at least said to email if they want to know it. For me, it was a guarantee that I would get at least that much, but didn't mind people knowing it. It didn't necessarily mean that I wouldn't get more. So, it didn't bother me one way or the other...it differs between sellers.

Now, if they emailed me to ask what color underwear I had on, well, that's another story

 

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