NO MORE AUCTIONS

[bear52]

   Just a personal statement of my no longer doing any buying on Auction Listings on Ebay. I have been a member and active for over 20 years on Ebay. I have bought and sold all during my time here. It used to be a great place to get a good deal on merchandise. I have had some great experiences and some bad, but I will never attempt a auction only sale or purchase again. Why ? Well I notice a trend of sellers pricing their auction  items for more than it's worth and quiet often more than  you can buy locally the same thing for less. I am well aware that Ebay is a "BUYER BEWARE" format but when the buyers are never even checking what a item is really worth and going into a AUCTION FRENZY. I refuse to be a part of that as it is a waste of time. I also have to wonder about a item being listed on a auction and right away it gets a a single bid ! I once had a guy attempt to get me to bid on some items he had listed so as to lock in a starting bid for him I told him no.

  Yes this current trend is a sellers dream situation. I know somebody will yell that Ebay charges such high fees ! As a a buyer I could care less, just as some will yell about packaging costs. I in all these years here never one time considered packaging costs as I scrounged around and found free boxes and old newspaper or paid for it myself and considered it the cost of doing business. A lot of folks don't realize that many sales here come from yard sales and Thrift stores. I have personally seen in Florida two fist fights break out by people standing by the doors where the second hand donated stuff is delivered out to the store, They were waiting with cell phones in hand and checking to see what was selling and for how much on Ebay and trying to get it for resale and several all tried to gab a item before it was put on the shelves for sale and the fight was on. The Police had to be called ?

    I as a ham radio operator I see this every time I look at the Ham equipment for sale here and Many ham operators now  refer to Ebay on this topic as "Rip Off Bay" I can go to ham locations and Ham events and purchase the same stuff for half the prices of what sellers are asking on Ebay for the same items. We have places we buy and sell among ourselves and do not try to take advantage of others. I just recently purchased a complete HF station for $250 while on Ebay the same radio (not complete station) was listed two different places for $450 for the radio alone ?? What is wrong with that picture and yes let the buyer beware ! That is why I am writing this to inform buyers to Please, Please do your research on what a item is really worth.  I looked at some Microphones the other day and they were being listed by sellers for $150 + about $15 shipping. I can buy a brand new one for $168 with free shipping from the factory ? $165 for a used one or $168 for a NEW ONE ? I believe I will pay $3 more and go with New ! As long as we keep paying these prices they will keep selling .

Folks please beware

[maxine*j]

Well, you still haven't answered my direct question, and it is pertinent, so again I ask: 

If you see an item priced at below what you believe is its value, do you inform the seller of that,  and do you insist on paying the seller what you have decided is the item's worth, despite the seller's lower price? 

To do otherwise would be to act immorally, to take advantage of him, to rip him off, according to the way you were taught and raised and have been preaching here. 

So, do you?  Always? 

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[hurryagain]

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@maxine*j wrote:

Well, you still haven't answered my direct question, and it is pertinent, so again I ask: 

If you see an item priced at below what you believe is its value, do you inform the seller of that,  and do you insist on paying the seller what you have decided is the item's worth, despite the seller's lower price? 

To do otherwise would be to act immorally, to take advantage of him, to rip him off, according to the way you were taught and raised and have been preaching here. 

So, do you?  Always? 

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@maxine*j 

OOO...OOOO...I'll answer this...

Heck no!  Are you kidding???   Not me...LOL!!!

Hey...now THERE'S honesty...

If I were to"overpay" a seller...they aren't gonna insist on crediting me either.  Ebay is an open marketplace and in order to get things at a good price, buyers are simply going to have to know their items and general price that they go for.

...go in with eyes wide open...😶

[maxine*j]

And neither do you preach to others about their dishonesty in setting prices higher than you want to pay than your perception of current market value.   😉

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[glasser]

You can't see name but you can where bidders have bid and with what sellers they have bid,

[glasser]

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@jonathankirkland wrote:

But the great thing about is for people who are unable to find certain items where they live or even NEAR where they live, they can just pay the price on here and have it delivered right to their front door. Of course you're going to pay a premium for that.

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This was Pierre's original vision. A rational  market where buyers can reach a broad audience and auctions, which under those circumstances mots economists would agree, that bring the fair value. I basically sell everything at auction. what I get is what I get. Sometimes I am surprised to the downside and some times pleasantly surprised to the upside.

My experience on eBay is that BIN in some categories--think commodity type stuff phones computers, TV--makes sense.  Do I really ant to bid on an iPhone when I now exactly what it costs?

