Bad eBay auction practices 1 1

[PhilipB2k17]

I am somewhat amused, and also frustrated, with the seller of a particular comic art page on eBay. The page has been listed 4 or 5 times, and has generated really nice bids, but has never met the reserve. What happens is that the initial bid on the item is well below the reserve. And any subsequent bids - even if they are in excess of the reserve - never get there unless there are enough incremental bid increases. I think I bid in excess of the reserve as my max bid on it in one instance, but didn't win the page because I only exceeded the next highest bid incrementally, due to eBay's auction tool. 

In any case, the owner is leaving a lot of money on the table by putting the reserve so high. Moreover, after 4 or 5 tries at this, with the page NEVER meeting the reserve price, you'd think the seller would have figured out that he's overpricing it. But, nope. If you don't want to sell it for less than a price that nobody is willing to pay, then why keep listing it? 

[BCarter27]

12 minutes ago, PhilipB2k17 said:

I think I bid in excess of the reserve

Just send the seller a message off of the auction listing with your best offer and then walk away.

[PhilipB2k17]

2 hours ago, BCarter27 said:

Just send the seller a message off of the auction listing with your best offer and then walk away.

I couldn’t. I was taking advantage of Paypal’s 24 month same as cash financing option for sales on eBay when I made my bid. That option expired right after the auction ended. Plus, making a side deal wouldn’t have qualified for the payment option in any case. 

[Rick2you2]

2 hours ago, PhilipB2k17 said:

I am somewhat amused, and also frustrated, with the seller of a particular comic art page on eBay. The page has been listed 4 or 5 times, and has generated really nice bids, but has never met the reserve. What happens is that the initial bid on the item is well below the reserve. And any subsequent bids - even if they are in excess of the reserve - never get there unless there are enough incremental bid increases. I think I bid in excess of the reserve as my max bid on it in one instance, but didn't win the page because I only exceeded the next highest bid incrementally, due to eBay's auction tool. 

In any case, the owner is leaving a lot of money on the table by putting the reserve so high. Moreover, after 4 or 5 tries at this, with the page NEVER meeting the reserve price, you'd think the seller would have figured out that he's overpricing it. But, nope. If you don't want to sell it for less than a price that nobody is willing to pay, then why keep listing it? 

Can you just add bids sequentially to meet eBay's number off of the same ID? If not, set up a second ID and bid against yourself up to your maximum. Would that do it?

Or, if you know your max will be over the reserve, why not just bid that?

[PhilipB2k17]

53 minutes ago, Rick2you2 said:

Can you just add bids sequentially to meet eBay's number off of the same ID? If not, set up a second ID and bid against yourself up to your maximum. Would that do it?

Or, if you know your max will be over the reserve, why not just bid that?

A) I don’t know what the reserve is for certain; B) Even if I bid over the reserve as the max bid, it only goes up incrementally over the next highest bid. eBay only bid you up enough to get the high bidder. C) Why would I bid up my own bid? I still want to buy the piece for less than my max, if possible. It’s not my job to Game the system to help the seller  

 

Edited May 1, 2019 by PhilipB2k17

[vodou]

4 hours ago, PhilipB2k17 said:

And any subsequent bids - even if they are in excess of the reserve - never get there unless there are enough incremental bid increases. I think I bid in excess of the reserve as my max bid on it in one instance, but didn't win the page because I only exceeded the next highest bid incrementally, due to eBay's auction tool.

Pure speculation since you do not know the reserve. As someone that has met reserves on eBay, it does not work as you describe. Unless something changed very recently.

4 hours ago, PhilipB2k17 said:

In any case, the owner is leaving a lot of money on the table by putting the reserve so high. Moreover, after 4 or 5 tries at this, with the page NEVER meeting the reserve price, you'd think the seller would have figured out that he's overpricing it. But, nope. If you don't want to sell it for less than a price that nobody is willing to pay, then why keep listing it?  

The owner is leaving nothing on the table. The reserve represents the least amount they are willing to sell for and you...are not capable of meeting it. We all want stuff we can't afford, that's life. There's other stuff that we can afford though, so we just get them instead. And life goes on.

[MONSTER]

If you bid at or over the reserve, ebay will automatically raise the bid to the reserve price and the reserve is met

. 

[malvin]

40 minutes ago, MONSTER said:

If you bid at or over the reserve, ebay will automatically raise the bid to the reserve price and the reserve is met

. 

yup, that's true.

I noticed that the initial post had this fact wrong and was scrolling down to see if anyone pointed it out.  And you did!

Malvin

[PhilipB2k17]

On 5/2/2019 at 10:34 AM, malvin said:

yup, that's true.

I noticed that the initial post had this fact wrong and was scrolling down to see if anyone pointed it out.  And you did!

Malvin

Only on the initial bid. Otherwise it will only bid you up incrementally. 

[malvin]

1 hour ago, PhilipB2k17 said:

Only on the initial bid. Otherwise it will only bid you up incrementally. 

but that's like any other auction, or am I misunderstanding something?  No auction triggers your max bid, its one increment above the previous bid.

Malvin

[Peter L]

5 hours ago, malvin said:

but that's like any other auction, or am I misunderstanding something?  No auction triggers your max bid, its one increment above the previous bid.

