Ebay Bidding Pens

[a_m]

I have been "watching" couple of Pilot pens on bid (without participation). What I saw was that these pens final bid would be $ 30 - 40 lesser than the least buy price.

 

So my question is about its quality. If any FPN members have participated in such bids, can they share their views on quality of pens received.

 

What makes me skeptical is even when a pen is declared new, why should a seller sell a pen for USD 70 in bid, whereas the minimum listed sell price on ebay is anywhere from USD 100 to 115 - going upto over USD 250 (for exact same model)

 

thanks.

[AZBennett]

Without information on the pen, its specifics and the seller (including location) we probably can't comment in too much detail. Oftentimes pens in other countries sell for lower prices than in the US. Also I have noticed that auctions that start with LOW prices tend to get more bids as there is a psychological component. Also last minute bidding usually pushes the price of a pen right to where is should be. It might be a little low or high but on average its pretty close (on new/slightly used modern pens). This is not the case for vintage pens, as there prices can vary widely for the exact same pen.

[a_m]

Without information on the pen, its specifics and the seller (including location) we probably can't comment in too much detail. Oftentimes pens in other countries sell for lower prices than in the US. Also I have noticed that auctions that start with LOW prices tend to get more bids as there is a psychological component. Also last minute bidding usually pushes the price of a pen right to where is should be. It might be a little low or high but on average its pretty close (on new/slightly used modern pens). This is not the case for vintage pens, as there prices can vary widely for the exact same pen.

 

Same pen ("new"), same model, same seller from Japan. In his Buy now, the price is USD 118 + shipping, whereas the same pen ("new"), same model in Bid ends at USD 71 + shipping

 

Now, my question is how come & why should a seller be doing that.

 

Is that difference a reflection of some quality issue?

 

The links are:

 

Buy it now

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pilot-NAMIKI-Capless-decimo-F-Fine-nib-V-Violet-fountain-pen-Rhodium-/141485906192

 

Bid link

 

http://www.ebay.in/itm/Pilot-NAMIKI-Capless-decimo-F-Fine-nib-V-Violet-fountain-pen-Rhodium-/141485900277

[Betweenthelines]

No issue - Pisuke is arguably the best Japanese pen seller on eBay. Some sellers choose to have auctions as well as buy-it-now's, and a lot of times they take losses on them. Sometimes it's a way to build up a positive reputation, other times it's just luck of the draw that it ends low. If it's a trusted seller, don't worry about quality, worry about missing the deal!

[Veltri]

The seller might sell one at $118 for every five sold at around $70 in bids.

If they want to clear inventory, they need to sell for less, or else they'd wait a while to sell them all.

[katerchen]

Pens retail *much* cheaper in Japan and EMS shipping only costs $13. The sellers are still making money, but since the middlemen are taken out, everyone benefits.

 

These are the real thing. New, retail packaged pens.

 

Go to amazon.jp to get an idea for Japanese domestic prices (and I'd venture to say that the sellers can obtain the pens below that).

 

Also, another vote of confidence for Pisuke. Best all-around seller of Japanese pens.

 

-k

[Lou Erickson]

In addition, a lot of times that auction will end and someone will bid to or above the BIN price, often in the last seconds. They look very low, but if you view the completed auctions you won't find many at that price. A few, possibly. Which means it's worth the try.