posted on April 13, 2002 03:58:03 PM new
Went with my mom and sister today to a public auction. Everything is all out on the lawn and long tables. So, we start scouting around. They had Guardian Service (which mom collects), they had Hummel bells, decoys, jewelry (one ring was appraised at $10,000). A lot of really nice stuff. I get my number and we find a place to sit just as the auction starts. Well, 15 minutes later we left. Why? I was absolutely astonished at the prices this stuff was bringing. A small washboard brought $40, 5 cookbooks brought $37, etc. I knew there was no need for me to even stay, this was out of my league. I was very sad I wanted some good stuff. So I went to the thrift stores to lift my spirits. Found nice bargains there. Happy again. Barbara
posted on April 13, 2002 04:54:27 PM new
I buy on ebay under 10 different ids items to sell at public auctions and I'm doing very good.Everyone crys on these boards about slow sales and low prices but they keep listing stuff and I'll keep buying the bargins and selling at the local auction houses.Last week I had a teapot that I paid $178.00 for on ebay 2 months ago and it sold at my local auction house for $428.50 + 10%buyers fee to a ebay seller.
posted on April 13, 2002 07:34:07 PM new
Yep ~ same way here in SE PA
I am an antique dealer, have a booth in an antique mall ~ I quit going to auctions a year ago because of the high prices ... you can't resell and make a profit. I got stuck with a lot of things
I do way better going to other antique malls in my area and buy from them and take up to my mall and make some money. A lot of times the stuff sits in the mall and dealers take to auction house and can't believe the prices they get !!!
That was the main reason I switched to selling clothing on ebay since I have many Goodwills in my area and am doing very well with that !!
posted on April 13, 2002 08:05:54 PM new
The entire secret to making money selling antiques is to buy where they are cheap and plentiful, then transport them to where they are expensive and rare. Men used to do that sort of thing all the time with vanloads full of brass beds or golden oak furniture.
This secret is the supposed motivation for the fabled antiques buying trip, but as a long-time antiquer I can tell you that it's just an excuse to hang out in antique stores on vacation.
posted on April 13, 2002 09:27:34 PM newThe entire secret to making money selling antiques is to buy where they are cheap and plentiful, then transport them to where they are expensive and rare
This is only true if there is someone actually looking for - and willing to purchase - that "expensive and rare" item.
Truth is, lots of things get lost in the shuffle of eBay. You have 7,000,000 plus auctions running in a given time, and have to hope that the PEOPLE (or in many cases ONE PERSON) who is looking for your particular item HAPPENS to look for it while you have it listed. Now, in a live auction setting, everyone who comes to the auction is seeing your item (something that does not happen on eBay), and therefore the chance that someone (and in many cases multiple people) will bid on that item increase greatly (because they actually are seeing it). Not to mention that the "impulse purchase" factor is a lot higher at a live auction than on eBay. There aren't many people randomly punching things into the search engine, and bidding on everything they find (and the ones that do are usually deadbeats).
Plain and simple - eBay has become too big for the average antique and collectible market. All it is good for now is the ultra-rare item (and of course, cell phone boosters, grandfather clocks, leather jackets, steak knives, diet pills.....)
posted on April 13, 2002 09:41:31 PM new
but diet pills and leather jacket etc would not be listed under antiques,also they could bring some buyers who may pick up a piece of antiques or collectibles.
too bad we cant sell corn on the cob,eggrolls and hot dogs on ebay while people browse.
posted on April 13, 2002 09:49:03 PM new
I Think There is some disllusion,Like anything,It may take a few listing before a item gets a buyer.The same an Item may sit on a store self then one day,Bam! it's bought.Live Auction can be a great place to get an item,depending what you want.But remember a seller can shill thire own item at a live auction.Thats why you may see some close to book prices.Like anything you have to work at it to get the items at a nice reduced price,if it was that easy people would all be doing this full time.There is a art to collectibles that not to many dealers will share,I'm one of those people.
posted on April 13, 2002 09:57:19 PM new
Frankly, it seems to me that eBay has gone from a place to find that special antique to an all-out flea market.
