Heart-Wrenching Bidding

[praxim]

I will take that ebay advice into hand. I, impulsive as I am, already bidded for the P51. I am certain it will get sniped. I have a question, though. If I make 2 bids for 2 different pens, and I win both, what is the penalty of jot purchasing one of them?

You have contracted to purchase, so the money is paid and you receive the goods, or you find a monetary settlement with the seller. There is no fixed penalty formula for backing out.

 

If two interest you yet you want only one, but at least one, make a low bid on the lesser so if you win both then at least one is a bargain.

 

eta: if you get sniped out then either you did not bid or adequately determine your maximum, or else move along to the next one.

Edited December 9, 2017 by praxim

[ParkerDuofold]

Hello Surprise,

 

E-bay does stress the fact that you are entering into a legally binding contract when you place a bid. The point of order with that is you are not 18 yet and cannot enter into a contractual agreement with anyone... and probably cannot have an e-bay account,... so I'm assuming it belongs to your parents.

 

If the seller wants to be a hard-nose, he could push the issue and try to get e-bay to hold the account owner, (your parents), responsible. I don't know if he'd want to take it that far, but theoretically, he could.

 

Your other options are:

 

1. Retract one of the bids BEFORE 12 hours to closing... MY RECOMMENDATION.

 

2. Let them both ride and hope for the best... and if you win both and can't afford them both, throw yourself on the seller's mercy... explain that you're a kid and what happened and ask if he'd be willing to mutually "cancel the transaction." This way, he'd at least get his expenses refunded.

 

3. There is a third option, but it's slipping my mind right now.

 

And one more thing...

 

4. STUDY THE PICTURE'S 40x A DAY; every day... you'd be surprised what you see in a picture after the bidding closes.

 

 

Good luck.

 

 

- Anthony

[inkstainedruth]

Oooh. Anthony makes a good point -- one I hadn't considered. Technically you shouldn't be bidding at all -- as a minor you're *not* allowed to sign contracts. And if there's a problem your parents will probably have to step in and make good (and you'll probably end up being grounded until you're through graduate school...).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[praxim]

E-bay's agreement says in gist that you are responsible for any use of your account which you can not demonstrate to be fraudulent, so they will seek to enforce on parents, especially where there is any prior evidence of ebay being used by the same under-18 person, and payment authorised.

 

If your parents allow you to use the account then I trust they know what you are doing, so may well advise you not to bid on something you may not want.

 

edit:clarification

Edited December 9, 2017 by praxim

[Bo Bo Olson]

I will take that ebay advice into hand. I, impulsive as I am, already bidded for the P51. I am certain it will get sniped. I have a question, though. If I make 2 bids for 2 different pens, and I win both, what is the penalty of jot purchasing one of them?

Nickle and dimeing will scare no one away.....just get caught up in an ego war where a $45 pen goes for $165.

 

 

""""you'd be surprised what you see in a picture after the bidding closes."""

Edited December 9, 2017 by Bo Bo Olson

[surprise123]

It got sniped... the bidder went for the gold... because no one would buy a banged up p51 for 110 dollars. I cannot afford that so I will look at some estate finds.

[surprise123]

And, replying to your warning, I triple check the price, seller rating, and shipping (very important). I always keep under whatever budget I have by at least 10 percent.

[senzen]

I've only bought two pens, I put a lot of attention on the seller, particularly if they are experienced fountain pen sellers and their reputation; the first pen that has arrived has a fantastic smooth nib and I get along with its slippery section, even if it is chipped where the clip meets the cap: it also depends on your expectations.

 

It's also easy to fall in the bidding game, I bid for a Parker Sonnet in Verdigris which I really like, luckily I lost, I realized I've hit my maximum number of pens at 22, simply because I have the 22 inks I like and my mostly cheap pens are behaving well. Doesn't mean that Sonnet or a Parker 75 or a Pelikan m605 in dunkelblau won't make me drool.

[Bo Bo Olson]

It's budget plus 10%....as a max.

One time bid...........then if you lose, he didn't get it cheap.

Edited December 9, 2017 by Bo Bo Olson

[inkstainedruth]

And, replying to your warning, I triple check the price, seller rating, and shipping (very important). I always keep under whatever budget I have by at least 10 percent.

