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Can someone please explain why someone puts a $5 bid on a $300 book?

Started by ronm3-migration,

66 posts in this topic

jordanscott

jordanscott

Posted
Posted

i can't count the number of times since ebay put in the new seller rules that i've seen sellers feel there weren't gonna get what s/he wanted on a no reserve auction and in the last few hrs cancelled all the bids and then closed the auction 'due to error in listing'...because there were no bids on the item.

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toro

toro

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I put low ball bids in on things that I am really interested in. If things stay low I might up my bid, but if it is a $300 book and I can get it for the low ball bid, then great. But if it starts going up to $350-$500, who really cares that I once bid $5, $25, or $55. confused-smiley-013.gifMy watched list is usually full!

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RDK

RDK

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Posted
I can understand trying to get a great book at a low price but it sucks as a seller to take that kind of lost. I mean, sellers are trying to make money not give books to charity. So you can't blame them for ending early so they don't get taken. We all want to be as far as possible. But hey, if the seller is too lazy to keep up with his auctions and it happens to him, then its a lesson to be more attentive.

 

I have little sympathy for a seller in such a situation. There are things a seller can do to ensure he won't "get taken" - such as setting a minimum bid or a reserve price. But some sellers don't, either to save on listing fees or to entice buyers with a "no minimum, no reserve" auction. But they can't have it both ways, advertising something as a potential bargain but then pulling out when it actually is a bargain.

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otherworldcomics

otherworldcomics

Posted
Posted
I can understand trying to get a great book at a low price but it sucks as a seller to take that kind of lost. I mean, sellers are trying to make money not give books to charity. So you can't blame them for ending early so they don't get taken. We all want to be as fair as possible. But hey, if the seller is too lazy to keep up with his auctions and it happens to him, then its a lesson to be more attentive.

 

I have little sympathy for a seller in such a situation. There are things a seller can do to ensure he won't "get taken" - such as setting a minimum bid or a reserve price. But some sellers don't, either to save on listing fees or to entice buyers with a "no minimum, no reserve" auction. But they can't have it both ways, advertising something as a potential bargain but then pulling out when it actually is a bargain.

 

Well, I have to agree to a point. You're right you can't advertise as a bargain and get mad if it sells low. But come on... a bargain is getting 20-30% off or even 50% or so. But if you are paying $5 for something that's worth $100's knowingly, then I don't know if you can say its a "bargain" That's like paying someone $20 for an Amazing Fantasy #15. Is that a bargain or taking advantage? Again, I can understand both sides. I'm a buyer looking for that perfect book at a cheap price and I'm a seller trying to make the most on sales. Though, I've never cancelled an auction that actually had bids on it.

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Comicdey

Comicdey

Posted
Posted
I can understand trying to get a great book at a low price but it sucks as a seller to take that kind of lost. I mean, sellers are trying to make money not give books to charity. So you can't blame them for ending early so they don't get taken. We all want to be as fair as possible. But hey, if the seller is too lazy to keep up with his auctions and it happens to him, then its a lesson to be more attentive.

 

I have little sympathy for a seller in such a situation. There are things a seller can do to ensure he won't "get taken" - such as setting a minimum bid or a reserve price. But some sellers don't, either to save on listing fees or to entice buyers with a "no minimum, no reserve" auction. But they can't have it both ways, advertising something as a potential bargain but then pulling out when it actually is a bargain.

 

Well, I have to agree to a point. You're right you can't advertise as a bargain and get mad if it sells low. But come on... a bargain is getting 20-30% off or even 50% or so. But if you are paying $5 for something that's worth $100's knowingly, then I don't know if you can say its a "bargain" That's like paying someone $20 for an Amazing Fantasy #15. Is that a bargain or taking advantage? Again, I can understand both sides. I'm a buyer looking for that perfect book at a cheap price and I'm a seller trying to make the most on sales. Though, I've never cancelled an auction that actually had bids on it.

 

If it's on the auction block, then it should be sold for whatever the bidders bid it up to. If you were in an auction house, the item would be SOLD.

