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General Ebay questions: Reserve price. why? hidden bidder ID.Why?

Pilot

Well-Known Member
Two things I never undestood on crapbay auctions.
Why putting a reserve price?...Just ask your price or open it to bidding and offers..but why a reserve price?...playing arround?
Why hiding bidders identity? the bidders ID is encrypted in “ *5*4***” anyway.
Maybe shillbidding?
Two things which for me make no sense.
Happy to read others opinion or the reason why its like that.
 
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ausreenactor

Well-Known Member
You can start an auction at any price. The reserve protects the seller from taking a dive if they elect to pay the extra for it. It used to be a no cost choice. Until the bids hit the reserve you can simply relist or elect to lower the reserve. The newer option is the Buy It Now with offers. This is the way I go. You get $300 offers on a $700 jacket but I don't even respond to the offers. The hidden identities is to avoid sellers with similar items from hitting you up with their stuff behind the scenes. The seller sees all the IDs. Some sellers use 'private auctions' and these are the domain of dodgy dudes. Shill bids or bogus IDs can run rampant. I set a bid and if I get rolled so be it. Shill bidding is pretty rare. They run filters now. I got roped in a three way eBay error stuff up. I bid on an item my mate Jules was bidding on. I was deployed in the Solomon Islands. They thought I was a bogus bidder. They banned me, Jules and the seller of the item? It was weird. Took weeks to sort out. Have thousands of eBay sales and buys under my belt. I rate it. I just hate it when you have a valid bid and some germ hits the seller up and they end the listing.. Avoiding the fees. Nine times out of ten I would have probably bid past the 'offer' they got.

You win some, you lose some..
 

ausreenactor

Well-Known Member
Oh.. and when I see a 'dickhead' who has put three bids on, one after the other over mine, I push that dude until his bid gets maxed. Fools and their money! You want it? You're going to earn it!
 

Pilot

Well-Known Member
Thx. couchy, but why not asking the expected price from the start?
Also, why hiding the bidders ID if Ebay encrypts them already?
Nobody from outside can make out any bidders ID anyway...no other seller with similar stuff can work behind the scenes anyway..due to encrypted ID’s.
I avoid all these like am. and I am sure I am not alone.
 

ausreenactor

Well-Known Member
Too hit and miss. Everyone wants a bargain. You can list it three times, attract a dozen or so 'watchers'. All are waiting to see if it sells and then if you lower the price for a relist.
 

Pilot

Well-Known Member
OK thx. Couchy, still does not make sense to me, but fine with me.
Will never buy from those sellers.
 
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Skyhawk

Well-Known Member
Reserve price serves 2 purposes:
1. Protects the seller from letting their item sell for peanuts.
2. Psychological warfare - Make the buyer wonder "How much" so they bid and bid until the reserve is met, if they want it bad enough.

I like the new no Paypal option on ebay. "F" them and their crazy fees!
 

Pilot

Well-Known Member
Thx. for that.
OK.
In answer to your 1)...Why not asking the wanted price upfront?
In answer to 2) OK but it also discourages a lot of potential bidders who dont like this hiding, playing and “psyco” stuff.
But again, fair enough and maybe OK for some...but seeing the way some auctions go e.g. relisted, relisted relisted ...not sure its the ideal strategy...my 1 cent input.
 

Southoftheborder

Well-Known Member
Reserves are a waste of time in my experience because no one bids on listings with them. High starting prices are a bad way to sell too as they are an invitation to wait until the last second and bid just above and win it at the starting price. I've got a lot of bargains by doing that when the item would have gone for much more with a lower starting price to encourage an auction.

I only sell BIN now and ask a realistic price and don't even bother with opening the listing to offers as you just get stupid ones. Even then I always have people asking if I will take some low ball offer.
 

Pilot

Well-Known Member
Reserves are a waste of time in my experience because no one bids on listings with them. High starting prices are a bad way to sell too as they are an invitation to wait until the last second and bid just above and win it at the starting price. I've got a lot of bargains by doing that when the item would have gone for much more with a lower starting price to encourage an auction.

I only sell BIN now and ask a realistic price and don't even bother with opening the listing to offers as you just get stupid ones. Even then I always have people asking if I will take some low ball offer.
Well said!
 

Boyo

Well-Known Member
There is a nice patched Eastman G-1 ( pukin dogs) in size 48 for sale on ebay with a (what I consider ) high reserve price of approx $925 .. initially the auction got up to about $650 the first several times it was listed..now the jacket has been relisted about 8 times/weeks and the auction is now at $125.. as everyone who might want it has stopped biding.

Im not a fan of the reserve price.. in a blind auction
 

Pilot

Well-Known Member
There is a nice patched Eastman G-1 ( pukin dogs) in size 48 for sale on ebay with a (what I consider ) high reserve price of approx $925 .. initially the auction got up to about $650 the first several times it was listed..now the jacket has been relisted about 8 times/weeks and the auction is now at $125.. as everyone who might want it has stopped biding.

Im not a fan of the reserve price.. in a blind auction
Another self inflicted “hangar queen”
 

silvio76

Well-Known Member
There is a nice patched Eastman G-1 ( pukin dogs) in size 48 for sale on ebay with a (what I consider ) high reserve price of approx $925 .. initially the auction got up to about $650 the first several times it was listed..now the jacket has been relisted about 8 times/weeks and the auction is now at $125.. as everyone who might want it has stopped biding.

Im not a fan of the reserve price.. in a blind auction
Are you sure this is Eastman? Tag says Martin Lane.
 

ausreenactor

Well-Known Member
Reserve price serves 2 purposes:
1. Protects the seller from letting their item sell for peanuts.
2. Psychological warfare - Make the buyer wonder "How much" so they bid and bid until the reserve is met, if they want it bad enough.

I like the new no Paypal option on ebay. "F" them and their crazy fees!

Australia made it unlawful to restrict buyers and sellers to PayPal from the outset. And our $1.10 Fess on weekends is unreal!
 

Pilot

Well-Known Member
Australia made it unlawful to restrict buyers and sellers to PayPal from the outset. And our $1.10 Fess on weekends is unreal!
Same in several EURO countries ( France, Germany and a few others)...Paypal is not mandatory anymore since years...Many good seller with good records dont accept PP on Ebay and outside... only bank wire IBAN transfer.
 

Boyo

Well-Known Member
Are you sure this is Eastman? Tag says Martin Lane.


@silvio76 , it appears to be this one from Eastmans elite units offerings
85114E03-E16B-4414-AA78-23DC2BC3386E.jpeg
 
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