wow im investing in some of these

[Robert Culver]

ebay.com/itm/lee-valley-veritas-dovetail-saw-/121244705971?ssPageName=ADME:B:WNA:US:3160

this the second item I have seen go for more than retail the first was a lie nielson 1 in chisel how come I never get that lucky....

[Frederick Skelly]

Yeah, this is odd. If they are knowledgable enough to appreciate the LV brand, youd think theyd check the current retail price - even a newbie. I wonder if this could be someone who cant buy directly from LV for some reason. (For example, are there countries that LV doesnt ship to or which add significant import duty to a new items purchased and shipped in but not used ones shipped in?)

Fred

[Brian Ashton]

I can't be bothered to log into epay to see the bidding list but I suspect if you do and start drilling down through the bidders list and their bidding history you'll start to see a pattern emerge that is at the very minimum suspicious. And feedback has been a useless metric for a number of years… No one with legit concerns will leave neg feedback because it's become a big tit for tat situation and many sellers will state that up front.

Years ago I had a number of my tools going to more than I was selling them for. Emailed the highest bidder (back when you could do that) on a couple of them, more to just rub it in, and offered to sell them a new one for less. Funny, I never heard back from them...

Saw the opposite once where a lady, who's husband had died and she was selling his tools, had mis-labeled the tools and they were getting ridiculously low bids. So I contacted her and told her to withdraw the auctions and re-list using the names I provided… The prices shot through the roof after she re-listed. I missed out on some fabulous deals but I feel better for helping her out.

[Jim Koepke]

A look at the bid history for item 121244705971 indicates a couple of new bidders to ebay.

Though Frederick makes a valid point about overseas bidders.

jtk

[Jim Koepke]

Years ago I had a number of my tools going to more than I was selling them for. Emailed the highest bidder (back when you could do that) on a couple of them, more to just rub it in, and offered to sell them a new one for less. Funny, I never heard back from them...

Saw the opposite once where a lady, who's husband had died and she was selling his tools, had mis-labeled the tools and they were getting ridiculously low bids. So I contacted her and told her to withdraw the auctions and re-list using the names I provided… The prices shot through the roof after she re-listed. I missed out on some fabulous deals but I feel better for helping her out.

Great way to do business.

I have never had someone want to pay more than something was worth.

I have contacted a few sellers about miss-listed items have also contacted potential buyers and noted deals available. Not so much these days since currently only a few tools are on my want/search list.

jtk

[Brian Ashton]

Though Frederick makes a valid point about overseas bidders.

jtk

I don't disagree with the overseas bidder theory entirely but Australia is the gouging capital of the world and even gouge mad carbatec lists them for quite a bit less (when exchange and shipping is taken into consideration) than the top bid. I still figure they're shill bids.

[Jim Koepke]

I still figure they're shill bids.

That wouldn't surprise me either. Though I think if that happens much they eventually get caught.

I think with shill bidding if the shill wins you will often see the item relisted.


jtk

[Adam Cruea]

I hate buying off Ebay. The prices go through the roof, and there were *certain* sellers that seemed to inflate their items hugely. I forget the biggie, but some goober, for example, wouldn't list Bedrocks for less than about $400.

I checked recently, and since that numbskull has since left Ebay, plane prices seem to have plummeted down to where Patrick Leach sells them for the most part, and they actually reflect the rarity of the planes. For example, I've seen some 605s go for around $100, but the ever-rare 602 smooth bottom was $1200. Even a beater 603 only went for like $130 recently.

[David Weaver]

It's rough on us all (ebay).

As a fan of the washita stone, there really are no deals left on there unless something is listed funny.

221344276813

I think the razor people may have gotten turned on to washitas, either that or another collector who is a fan of stones with all of their labels on. No user is likely to chase one down for $250. This is the second one in a not-real-long period of time that I have seen sell for more than $250. Seen several no 1 stones go for over 100, too.

I stopped buying things that "look nice" on ebay a long time ago. Anything that photos well will go sky high.

[george wilson]

I just bought an early 19th. C. Stubbs hand vise with a tail on it(for mounting a handle) in real fine condition. The postage from England unfortunately cost more than the vise,but even at that,I'd have(and did) pay the whole amount to get that vise. I gave it as a Christmas present.