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divad

divad

Posted
Posted
I can understand trying to get a great book at a low price but it sucks as a seller to take that kind of lost. I mean, sellers are trying to make money not give books to charity. So you can't blame them for ending early so they don't get taken. We all want to be as fair as possible. But hey, if the seller is too lazy to keep up with his auctions and it happens to him, then its a lesson to be more attentive.

 

I have little sympathy for a seller in such a situation. There are things a seller can do to ensure he won't "get taken" - such as setting a minimum bid or a reserve price. But some sellers don't, either to save on listing fees or to entice buyers with a "no minimum, no reserve" auction. But they can't have it both ways, advertising something as a potential bargain but then pulling out when it actually is a bargain.

 

Well, I have to agree to a point. You're right you can't advertise as a bargain and get mad if it sells low. But come on... a bargain is getting 20-30% off or even 50% or so. But if you are paying $5 for something that's worth $100's knowingly, then I don't know if you can say its a "bargain" That's like paying someone $20 for an Amazing Fantasy #15. Is that a bargain or taking advantage? Again, I can understand both sides. I'm a buyer looking for that perfect book at a cheap price and I'm a seller trying to make the most on sales. Though, I've never cancelled an auction that actually had bids on it.

 

If it's on the auction block, then it should be sold for whatever the bidders bid it up to. If you were in an auction house, the item would be SOLD.

 

Yeah sumo.gif just like Heritage! 27_laughing.gif27_laughing.gif27_laughing.gif

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the blob

the blob

Posted
Posted

her, someone offered me (via best offer) $5 for a copy of ASM #50 I have up for $75 that guides in the low $100s or so. are they thinking that maybe I hit "accept" rather than "decline" by accident?

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kidcolt

kidcolt

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Posted

That plus sometimes I will put a $5 bid as a reminder but the comic ends up getting bid up way higher then I want to pay. I may start at $5 with plans of spending $100, if its at $120 with 5-10 minuted left then I wouldn't bid again.

It's another method to watch an item confused-smiley-013.gif
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Rob

Rob

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I have adopted the low bid strategy on certain items that won't sell for much more. For example, if there's a $10 item I want, with a $5 starting bid. Instead of just watching it, and letting someone else get the opening bid on it, I'll put $5 on it, in case that's the most my sole competitor was wanting to spend. Otherwise, on higher valued items, I'll just watch it.

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Rob

Rob

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Not to be rude but this question seems, Duh. Who wouldn't want to spend as little as possible?

 

Well, it just seems silly (for those of us who's eBayed for a while). 99% of the time, if you're not going to bid at least $100 on a $300 item, why waste your time?

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ronm3-migration

ronm3-migration

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I understand what you guys are saying but every book i watch never finishes near that level.

As far as tracking a book I used to bid on it to track them but now I just put them on my watchlist.

Most of these people I see bidding never win the books. it looks like they just watch them.

Why not "watch" them on your "watch list" rather than bid?

As a seller i guess they are doing me a favor.

I just never understood.

I personally prefer to wait until the last minute and then bid.

I am the Sniper Extraordinaire. yay.gif

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Aces

Aces

Posted
Posted
In 8 years on Ebay this still makes no sense.

 

I do it for two possible reasons:

 

1) Watch bid

2) Get the ball rolling early on a buddies book.

A $5 bid on a $300 item isn't shilling. screwy.gif

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Scheradon

Scheradon

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Posted
In 8 years on Ebay this still makes no sense.

 

I do it for two possible reasons:

 

1) Watch bid

2) Get the ball rolling early on a buddies book.

A $5 bid on a $300 item isn't shilling. screwy.gif

 

I'm not real sure about your second point. If it's a $300 book, I don't see how a $5 bid really gets anything "going". But where does the "getting it going" end? $50 on a $300 book? $100 on a $300 book? You just have to be careful where you draw the moral line on something like that.

 

I don't see where it'd be worth it to you do this, even though a $5 bid on a $300 book probably wouldn't get anybody mad.

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