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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15678
Location: SoCal | I will never figure out ebay. There were 3 auctions I was watching, a late 80's Legend, and 2 1970's Custom Legends. None perfect but all in good shape.
One CL went for $1600, the other for $900. The Legend went for $330. One price was way too high, one about right and one way too low.
Incredible...... |
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Joined:
November 2006
Posts: 3969
| I can never figure it out. Agreed on your price evaluation. |
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Joined:
August 2002
Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | Never try to understand emotions ... and buying guitars is always an emotional decision. You can try to rationalize them, but you're just fooling yourself ... it is always a fully emotional act. |
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Joined:
March 2009
Posts: 416
Location: On the Coast - Halfway between SF & OR | Originally posted by moody, p.i.:
I will never figure out ebay. I agree - that's a problem when someone asks about the value of their guitar and gets told to check the past auctions on eBay.
You MAY get an average price but the past auction searches simply don't give enough history to get a true picture of sale trends. There are way too many sales that scream -what the hell caused that outcome? |
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Joined:
December 2006
Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | From the beginning of eBay, the shallow 'history' function has been a sore point of contention.
But from the 'business' end, we have to bite the bullet... |
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Joined:
August 2007
Posts: 494
Location: Location Location Location | Ebay never ceases to amaze me. |
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Joined:
June 2007
Posts: 3084
Location: Brisbane Australia | It's not Ebay just the people that use it.
What anything is worth is what someone is prepared to pay.
A friend of mine sold a car here last year, a Morris Mini Cooper, not on Ebay but a sales site here called Carsales.com.au
He had it listed for about a month at $9500 a couple of tyre kickers but no real interest.
He was going to lower the price and I said to him why don't you raise the price?
He thought I was mad but listed it at $12500 and sold it in two days.
You only need one buyer.
AJ |
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Joined:
November 2005
Posts: 4832
Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | Same thing works in bricks & mortar retail.
Raise the price or move it to a new shelf location and watch that dog move. Sometimes.
Raising the price is my favourite, not just for the obvious reason. People who pay more are often happier with their purchase and tell others.... and you build real relationships with them over time.
people are funny. and that's a good thing - you'd rather they weren't? |
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Joined:
March 2006
Posts: 482
Location: enid, ok | I'm with Fixhill and AJ. There's an art to it, and those that figure it out do very well. Of course, there is some amount of luck involved.. |
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Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Oft-times I will list something on evilBay with a reasonable BIN, say $222.22 with Free Shipping...
Will people pay that? No! Of course not.
They would rather be cheap and bid, trying to get a bargain.
So they fight over it and it sells for $251, and you pay the shipping. Go figger...
But so long as they are happy, I'm Happy! :D |
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Joined:
June 2005
Posts: 1320
Location: Round Rock, TX | One thing to keep in mind when you see an abnormally high bid for an item on eBay is - just because someone on eBay bid it doesn't mean the seller is gonna get it. There are [too many] people on eBay who get their [demented] jollies bidding an item waaay up, only to disappear into the ether when it comes time to actually move the money. |
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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Given the alternative of living without it, I'll take eBay. Where else can you find a 24/7 worldwide flea market? |
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Joined:
March 2009
Posts: 416
Location: On the Coast - Halfway between SF & OR | Originally posted by Old Man Arthur:
Oft-times I will list something on evilBay with a reasonable BIN, say $222.22 with Free Shipping...
Will people pay that? No! Of course not.
They would rather be cheap and bid, trying to get a bargain.
So they fight over it and it sells for $251, and you pay the shipping. Go figger...
But so long as they are happy, I'm Happy! :D That's something I've had to learn. Too many times I've scrolled thru some listings and noted something interesting at a reasonable BIN yet I'll keep scrolling figuring I'll come back to it in a minute. More times than not, by the time I've returned to the BIN, someone has put in a bid for $1.00 seemingly just to knock the BIN option off the table. Always wish the BIN option could stay even if bidding starts. |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 5567
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | I usually place a BIN that I am willing to sell the item at and run it as a fixed price sale...not an auction...believe me, if someone wants the guitar (or whatever) they will buy it: if it sells in the first few hours or day, you probably had it listed too low...so better be sure of the price.
The fixed price sale gets rid of the problems of a low bid knocking off the BIN and bidders waiting until the last moment to snipe a deal...
Of course, then you miss out on someone paying through the ceiling for something they just have to have...but again, decide what you can live with... |
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Joined:
March 2009
Posts: 715
| What is really weird is going to a casino (not my idea of a good time but my mother wanted someone to go with her) and seeing a slot machine with an Ebay theme.
Michelle |
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Joined:
July 2004
Posts: 766
Location: New Hampsha | Originally posted by Guitarzannie:
a slot machine with an Ebay theme.
Michelle So, no matter what you did on that machine you lost your money? |
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Joined:
March 2009
Posts: 715
| Originally posted by Mitzdawg:
Originally posted by Guitarzannie:
a slot machine with an Ebay theme.
Michelle So, no matter what you did on that machine you lost your money?
Michelle |
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Joined:
March 2008
Posts: 2683
Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | If you win on an E-bay machine, you have to wait to collect your winnings and give USPS, UPS, or Fed-ex a chance to lose/trash it first. |
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Joined:
March 2007
Posts: 843
Location: CA | Been trying to sell a guitar, so 'Bin'ed it at $600 on eBay, shipping included. Not one bite or even offer. At the very same time, an identical used guitar down to the case candy (tho different color) got 27 bidders and went for $676, WITH an addition $30 for shipping. WTF? So I put mine up for bid, twice now, and the bidding has never gone over $375. Amazing. Of course I enjoy still having the guitar but being laid off by summers end after 25 years has me scrabbling for every buck. |
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Joined:
May 2008
Posts: 4996
Location: Phoenix AZ | It's a california thing. Next time change your stated location and you'll get higher bids. |
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the 'bay -- an odd place