Strange Thinking

[AJ50]

I was watching an eBay listing for a Montblanc 146 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Montblanc-Meisterstuck-146-Gold-Line-Fountain-Pen-Excellent-Condition-/351333589253?ul_ref=http%3A%2F%2Frover.ebay.com%3A80%2Frover%2F0%2Fe11010.m1951.l3160%2F7%3Feuid%3D97a499ef1b7e4a4f95722ee1a0728fe2%26loc%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fcgi.ebay.co.uk%252Fws%252FeBayISAPI.dll%253FViewItem%2526item%253D351333589253%2526ssPageName%253DADME%253AB%253AWNA%253AGB%253A3160%26srcrot%3De11010.m1951.l3160%26rvr_id%3D0&ssPageName=ADME:B:WNA:GB:3160 and being on holiday for a few days missed the chance to bid. It didn't sell and was subsequently resisted FOR £44 MORE THAN THE ORIGINAL LISTING,

 

If the pen didn't sell for £255 why should it sell for £299 though £7.50 postage now reads as free p&p. I really don't understand the sellers reasoning. I will NOT be bidding.

[Manalto]

A friend of mine had a nice old table that he no longer wanted, so he put it at the curb with a sign, "Free" for someone passing by to take away. It sat, and it sat - for nearly a week. He put a new sign on it that said $50. It was gone within the hour.

Edited April 5, 2015 by Manalto

[AJ50]

A friend of mine had a nice old table that he no longer wanted, so he put it at the curb with a sign, "Free" for someone passing by to take away. It sat, and it sat - for nearly a week. He put a new sign on it that said $50. It was gone within the hour.

Well what do you know - the pen has sold almost straight away. Wonder if the buyer knows he could have had it for £44 cheaper if purchased a day earlier.

[Manalto]

Ah, but the buyer got a "more valuable" pen. Human nature is a peculiar thing, isn't it?

Edited April 5, 2015 by Manalto

[graystranger]

I have watched items on eBay because the seller had no idea what they were worth and had a starting bid some 3 to 5 times what the item was selling for from other sellers. Of course it did not sell. Then they re list it at a higher price!! I have watched this happen several times and they never sell their item.

 

However, I believe there is a mentality that free means something is not right with the item. But offering it at a moderate price makes the buyer feel they are getting a bargain as Manalto reports above.

[inkstainedruth]

I was watching an eBay listing for a Montblanc 146 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Montblanc-Meisterstuck-146-Gold-Line-Fountain-Pen-Excellent-Condition-/351333589253?ul_ref=http%3A%2F%2Frover.ebay.com%3A80%2Frover%2F0%2Fe11010.m1951.l3160%2F7%3Feuid%3D97a499ef1b7e4a4f95722ee1a0728fe2%26loc%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fcgi.ebay.co.uk%252Fws%252FeBayISAPI.dll%253FViewItem%2526item%253D351333589253%2526ssPageName%253DADME%253AB%253AWNA%253AGB%253A3160%26srcrot%3De11010.m1951.l3160%26rvr_id%3D0&ssPageName=ADME:B:WNA:GB:3160 and being on holiday for a few days missed the chance to bid. It didn't sell and was subsequently resisted FOR £44 MORE THAN THE ORIGINAL LISTING,

 

If the pen didn't sell for £255 why should it sell for £299 though £7.50 postage now reads as free p&p. I really don't understand the sellers reasoning. I will NOT be bidding.

I have seen this happen with Pelikan pens fairly often (generally with sellers outside the US). I have wondered if it was simply a matter of fluctuatons in exchange rates. I have also wondered, in some cases, whether the price had been dropped for some reason ("ON SALE") and then was relisted at the original price.

Sometimes I think it's a matter of timing -- I have seen pens (and other items) relisted multiple times without a nibble. Then the next time it's relisted there's a bidding war.

I do wonder about the mindset of sellers who raise (rather than lower) starting bids. Even more than the ones who won't budge on a starting price and just keep relisting. I watched the listing for a Pelikan with a ginormous nib for something like three or four months I think the price dropped once in all that time. There was no way I could have afforded it even if the price had dropped in half (it was listed initially for just over $1K US, and then languished for most of the remaining time at just under $1K...). I was watching it mostly for the amusement factor. The thing eventually did sell, and IIRC it was for the asking price. I'd be curious as to who ended up with it. Apparently someone with more disposable income than I've got....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Cryptos]

I have been watching a listing that was put up with a BIN of GBP35. I made an offer that was rejected. Then I get an email from eBay telling me that the seller is offering GBP15 off the BIN price so it is now available for GBP40! http://www.sherv.net/cm/emoticons/hand-gestures/pondering-and-thinking-smiley-emoticon.gif

 

I wrote to the seller and queried this as I have a record in my messages clearly showing the orginal BIN at 35 and now the new BIN at 55. They claim that they were contacted by a pen collector who told them the price was too low. Yeah, right! With their "discount" the price is only GBP5 higher. It would have made more sense to list it as an auction with a reserve. That way any suspicious activity would have been sidestepped.

[gweimer1]

I went to a live auction last week, and saw a lot of the same thing. Lots with an opening bid of $100 got no response. The auctioneer drops the opening bid to $50, and they're off...often bidding each other over that original $100 that nobody nibbled on.

[bbycrts]

I'm sure that successful eBay sellers are aware of their break-even point between the repeat listing fees and the price of their goods. Those who don't pay attention won't be around for long, of course, but those who have been around for a long time and have feedback scores in the thousands (at least) know how to work the system. There must be a sweet spot where the repeat listing fees are worth it in the end if the item sells at a higher price.

[Cryptos]

Sorry, bbycrts, I am not entirely sure what you mean. Is there a way of explaining it more simply for me? I don't know anything about how the selling side of eBay works.

[ian1964]

There are of course no repeat fees for the small seller who get 40 free listings a month and each item can be repeated 3 times without effecting this number. One can of course also edit anything including the price pre-repeat listing. At the end of the day (for me anyway) if i don't sell the item, it costs absolutely nothing. A win win really for the small seller.

[Cryptos]

Ah, I see. I didn't know that there was a limit on the number of listings, or rather a threshold. Thanks.