posted on March 11, 2003 06:18:02 AM new
What is up with this 1% fee of anything over $100.00,Hello E-bay your not a "Live floor auction",This buy back even at 1% is over the top.Costing me $11.00 for an $800.00 dollar item if dose not sell it is outragous.Any thoughts?
I'll take it a step up,since they fancy themselfs a live floor,alow shilling like in a auction house if the owner wins he buys back.
[ edited by ijusthaveit on Mar 11, 2003 06:21 AM ]
posted on March 11, 2003 08:14:05 AM new
Here's the deal
It will cost you $3.30 to start an item out at $800
It will cost you $3.30 to start an item out at $8000
It will cost you $3.30 to start an item out at $800,000
See a pattern? I honestly can't blame ebay for stopping people who run auctions with unrealistic reserves that never get met, and pay a small fee for that. You'll either need to change your business model (of starting out a price that you feel comfortable getting) or pay those prices.
As a bidder I actually HATE reserve auctions, and won't participate.
I do attend live auctions. Can you imagine bidding on an item starting at $1, it reaches $500 but the high bidder is told sorry, you don't get them item because even though you were the high bidder, the seller has a minimum reserve level that is a secret. The only way to know if you met that secret reserve is to keep bidding higher?
posted on March 11, 2003 10:31:46 AM new
If they fancied themselves a live floor auction, the commission on sales that don't make reserve would be at least ten percent of the reserve price. At least that's what it would cost you in this neck of the woods. The auctioneers around here don't want their space and time taken up with merchandise that isn't sold - so you get charged as if it had.
posted on March 13, 2003 05:20:57 AM new
"I do attend live auctions. Can you imagine bidding on an item starting at $1, it reaches $500 but the high bidder is told sorry, you don't get them item because even though you were the high bidder, the seller has a minimum reserve level that is a secret. The only way to know if you met that secret reserve is to keep bidding higher? "
I'm missing something. I see this at auctions relatively frequently. Actually (assuming the item reached $500) the auctioner might say "Sorry folks, the seller says he can't take less than $700 (or whatever)" so he does tell you the 'secret' reserve.
posted on March 13, 2003 09:50:13 AM new
most sellers will tell you the reserve if they like to eat,but then once in a while,hope springs eternal,they hope that you will bid wildly and wildly exceed their reserve.
posted on March 13, 2003 11:02:34 AM new
most sellers will tell you the reserve if they like to eat,but then once in a while,hope springs eternal,they hope that you will bid wildly and wildly exceed their reserve.
.
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.As a seller that occasionally used reserves in the past.....that bidding wildly scenario was not my thought and makes no sense. In a reserve auction, if a bidder placed a bid that was triple the reserve price, the Ebay system automtically set their bid AT the reserve price. Any amount that they bid over the reserve was kept as a proxy bid, in case another bidder entered the auction
posted on March 13, 2003 01:38:56 PM new
barbarake, I think you missed my point, the minimum bid at a live auction is the reserve usually. What I am stating is that if there was an auction that started at $1, you bid an item to $500, and then told that it did not meet seller's secret reserve (which you have no idea what it is) - Live auctions usually start at a minimum bid of what the reserve is. Ebay is unusual in that you can start an auction at $1, and have a reserve of $10,000. If you think the item is worth $10,000, why not just start it there? I believe reserve auctions turn off more bidders, I know I tend to avoid them.
posted on March 13, 2003 05:00:53 PM new
The auctioneers that I know and have consigned with never start at the reserve- They usually start about 1/3 below it-If the high bidder does not meet reserve they will say I have (whatever the reserve is ) in the book-Then the high bidder has the option of going to reserve or not-After 3 years on EBAY I still have not figured out the best way to open the bidding- I hate reserves- I guess the best way is to start at your bottom price and cross your fingers- at least you have a break even chance that way-
posted on March 13, 2003 05:32:09 PM new
back in the early days reserve is free and few use reserves as stock market is going strong and everyone feels good,and there are not that many sellers,first bidder proxy 100 for an item which is listed at 50.there were usualy 3-4 bidders for an item ,so it will end at 105-300.hey,why set reserve and piss anyone off??