Malvin

I was going to say the same thing.  But if the reserve is not met, it will say reserve not met like this auction:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/223500245593?ul_noapp=true

When the reserve is met, then it will say and the highest bid will win.

The original poster might want to consider making a private offer to the seller and put it on a credit card.

[The Voord]

Sounds like you're more disgruntled about losing out on the time-limited eBay offer than you are missing out on the artwork  . . .which you'd like to buy, "for less than your max, if possible?"  (yeah, you and everybody else in this hobby).

Instead of going all round the houses, why don't you just contact the seller directly via PM asking for 'best price' he's willing to let the art go at?  He can change the listing to feature an agreed BIN price, timed for when you're watching. If it's not do-able for you, end of story, move on. 

Edited May 5, 2019 by The Voord

[Rick2you2]

Unless you are planning to sell it in the foreseeable future, or don’t have the money to spend, it doesn’t matter what an item costs if you love it. Just belly up to the bar and buy it. I have bought things that way and not regretted it. I have more likely regretted not buying something. Then the art shows up on CAF as a displayed NSF and I get to be angry at myself for years. 

[PhilipB2k17]

On 5/5/2019 at 6:22 AM, The Voord said:

Sounds like you're more disgruntled about losing out on the time-limited eBay offer than you are missing out on the artwork  . . .which you'd like to buy, "for less than your max, if possible?"  (yeah, you and everybody else in this hobby).

Instead of going all round the houses, why don't you just contact the seller directly via PM asking for 'best price' he's willing to let the art go at?  He can change the listing to feature an agreed BIN price, timed for when you're watching. If it's not do-able for you, end of story, move on. 

I don’t have unlimited funds. So, the offer would have allowed me to bid on something way outside of my usual price range. So, yes. 

That’s why a private offer doesn’t work here. 

 

[PhilipB2k17]

On 5/5/2019 at 7:21 AM, Rick2you2 said:

Unless you are planning to sell it in the foreseeable future, or don’t have the money to spend, it doesn’t matter what an item costs if you love it. Just belly up to the bar and buy it. I have bought things that way and not regretted it. I have more likely regretted not buying something. Then the art shows up on CAF as a displayed NSF and I get to be angry at myself for years. 

It still has to be affordable. With favorable financing, it was. 

[Rick2you2]

23 hours ago, PhilipB2k17 said:

It still has to be affordable. With favorable financing, it was. 

Honestly, if that were the case for me, I would not buy it. This is just a hobby and I won't go into a long term payment arrangement unless there is something unique at issue. And I literally mean "unique" (I know of one such piece to me but it isn't for sale). This is not a hobby in which there is a long term profit event horzon, like stocks or even rare cars, so I wouldn't bother or be upset about not getting it, and I am not a dealer with the interest in taking the chance of profit.

[bluechip]

On 5/1/2019 at 10:11 AM, PhilipB2k17 said:

I am somewhat amused, and also frustrated, with the seller of a particular comic art page on eBay. The page has been listed 4 or 5 times, and has generated really nice bids, but has never met the reserve. What happens is that the initial bid on the item is well below the reserve. And any subsequent bids - even if they are in excess of the reserve - never get there unless there are enough incremental bid increases. I think I bid in excess of the reserve as my max bid on it in one instance, but didn't win the page because I only exceeded the next highest bid incrementally, due to eBay's auction tool. 

In any case, the owner is leaving a lot of money on the table by putting the reserve so high. Moreover, after 4 or 5 tries at this, with the page NEVER meeting the reserve price, you'd think the seller would have figured out that he's overpricing it. But, nope. If you don't want to sell it for less than a price that nobody is willing to pay, then why keep listing it? 

I  cannot blame anyone for putting a reserve price or buy now on a piece of art on ebay.  The site is so flooded with prints and fan-made softcore superhero porn that many of the people who might want what you're selling are unlikely to see it even if they spend a reasonable amount of time constantly looking on ebay for something like it.  

[Peter L]

10 hours ago, Rick2you2 said:

Honestly, if that were the case for me, I would not buy it. This is just a hobby and I won't go into a long term payment arrangement unless there is something unique at issue. And I literally mean "unique" (I know of one such piece to me but it isn't for sale). This is not a hobby in which there is a long term profit event horzon, like stocks or even rare cars, so I wouldn't bother or be upset about not getting it, and I am not a dealer with the interest in taking the chance of profit.

I agree totally with this.  No hobby is worth getting into big debt over.  No piece of art is worth it.  

[ESeffinga]

That was my gut reaction as well. 

 

[aokartman]

On 5/5/2019 at 6:22 AM, The Voord said:

Sounds like you're more disgruntled about losing out on the time-limited eBay offer than you are missing out on the artwork  . . .which you'd like to buy, "for less than your max, if possible?"  (yeah, you and everybody else in this hobby).

Instead of going all round the houses, why don't you just contact the seller directly via PM asking for 'best price' he's willing to let the art go at?  He can change the listing to feature an agreed BIN price, timed for when you're watching. If it's not do-able for you, end of story, move on. 

Yes to this comment. When I was a seller, I have adjusted and closed a few ebay listings in favor of discrete buyers.  David