Good example of what eBay has become - Here in Wisconsin, there is a place called the 7 Mile Fair (near Milwaukee). About 15 years ago, you would go there, and there would be all these folks set up outside (rain or shine) selling all sorts of neat things - like a giant garage sale. Then the people started coming in with the framed posters, cheap skateboards, and fake "brand name" shirts and perfumes. Pretty soon, they built a giant new building to house all this garbage in. Now that they had this nifty new building, they started staying open year round (instead of just the warm months). When that happened, less and less people were selling the "garage sale" type of stuff - until it went away almost completely. This is where I see eBay going - less and less of the good stuff, and more and more of the "flea market" garbage that everyone is selling (and for that matter, undercutting). I give eBay 1 year or less before total listings drops by half (down to 3,500,000 or less). The bidders are already going away. It is impossible to find anything amidst all the garbage now on eBay. If and when this prediction comes true, you will find that the geniuses at eBay have raised fees so high that it is nearly impossible to come even close to breaking even, let alone making a profit.
I am not blaming eBay for what is happening - it is those who are in it to make a "quick buck" with the "garbage collectibles", and the "flea market specials". Those are the people you should really thank.
By the way, does anyone have an explanation for the downward spike on the 8th of April? (I'm sure everyone was too busy celebrating my birthday to list items..... )
posted on April 13, 2002 10:17:18 PM new
I have found that greater expertise in a specific area tends to help. I had been going to antique auctions for years. My best buys were almost all in teh area of sports collectibles, which is my specialty. If a sports item came up for sale, I was more likely to know that it was a piece of junk or that it was rare. I could bid accordingly. Just because a box of baseball cards is 20-30 years old does not mean it is valuable. And, if I did buy it, I was more likely to be able to better describe it on ebay, to get top price.
Two ebay examples: 1) I had a stack of football programs from the old St. Louis Cardinals football team. Well, anybody who knows sports collectibles knows there are very few football Cardinal fans. HOwever, there are tons of Green Bay Packer fans. A football CArdinal program with a photo of an old Packer player was listed with emphasis on the Packer player. It sold for 10 times more than if it just was listed as a Cardinal program. 2) I saw a recent auction with an old wirephoto of a St. Louis CArdinal named William Dilhoefer (sp?). Well, I recognized him as "Pickles" Dilhoefer, a very famous name among fans of the era, and the photo was taken literally months before his untimely death. I should be able to turn it for much more than I paid, if I choose to sell it.
posted on April 13, 2002 10:59:58 PM new
revvassago
If you remember correctly ebay had major probelms on Sunday 4/7 and they supposely were fixed around 11:00 PM on 4/7 but continued in Monday 4/8 until early afternoon or so. The server that holds clothing and Jewelry was unavailable.
That would explain the drop in listings! One server out and not being able to list for about 24 hours.
posted on April 14, 2002 05:31:29 AM new
We went to two auctions yesterday. One of them had some really nice stuff and I bought two items. Hopefully one of them will bring enough to cover the loss that I may have to take on the other item.
On our way home from the second auction last night, my husband and I commented on how high things were going at both auctions. The second auction is our usual buying place and we bought nothing. I actually bid on about three items but was outbid. Other items I was thinking about bidding on overshot my budget before I could place a bid.
We opened a booth at an antique mall last fall and have been doing quite well. We manage to cover our booth rent each month and have some left over. We have also been able to resell some furniture items we had not even considered prior to getting the booth. The things that go in the booth are mainly eBay duds or larger items that are not worth the packing woes. You just have to be patient for a good buyer to come along.
posted on April 14, 2002 06:40:22 AM newGreen Bay Packer Fan Here
revvassago-Yes 7 mile fair is just junk now. I do make soap and there is a booth that sells soapmaking supplies very reasonable. Otherwise it is not worth the entry fee to go. Have you ever been to the flea and antique market in Elkhorn, very good and you can bargin. We have sold there and make over $1,000 in a day. Many vendors, It takes a good day to get through it and I think worth the trip. Get their early. They have a few new items but the person running the show only allows a certain percentage of new items.
posted on April 14, 2002 09:26:33 AM new
No I don't agree Ebay is headed in that direction, Ebay still has every catagory over flowing.
This is why the other types of items are on the rise the larger ebay gets the harder it is for all to make money and find unique items for catagories not over flowing already.
Ebay is getting so crowed at it higher levels of listings its hard to find anything, sellers need to get a new plan for selling item on ebay.
find the niche that suits them and promote there sales more not just in there end of auction e-mail but traditional advertizeing as well so there items and sales can easily find there own market
Ebay has been trying to make this change easier on all with the low cost ebay stores but people just are not catching on at all.
list teaser Items on the auction and lead buyer with advertizeing to you store full of items un clog the auction board and search and ebay will return to what it once was
posted on April 14, 2002 10:44:11 AM new
revvassago
Truth is, lots of things get lost in the shuffle of eBay. You have 7,000,000 plus auctions running in a given time, and have to hope that the PEOPLE (or in many cases ONE PERSON) who is looking for your particular item HAPPENS to look for it while you have it listed.
