Ebay Absurdities - Research Before You Bid!

[VintageCollector]

It goes without saying that before you bid on something on eBay, you should do a bit of research on the item and figure out how much its worth. This is particularly relevant if you are bidding on vintage pens, when its a bit harder to figure out the value without a MSRP to reference to - I definitely had some purchases where I definitely overpaid looking back when I first started collecting vintage Japanese pens. If you dont do your research and just blindly bid and meet someone else doing the exact same thing this is what could happen as a result. I couldnt believe my eyes when I saw someone win this used, somewhat beat up Pilot Custom Striped FP for a whopping $390 with shipping. These shouldnt go for over $150 brand new, and in this condition, usually go for closer to $70...

Edited December 14, 2019 by VintageCollector

[Doug1426]

Thanks for posting this wild bid. I'm not sure warning people to do research would help the people that need help. It looks like the serious bidding ending at around $60, and after that two people got into a nutso bidding war with each other. My experience is people like that rarely listen to advice from others. On the other hand post-experience daylight can be a great teacher. There's one on eBay now for about $80.

[Seney724]

Thanks for posting this wild bid. I'm not sure warning people to do research would help the people that need help. It looks like the serious bidding ending at around $60, and after that two people got into a nutso bidding war with each other. My experience is people like that rarely listen to advice from others. On the other hand post-experience daylight can be a great teacher. There's one on eBay now for about $80.

It may well be more than a "nutso bidding war." It may well be a devious seller's scheme to drive up the sales price. There are a couple of well known pen sellers who employ shill bidders to inflate the sales price of the pens they sell on eBay. Worse, even with iron clad proof they are doing it, eBay does nothing to stop them from this unethical (and, at least in the USA, unlawful) practice.

 

As always, caveat emptor!!!

[inkstainedruth]

A couple of years ago Teri of Peyton Street Pens posted about a pen she was selling, where two guys got into a bidding war. IIRC, one of the bidders was in Eastern Europe, and the other was in South America.

Even she was staggered by the final price.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Freddy]

Thanks.............

 

Fred..

​No { Stuff } Sherlock................Mundus senescit..............................

[VintageCollector]

Part 2 of eBay craziness. Im almost wondering if there is something sketchy going on with that sellers listings - shill bidding? There is literally the exact same pen listed on eBay with almost the same title for more than $150 less buy it now...

 

Edited December 15, 2019 by VintageCollector

[tamiya]

"shill bidding" is trying to jack up price with fake/vendor-related bids... but it's only profitable if the item actually SELLS to a paying bidder

 

But there's another lot of annoyances where a legit seller posts up a legit item... and some other party steals the same pictures etc and lists same item for more (fleaBay makes it too easy to "list a similar item", they just about copy everything for you...!). If the fake seller scores a sale then they try to buy the first listing - and often try to get original seller to onship to fake listing's buyer.

[Seney724]

"shill bidding" is trying to jack up price with fake/vendor-related bids... but it's only profitable if the item actually SELLS to a paying bidder

 

But there's another lot of annoyances where a legit seller posts up a legit item... and some other party steals the same pictures etc and lists same item for more (fleaBay makes it too easy to "list a similar item", they just about copy everything for you...!). If the fake seller scores a sale then they try to buy the first listing - and often try to get original seller to onship to fake listing's buyer.

Thanks. I know exactly what shill bidding is.....and that is what the particular seller I was referring to does on his sales posts.

Not only does this seller have multiple eBay accounts (in different names and in different countries) which he uses for bidding, he also employs others to bid for him in order to drive the prices up. The very skilled shill bidders and the seller are careful to ultimately assure that the "real" bidder wins the auction at the greatly inflated price. In the rare event the shill bidder ends up winning it is no big deal. The pen stays with the seller to be sold again some other day and the shill bidder is kept whole by the seller. The compensation the seller offers the shill bidders is the purchase (or gifting) of pens at off eBay, rock bottom prices.

Yes, its a very elaborate scheme but it works well...... especially since eBay looks the other way.

[Uncial]

I think it's money laundering. Pilot Metro's were going last week for $500 each

[stan]

It should go without saying that one should understand their financial limitations and how to keep their emotions in check when bidding. You should also have a good understanding hat items are worth. Do homework!!!

 

My philosophy is to maintain a limit on my bidding. Even if the final price is one dollar over my limit, it was important to stop as it is too easy to keep bidding.

