posted on August 28, 2003 06:03:01 AM new
For those following my saga:
Ralphie picked-up some lovely old plates last week & we came here for advice which youse guys really came thru!
I listed them at $19.99 & they both have bids -- that's GOOD!
BUT, I just git this email:
"...i just thought i would tell you an antique dealer told me those plates are worth over five hundred dollars those marks you are talking about are tripod marks or kiln marks which dates the plate toearly 1800s.not sure if you knew that.thank you ."
WHAT?? Oh no MR BILL!
Is this for real??
What do I do now?? Just ride it out & hope they get more bids?? These are both NO RESERVE auctions.
You would die laughing if you knew the price Ralphie paid!
posted on August 28, 2003 06:17:58 AM new
Most antique dealers I've known have over inflated dreams. There's book value and then there's eBay market value. Let it ride, you'll get the eBay market value which is better than you can do anywhere else.
Oh, no is right. Tom, post pics and descriptions on www.gotheborg.com If they are spur marks the plates could very well be oriental (looks a bit Chinese to me) and could be quite old. Until you know for sure, I would cancel the auctions. JMO. The rabbit is a symbol of longevity, courage and strength for the Chinese. What you have could very well be Chinese.
Cheryl
Power to the people. Power to the people, right on. - John Lennon
posted on August 28, 2003 06:26:39 AM new
tomwiii..How about this for salvaging this auction.... Hurry, get something specific from the dealer, a reference source or something you can add to the auction so that bidders can find it with the appropriate keyword(s). Good luck!
posted on August 28, 2003 06:27:17 AM new
Hello
You own plates not bidders, pull auction, put down listing error, do home work, wait till better season and re list. (Then I do that I do not discuss it with bidders unless they e-mail which they never do.)
You always can lower price later but never raise it. Once auction closes you are ethically SOL. What you paid for lot is irrelevant.
Happy selling........
posted on August 28, 2003 06:55:13 AM new
your high bidder on plate without the rabbits:
"Hello old and new Ebay friends, My name is Phil Davison, and I have been buying and selling on Ebay now for over three years. I have been involved in antiques and the arts most of my life. I collect tramp art, chip carving, and Scandinavian folk art for my home. I am interested in antiques of all kinds, and am now working in the estate liquidation and appraisal field as well."
posted on August 28, 2003 07:08:06 AM new
I've added this & we'll se how it goes:
"I've been getting some emails about this plate -- some folks believe it to be valuable early 19th century due to the 3 "pocks" in the glaze. These turn out to be tripod marks! I've uploaded two more close-up pics which show these marks clearly. Please email me with any questions, & let's have some fun with this auction -- bid EARLY & OFTEN!"
posted on August 28, 2003 07:13:35 AM new
I thought if you added to a description once an item has bids it didn't show up in a search. If that is correct you might want to cancel & revise your original description.
Rabbitware stick spatter in google brought up this: (link above)
In the 19th century, people in the Philadelphia area provided a lucrative market for the many colorful tablewares made in England's Staffordshire pottery district and in similar factories on the Continent.
Today, collectors still snap up hand-decorated Gaudy Dutch, spatterware, and Adam's Rose at prices far above the pennies the dishes brought when they were first made.
None is more valuable now than rabbitware, the special plates, mugs and bowls that bear transfer-printed rabbits on the run and at play, surrounded by painted and sponge-stamped flowers. Wonderful for Easter, rabbit-decorated pottery exerts such a strong year-round appeal that enthusiasts now pay thousands of dollars to fill their wish lists.
A rare pair of plates with a rabbit border turned up earlier this month at the Navy Pier Show in Philadelphia in the booth of Marilyn Kemble of Norwich, Ohio. The price: $575 each.
posted on August 28, 2003 07:28:25 AM new
Actually....to me....and this is just my opinion, nobody will ever see what's at the bottom of the page that you added. Too much information to scroll through for my taste. Your pictures are nice, your auction format is nice....it's just SO MUCH on one page.
posted on August 28, 2003 07:38:19 AM new
I don't think everyone will scroll down that far either to see the added info.
One thing you can do is add text to your second picture (the back of the plate) and make a note for them to scroll right to the bottom of the page.
You can name the pic the same and then replace the pic.
Roadsmith had this same dilemma a few months ago with a glass pitcher and some of us advised her to start the auction over with the correct info and she did really well the 2nd time.
You take a chance that the right bidders are out there this week and that they know what to search for. Good luck with the plates, no matter what you decide to do.
Seeing what Glassgrl just posted about spatterware and the rabbits on the run -- PLEASE take your auction down and post a reserve with all the additional info you have... as well as some nice close-ups of the designs, those tripod marks, etc.
Try to keep the tone of your descriptions more subdued - like you've had this stuff for auction before -- take a look at how the link above with the cup and saucer was described. I don't mean to sound like a know-it-all, but try to keep the exclamation points to a minimum - that might be perceived as a little overexcitement and your bidders might try to get something over on you at some point in the transaction.
So - please, please, please heed the advice you've been given here to take the auction down, revise and relist - for your own sake.
Wayne
Trying to Make a Difference - One Satisfied Customer at a Time....
posted on August 28, 2003 07:58:09 AM new
very good advice, wayne
"Be kind. Remember everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." - Harry Thompson
"I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it." - A Few Good Men
posted on August 28, 2003 08:03:25 AM new
Where's hotcupoftea when you need her?! She would be excellent at describing this for you. Remember she said be very careful about describing the condition of china, what is excellent to you might not be excellent to a dealer or true collector. You need to go over it with a magnifying glass almost.
