<sigh>.. should have seen this coming..

I don't think that you can cancel bids in order to withdraw the listing. You can ask the bidders to do so, but I think that would be counter-productive.

If your terms are clearly stated in the listing - anywhere in the listing - then I would just handle the e-mails as they come in (gently!) and leave the auction as is.

You might also reconsider revealing the reserve price after a few days. Sometimes that gives the bidders hope instead of leaving them frustrated. Just a thought.

I may be wrong, but I don't think revising your listing here on Auctiva will transfer to the listing on eBay...

2purrcats

I can totally relate to your frustration regarding adding to, or subtracting from your listing once it's been posted. It would be nice if there were an easier way to do this through the auctiva site.

One question if I may. What's the point of setting a reserve? I honestly don't see what can be benefited from playing that "game". It would seem to me, from my experience as a seller and a buyer, that it's just a waste of time and a frustration to make people bid/guess at what you want for your items. I find it much more up front to just start the listing at the least you'll accept for it.

That's what I thought.. thanks; but I don't really want to WITHDRAW the listing, merely revise it and add some of my terms at the top of the decription. That's a good idea about giving in and revealing the reserve a few days into the auction though.. I think I'll do that.

As for why a reserve..
I don't like people who discuss personal problems on the internet.. but you asked. I am 50 years old. My mother is 81. I have been collecting "vintage" video games for some 10 years now and amassed quite a collection. It represents a LOT of work (researching, locating, buying.. etc.). Recently my mother was diagnosed with lung cancer and while she has refused to be treated for it.. she needs help with the bills. I have decided to sell off most of my collection to help her. The retro-videogame market is a "flakey" one. Games that are valued at $100.. may go for $120 one day.. then $20 the next week. I have never used the reserve system in all of my 8 years on eB.. but I can't afford to let this lot go for $100 (111 games and some hardware, estimated value of $3000) to some kid in Pakipsee who's waiting for his paper-route money to come in.. simply because no one was paying attention this week.. or cared.

I realize that a reserve may "turn off' some bidders (It never has me.. in the past.. personally.. I've never seen what the BIG deal is. I bid my max on a reserve and if that doesn't cut it.. move on.) but that's the chance I have to take with this auction. If this lot goes.. good.. I'll owe eB a chunk of $ in FVFs; but if it doesn't.. I'll STILL owe eB a chunk of $ as well. Starting an auction's opening bid at my desired reserve and NOT reserving it.. would cost me even more in the end. The object of this auction is to make money.. not give the stuff away to a reseller.

My collection was always bought for posterity.. for myself.. therefore when I bid on this stuff.. I didn't necessarily try to "score" the best deal I could everytime (I also work for a living and don't have time to "snipe".). As it stands right now.. I'm losing tons of money the last few months over what I paid for this stuff. I NEVER intended to become primarily a seller on eB.. the bulk of my 750+ positives over the year are for me as a buyer; but this is an important cause to me.. and I can't afford to throw caution to the wind and list this lot without a reserve.

While I have been selling individual items the last four months.. time is getting short for my mom and I'd like to do something "nice" for her before she passes on (She likes to gamble.. so perhaps a little trip to Reno before she can't walk anymore.). So now I'm trying to sell everything off in much bigger lots. Hope this explains my situation.

You can cancel bids and end auction early, revise it and re-list. IF it sells, you will get your listing fees back.
Go to "help", type in "end auction early" and follow from there.

Simply respond to the questions you receive by copy and pasting the relevant stuff from your Sellers terms. It won't take long. We ALL get lame questions. If the question is really lame and the person obviously didn't even make an effort to read the auction...I don't respond...I don't want them as a customer...they'll be more of a hassle than they're worth if they win...especially for an expensive item!!!

I was fascinated by scorch's explanation as to why he wants to put a reserve on his expensive items. I believe he is right, but maybe we are both wrong. If you sell an item worth $5-$10, you really don't care if the item sells for $5, $6, $10, or even $4. But if your item is worth hundreds, or even thousands of dollars, you really don't want to sell it for $20. If you place a starting price of $1000 or even $500, you immediately turn off most bidders. And if there are no bidders, others won't bid either, since bidding is contagious. If you start at a very low price, assuming that bidders will know the true value of your item and start bidding at a fast pace to your desired price, don't hold your breath. Perhaps those that would like to bid on your item are away on a business trip, or they are sick, or they just don't feel like bidding that day, or their computer is down, or... whatever. So you receive two bids on your $1000 item, the highest being $50. All you can do is cry. As an example, I had an item almost exctly like one that sold on eBay for over $300. I listed it for a starting price of $50 expecting to get at least $300. Guess what? It sold for a little over $100. I cried.
With a reserve, some bidders might know the value of your item, but don't know how much they can get it for. So they start bidding, encouraging others to do the same. Those who don't know the true value, or cannot afford it, drop off, leaving only the serious bidders. If none of those reach your reserve, "que sera"! You just wait for a better day. It has cost you some money, but you didn't loose a bundle.
If someone dissagrees with me, I would like to hear a different oppinion about reserves.

quote:

Originally posted by MATTB:
Simply respond to the questions you receive by copy and pasting the relevant stuff from your Sellers terms. It won't take long. We ALL get lame questions. If the question is really lame and the person obviously didn't even make an effort to read the auction...I don't respond...I don't want them as a customer...they'll be more of a hassle than they're worth if they win...especially for an expensive item!!!