 

Whether this is shill bidding or money laundering or whatever scheme, fine. As long as bidders keep their heads on their shoulders and hands on their wallets, it's fine, the sellers will never make money. Let them bid up their prices. They still have to give money to eBay. They invested their time and money for how much real profit? Probably peanuts when all said and done.

[senzen]

Always a good point to make; beyond that, are these nice pens? Smooth nib, reliable? How wide is the section diameter?

[stan]

Pilot Custom were probably the best line of pens Pilot ever had. Came in a variety of finishes, usual nib types that included MUSIC, good quality, wrote well, reliable, etc. Was in their catalogue for at least ten years. Design is typical for 1970s pens.

[essayfaire]

Have y'all seen that they're asking approximately $700 U.S. for the 2019 Pilot Capless Limited Edition?

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ltd-Pilot-Fountain-Pen-Capless-Tropical-Turquoise-18K-M-2019-Limited-Edition/392559642350?hash=item5b6660c6ee:g:n50AAOSwSXFd39S3

[stan]

Have y'all seen that they're asking approximately $700 U.S. for the 2019 Pilot Capless Limited Edition?

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ltd-Pilot-Fountain-Pen-Capless-Tropical-Turquoise-18K-M-2019-Limited-Edition/392559642350?hash=item5b6660c6ee:g:n50AAOSwSXFd39S3

There will always be someone who will pay such prices. For some it is easier than investigating alternate outlets and paying less. Besides, with Christmas some here it may be a gift. People can be a little crazy about gift giving.

[Doug1426]

Have y'all seen that they're asking approximately $700 U.S. for the 2019 Pilot Capless Limited Edition?

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ltd-Pilot-Fountain-Pen-Capless-Tropical-Turquoise-18K-M-2019-Limited-Edition/392559642350?hash=item5b6660c6ee:g:n50AAOSwSXFd39S3

Awesome! I have two of them. I'm rich! I'm rich! Whoohoo!

Then again, they are selling from about $300 +/---. Be interesting to see what they sell for over time.There always seems to be someONE though that pays the unseemly price.

[Seney724]

There will always be someone who will pay such prices. For some it is easier than investigating alternate outlets and paying less. Besides, with Christmas some here it may be a gift. People can be a little crazy about gift giving.

I agree 100% with your point. It is why I always refuse to use an eBay sales price as representative of "market value."

 

Gems can (and do) sell for peanuts and junk often sells for a fortune. There are more buyers on eBay with money to burn than there are buyers which an old clothing store in the Northeastern USA used to refer to as an "educated consumer." ("An educated consumer is our best customer" Remember!!)

 

I have no issues with this occurring, in fact, I think it is one of the underlying fundamentals of the entire eBay experience. But when making a pen purchase (or offering one for sale) it is a fool's errand to cite a recent eBay sales price and claim that it is the current market value of the pen.

[awa54]

Got my lined steel Custom for well under $100 in *actual* mint condition.

 

Ebay is patronized by many with more money than sense...

[JasonF2]

That particular seller always writes the same copy/pasted block of text about how Mr. Nagahara himself hand crafted the nib on it - for random standard Sailor pens with bog standard medium nibs, etc. Go take a look at their Sailor listings, I've been seeing it for years.

[aurore]

That particular seller always writes the same copy/pasted block of text about how Mr. Nagahara himself hand crafted the nib on it - for random standard Sailor pens with bog standard medium nibs, etc. Go take a look at their Sailor listings, I've been seeing it for years.

 

When he started doing this one could believe, but then just every single Sailor pen he was selling had in the description "Nagahara Sr. grinded Nagahara Jr. confirmed", initially he even put Nagahara in titles. Nagahara san indeed grinded many, many thousands of nibs, but hardly all of them went to this seller

Edited January 15, 2020 by aurore

[awa54]

Pen Wing lays the BS on heavy and often gets the lengthy history lessons on the pens he/she is selling totally wrong.

I sent an inquiry to Pen Wing for more info on a Pilot that was claimed to have an 18k fine nib and to have been made in 1973... it *clearly* showed a nib marked 14k fine from 1990. Unsurprisingly they failed to reply.

 

Now Sakura Zeppelin is another story, high prices for sure, but on accurately described pens, usually scarce variants and often NOS with boxes, manuals, etc. For some those prices would be well worth paying.