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Ebay- behavior

#81
Bass 45 said:
There is a lot of reasons to watch an auction without bidding or before bidding - heck, there are even tv shows that broadcast auctions - i get that. I really don't get the "bottomfeeder" comment though.
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I should have said is "Is everybody only hunting for a bargain or a deal?" rather than simply bidding and paying a "fair" price if they want something. Of course in 44 years on this planet, I have learned the fair price is only what someone is willing to pay and the other is willing to sell at.

I have also watched things, but I intended to bid if the item stayed within my range.

In my case I have 20 folks watching a discontinued model of custom made in USA bass, that there are no others of this kind on Ebay. Zero. The only way you will get this type of bass is to buy used, new isn't even an option. (other than some bogus clone ones from Japan or something listed at 3 times my price)- so whatever deal they are hoping to get, may not materialize, unless I just get tired of waiting for a fair price.
So IME my 20 watchers are just hoping that I bargain basement my price, with little or no intent of bidding unless I do.
And yes you take a MASSIVE hit selling anything on Ebay- because after their 12% fees off everything including shipping (which is ridiculous) you would have to sell something for 20% more than you hope to net.
 
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#82
Lots of reasons.........

1. Many prospective sellers will watch an item to see what it sells for. This helps then know what the current market value is if they decide to sell.
2. "watching" an item on ebay will enable automatic notifications about the bids and seller status, along with targeted recommendations of similar items.
3. Often times, sellers will lower prices in by it now auctions in which folks watching will get an email notification
4. When an item is relisted, those watching will get an email notification.
5. Sometimes people want to shop and there may be several similar items live at once. Watching the item allows the buyers to organize their prospects in the "My ebay" interface
 
#83
obimark said:
I should have said is "Is everybody only hunting for a bargain or a deal?" rather than simply bidding and paying a "fair" price if they want something. Of course in 44 years on this planet, I have learned the fair price is only what someone is willing to pay and the other is willing to sell at.

I have also watched things, but I intended to bid if the item stayed within my range.

In my case I have 20 folks watching a discontinued model of custom made in USA bass, that there are no others of this kind on Ebay. Zero. The only way you will get this type of bass is to buy used, new isn't even an option. (other than some bogus clone ones from Japan or something listed at 3 times my price)- so whatever deal they are hoping to get, may not materialize, unless I just get tired of waiting for a fair price.
So IME my 20 watchers are just hoping that I bargain basement my price, with little or no intent of bidding unless I do.
And yes you take a MASSIVE hit selling anything on Ebay- because after their 12% fees off everything including shipping (which is ridiculous) you would have to sell something for 20% more than you hope to net.
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You have a "fair" price in mind. So do the people watching your item, except their "fair" price is lower. At some point a potential buyer's and your "fair" prices will meet. Until that happens , your bass will sit there being watched. It's pretty simple behavioral economics. Who's gonna blink first?

As far as eBay fees go, what's it worth to have your bass marketed to the world? A real live auction will cost you at least 30% of what you gross.
 
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#85
electracoyote said:
I have purchased a couple items from Reverb.com, a mid-price guitar and amplifier. Both transactions went swimmingly. Most of the eBay BS is absent, but it's not a bidding site. It's a bit more like Guitar Center Used or Music Go Round, which are two other solid options I've used successfully.
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good to hear. i used to like the bidding aspect of ebay, but lately i don't really care...

anyone have experience with reverb as a seller? the reason i've still used ebay in recent times is that i know ebay has a huge market of potential buyers, where other places, such as reverb, i fear have only a fraction the numbers. also, what are the fees like from reverb as a seller?
 
#86
rogerbmiller said:
Do they? I thought they actually flattened them, meaning same fess across the board (10% for sales) regardless of ending price.
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I've sold a over a thousand dollars of stuff on eBay in the last month all with no fees. If you sell enough on eBay and are considered a reliable seller they'll send you promotional emails to sell items without the fees.
 
#87
Nephilymbass said:
I've sold a over a thousand dollars of stuff on eBay in the last month all with no fees. If you sell enough on eBay and are considered a reliable seller they'll send you promotional emails to sell items without the fees.
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No final sales fee either? I know they are increasingly making listings free but I thought they take a piece of every transaction.
 