 

Seller ratings mean nothing if there are a lot of disputes filed against the seller. I ran into that a couple of years ago. The dispute was settled in my favor in a matter of hours, but as a result I was NOT ALLOWED to give feedback about the seller. So that seller still has very good feedback ratings. And with literally thousands of transactions a few (or -- for all I know -- more than a few) disputes filed against the seller count for nothing if the buyer can't give feedback on how cruddy the seller was.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[ParkerDuofold]

Seller ratings mean nothing if there are a lot of disputes filed against the seller. I ran into that a couple of years ago. The dispute was settled in my favor in a matter of hours, but as a result I was NOT ALLOWED to give feedback about the seller. So that seller still has very good feedback ratings. And with literally thousands of transactions a few (or -- for all I know -- more than a few) disputes filed against the seller count for nothing if the buyer can't give feedback on how cruddy the seller was.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

Yes, Ruth. I've been down this road, too. Furthermore, you have to jump through 100 hoops before you can leave even neutral fb; let alone negative.

 

My experience with e-bay has proven two things to me... the buyers money is usually well protected... and the seller's fb rating is equally well protected... and that's how their game is played.

 

 

- Anthony

[surprise123]

Well every time I bid for something, my parents know about it prior to the actual bid. Anyways, I found a new seller who had honest, good ratings, was finding P51s and other antiques from estates and had poor knowledge of the true value of a brand new, pristine Parker 51 in its original case with its original paper manual (starting bid was $20). I bid high for it, because I don't believe in cheating people out of their money (and because, think of the guilt!). It's on its way to my house right now... YESSSSSSSSSSSSS ME PRECIOUS

[ParkerDuofold]

...a brand new, pristine Parker 51 in its original case with its original paper manual...

 

...It's on its way to my house right now... YESSSSSSSSSSSSS ME PRECIOUS

That's fantastic, Surprise!!

 

I'm really happy for you... enjoy it! Take good care of it and you'll have that pen for life.

 

 

- Anthony

[surprise123]

I feel so elated... SEE THIS IS WHY ASIAN ECONOMICS SCHOOL PAYS OFF! EVERYTHING IS CHEAPER ON DA EBAY!

[surprise123]

So if I were to say that the nib was scratchy (the pen box was only opened once, mechanical pencil taken out, fountain pen wasn't even touched and it even has its cute sticker hanging onto the clip), would a nib tune-up be desirable? Or would a little Mylar do the trick, like it did with my Lamy 2000? (I really hated the microscopic sweet spot).

 

EDIT: I've heard about the Mike Masuyama nibs. Worth the $40?

Edited December 10, 2017 by surprise123

[surprise123]

God what an expensive rabbit hole I have fallen into... on the bright side, it will save me a pack of broken BICs every month (worse for wear, I disassemble at least five of those a week from boredom).

[pajaro]

There can be excitement in the bidding, particularly in the seconds before the end, waiting to see if there is a snipe.

 

I recommend that you have some patience with this and not try to buy too many 51s all at once. There is plenty of time. Shop smart, and find the best aerometric 51 you can. Forget about the Vac models. The sac life is much less, hence restoration expense is much greater, even if you buy the parts and supplies and do it yourself. Restoration of almost any aerometric 51 requires a cleanup, flush and polish. My 1948 pens still have original sacs, and so does the one I bought new in 1970 and am still using. The Vacumatics can't match it. The pens write about the same. The Vac is more of a collector's item. Of historical interest.

[Freddy]

Very interesting......Good luck.....Post a picture when you get one.............

 

Fred

 

..One day....One day some of the kids from the neighborhood carried my

mothers groceries all the way home..............................................................

 

You know why?

 

It was outta respect.........................................................................................

 

Tesseron No. 53.....Hmm boy that's good booze..Reggie Van Gleason III

 

I agree................

[FarmBoy]

It got sniped... the bidder went for the gold... because no one would buy a banged up p51 for 110 dollars. I cannot afford that so I will look at some estate finds.

I believe you underestimate the value of many 51s.

[FarmBoy]

Very interesting......Good luck.....Post a picture when you get one.............

 

Fred

 

..One day....One day some of the kids from the neighborhood carried my

mothers groceries all the way home..............................................................

 

You know why?

 

It was outta respect.........................................................................................

 

Tesseron No. 53.....Hmm boy that's good booze..Reggie Van Gleason III

 

I agree................

I'm not gonna carry your groceries but I'll pour you a Single Malt...