Haha.. that's exactly what I ended up doing today. 3 questions now listed at the bottom of the auction description with three exact answers. It must be working because no one has asked again.. yet.

I know what you mean about not wanting them as customers as well. I blocked two of them with zero and 8 fb. (Another thing I clearly expressed in my auction.. "If you're a zero or have less than 12.. please PM me first"). Mind you.. I'm NOT trying to block or discourage newer buyers.. it's just that I need to confirm the seriousness of anyone that new.. especially with such a big ticket.

We've ALL seen this happen: The bidder who has 500+ fbs gets barely beat by someone who has a zero.. then doesn't pay; when the guy who was beat out by $5 surely would have.. and you're left holding the bag.

VR.. here's something I've also noticed happening a LOT lately, at least in the retro-videogaming market. Bidders are getting VERY savy as to tactics of bidding. By nature of WHAT I sell.. predominant bidders are usually one of two kinds.. collectors or resellers.

When eB incorporated the ability for a seller to see how many people are actually "watching" their auctions a couple of years ago it gave immediate insight into bidder behavior.

Time was.. when someone put up an item.. people started bidding almost immediately and competition (i.e. bid wars) remained steady and continual throughout the entire length of an auction.. usually resulting in a good fair price for the buyer.. in the end (At least that's the way it was with "collectible" games.). Nowdays it's differnet. When I put up an item and start it at what I think is a fair starting price, or especially a BIN item at a fair price.. people don't start bidding anymore.

What I see instead are dozens of people putting my items on their watch list and then sitting on it.. hopefully till the end. Oh sure.. the price MAY be fair.. but that's besides the point. When this happens.. the seller is the biggest loser. The way I see it.. if an auction has steady, continual healthy bidding going on early and throughout the duration.. it is more likely to end up at a higher price.

Here's the other side as I see it. Let's say I list an item worth $50 for a starting bid of $45 or a BIN of $50.. for 7 days. What I will see nowdays is a steady influx of people putting it on their watch list. Now on day 7 you have a dozen people sitting around and most want the item for $45 to $55. Only thing is.. they're all either going to straight bid or even proxy bid.. in the last few seconds of an auction. Let's face it.. a dozen people entering bids all close to the same amount at the last minute is NO competition at all.. and your item hasn't got a chance.

This is why lately I actually started to put a statement in my seller terms to the effect that I reserve the right to end an auction early and I actually state: "out of disgust".. if I see a dozen people with the item on their watch list and no one placing a bid. Everybody thinks they're a "snipe" nowdays. I've EVEN gone so far as to reedit that statement in a bright bolder color the last day of an auction so that everyone can see it (kind of like a "get ready" I'm warning.. warning) and you know what happens 9 times out of 10? Bidding starts or someone snatches up the BIN. I HAVE been known to pull them too with a couple of hours left (on small ticket items.. the fee is negligible). I've had people then PM me and ask "why did you do that?". In a nutshell I tell them you snooze you lose. One time I relisted the item a few days later at a BIN $5 higher and the guy who asked me about it previously.. snatched it in less than 24 hours.

Like I said.. bidder's are getting smarter.. and A LOT cheaper. I try to keep one step ahead of them though. Some people may think that I'm too manipulative or coercing but hey.. I need to make money and I have 750+ positives and a rating of 99.5%.. so I must be doing something right.

I agree 100% with scorch. Bidding on eBay (and I assume on other online auctions) has become a game that's not beneficial to sellers. And I am not sure it is to buyers either. I had the same experiences. No bidding for 7 days, but a lot of watchers. At the last few seconds, someone will bid the minimum price, and another will raise it a dollar. There may be a few others wanting to bid another dollar or two, but there is no time. So even if the value of my item is much higher, I have to settle for one dollar over my listed price. Live auctions work differently. There is no time limit. Bidding starts right away, and continues at a rapid pace. There is a chance that the item will get no bids at all. Then the price is lowered, or the item is withdrawn. But if there are bids, bidding becomes contagious and the item usually ends up selling for more. Live auctions are much more fun than the online ones. But I suppose the online ones are more convenient.