The workmanship on these early 19th. C. vises is impeccable.

[Harold Burrell]

Yeah...Rob's behind this somehow.

It's just a way for him to get folks to think that his prices for new are better than used. ;)

[Alan Caro]

Robert Culver,

Interesting. I've seen a lot of new items on Ebay sold for more than retail and in every category. These sales usually have in common the same key element > novice buyers. If you look at the saw bidding history, there are 13 bids by 3 bidders. The three bidders have 2,5, and 249 transaction feedbacks. The bidder with 249 bid only once at the minimum price and undoubtedly lost interest as the inexperienced bidders both bid the price up unnecessarily. I've noticed this with new bidders that for some reason they want to be the high bidder all along. In this case c***l made a series of bids spaced apart about 15 seconds searching for the high bidder position.

Experienced bidders will not bid at all, so as to not drive up the price prematurely and which makes interest in the item seem lower, and then bid in the last 6 seconds. Another potential problem is shill bidders who are bidding artificially to help the seller by driving up the price, and when I see a lot of these serial bids seconds apart with 0 to 3 feedback, I assume they're shills. If the current high bidder g***r doesn't win, he could be a shill bidder, but as g***r has a substantial number of bids going with 22 sellers it's more likely- g***r is simply not the sharpest chisel on the bench. The other problem is, as others have mentioned, that a lot of buyers must not be shopping around. I bought a clock radio for a Christmas gift this year and there were a number of Ebay sellers wanting $65-70 plus shipping of up to $12, while on Amazon it was $54 and free shipping.

For a long time, I've wanted to find a way to tell Ebay buyers not to drive up prices with these serial bids days early, but there's some kind of auction fever- an insecurity about winning the item- even when it's not unique and available elsewhere for less.

A fantastic saw though- it's not merely a dovetail saw, it's a "Truth" (Veritas) dovetail saw! And Truth is worth any price. I've had so many saws lie to me and make crooked cuts,..

Alan Caro

[george wilson]

I have been at real auctions where people get caught up in the bidding and pay way over retail. One guy paid $400.00 for a very small,import sand blasting cabinet. Not much over 14" square.

[Jim Matthews]

I had and sold a pair of these, just after they came out.

Never liked them, and I can't say why.
I've got a POS Dunlap German steel backsaw that cuts like a light saber.

It cost me $12, including shipping.

Go figure.

[David Weaver]

Robert Culver,
> novice buyers. <<

I call this the white collar effect. Washita stones, for example. If there is a pool of one or two people a week wanting washita stones, then they sort of stay in the same place all the time.

If someone says something good about washita stones on a razor board, every white collar new shaver wants one. If three more people talk about how they have a stone that allows them to set a razor bevel and finish it, and how great it is (despite the fact that there are more appropriate stones for long term maintenance of a razor), then you're done as a buyer - you have to wait until the sentiment turns.

A couple of years ago, tam o shanters went through the roof. White collar folks on the razor forums
Then, coticules and especially eschers - white collar folks on the razor forums
Charnley forest - same

The reading group is too big for the supply. Eschers were $100 a couple of years ago. Same stone now might be $700.

The axe men do it to the frictionites and especially the old norton razor hones. A tiny little 2x5 or 2x1/2 by 5 norton axe man hone might be more than $1000. There are people in australia who are convinced that they will make them more competitive in their local stihl-timberman style events. I sold off george's frictionites for him last year, and every single fricitonite went to an axe man. I sold one to someone in wisconsin, and thought it was odd that it wasn't bought by an axe man....when I got the paypal payment, I found that the shipping address was a proxy buyer for ......someone in australia who didn't want to miss out on auctions that don't ship to australia.

Strange world of collectible things and demand out there. I prefer to buy the stuff that's good but cheap. That's been stuff like less well colored japanese hones (color is worth a lot in the world of japanese natural stones), millers falls planes, ...

[Mel Fulks]

The Scotland hone David mentioned ,along with a couple of others from same area, were sold in little wood boxes to tourists after advent of railroads. The boxes were called Mauchline and had little pictures on them of Robert Burns related stuff etc. The hones and boxes are these days usually "sold separately". Most probably just wanted the box,the stones are now "rare".