Ending auctions early...what do you think?

[SUPREMO]

Before anyone crucifies me about this topic, I ran a few searches already looking for something like this in the past year on the forums. If this has been addressed to death in the past and I somehow am not using the search function correctly, try not to hurl negative comments and pretty please, kindly point me in the right direction.

 

My reason for asking about this is simple...I've been burned enough times in the past. Someone else has "gone around" the ebay policy of allowing the book to be listed for the complete duration of the auction time because that person wanted the book so badly. They offered cash, trade or whatever to the seller who, in turn, cancelled the auction early.

 

I've come to respect the integrity and opinions of the tenured folks in terms of comic transactions etc. and can't find any topics about "ebay etiquette" re: ending auctions early. Please don't copy or add links from the ebay policy, either. I already read the policy and know it's frowned upon by ebay. Despite the actual ebay policy, I'm sure this happens a lot more than some people are likely to admit. Forum members, your thoughts/experiences would be appreciated on the subject.

 

By the way, in no way am I saying I'm a martyr or "perfect"...I offered $400 for a nick fury #4 after an auction ended long ago when I thought I'd never find that particular issue again. (Thankfully, #4's seem to be pretty common in HG and I picked one up a couple years ago)

 

Thanks everyone!

[nearmint]

I haven't ever asked a seller to end an auction for a comic early. But, I also collect postcards of my hometown, and I have asked sellers to end those auctions early on occasion. There is a woman who lives a few blocks away from me that has MUCH deeper pockets than I, and she and I are kind of eBay arch-enemies when it comes to Newport Beach postcards. So, if a great card pops up, I've sometimes negotiated a fair price with the dealer before the auction is over to avoid my arch-enemy and I from bidding the card up to stupid levels.

[Jeffreykli]

I think auctions should not be ended early, and I believe that's the consensus feeling of the boards as well. Basically, if you put something up on eBay, the auction should be allowed to run its course. A lot of people put in snipe bids for the closing minutes/seconds, and that's when most of the bidding action happens. So, if you're a seller, you probably shouldn't end the auction early.

 

On the other hand, as a bidder, you're trying to get the item for the best possible price. It's a catch-22, but if you think the seller will end the auction early, and there are no bids yet, then go for it.

[whomerjay]

I'm in the camp that feels if no bids are on an item, I have no problem if it ends early for any reason. If I'm buying or selling. If you're worried about an item disappearing before the auction is over, then bid on it early and I think that will deter most outside-of-ebay deals. If you can talk a dealer into ending an auction early, IMO it's a free market economy.

[divad]

I think auctions should not be ended early, and I believe that's the consensus feeling of the boards as well. Basically, if you put something up on eBay, the auction should be allowed to run its course. A lot of people put in snipe bids for the closing minutes/seconds, and that's when most of the bidding action happens. So, if you're a seller, you probably shouldn't end the auction early.

 

On the other hand, as a bidder, you're trying to get the item for the best possible price. It's a catch-22, but if you think the seller will end the auction early, and there are no bids yet, then go for it.

 

I disagree

 

Ebay rules allow the seller to end an auction whenever he wishes, as long as there are more than 12 hours left, period. I rarely do this, but have on occaision, to sell the book to a private client. When this occurs, the auction is ended, and "the item is no longer available for sale." Plain and simple. EBay is not the only game in town.

 

I could go along with everyone else on this one just to be part of the gang, but that 's not the way real life works, and if you don't know it by now - you better learn it soon.

 

Jeff

[Rob]

I think it's fine, if the offer is sufficient. eBay rules allow it. The seller has the right to decide to add a BIN after the auction has started. Essentially, that's what is happening.

[Ares]

Ive had one guy who asked me to end my auction early on a X-men 14 I was sellign to sell it to him at its current price. Said he woudl Paypal me the money right away...

I told him no and the comic ended up selling for 4 times as much as he offered!

[uclapeterg]

I think auctions should not be ended early, and I believe that's the consensus feeling of the boards as well. Basically, if you put something up on eBay, the auction should be allowed to run its course. A lot of people put in snipe bids for the closing minutes/seconds, and that's when most of the bidding action happens. So, if you're a seller, you probably shouldn't end the auction early.

 

On the other hand, as a bidder, you're trying to get the item for the best possible price. It's a catch-22, but if you think the seller will end the auction early, and there are no bids yet, then go for it.

 

I disagree

 

Ebay rules allow the seller to end an auction whenever he wishes, as long as there are more than 12 hours left, period. I rarely do this, but have on occaision, to sell the book to a private client. When this occurs, the auction is ended, and "the item is no longer available for sale." Plain and simple. EBay is not the only game in town.

 

I could go along with everyone else on this one just to be part of the gang, but that 's not the way real life works, and if you don't know it by now - you better learn it soon.

 

Jeff

 

I know you can do it, but I won't. Why? Because I believe in karma and when you start doing it, my feeling is that it will be done to you on a book you really want.

[ComicSupply]

I would say that there are reasons to do it, and reasons not to do it.

 

Like Ares said, I have been asked before to end auctions and I didn't and it ended up going for multiple times what it was currently at. Not too long ago I had an old lot of Phantoms and the guy offered me $40 right when it was at around $12. He ended up winning it for $202 or something.

 

eBay used to let people end auctions right upto the last second if they were fast enough. They changed this to dissuade sellers pulling out at the last minute so that is certainly a plus to the system.

 

I also liked the count on the Watchers, but I feel that they should also perhaps show a snipe count or have an auction extender if a bid is placed in the last minute. Sometimes when you are selling something and want to get a certain margin, or end at a certain price it sucks when someone who has been bidding the whole time, ends up losing with 1 second left for .50cents more.

 

Personally I rarely use eBay anymore. I think its a flooded market that has spun out of control. I used to sell a collection every month or so and there were generally 5 pages of hits with the words Comic Collection. Today just a short 5 months later that has doubled to around 10 pages, and is flooded by Neatstuff.

 

Another thing to think about is if eBay would allow sellers to put a buy price on an auction at any time, and say a time duration before its active, say 1 hour or something. That might dissuade those who might end it early, or persuade them to go through the system.

 

In the end its all about eBay wanting their chunk of the profit. If there was a way to end an auction early and have someone be the high bidder and allow everyone else a shot at it at that price I think it would be ok.