Scorch,
I meant no offense by asking why you preferred to use the reserve strategy. I was just curious to hear what your thoughts were as to why having buyers play the "guess my reserve" game, and possibly and often as you state, not make a sale.
As a avid gamer myself, I can understand what you are talking about regarding your collection. My thoughts, as a seller with 380 100% pos sales record, is why screw around and attract people who want to bid pennies for you $3000 worth of game history? Why not put it up at close to what you know it's worth, or what will be an acceptable price and weed out the low bids all together? If it's really worth that much, the serious bidders will bite.
I sell eight hours a day for a pawn shop, and what I list runs the gammit from tools to musical instruments to video games and more. If I see that an item is selling on average of $100, I'll start it at $80. I just don't see the point of starting it at $5 with a hidden reserve of $100. Bidders are funny, and I've seen it go both ways; on one sale I might get a few dollars over my starting bid, and on another, it may go way past the average. If my understanding is correct, the reserve is what you will let it go for, right, so why not just start it for what you want, and forgo having your customers maybe hit your reserve? again, no disrespect or offense meant.
Cheers,
Ash

Don't worry Ashcon.. there was absolutely no offense taken. I thought you deserved an honest answer.. that's all.

Believe me.. I HAVE tried the route you've suggested as well in the past (placing an opening bid near what I want), but that rarely works as well.. simply because it scares a lot of people off as well (usually resellers).. because they look at the price and don't see a chance to snatch up what they consider a "bargain". It IS a good way to weed out dealers though, and end up with collector's who are buying for their own personal satisfaction. I should know.. that's how I procured 85% of my stuff . I usually didn't waste my time with "bid wars" (and now I'm paying the price by having to let most of my stuff go for less than I paid for it.. oh well).

Let's face it.. the majority of eBay bidders nowdays (and realize my only field of experience is video games) are just plain cheap. Those who didn't jump on the eB bandwagon from the start are now drawn by nothing but OLD stories of how one USED to go on eBay and buy stuff for 1/4 it's "real world" price.. but that's NOT the eB I see anymore. People still WANT to find a bargain.. but we.. the sellers are getting tired as well of making them; and having to cater and answer to people who are sometimes outright rude, demanding, want "perfection" for next to nothing.. and just plain (to put it bluntly).. stupid; (remember MY audience demographics). Maybe it's a sign of the times but what was once a "semi-hobby" for lots of us here on eB.. have now had to increasingly rely on it more and more to REALLY supplement just our modest "living expenses" alone.

I once tried to auction a very nice mint Turbo Duo on eB (You know what they're worth). I watched the market for this item on eB for weeks to try and get a reasonable "value" of my find. I'd see boxed units w/no peripherals or games sometimes end up at $800.. but sometimes not. My lot had a boxed unit w/7 games. First time I started bidding at $99.99 w/a reserve of $650.. after 7 days the auction ended at $125 with only about a half dozen bids. Second time I tried your route and started bidding at $375.. result? No bids. In the meantime.. I saw a couple other units go for around $600. Third time.. I waited until NO one had a Turbo Duo up for sale on eB. I even waited two more days to be certain. Then I listed (I don't remember what method all I remember is I had a reserve of $350). 2 days into the auction other people started listing theirs.. throughout the course of my auction about 6 people ended up with TDs on eB at one time (a record.. and MY luck)! After about 3 days into the auction someone hit my reserve.. there was next to NO bidding after that and the gentleman who hit my reserve of $350 ended up getting it for $375! While I saw other units once again end at $600 to $800 with no games bundled! I will agree with you though.. some of these people DID start at $0.99 and no reserve.. but a couple of people whose units ended at little over $100.. did too. I was happy.. not elated.. because my auction ended on "middle ground". I also learned about the importance of "presentation" then. A dealer who consistently sold his units in the $600 to $800 range filled his ads with pictures and bubbled over with dialog enthusiasm touting the unit (It almost bordered on fantasy.. made me want to puke.).

Which is why I use Auctiva now; and appreciate this free service. I spent TEN hours composing the copy for this auction.. even on Auctiva. Will it help? Who knows.. like I said the retro-gaming market is "fickle".. but I have to pull out all the stops when it comes to it.

Scorch,
I can see your frustration. What you stated about photos, I cannot agree with strongly enough. As someone who sells for a living, and buys as a consumer, both on eBay, I know what it's like to want something that's listed with one or two really bad photo's, for a few hundred dollars. Even if it has a decent description, I'll look for another with a more clear view of what's being sold, than take a chance on what someone else's idea of condition is. My philosophy is the old "A picture is worth a thousand words". Being that Auctiva has made it cheaper to post up to sixteen pics, I'll use every slot if I think it will give my audience a better, more up close view of my item, resulting in more comfortable, confident bidders. I've gotten compliments regarding this as well. As far as the stupid questios go../shrug, I guess that just comes with the territory. I forget who said it, but when I get one of those questions, I always hear, "This would be the perfect job, if it weren't for the customers!" Anyway My eBay id is topkick_loans. Look me up anytime. Been real nice chatting with you. Best of luck to you my friend.
Cheers,
Ash

re your comment,'As far as the stupid questions go../shrug, I guess that just comes with the territory. I forget who said it, but when I get one of those questions, I always hear, "This would be the perfect job, if it weren't for the customers!'

loved your matter-of-fact response to one of those stupid questions you got...