Actually, posting over there on the gotheborg website wouldn't be a bad idea. Might draw you in some extra bidders as well as correctly describing the plate.
AND you can always let the auction just keep running a bit and see what happens with the bidders, and if it gets down to that 12 hour mark and you don't like the price, you could always end the auction then and relist.
I'd go gather some information and think about relisting these correctly. Don't know about the reserve though, I hate reserves.
posted on August 28, 2003 08:19:20 AM new
here's what hotcupoftea told me:
"Be thorough with your description so that china buyers can find your auctions in their searches. Describe the pattern and colors. Describe the shape of the blank. Spell out any marks on the back. Describe the condition accurately. Never use the words "mint" or "like new" or anything similar to that. Merely state "no chips, cracks or crazing." What is excellent condition to you may not be excellent condition to the buyer. Be sure to mention wear to the gold or pattern, and note any glaze marks."
tomwiii, if you don't know hotcupoftea's seller name, go to glassgrl/ebay and ask seller a question to contact me, and I can point you in her direction. She could probably give you some great advice, I just haven't seen her over here lately.
posted on August 28, 2003 11:40:01 AM new
Cancel the auction, and relist,
might be fun to see where it goes, but if you think you will be disappointed with it going for less than it possibly could, cancel.
AIN'T LIFE GRAND...
posted on August 28, 2003 11:45:07 AM new
Tom - first stop and do a happy dance woith Ralphie - then seriously consider ending the auction- doing some reasearch and maybe relisting closer to holiday season when even collectors pursestrings loosen up even more.
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
Men Are Like Grapes. If You Stomp on Them and Keep Them in the Dark Long Enough, They Might Turn Into Something That You Would Take to Dinner
posted on August 28, 2003 11:52:00 AM new
Decisions, decisions!
After a long consultation with my biz-pardner (Ralphie), I've decided to continue the auctions!
Fortunately, my investment is very small, so there's no chance of losing anything here. One already has 3 bids & the other has 2 & it's only been 18hrs!
PLUS, each is being watched by 12 watchers so far & the hits have been tremendous -- I'm starting to become confident that these will end with a super-happy price.
I HATE reserve auctions & I detest sellers who end auctions because of low bidding -- I'm loathe to do the same & PO a bunch of ernest bidders!
I'll keep me fingers (& paws) crossed & let the auction process go on!
OTOH: I could always change my mind & end them the day before the EOA
Since you mentioned that you came by these pretty cheap, can you share the story. I love to hear success stories and getting much more than expected prices.
Hey - think about it - you've got $71.50 now bid on something you would have been happy getting $15 for in a BIN! That's great! Tell us how you found it and if you had to haggle for it, etc.
Wayne
Trying to Make a Difference - One Satisfied Customer at a Time....
posted on August 28, 2003 12:37:26 PM new
Well, ya see Wayne, it all started because Ralph decided to clean his room...
First he tossed a case of unopened Clipper Beer (Hey! 1940? Probably stale by now!), then his pin-head collection (WIT & WISDOM of GW BUSH), then Lassie's screen-test!
I did put my foot down at the HopeDiamond and his Elvis suit (he's sooo cute with sidebirns & shades!) & started to do a quick looky-see & to me amazement, there were these two plates he had bought...
AT A JUNK SHOP 2 MONTHS AGO
Like I said before, he got them for a SONG-&-DANCE: Ralphie sung "Inna-Gadda-Dog-Vito, Baby" and I danced!
posted on August 28, 2003 01:00:45 PM new
I think you're taking the correct course by letting the auctions run. Anyone can claim the items are worth $500 each but the ebay marketplace will determine their true market value.
-------------- sig file ----------- He who angers you controls you
posted on August 28, 2003 02:06:57 PM new
Tom: Rarriffle gave me excellent advice a while back, as mentioned above, and I was glad I ended the auction and relisted.
However, you're probably doing the right thing now, too, with so many people watching. Would it be sneaky for you to go to the pottery board on eBay and just post a picture of your plate(s) and ask for their opinions (or a link to the auction would be even better). That might get even more eyes on the plates. If this is illegal to do, or sneaky or underhanded, someone tell me, please.
Other thing is, we are all STILL learning about collectibles, aren't we? This experience is part of Ebay 401 (or grad school?)--and all of us, including you, Tom, will know in the future if we see one of these treasures somewhere for a song and dance--and if we have Ralphie with us, of course. What a smart buyer HE is.
___________________________________
posted on August 28, 2003 03:04:18 PM new
Ralphie said he deserves a STEAK! With a BIG Bone!
Gee, I miss living in Jax. Found my antique dining room round oak clawfoot table and 4 Windsor chairs for $100.00 when we lived there. LOVE the Goodwill store!!!
GO RALPHIE GO!!!
I would have NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS picked up those plates or given them a second glance. Ralphie has a GOOD EYE! I'm surprised at how few there are on Ebay!
posted on August 28, 2003 03:27:14 PM new
Before you get your knickers in a knot you might want to read this article about expert valuations like the one you received.
posted on August 28, 2003 03:44:00 PM new
Antiques Roadshow is the worst! They've turned everyone into "experts". I suspect they are part of the reason finding bargain basement priced treasures is hard anymore. But, the prices they give are for insurance replacement values. That value can be much, much higher than street value.
Cheryl
Power to the people. Power to the people, right on. - John Lennon
