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HP Forum Archive 19

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How did this happen?
Message #1 Posted by Wilhelm Taylor on 7 May 2010, 7:47 p.m.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Hewlett-Packard-HP-41CX-Calculator-w-Math-Stat-Pac-/180503877058?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Calculators&hash=item2a06de95c2

$0.99 and no takers? 5 day auction.

Strange

      
Re: How did this happen?
Message #2 Posted by Vieira, Luiz C. (Brazil) on 7 May 2010, 8:13 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by Wilhelm Taylor

Strange? STRANGE? I´m strange, this is outrageous!

I´m so chocked I can´t tell a thing...

      
Re: How did this happen?
Message #3 Posted by Manatee on 7 May 2010, 8:36 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by Wilhelm Taylor

Interesting. I'd been looking for one, and I don't recall seeing that one.

      
Re: How did this happen?
Message #4 Posted by Haskell on 7 May 2010, 8:38 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by Wilhelm Taylor

Maybe because the guy has zero feedback... but even then for $14.50 shipping + $0.99 bid, it would have been worth the risk.

            
Re: How did this happen?
Message #5 Posted by Paul Dale on 7 May 2010, 9:11 p.m.,
in response to message #4 by Haskell

Also only ships to the US so most of the world wouldn't have seen it.

- Pauli

                  
Re: How did this happen?
Message #6 Posted by gene wright on 7 May 2010, 10:06 p.m.,
in response to message #5 by Paul Dale

It might have been ended shortly after being listed by the seller.

That way no one would have seen it.

Does anyone see a start time? I see when it ended, but where is the start time?

                        
Re: How did this happen?
Message #7 Posted by Michael Meyer on 7 May 2010, 10:57 p.m.,
in response to message #6 by gene wright

I seem to recall that there was a reserve price on the calculator. Maybe no one wanted to see how high the reserve was....

                              
Re: How did this happen?
Message #8 Posted by Michael de Estrada on 8 May 2010, 12:08 a.m.,
in response to message #7 by Michael Meyer

I refuse to bid on reserve auctions.

                                    
Re: How did this happen?
Message #9 Posted by Martin Pinckney on 8 May 2010, 10:53 a.m.,
in response to message #8 by Michael de Estrada

Curious as to why. If you set up a snipe bid with the max bid you want to pay, it doesn't matter whether there's a reserve or not.

Reserve auctions can be very useful to the seller, when combined with a BIN price. If you do not have a reserve, then someone can place a bid right after you list the auction, thereby eliminating the BIN option. So using a reserve keeps your auction visible to the greatest number of potential buyers for a longer period of time.

Knowing how it aids me as a seller, I am not put off as a buyer.

                                          
Re: How did this happen?
Message #10 Posted by Massimo Gnerucci (Italy) on 8 May 2010, 11:58 a.m.,
in response to message #9 by Martin Pinckney

And why don't you simply start your auction at your reserve price?

Greetings,
Massimo

                                                
Re: How did this happen?
Message #11 Posted by Juergen Keller on 8 May 2010, 1:08 p.m.,
in response to message #10 by Massimo Gnerucci (Italy)

It's more expensive ...

                                                      
Re: How did this happen?
Message #12 Posted by Martin Pinckney on 8 May 2010, 2:08 p.m.,
in response to message #11 by Juergen Keller

Yes, it is. But there is another reason. Having studied eB** auctions a long time, I have concluded that there is are certain strange psychological forces at work. Whereas Michael refuses to bid on a reserve price auctions, I have concluded that many potential bidders will avoid an auction that starts with a "high" opening bid, even if that opening bid is somewhat less than the item is probably worth.

There are a few more such strange psychologies surrounding eB**.

                                                            
Re: How did this happen?
Message #13 Posted by Massimo Gnerucci (Italy) on 8 May 2010, 2:50 p.m.,
in response to message #12 by Martin Pinckney

Ok, it's more expensive, but only if it goes unsold. Or am I totally wrong?
What is the object of the game? You want to sell it, right?
You start at the usual .99$ and let us bid up until we reach the magical plateau... When we find it you have to pay the same eBay fees. Right?
If you won't let it go under a certain amount why not only put a BIN price and wait for your customer?

I, for one, avoid bidding on reserve auctions (unless the item is a really peculiar one) since they could also be used to poll the interest about the item for sale and forge a following auction based on the result collected before.

Not that this could impact my chances since I always snipe...

I understand that hoping for a battle among newcomers to ride up the bids, being sure to not let the item go unless a reserve is reached and also putting in a BIN if someone wants it at once is covering all bases but...

However I concur that strange psychologies are at work when we visit TAS ;)

Greetings,
Massimo

                                                                  
Re: How did this happen?
Message #14 Posted by Juergen Keller on 9 May 2010, 3:43 a.m.,
in response to message #13 by Massimo Gnerucci (Italy)

Quote:
If you won't let it go under a certain amount why not only put a BIN price and wait for your customer?

As Martin already explained: the BIN offer disappears as soon there is the first bid. With a reserve price the BIN offer is available as long as the reserve price is not reached.

                                                                        
Re: How did this happen?
Message #15 Posted by Massimo Gnerucci (Italy) on 9 May 2010, 4:08 a.m.,
in response to message #14 by Juergen Keller

BIN as per not an auction: this is the price I want for my item...

                                                                              
Re: How did this happen?
Message #16 Posted by Juergen Keller on 9 May 2010, 11:56 a.m.,
in response to message #15 by Massimo Gnerucci (Italy)

It is perfectly legal to say: this is my BIN price, go for it if you want this item badly, for all the others this is my reserve price, I won't let it go for less. And there is a span in between for those who just want to try their luck. I don't see any problem with this. eBay is NOT just an auction platform, there are many many shops on eBay which sell their stuff at fixed prices. If you want a cheap HP calculator go to your local flea market; perhaps you are lucky. Otherwise you have to arrange with the normal economic system. Remember that you do not have to buy on eBay if you don't want to, and you do not have to bid on reserve price auctions. eBay is a company that has to make profit and make their share holders happy. So they have to provide different selling strategies for their members. I don't like every eBay feature, too, but there is no perfect company or service, probably because the LCD between all human beings is so small ;-)

                                                                                    
Re: How did this happen?
Message #17 Posted by Massimo Gnerucci (Italy) on 9 May 2010, 12:41 p.m.,
in response to message #16 by Juergen Keller

This went far away the original scope of the post.
I don't have anything against eBay rules and go with them when I have the mood to. This was about reserve auctions, not eBay economics and shareholders.
I have nothing more to add about auctions preferences and liking; I only hope I made my point of view clear.

Greetings,
Massimo

                  
Re: How did this happen?
Message #18 Posted by Juergen Keller on 8 May 2010, 4:08 a.m.,
in response to message #5 by Paul Dale

Probably someone has made a good BIN offer and he stopped the auction ...

      
Re: How did this happen?
Message #19 Posted by jotne on 10 May 2010, 3:42 a.m.,
in response to message #1 by Wilhelm Taylor

Shipping to US only do limit the auction

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