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Ebay- behavior

#41
obimark said:
I've seen this on several of my auctions, get 12-20 watchers- no bids, lower the price a bit, then get 3-4 bids that take it over the original asking price anyhow... go figure. Guess you can't under-estimate the desire for people to feel they are getting a "deal"- whether true or not.

And yes I am well aware of the last minute- one and only bidder scenario... but here I am talking about 12-15 watchers with no bids at all.
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This is why I sometimes go with BIN, state my price, maybe use the Make An Offer option, and leave it up for 30 days or more until the right buyer comes along. If you don't like Watchers and re-listing, and you know what the item is worth to you, that's the way to go.
 
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#42
My feedback on eBay 502 at 100% my feedback here 55 100% I have more low ball offers here and people not getting back to me or leaving feedback and general issues than all my transactions on eBay and I have sold many basses including a Wal with generally no issues. The good transaction here have been the best for sure and I would much rather deal with members here but I wouldn't knock eBay I have had for the most part excellent experiences as well. The whole world can see your eBay listing I think a few watchers is a good thing..

I am selling a Modulus right now on eBay with 15 watchers I am betting it won't sell this time around and I am a lefty and pretty much know by first name the 15 watchers on my listing. Bottom feeders not at all just window shoppers and I have 6 pages of watching items on eBay sometimes just because I know I will eventually buy it or one just like it.
 
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#43
Don't pay much attention to "Watchers". It's mostly irrelevant because what matters is whether something SELLS or not. A high watcher count in no way guarantees a sale. Just as a low watcher count in no way means something won't sell.
 
#44
Means2nEnd said:
I have 6 pages of watching items on eBay sometimes just because I know I will eventually buy it or one just like it.
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lol, me too.

Sometimes I watch stuff that I know I'll never buy because I can't afford it or it would be otherwise impractical, but I like reading the description, looking at the pictures, and fantasizing. It's even educational. Some listers put a ton of effort into their auction pages.
 
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#45
obimark said:
Riddle me this? Is Ebay full of nothing but "bottom feeders" now?

Why would an auction with 12 watchers! have no bids? Why watch the auction?
Just hopeful the starting price will come down?

Maybe I am different, but if somethings costs more than I am willing to spend I don't usually watch the auction.
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I watch something while I'm checking out others with the same item and haven't made up my mind where to buy just yet.

If I watch an item, it means that there are attractive points to the auction/sale and am still seriously considering buying, just not certain as yet.
 
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#46
Bottom Feeder ... another name for a smart shopper ..??

I Watch stuff for lots of various reasons ... but like you , I usually think at least 1 out of 10-20 watchers should probably bid ... if I see several Watchers , i'll lower the price , or make it free shipping , or throw in something to sweeten the deal a tiny bit ... a cable might not mean much to me , after 40+ yrs of collecting cables , but it might save someone $5-20 they'd need to spend ..!!?? I always start my Ebay Ads at my bottom dollar ... none of that Reserve crap ... bid and buy ..! if there Are ' Bottom Feeders ' , then I wanna be a 'Bottom Seller ' ..!! ( over a decade at 100% Positive )
 
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#47
Yeah it is funny- I may switch this particular item up to Make an Offer- BIN--- in this case- there are no other items like the one I am selling -other than some bogus ones supposedly from Japan for 3 times the price!! (Which is weird as this item is ONLY Made in America...)

My other favorite- the ones who deliberately wait until your auction is over and then send you the stock email 10 minutes later "Sorry I missed your auction, would you take ____ (insert low-ball number)?
 
#49
rogerbmiller said:
LOL. Yeah, Ebay is the last destination for me whether buying or selling.

Honest people who are up there listing are doing BIN auctions to protect themselves from games bidders play and they are inflating prices to cover the usurious fees. Those holding auctions have coordinated shill bidders, and those buying have nothing to loose by poking offensive offers.

That said people are people and not all of them will meet your standards.

I cannot count how many "I want to buy your bass what is your bottom price" PMs I get on TB that go nowhere when I have the courtesy to repspond and essentially bid against myself.