I don't agree with this statement at all. For one thing, ebay doesn't just dump all 7 million listings into one giant category that you have to wade through to find what you are looking for.
When I shop Ebay, I usually have a good idea what I am looking for so I scan a particular category to see if there's something I'm interested in. Then I use the search engine.
The key to selling on Ebay is finding out which items people are looking for and purchasing only those items. Listing hundreds of items in dozens of categories and hoping for the best is not likely to get you very far.
There are certain items that I have purchased dozens or even hundreds of and have sold every one I listed for a good price. 5 to 10 times what I paid for them.
Do your research and list only desirable items, and you will do fine.
[ edited by outoftheblue on Apr 14, 2002 10:49 AM ]
posted on April 14, 2002 03:43:37 PM new
Ebay is doing just fine. Some markets are growing. Some are shrinking. There are multiple dynamics involved.
Common items seem to be decreasing in price, while scarcer items are increasing in price.
There are many "markets" on Ebay. The hobby markets are doing just fine. My hobby has basically moved totally to Ebay for used items.
Ebay will survive. Their profit margins are very high. Even if their listings were cut in half, they would make a profit, even if their stock price crashed.
There is only one secret to selling, "Supply and Demand." Everything a successful businessman does revolves around that concept.
I have experienced the "7 Mile Fair" syndrome. Southern California had swapmeets at Drive-in Theaters 30 years ago. They were basically flea markets of used stuff. Gradually, new items took over and the swapmeets were a lot less fun.
For common items, sales will probably decrease on eBay. However, there are billions of items where only 1-5 thousand were made and people want those items. The key is to find out what those items are.
posted on April 14, 2002 03:59:56 PM new
Here in western NY I have found the same. Public live auctions are doing well. You really need to go to small house auctions and get the odd box lots. You can find some deals in them. Seemed some time ago that Ebay was the hot seller but not right now with prohibitive shipping rates and all. You have to choose your ebay items well. Also another consideration is the time of year. Springtime and the auctions are just getting going in my neck of the woo0ds. Time will wear into that and then the deals will appear. As always know what you are buying and be careful not to give yourself too much small work. Look for the home runs.
cheers!
Prepare for the worst but hope for the best!! Spuddy98
posted on April 14, 2002 05:05:54 PM new
Yes I somewhat agree with revvassago about ebay and 7 mile fair. I have to search to many places to find what I am looking for and I never do. I never go to 7 mile fair because I know there is nothing I want but I do go into eBay. I wish they could fix it somewhere that there is key word spaming, I think that is right. A while ago there was a thread about if anyone had ideas on a way to list so that if I entered a word that wasn't there but it was on the list. Let's see if I can explain it.
If I enter Sara Cov in the search area there should be a way that coventry, Sarah Coventry and Sara Coventry and Sara would come up. Do you think that that is possible.
I know that misspelled words can't be included.
Here is another: I enter Green Bay Packer. There should be a way that everything Green Bay Packers, Packers, GreenBay Packer, Packer should show up instead of searching everyone of those titles. Can this be possible.
I am not computer savey so I don't know. I would like to search some new areas but I don't know what to put in the search. Now I try and collect certain types of Art signed Jewelry but if you do a general search maybe a few pieces show, but if you go into the signed jewelry area there are many. Why don't they show up in the general search. Well I think that this is a little off topic.
As I said revvassago try going to the Elkhorn Fair Grounds for their Antique and Flea market, it is really good.
I don't like live auctions because people are to pushy and won't let you see a thing. Just like at the Casino last night. How rude people are.
posted on April 14, 2002 05:58:38 PM new
Hi Libra63,
I'm not sure if this is what you are asking but if you go to Search on ebay and enter "Sara Cov coventry sarah coventry" and tick the box for Search title and description and then in the drop down list "Jewelry and Gemstones" it will bring up 1339 items. You can also exclude words you don't want to see.
Yes, ebay could at least design their search engine so that a word and its plural are picked up in the same search. It's a very sensible idea, technically feasible, and they should do it.
posted on April 14, 2002 08:14:32 PM new
well,let the old hands of capitalism decide the fate of ebay- those who sell tasteless items resin casted in china or cheap mass produced items will drop out as they cant afford to keep paying listing fee.
some have already,they used to uplaod using software 5000 items a month,think of listing fee charged to their cc,30 cents times 5000,thats 1500 dollars,sold 2-300 items at 9.99,you do the math.
posted on April 14, 2002 08:23:22 PM newoutoftheblue:
"When I shop Ebay, I usually have a good idea what I am looking for so I scan a particular category to see if there's something I'm interested in. Then I use the search engine."