OTOH, BIN is not working in many categories. In the real world something like a Tiffany Lamp is mot likely to be bought at an auction. That's how people who buy those things are used to buying, When they come to eBay and see a BIN a 3X value, they move along.

eBay has a done a terrible job linking specific markets to the best selling methods. The treat the whole site as pretty much the same item being sold by everyone. I'd like to se more auctions in some categories. It will attract many more buyers, create a more dynamic market with a constant flow of new merchandise (n BIN endless carousel).

[shavamy]

This is exactly why I no longer even look at auctions, I filter all searches for buy it nows only.  Tired of someone waiting until the literal last second and then outbidding, the disappointment and anger felt makes it not worth it. And the same for these horrible sellers bidding on their own things to drive up the prices.  If im out bid, I would just drop out entirely. Now I dont even bother.  Sellers are getting way too greedy wanting gold prices for their used stuff.  I for one, refuse to feed that monster.

[femmefan1946]

TL/DR

I can't afford and/or don't want to pay the going rate for stuff.

EBay should force prices down to the 2001 price.

With free shipping.

[magic*moonbeams]

I can't remember the last time I bid on something... I also don't sell via auction either...

In this day and age, instant gratification rules, people don't want to wait days to see if they can actually "have" the item.. they want it now at a specified price, done deal.

To the OP:

As far as thrift stores and fist fights go... yeah it's competitive out there.. Just cause you got something for 5 bucks at a yard sale/thrift store and sold it for $50, doesn't mean you're taking advantage of anyone.  everything has it's price and value.  The thrift store priced it at what they wanted for it, and made the money they wanted to get out of the item, and now the shopper can try to make the money they want to get out of the item.  That's business.

However, I don't go for the sold "as is, not tested"... to me that always means, tested and doesn't work.  So I stay away lol 😄

[hurryagain]

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@magic*moonbeams wrote:

I can't remember the last time I bid on something... I also don't sell via auction either...

In this day and age, instant gratification rules, people don't want to wait days to see if they can actually "have" the item.. they want it now at a specified price, done deal.

To the OP:

As far as thrift stores and fist fights go... yeah it's competitive out there.. Just cause you got something for 5 bucks at a yard sale/thrift store and sold it for $50, doesn't mean you're taking advantage of anyone.  everything has it's price and value.  The thrift store priced it at what they wanted for it, and made the money they wanted to get out of the item, and now the shopper can try to make the money they want to get out of the item.  That's business.

However, I don't go for the sold "as is, not tested"... to me that always means, tested and doesn't work.  So I stay away lol 😄

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I do BOTH - auctions and BIN...similar products and both styles sell. 

Some are willing to wait to possibly get a better deal - some do buy auctions only.

Others - as you say - do not want to wait and do BIN.

BTW...My auctions have BOTH - a starting bid and a BIN price on them as well and both styles work on my auction settings...many times, my auction "fights" will end up having the item sell higher than the BIN price that I had originally set the listing with...go figure...

...I am not complaining...😁

@magic*moonbeams 

@bear52 

[magic*moonbeams]

Hey, with auctions, all it takes is 2 people that really want the item and have a bidding war 🙂  You can do OK.  I'm not so much of I want it now, as I want my money now lol so BIN with immediate payment works best for me.  It's sad that non paying bidders/buyers still run rampant on here... With the new option of sellers being able to make an offer to buyers who are watching... I've had way too many accept the offer and then either take FOREVER to pay or just never pay at all.   I hold fast at the idea of, if you can't pay now, you shouldn't be looking for things to buy or accepting offers. 

When I don't have extra cash, I don't go "shopping"...

[glasser]

Another thing about auctions. Again, mostly applies to the collectibles and antiques markets but could apply elsewhere as well.

If I put my things at auction (as I do w/ no reserve) the buyers know they need make decision now whether they are in or out.  Because it is going to sell.  With BIN I can always take my chance that item will be there a few weeks or months later. 

So there is some psychology to auctions and perhaps a little irrational exuberance from time-to-time 🙂 

[trade-and-treasure]

No such things as no returns? That's simply not true. I have buy it now listings with no returns as I type this.

[dryophelia]

@trade-and-treasure 

You can say no returns, but smart buyers know they can get a refund by saying the item isn’t as described. 

No returns means you don’t want the item back, so eBay will refund and let the (fibbing) buyer keep the item. 

[trade-and-treasure]

I realize that. But you can still list an item No Return.

You can also take legal action. Most of you choose not to do that.

I will. 

[lightlily_arts]

I don't remember anything in eBay policy that states items have to be sold for a fair or reasonable price.  Sellers can price things however they want, and if it sells for what they want it's all good.  Perhaps it will never sell as well.  There is a seller who has a corning wear casserole dish listed for $6,999 for at least the past year.  I can't imagine anyone paying that price especially when there are many available for a reasonable price.  Their pricing does explain why they have so few sales.