#88
rogerbmiller said:
No final sales fee either? I know they are increasingly making listings free but I thought they take a piece of every transaction.
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No final sales fees. This batch of sales was the first I've been able to sell with no fees. They sent me a message within eBay for unlimited free listings and no sales fees until a stated date. For years I only sold maybe one item a year on eBay but have sold maybe $1800 worth of stuff in the past year and bought a few items. So maybe it's because I've been doing a lot more business on ebay.
 
#89
Nephilymbass said:
No final sales fees. This batch of sales was the first I've been able to sell with no fees. They sent me a message within eBay for unlimited free listings and no sales fees until a stated date. For years I only sold maybe one item a year on eBay but have sold maybe $1800 worth of stuff in the past year and bought a few items. So maybe it's because I've been doing a lot more business on ebay.
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Very cool. I will have to read their promo emails more carefully from now on!
 
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#91
So from what I gather, besides TB, Craigslist and ebay, the only other options are Facebook, Reverb, Music Go Round and Guitar Center Used? I did try listing a few basses on Bonanza, but got no response.

Has anyone ever listed something on ebay, received an offer and then "pointed" a potential buyer to complete the transaction outside of ebay? Like maybe using Paypal only or completing the transaction thru Reverb or Bonanza? I recognize that it's against ebay policy, but I'm sure people have done it. If so, were there any negative consequences? Of course ebay might have that "policy" to scare potential buyers into only feeling safe if they purchase something thru ebay. It seems like, at the end of the day, it's all about trust anyway. As a buyer, you're trusting the seller to package and ship the instrument and the seller is trusting the buyer to pay. Without a place like TB, where (for the vast majority) we are bass brethren, how else could trust be established between a buyer and seller?
 
#92
mtd435 said:
So from what I gather, besides TB, Craigslist and ebay, the only other options are Facebook, Reverb, Music Go Round and Guitar Center Used? I did try listing a few basses on Bonanza, but got no response.

Has anyone ever listed something on ebay, received an offer and then "pointed" a potential buyer to complete the transaction outside of ebay? Like maybe using Paypal only or completing the transaction thru Reverb or Bonanza? I recognize that it's against ebay policy, but I'm sure people have done it. If so, were there any negative consequences? Of course ebay might have that "policy" to scare potential buyers into only feeling safe if they purchase something thru ebay. It seems like, at the end of the day, it's all about trust anyway. As a buyer, you're trusting the seller to package and ship the instrument and the seller is trusting the buyer to pay. Without a place like TB, where (for the vast majority) we are bass brethren, how else could trust be established between a buyer and seller?
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Somehow I have a hard time establishing trust with anyone weaseling out of their eBay fees.
 
#97
I often "watch" auctions because I see some item I'm interested in buying someday and don't want to go looking for it again so I save it in my eBay watch list.

If it's something I really want I always place my best price bid in at the last second.

Sellers love early bidders, they drive prices up and hate last second bidders, they get bargains or at least better prices.
 
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#98
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 will put a product on watch because I am searching around for an item. But, I may find it or something similar with a lower price in a different auction. If I don't, then I can find that item again by looking at my watch list.
 
#99
fhm555 said:
Which is why I rarely bid on ebay any more. If I do see something I fancy in an auction format, I'll figure whatever I'm willing to pay for it (including the shipping costs) and make that bid, then forget it.

If I get outbid, oh well, let it go and move on. If I do win, it's almost always less than the full amount of my high bid.
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If everyone bid rationally, I would do the same. Unfortunately, people are prone to put in a bid and when they don't have the high bid, incrementally increase it.
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.
Click to expand...

I put things in my watch list if I'm interested in them. But I never put in a bid until there are less than 5 seconds left in the auction. There are 2 reasons for this.

1.) People bidding don't act rationally. If you bid early, someone else will place a bid, and when they aren't the highest bidder, they will incrementally increase their bid above what they were willing to pay. The thrill of the win creeps in. This is great for seller, but not for me.

2.) Scams. Sellers run scams to drive up the price. They'll place a bid to find out how much your high bid was, and then cancel that bid and place another one just below your max bid.

If you wait for the last second to bid, these aren't options.

Sometimes I don't end up bidding on something in my watchlist. Maybe the price went higher than I was willing to pay. Maybe I was interested, but after more research, decided it wasn't the right thing for me.
 

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