I even had some major douche make me a low ball offer, and said he would pay me when he got his tax refund. This was in January, and he did it publicly on the thread, not via PM!!!

Plenty of places to buy and sell gear and plenty of honest people to trade with so I have learned that if something or someone rubs me wrong, I just walk away and wait for the next one. All good!

But yeah, frustrating!
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I would have to disagree. I recently made a major score on my new bass. Got me a used Jack Casady with a hard shell case via eBay from the Sam Ash store in NYC for way less than it's worth. And from what I can tell and see, no cosmetic or electrical problems. It's been awesome.
 
#50
AdamK said:
I would have to disagree. I recently made a major score on my new bass. Got me a used Jack Casady with a hard shell case via eBay from the Sam Ash store in NYC for way less than it's worth. And from what I can tell and see, no cosmetic or electrical problems. It's been awesome.
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Not saying you cannot get deals there. You can. Once in a while it is also the very best place to sell something rare (still likely has the most eyeballs).

But it is my last stop and I have been using it long enough to notice the downturn and also realize the games that buyers play. Care for me to list a few?
 
#51
rogerbmiller said:
Not saying you cannot get deals there. You can. Once in a while it is also the very best place to sell something rare (still likely has the most eyeballs).

But it is my last stop and I have been using it long enough to notice the downturn and also realize the games that buyers play. Care for me to list a few?
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Oh, I'm an avid eBay buyer and seller so I know what you're talking about. Feel free to share them though! I'd love to hear what kinds of games sellers have been doing.
 
#53
augdog said:
I think I just annoyed a seller... put in a best offer hoping for a counter offer on a bass. They rejected it and raised the buy now price by $100!
Now it's well overpriced :/
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Well for seller's shill bidders are pretty common.

For buyers, the worst I have seen is someone bids early on in an auction with a reserve. But they bid some ridiculous amount relative to the item's value. They immediately break through the reserve and that is where the bid sits so they know the reserve price and get either tell their friend or set their sniping software accordingly for later. They then retract the bid saying "oops I made a key error- meant to bid $450 for your MIM fender J not $4500." Ebay allows them to automatically retract- no dispute process-- so they do. Meanwhile they now know your reserve is $300.

As long as there have been rules, there have been people gaming the system.
 
#55
Just got done shipping my old Squier Affinity Jazz Bass that I replaced with my Jack Casady. Sold it for WAY more than it's worth on eBay. $179 total with the shipping included. Glad I didn't take what GC offered ($50 MAX). It had some ~$30 strings, a gig bag, extra strings, strap, and a DVD.
 
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#56
AdamK said:
Just got done shipping my old Squier Affinity Jazz Bass that I replaced with my Jack Casady. Sold it for WAY more than it's worth on eBay. $179 including the $40 shipping. Glad I didn't take what GC offered ($50 MAX). It had some ~$30 strings, a gig bag, extra strings, strap, and a DVD.
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Nice sale.

You also paid over $30 in fees between ebay and their portfolio company Paypal. I.e. 15%. The world's best vintage dealers take 25% and they advsertise for you, pay for overhead etc.

You are ahead but those who get fair market value for theirs are selling for a 15% discount to fair market value. Hence people are shying away in favor of TB, reverb, CL, etc.

Great sale though man!
 
#57
rogerbmiller said:
Nice sale.

You also paid over $30 in fees between ebay and their portfolio company Paypal. I.e. 15%. The world's best vintage dealers take 25% and they advsertise for you, pay for overhead etc.

You are ahead but those who get fair market value for theirs are selling for a 15% discount to fair market value. Hence people are shying away in favor of TB, reverb, CL, etc.

Great sale though man!
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Exactly. I know the whole deal. Those fees can be annoying. But, yes, I did get off pretty well with this deal.
 
#58
Chrisk-K said:
I watch auctions to gauge market price of items I'm interested in selling or buying.
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This. I actually watch more as a "competitor" than a potential buyer. Great way to get a feel for what the market says an item is "worth". For example, if I'm selling a Stingray, I'll watch every used Ray on eBay for a few weeks to see what I can realistically expect to get.
 
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