That is EXACTLY what I am talking about. eBay does not get the "impulse" buyers that your average live auction gets. When I go to a live auction (or for that matter an antique store), I almost always end up purchasing things I did not go there to bid on (or buy).
"The key to selling on Ebay is finding out which items people are looking for and purchasing only those items. Listing hundreds of items in dozens of categories and hoping for the best is not likely to get you very far."
And when you find that particular "holy grail", five thousand other sellers will copy you, drive your profit margin to zero (or possibly negative to get rid of your inventory), and run you out of business.
"There are certain items that I have purchased dozens or even hundreds of and have sold every one I listed for a good price. 5 to 10 times what I paid for them."
And how often after you start selling these items do others copy you, and try to undercut your prices?
Case in point: I sold three particular items (all similar, but not the same) about a month ago. All three sold for around $26.00 each. My cost was $2.00. Each got around six unique bidders.
One week later I put 2 more of these same items up. I was still the only one selling them. This time, only one sold - for its opening price of $9.99. One bidder, that is all.
Two weeks later, I put two more up. Neither sold.
One week later, I put two more up. Both sold for $9.99. One bidder each.
One week later, another seller caught on, and put up 3 items in one auction. They sold for $27.99 with 8 unique bidders. That is even less than mine were slowly selling for.
Case in point - if something sells one week, the people looking for it might not be there the next week, or the week after, etc. etc. etc.; however, at a live auction, chances are you will at least have the "impulse" factor on your side.
I will take a live auction over eBay any day, which is why I have discontinued selling on eBay, gotten my own booth in an antique mall, and have seen sales FAR GREATER than anything I saw on eBay. It is too expensive on eBay waiting for the right person to come along looking for your particular item.
[ edited by revvassago on Apr 14, 2002 08:26 PM ]
[ edited by revvassago on Apr 14, 2002 08:29 PM ]
posted on April 14, 2002 08:49:29 PM new
Nearly everything I have ever bid on at eBay was an "impulse". I come across something interesting, do a little research on it and bid. I have bought a few old comic books- not because I collect comic books, but because I came across a certain genre while browsing and they interested me. I have bought antique cookie cutters that I came across while browsing- I don't collect cookie cutters and wasn't searching for them. Since eBay has gotten soooo large, my purchases have fallen over 50%. Too big to browse or look around.
If eBay becomes just a place for buyers to use the search function, it is just a data base to park merchandise in and not an online market. Ebay already has a venue for parking items until they come up in a customer search, it's called half.com.
posted on April 15, 2002 06:30:33 AM new
I have a question about real-world auctions:
It was always my impression that in the real world, auction houses always had a shill in the audience to protect their reserve price. Rather than start the bidding at the reserve the idea is to start the bidding low, get people emotionally involved and the juices flowing. If the juices ran out before the reserve was hit, the shill would bid and in some cases win the item. Thus it would not be a real sale but the other buyers would not be pissed offf for having their time wasted, thinking they simply got outbid.
I always thought this was legal and logical and then along came eBay. They make a lot of money on listing fees, so to counteract a seller starting all auctions below $10 and using a shill, or using a reserve for free, they charged a reserve fee and got shilling outlawed.
Or was it always illegal to shill bid an auction in the real world?
I'll say one thing about eBay's reserve auctions: I won't participate in a reserve auction as a buyer, because I don't want to waste my time, so I figure many other buyer's must feel the same way, so I don't use a reserve as a seller. I start the auction at a price I'm willing to sell for and pay that listing fee.
posted on April 16, 2002 11:13:26 AM new
If you put an asterisk (*) after each word the search engine will bring you all variations. Or at least it should. Try using the root word and * to find things. Sara* Covent* Hope this helps. Also, the eBay search engines get wierd at times.
posted on April 16, 2002 05:54:25 PM new
revvassago,
In addition to eBay being down, it's possible that the dip in listings on April 8 could be attributed to the fact that sellers didn't want their 7-day auctions to close on April 15....
posted on April 17, 2002 07:58:44 AM new
Hey Revvassago & Libra63, go N-O-R-T-H! Elkhorn is over a month away - the same promoters but on a similiar flea market in WEST BEND on April 28th, just a quick hour north of Milwaukee, with the same rules, nothing before 1960. See you there!!
I wanted some good stuff. So I went to the thrift stores to lift my spirits. Found nice bargains there. 
Happy again. Barbara
)
