I’ve been doing some auction bidding of late and occasionally I’ll notice a particular go up for auction, and I’ll put it on my “watchlist” just to see what’s the interest in it.

I’ve been noticing of late that some of those items do not generate any interest, as in ZERO (0) BIDS at the initial starting bid price.

So what happens when the bidding time expires? Why the seller will re-list the same item at the SAME STARTING PRICE AS BEFORE.

Hey genius, if NO ONE wanted to bid on that item the first time at that price, what makes you think that they’ll bid on it now at the SAME STARTING BID PRICE as before? How about LOWERING the re-listing initial bid price by 20% and you just might generate a “bidding war” which could result in a higher selling price than your non-bid first price.

Gee, what’s so hard in thinking about that?

Perhaps over the course of time, new buyers will happen across the auction that would be willing to pay that price. For example, let's say you're interested in a battery charger, but you don't have any immediate need for it so you let it go. The next guy that comes along currently has a dead battery, thus his urgency is greater, so he'll pay more.

I've been buying and selling rare records and tubes on EBAY for 20 years. Sometimes something sells right away, and sometimes it's a month later. I usually get what I want, and I am not in a hurry.

Both of the replies above are correct.

Note the number of transactions next to the seller's username. He/she probably knows what they are doing.

I blew my knee out 10-days after moving into this house. I had just repatriated so not only was I buying stuff for my new house, but I was buying stuff for the new truck. Everything that arrived shortly before or after the injury was set on a shelf in the garage.

I've been organizing my garage, and came across those supplies. I've taken the position of either do the project or sell the supplies. It's been sitting in my garage for 4 years so it doesn't matter whether I sell it in 4 days or 4 weeks.

Some days I am clearing out stuff, other days I'm growing the 1911/2011 fund.

Buying and selling inventory for store displays is where it gets interesting. At times I have been given a budget that allows me to pay twice as much for worn out shoes as I would for the same pair if they are new. Even paying someone to wear them for a few years isn't out of the question. If I need a vintage record player or cedar chest, the allotment fluctuates as well.

The fun part is when the display is taken down, I get to keep some of the items and sell them again. Gives me a lot of stuff that I can sell without having to pay to warehouse it or purchase the item myself (works great until I have to ship the cedar chest). Not really in a hurry to liquidate until something presents itself in 38 Super.

It depends on the item and seller. Sometimes items I watch will eventually get discounted or sometimes it allows you to make an offer.

Occasionally I’ve had sellers list items a few times before finally lowering the price a bit.

Some people are just damn firm on the price they want to sell something at. I refused LOTS of lower offers for a motorcycle until I finally got my full asking price. You just gotta wait for the right buyer to see your item. Maybe that is their thought process?

Make an offer, if you want it. Works most of the time for me.

It's also a "free" way to essentially set a reserve price.

I think the expectation of others coming along that value the item similar to seller is the reason behind most. Case in point - I had listed a fairly expensive unused purse (wives... ) and had a starting price around what we thought it was worth. After 2 10-day auctions and no bids, just some lowball emailed offers, I lowered it to just under the most reasonable offer we'd gotten and with a buy-it-now price OVER the earlier starting bid price. Some lady in CA apparently decided at about 11:00 p.m. on a Saturday night that she really wanted and and poof, sold at that higher price.

Patience works on both sides of these deals, and just because something didn't sell for what one person thinks is too much doesn't mean it's not a perfectly reasonable price to another buyer.

I frequently use the "buy it now" feature, without bothering to bid. I've watched some items that haven't sold, and have been relisted, sometimes several times, before buying.

Some sellers will note who has been watching their item, and will send an offer at 20-30% of the listed price. I've bought a number of items like that, too. In that case, the seller wasn't looking for a bidding war; they were selling the product, and were happy to sell it for less than the asking price.

Many sellers are open to offers. I made an offer on some aircraft maintenance tools not long go. The offer was rejected. The item did not sell, and passed through several relistings before the seller got bids, the price went up, and it sold. Not everyone is in a rush to sell.

It's free to cast a line out and maybe they'll get a bite.

Just FYI from recent experiences on eBay, not necessarily related to the op...but eBay nonetheless. I’ve been on there since 1999 and never had issues until this year. The idiots are really out in droves. Lying about items once they receive them, demanding refunds, etc. I’ve always been a stellar seller/buyer, my feedback there reflects it but I’m getting sick of the BS.

Most of the time, if the item is listed at what I think is a way too high price, I just move on. But if it is something I want and can't make myself pay the price asked, I simply use the contact seller and, very nicely, make an offer.

I haven't done this in a few years, so I don't know if it is still allowed, but I don't see why not.

If I saw somethibg today, and thought the price was too high, I'd try it again.

Bob

quote:

Originally posted by FishOn:
I've been buying and selling rare records and tubes on EBAY for 20 years. Sometimes something sells right away, and sometimes it's a month later. I usually get what I want, and I am not in a hurry.

I sell a shitton one ebay,
even have a store set up,

when I sell something quickly (BIN) I wonder if I underpriced it,

sometimes I wonder if I overpriced something if it doesn't sell quickly, but I wait a few months before I think of marking it down,


usually, when someone contacts me and says it is too high, and offers a low ball price, I delete that note and wait a week,

usually it sells just after that, sometimes to the same person that tried to lowball me,

quote:

Originally posted by mjlennon:
Perhaps over the course of time, new buyers will happen across the auction that would be willing to pay that price. For example, let's say you're interested in a battery charger, but you don't have any immediate need for it so you let it go. The next guy that comes along currently has a dead battery, thus his urgency is greater, so he'll pay more.

Exactly, which is why I won't drastically reduce my initial price until it gets a bit "stale".

It's good to hear about people being successful with ebay. It looks like that might be the best place to sell some older comics and science fiction books.

quote:

Originally posted by bryan11:
It's good to hear about people being successful with ebay. It looks like that might be the best place to sell some older comics and science fiction books.

I’ve had good luck the past few months selling a gigantic lot of original HE-MAN and Mask figures and comics. If you sell, be sure to opt in for international bidders. 90 percent of my sales have come from European buyers.

Perhaps just like with Gunbroke-me, someone will want to sell the same thing. See the first guy's price, think his is better and worth more, then list it as such. This may happen more than once. The original item becomes a bargain and the "value" of said item has been driven up.

I've watched it happen over the course of a couple years with a certain old rifle. The over priced by $300-$350 rifle eventually became by far the cheapest one on there. (still not selling because it was in such bad shape, but it caused the price of all the others to skyrocket)

quote:

Originally posted by cas:
Perhaps just like with Gunbroke-me, someone will want to sell the same thing. See the first guy's price, think his is better and worth more, then list it as such. This may happen more than once. The original item becomes a bargain and the "value" of said item has been driven up.

I've watched it happen over the course of a couple years with a certain old rifle. The over priced by $300-$350 rifle eventually became by far the cheapest one on there. (still not selling because it was in such bad shape, but it caused the price of all the others to skyrocket)

on ebay,

advanced search, key in your search parameters, and click the sold button,


it shows what stuff went for,

it does not show when someone accepts and offer , it will just the original price with a line thru it, and something like best offer accepted,