If this item doesn't sell I'll be angry

[gamecock43]

honestly, ebay gets sellers so "up in arms" whenever they change ANYTHING- I dont think ebay needs to change anything. The community boards get worse than a hornets nest whenever ebay does anything at all.

[disneysteve]

Ebay does have a history of making changes that are very one-sided in favor of buyers. The feedback change had to be one of the worst. Sellers can no longer leave negative feedback for a buyer. What is the point of feedback if it can only be positive? Now, if a buyer doesn't pay me or otherwise causes problems, there is no way for me to warn others by leaving bad feedback. The scammer can go on scamming and sellers haven't a clue.

[gamecock43]

I have not had many bad buyers...less than a handful. It's the raising of the prices that irritates me. This is an internet site- I don't think it costs that much to run it!

[disneysteve]

Finally, a bidder. Auction ends in less than 4 hours. There is 1 bid and 15 watchers. The person who bid actually wrote to me a few days ago and asked if she could get the item as a Buy It Now. I nicely told her to bid just like everyone else. She's new (low feedback) so I'll be surprised if she ends up being the winner.

[biff]

Originally Posted by disneysteve

I have an item on ebay that ends tomorrow. It has 13 watchers, definitely the most I've ever had on one of my auctions. I've already gotten 2 questions from bidders about this item. So far, it has ZERO bids. What are people waiting for?

I'm hoping for a nice bidding war but I'd like it to get started already. All week, I've been watching the number of watchers go higher and higher. I just wish someone would bid already.

I'll report back tomorrow night.

Steve,
I believe you can end the auction if there are no bids in the last 12 hours. You could always relist it, and not risk letting it go for 99 cents.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by biff

Steve,
I believe you can end the auction if there are no bids in the last 12 hours. You could always relist it, and not risk letting it go for 99 cents.

I didn't list for $.99. I listed for $14.99. It has 2 bids now. It may get more, but I'm happy either way.

[maat55]

I think e-bay is for people to lazy to go to the horse track.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by maat55

I think e-bay is for people to lazy to go to the horse track.

Not quite sure what that's supposed to mean.

Anyway, auction is over. It ended up selling for $36.00. There were 16 bids (though a couple of bidders each posted multiple bids). I'm perfectly happy with that.

That brings my ebay sales total to $214.69 since 11/23/08. I have 6 active auctions and I'm not sure if I will list any more before year end. It is too late to list stuff for holiday gifts and I think buyers dry up around the holidays. I'll probably start up again in January.

[maat55]

Originally Posted by disneysteve

Not quite sure what that's supposed to mean.

Anyway, auction is over. It ended up selling for $36.00. There were 16 bids (though a couple of bidders each posted multiple bids). I'm perfectly happy with that.

That brings my ebay sales total to $214.69 since 11/23/08. I have 6 active auctions and I'm not sure if I will list any more before year end. It is too late to list stuff for holiday gifts and I think buyers dry up around the holidays. I'll probably start up again in January.

My son-in-law sells on e-bay alot and in the last few minutes of a sale acts like someone at the track.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by maat55

My son-in-law sells on e-bay alot and in the last few minutes of a sale acts like someone at the track.

Gotcha. Yes, auctions do get the adrenaline pumping. It's the thrill of the hunt, survival of the fittest kind of thing. Personally, I much prefer live auctions, but ebay can be exciting.

[creditcardfree]

You and the buyer received a good deal it sounds like. I love to watch my listings in the last hours and minutes to see how the bids change.

[minnie1928]

Sorry I'm late getting on this, but personally I'll "watch" a listing even if I have no interest in buying the item. I do this more when I have a similar item to list and want to see how the competition is doing. That might help explain your high amount of watchers.

[mrpaseo]

DS,
That would change a lot of what eBay is. But an interesting thought to ponder.

Ray

[mrpaseo]

Speaking of the adrenalin at the end of an auction, allow me to share a little story.

I was purchasing an item; this item comes in a collection that is issued annually. This specific item was in good shape and was basically sent to a specialist to verify the condition.

One night I was on eBay surfing around and I had some money in my pocket burning a hole. I was there to place a few bids on some of these items for my collection. I placed five bids on five different auctions... then I waited. The day finally came around when all five auctions would end... one right after the other.

One at a time, I watched my bids fail to win the item and as they went on, one at a time my adrenal gland went into over drive. I was determined to win the final item.

I placed a nuclear bid, one that I knew... (Hoped) would win the item... as the second went on, more and more bids were places, my bid kept taking the lead... then in the last few second I was dancing around the room yelling, COME ON, COME ON, COME ON WIN IT!!!! Boom the hammer dropped and I won the auction for $158 dollars and change.

After the dust settled and the police went away laughing from the false "Domestic disturbance" that the neighbors called in I paid my 158 dollars and change and within 10 days received my prize.

Two years later....

Two years later I found myself in a position that I needed some cash and with some research I figured it was time I sold my 158 dollar item. I was hoping to pull 200 dollars for the item. Back to eBay.

I listed the item on eBay and as with most auctions, I had watchers. It was killing me because I put the auction up for the longest period to attract the most bidders. There were no bids until the final day. Slowly the bids came in... Four hours out from the auction close... the bids were over 250 dollars with 34 people watching... My adrenaline was stoked 4 hours out.

In the final minutes the auction took off, bid after bid brought my item up over 1000 dollars. In the end, after all costs (Shipping and original purchase cost) I CLEARED $1,000 dollars on this item.

What is the item you ask? A PCGS graded, 1958-D Lincoln Cent. Yes, I purchased a penny for 158 dollars and turned a thousand dollar profit on that one cent. I wish I could do this every time.

Thanks for reading,
Ray

[kork13]

Originally Posted by mrpaseo

What is the item you ask? A PCGS graded, 1958-D Lincoln Cent. Yes, I purchased a penny for 158 dollars and turned a thousand dollar profit on that one cent. I wish I could do this every time.

........woah. I don't know much about coin collecting, but YIKES. I'll admit, I mostly just ignore my pennies and save them for the occasional Salvation Army guy... Good story, Hansel.

[disneysteve]

Great story, Ray. I love to hear those ebay successes.

My favorite is an item I found at a garage sale. It was a plastic model of a cruise ship on a wooden base with a clear plastic cover, the type of model you would see on the counter at a travel agency. The plastic cover was cracked but the ship was in fine shape. The model wasn't even on display at the garage sale. I found it on the ground in a box of assorted items. I bought it for $1.00.

Came home and put it on ebay. A week later it sold for $213.00! Definitely one of my best finds.