I've been watching a 9" LN dovetail saw on Ebay. It retails for $125.00/freight. I just got an E-mail saying it sold for $142.50. I'm not sure what to say--any thoughts?
[OP]
Contributor
I've been watching a 9" LN dovetail saw on Ebay. It retails for $125.00/freight. I just got an E-mail saying it sold for $142.50. I'm not sure what to say--any thoughts?
Contributor
I assume bidding fever. (Unless it's an older collectable model, or owned by someone famous, or....)
Member
I shoulda used Ebay to sell that planer! I only got $425 for it. headsmack
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness..." - Mark Twain
Contributor
Happens all the time, especially with in person bidding. People don’t know what they’re buying.
Contributor
In some cases it's people offshore who save paying VAT (Value Added Tax) by purchasing used on eBay and possibly will lie about what they paid for it when they clear it through customs. Other times it's just a fool and their money.
Contributor
+1. We see this regularly. There's different theories about it but I favor the one Malcolm says here.Originally Posted by Malcolm Schweizer
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
“If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”
Member
I was at a real auction and saw a Makita router up for $20. I bid $21 and won, only to find it was an old piece of crap. I was going to throw it out, but put it on ebay instead. I gave the model number and good pictures. It went for $125. I felt a little guilty shipping it, but got over it.
People are stupid. What other explanation do you need?
Contributor
I bought few LN things from ebay. I learned my lesson on the first one though. ended up paying retail price on router plain. in end was a wash because the router plain was basically new.
Member
I just laugh......
Contributor
Not much more than has already been said.
Some folks do not fully research what they are buying and get caught up in the moment. Bidding in an auction can be like that. Two bidders. each not wanting the other guy to "beat them" for the item.
Avoiding VAT is another big incentive for European and other foreign bidders.
The other side to look at is a lucky seller.
Another could be a seller with a shill bidder driving up the price.
Then there are the "got to have it" bidders. At one time ebay identified the bidders so you could clearly see who was bidding on a item. One one item that was of interest to me the high bid was from a person who always seemed to win with high prices. A friend was over and shown the information on the bidder and the item. My bid was what at the time was thought to be about a dollar under what his max bid would be. Sure enough, my bid was still below his bid, but in my opinion too much for the item. My friend suggested my bid should be raised again. My reply was, "no way, I don't want to be stuck with it that bad." No one else bid and after the auction closed the winner sent me an email asking me if I would be interested in it. My reply was, "thanks but no."
That may be how some of them go so high. After all, there have to be other stinkers like me trying to get the people with too much money to spend a bit more of it.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Member
That's why, when I see something on eBay, I put in whatever maximum bid I am willing to pay and don't look at it again. I win or I lose. My max for a new saw would be less than retail, otherwise I'd just go buy it retail. People are idiots.
Contributor
Then there is sniping. Eliminates the people Jim is talking about, and although it doesn't affect bidders like Brian, it prevents them from changing their minds.
Many years ago on items I was very interested in I used to sit at the computer and snipe. Now there are applications that will do that for you.
Comments made here are my own and, according to my children, do not reflect the opinions of any other person... anywhere, anytime.
Member
If a seller is using a shill bidder to run up the price and the shill bid wins, then what?
Contributor
This depends on the setup. It may be a person with two different accounts or it may be done with a friend. It could be relisted using a different account, with different pictures if the person is smart. Though occasionally the same 'sold' item(s) show up again with the same image. The seller could also just wait a few months to list again or have the shill list it for sale.
So many of my bids were lost to sniping it was adopted as my modus operandi. Though all too often my memory fails and no last second bid is placed. Sometimes a bid is placed at the beginning of an auction and a week later there is a surprise email telling me to pay for what was won.Then there is sniping. Eliminates the people Jim is talking about, and although it doesn't affect bidders like Brian, it prevents them from changing their minds.
Many years ago on items I was very interested in I used to sit at the computer and snipe.
The ones that tick me off the most when an early bid is placed are people who make a dozen bids at 50˘ or $1 increments to beat a starting bid. It makes me feel good to snipe one of these if the price isn't too high.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Member
Then the seller has to pay fees. Makes more sense to just cancel the purchase and either relist or make a 2nd chance offer to the next highest offer.
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