Q: How much are you looking for? I'm willing to buy it right now!!!! Mar-17-07
A: Please refer to the sentence that's directly UNDER the item description that's underlined and in red.

just made me chuckle. sometimes i have to remember who's out there and just take a deep breath before responding!

Hi all,

While on the subject of starting prices and reserve prices, I will put my 2 cents in, well, actualy 1 cent. About five years ago, I started all my auctions at one penny as an experiment and had pretty good results. Ever since then I have started every auction for 1 penny. I actually get a slightly higher dollar amount for my stuff than before when I used to start them all at $9.99.

I buy stuff all the time on eBay, I do not buy from anyone who has a reserve price, never. So those sellers who use a reserve price are losing bids from the lots of bidders who don't like reserve prices. I say, if you have something that you need to get a particular amount for, then start it at that price.

Regards,
Ricky

I do understand Scorch's reason for a reserve, and it's a good one. My only caveat would be that you should absolutely state your reserve price within the first sentence or two of your description -- most savvy ebayers won't bother to bid otherwise, which may be part of why you keep getting idiots e-mailing you stupid questions, lol.

As for the sniping issue -- I disagree with those of you who think it's a bad idea. It really doesn't matter WHEN people bid, only THAT they bid, and how much. I almost always snipe, and I usually win when I do. When I lose, that means that someone else was willing to pay more than I was, whether they bid on the first day or during the last minute.

Finally -- Scorch, I'm so sorry to hear about your Mom's illness. You are doing a wonderful thing, helping her.

Hi Scorch and good luck with your auction, I hope it flies and you can do something special for your mum.

I have read this thread with interest and although I don't have the experience of you guys I have found that when I have items that should fetch a good amount and started them at approx 50% of what I think [and my research has shown] they should fetch I get 0 interest in the item. So I have had to make the decision about whether to relist with a low starting price or risk re-listing and not selling again.

I have now gone the route of a starting price above the 99p minumum but still way way below what the item should make and then sit and hold my breath and pray. It has paid off [but I have only just started selling] so far, but not without me going through a week of stress with each auction.

I abhor shillers, but reading this thread I can kind of understand [NOT condone] why some sellers go that route.

BUT what I have found is that when I research an item prior to listing and get a rough idea of its worth, I also pay great attention to the listing description. I then spend a lot of time photographing and describing my item, often cutting and pasting information from the manufactureres website etc and it does seem to make a difference, as the description is the only reason I can find for the price differences. For example, I recently sole my Dualit toaster, I put an informative, honest and slightly witty description, plus spent hours dismantling and polishing it up before photographing it, and the auction ended £44 higher than the most expensive one I had found in my research. So a job well done I thought.

I work full time and am going through a divorce so need to release some of my higher value possessions to realise some cash, making time to do all that I feel is required for a successful acution is a drain on my time, but it does seem to be worth it in the end, after all my time doesn't really have a £ cost to it.

I'm stressing right now as I have 12 items due to end this evening, 1 should reach at least £100 and is currently sitting with 3 bids at £12.50 and I am convinced someone is going to snipe it at the last minute for less than £20 and will properly cry if it does, I am praying for one of the watchers to blink first and start the bidding rolling, and feel helpless that I have no control over it :-(

On the flip side, the buzz of watching a bidding war on one of your items is brilliant, I just wish along with you guys that the bidding wars would start early.

I love low fb bidders, because they aren't eB savvy enough to wait till the dying minutes and can often start off a bidding war nice and early!!

But, confession time, when I am buying, I always wait till the dying minutes to bag a bargain, so I guess I can't really complain when others do it to me :-(

*sorry about the long post, dunno where all that came from - pre auction end nerves??? *

Thready - I have also just started selling on Ebay (1 month). And I found, like you, great descriptions and pictures make a difference in the selling price. Research is also invaluable! Before I list anything, I pull up completed listings, look at the bid history and use an amount in the mid point to determine my starting price.

Good Luck!

thready,

Do you abhor "shillers" or "snipers"? Because those are two vastly different things...

If you did mean snipers, then WHY do you hate them? All they do is drive the price up, which is what sellers generally desire. "Nibble" (i.e., inexperienced and/or inefficient) bidders can always play around with a bidding war all along, if they want to, but the sniper will still drive up the price at the end.

Oh yes I know they are very different, and I definitely meant shillers :-)

Thready,

In that case, I completely agree with you!