then gradually supply started to overwhelm demand or ebay bidders are getting tapped out spending anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand every month and ended up with drawerful full of junks.
ebay studied the ending auctions and noticed many have reserves not met,then sent a few employees to start bidding and find many sellers who set reserve are dealing under the table.so one dollar reserve fee,said the fairy godmother.
now this is deja vu ,1% reserve,ebay is going after the high end sellers.
just like before ,ebay wants its cut for providing the venue,customer support ,electric bills,health insurance for its employees.
why dont you sellers start at cost with no reserve and make money on shipping??
japanese woodblock prints are shipped at anywhere from 5 to 15 dollars,and it is a very thin soiled dirty paper
posted on March 13, 2003 06:09:09 PM new
ahc.....I have to disagree with you on this one as well. Every live auction that I've ever been at had a starting price that was generally 1/3-1/2 of the reserve price. The live auctions I'm talking about are the big city type. Like Sotheby's or Christie's. Companies that have been around for over 200 years in the auction business....and always have and still do use hidden reserves. These reserve prices are not set by the sellers. They are set, or suggested, by the auction house. They don't charge there sellers or consigners a 1% fee. They charge a varying listing type fee, negotiable, and depending on what's involved. Like a photograph in the catalog if they decide it's proper to have one may mean a $100 fee. This sort of thing. And they also charge a FVF, which is generally 10% but also negoitiable.
posted on March 13, 2003 06:34:12 PM new
I've never been to Sotheby's, but I have attended dozens of collectibles auctions, and more general auctions (and some of these lots go for many thousands of dollars) and I haven't seen it there. I still am not opposed to these changes, and don't blame ebay for making this change. I don't think they are going to lose much business...
posted on March 13, 2003 08:56:54 PM new
ebay is not christie ,ebay is a mixed flea market,dont forget you dont need tuxedo and cocktail to attend and bid-kids,retirees,hosuewives,everyone can pull that trigger.it is like an interactive game.
there are some people out there who just cant resist bidding,it is addictive to come after din din and looked around and would it be awful after looking around,you did not bid one aota??
so starting one dollar encourage people to bid,bidding begets more bidding and more pile in.
when you bid on an item at one penny,you feel like a big man on campus and feel you can afford more,say 5 bucks,someone comes and push it to 10,another push it to 20 and so on and so forth.
you see my point??
posted on March 16, 2003 01:28:24 PM new
ahc3 - you said
"barbarake, I think you missed my point, the minimum bid at a live auction is the reserve usually. What I am stating is that if there was an auction that started at $1, you bid an item to $500, and then told that it did not meet seller's secret reserve (which you have no idea what it is) - Live auctions usually start at a minimum bid of what the reserve is. "
No, I think I understood you correctly. I'm talking about situations (at an auction) where the bidding starts at ten dollars or whatever - gets bid up to $300 and stops there - auctioneer says the seller can't let it go for that and needs $500. The high bidder has the chance to pay $500 and buy it. If the bidder declines, the item is not sold.
I come across this all the time. Is this unusual??
posted on March 16, 2003 01:41:58 PM new
Ok, thanks for clarifying. As I said, most of my experience is in collectibles auctions (i.e. stamps, coins, etc.) but I have attended general auctions as well. I have yet to see that happen, but perhaps it is a regional thing? I am unsure...
posted on March 16, 2003 02:05:12 PM new
That is very unusual barbarake , for around here anyway" If that happened at an auction here there would be an A$$ kicking going on. The auctioneer would have to be in a bullet proof shield
posted on March 16, 2003 03:23:50 PM new
There are all sorts of auctions. Backwoods country auction, small city auction, big city auction, and of course Ebay auction. My point was that at the oldest and most respected big city auctions, like Christie's and Sotheby's, the places that started the whole concept of an auction, hidden reserves are the norm and have been for over 200 years. People are used to them and I don't think they've ever had an auctioneer's A.. get kicked. What happens at some country bumpkin auction depends on each particular country and each particular bumpkin.
[ edited by pointy on Mar 16, 2003 06:28 PM ]
