Auctions 2 2

[OldGuy]

[joecgcmaniac]

Sometimes I like to fist myself and then light my farts on fire

 

fixed that for ya!

[Flaming_Telepath]

OK, having closed out the auction thread last night, here are my thoughts as promised. (thumbs u

 

Set-Up

The set up took probably 3-4 hours with half of that time tracking down scans of the books I'd decided to list. I have maybe 20 folders in Photobucket, each containing anything between 300-500 books, and it was time-consuming finding them and generating the code for the thumbnails in ones and twos.

 

If I were to do it again, it would take less time because...

(a) I'd already have the layout decided

(b) I'd already have the opening post written, with just a couple of tweaks to the 'rules' required

© I think I'd see what scans I could find easily on Photobucket and that would decide what I listed, not the other way around!

 

Next time out, I reckon I'd get the set-up down to two/two-and-a-half hours. Now, if you consider that I listed 37 books, and that if I were posting them in a standard thread, book by book, it would take me almost as much time, the time investment looks worth it.

 

Management

This was actually easier than I anticipated, but then again, I was available all over the weekend and could check in and update at regular intervals. I would not recommended daily or half-daily updates. If you were listing any sizeable number of books, I suspect it could get quite unmanageable if you weren't prepared to update many times through the day.

 

'Fun Factor'

I think people enjoyed it...and I know that I certainly did. It was a change from the usual 'dry' BIN threads and a change is as good as a rest. There was certainly enough banter in the thread, which I would actually encourage. Complaints about the format, no, but a bit of back and forth is healthy and engenders a sense of community...which is really what this is all about, no?

 

Also, some folk got absolute bargains, which is what an auction should be about. 'Who got a deal' is a great way of having a bit of fun...at my expense, obviously.

 

Things To Change

(1) In future, I'd have to specify a rule regarding no bid withdrawals. BH did not ask for his bid on the Jungle Action to be withdrawn...I took the decision wholly by myself, mainly because he had been very supportive of the auction and also because this was only a 'test' if you will. In future auctions, however, I would add non-withdrawal of bids to the list of rules and you'd have to have a bloody good reason to even ask.

 

(2) Bids must be made in dollar values, stating the specific books. BH had some money to spend, likes my books and the way I do business, supported the auction format and did what he did with the very best of intentions. However, there are potential problems, especially with minimum bid increments and also with other bidders not sure what to bid to beat him out until I do an update.

 

(3) If you were selling a big ticket item, or a 'hot' book that had attracted a lot of interest and many bids, I'd recommend withdrawing the BIN price at some point...maybe for the last few hours of the auction? There is no harm in making a bit of money on certain books, especially if the market is suggesting that it's appropriate. Which brings us on to...

 

Results

I worked out that I averaged 45% of Guide on the books that sold. There were some winners, but a lot more losers. On average, in a standard BIN thread, I realise 60%, so this is not a way of making yourself rich. However, if you consider that every single one of these books had appeared in a sales thread at some point in the last year, and not sold, it is a way of shifting stuff and clearing space.

 

Would I Do It Again?

Yes. I'm not going to move away from my usual threads, as they are the most popular and they are easier to manage. However, I think I'll be throwing up an auction thread every now and again...maybe once a month?...to clear some stuff out.

 

My fear, and the fear of others, is that we become flooded with folk giving this a go. Without trying to sound arrogant, the potential for disaster is there if not done properly. I have a pretty well-organised mind, process-driven and focused. I also think I have an idea as to what is 'right' around these parts. Not sure that everybody who rocks up here to hawk their wares can say the same.

[drbanner]

Thanks for the thoughts Nick, good job! (thumbs u

[Old Fashion PB and J]

Yes excellent job ! I dont hear any naysayers either, amazing !

[thirdgreenham]

Yes excellent job ! I dont hear any naysayers either, amazing !

 

Give it a minute...

[skypinkblu]

I thought it was fun, a lot of work, and you have to know your audience, and be willing to part with some things, fairly cheaply. Great job, Nick...I may try it with a few books, (if I ever decide to start drinking;) or it's raining a lot;) The holiday weekend was a great time, people were around...I don't think a week would work well, people might get bored and I agree, you need to update frequently (where did I hear that before;) ?

Thanks for trying it, and I'm thrilled with my bargain:)

[Flaming_Telepath]

I thought it was fun, a lot of work, and you have to know your audience, and be willing to part with some things, fairly cheaply. Great job, Nick...I may try it with a few books, (if I ever decide to start drinking;) or it's raining a lot;) The holiday weekend was a great time, people were around...I don't think a week would work well, people might get bored and I agree, you need to update frequently (where did I hear that before;) ?

Thanks for trying it, and I'm thrilled with my bargain:)

 

Thanks, Sha. Actually, that's one point that I failed to mention...I think a two or three dayer would be ideal. Anything longer and you're going to lose steam and interest. People like the instant hit of buying a book around here, without the eBay delays, so keep the time span limited. (thumbs u

[DrWatson]

Plus, you loose the ability to edit at the end of the third day.

[Flaming_Telepath]

Plus, you loose the ability to edit at the end of the third day.

 

(thumbs u

[JohnT]

I enjoyed it.

 

It was interesting that there were no snipes. On ebay my competitors are faceless, so I don't think twice about trying to steal a deal at the end, and not give them a chance to counter bid, but I didn't even consider it here.

 

Also, I set my opening bids at reasonable, "fair" levels, not the opening level...again because it isn't in the impersonal Ebay environment.

 

All in all, this format seems like a great way to dispose of books that haven't sold in regular threads!

 

 

[trmoore54]

Good Job FT!

I didn't participate in your auction as I wasn't after any of the books you had up, but did check in from time to time and it was very well organized and managed, and looked like all the participants had fun.

 

In effect, my book (X-Men 11) went off at 55% of OS guide and this was a little disappointing as it was a CGC book...I was hoping to get at least a hundred for it but fell just a bit shy...having said that, the buyer got a good deal and hopefully it will be me the next time...

[Point Five]

Yep! Great job FT (and Tom).

 

Just a hunch, but I don't think the auction format will overtake the BIN format in this forum. I suspect a LOT of books will end up finishing low in the auction format, possibly cooling the enthusiasm of sellers to try auctioning again. For any random low-to-mid-grade non-key book, the pool of folks here looking for that particular book and willing to commit to bidding on it (as opposed to a BIN where all you need is one person) may well be fairly small. Anyhow, these auctions are certainly fun to watch, and no harm trying!

[drbanner]

Just a hunch, but I don't think the auction format will overtake the BIN format in this forum.

Yep, as I said before, there will be no flood of "profit mongering auctioneers " overloading the boards with auction listings. It is an alternative format for sellers to use to blow some books out of the boxes, give collectors deals, and have a little fun along the way, but it's no profit center. I suspect the only mongering we'll see from auctions is "the sky is falling!" fear-mongering.

[joe_collector]

Yep, as I said before, there will be no flood of "profit mongering auctioneers " overloading the boards with auction listings.

 

My comment was in relation to the BS going on over at EBay, and the potential for abuse since the forum is FREE.

 

Do some math over at the Bay, and you'll see that profit is usually higher here, and the last thing we need to do is open the auction floodgates.

[DrWatson]

The auction format will exist in the same role as many people treat eBay. It will be a last ditch effort to move a few books that haven't sold through other various venues.

[Old Fashion PB and J]

The auction format will exist in the same role as many people treat eBay. It will be a last ditch effort to move a few books that haven't sold through other various venues.

 

Thats how I see it.

[drbanner]

...the last thing we need to do is open the auction floodgates.

The gates have always been open, and most of us took off our galoshes years ago and our footsies remain dry!

 

Nothing prevents ShowcaseNewEngland or J&SComics from starting their next round of auctions here as opposed to ebay, but it ain't gonna happen. I don't think you appreciate the manual nature of selling books on the boards, compared to selling on ebay using automated tools such as Turbolister to prepare listings, send invoices, print shipping labels, etc.,. and/or running everything through a website set up to handle commercial transactions. It's more work, less productive, and not in the business model of large-scale dealers like Mile High or Metro.

 

(Same thing with the "Books must not be listed elsewhere" rule, it simply would be too much work for these guys to sell books here like Nick, Nik, Andy, and/or John does. Do away with that rule, and you would likely see very little difference in the marketplace listings. (thumbs u )

[Flaming_Telepath]

The auction format will exist in the same role as many people treat eBay. It will be a last ditch effort to move a few books that haven't sold through other various venues.

 

That's how I'll use it in future. Maybe once a month run an auction to lose some stuff that's been sitting gathering dust. The 'good stuff' will always be listed in a BIN thread first. Always. (thumbs u

[october]

The auction format will exist in the same role as many people treat eBay. It will be a last ditch effort to move a few books that haven't sold through other various venues.

 

That's how I'll use it in future. Maybe once a month run an auction to lose some stuff that's been sitting gathering dust. The 'good stuff' will always be listed in a BIN thread first. Always. (thumbs u

 

I'm going to give the auction format a shot, but only when the proceeds go to charity. Listing primo stuff here using an auction format would be a losing endeavor more likely than not. More work and probably less money.