ebay changes & boycott Feb 18-25

[Randy Cornelius]

I was told there was a computer program out there that would bid for you on ebay that would submit small bids up to sever times per minute or faster not letting anyone else the ability to log on and bid. Just what I heard don't know anyting about it.

[Warren]

I'm with Art on the sniping thing. I put in what I'm willing to pay and forget about it. If I win great and if I don't oh well. I also agree with Bill that you have to be careful and know what your bidding on. Many times I can buy an item new locally and beat the E-bay price (New or used.). Thats with paying local sales tax. There aren't any shipping costs added and I don't have to wait for it to be delivered. As for selling on E-bay the big problem with selling handmade or custom items is that most people looking to buy on E-bay want a bargain myself included. In the beginning this was why almost everything for sale on E-bay were used items that people wanted to get rid of and make a little money off it in the process. Ta da a huge online garage sale or flea market. Now a lot of what is listed is new. In other words people have time and or money invested in the item that they need to recoup. That is something entirely different than making a few bucks from your unwanted used items. Even some of the used items that are now listed are coming from estate, junk and garage sales that people purposely went out and bought for the sole purpose of re-selling on E-bay. People are making a business out of just that aspect of E-bay. That is a whole other animal than what it started out as. I have never tried to sell anything on E-bay so I know nothing about their shipping policies. Having said that, it would make sense to me to cover your handling cost by including it in the reserve price of the item you are listing. Just my two cents worth. Warren

[Warren]

Oh yeah Melody, I forgot to tell you thanks for the links to the websites and that I went to look at your website. Very cool!! I don't know how you do that but it's impressive. Warren

[unicornwoman]

Oh yeah Melody, I forgot to tell you thanks for the links to the websites and that I went to look at your website. Very cool!! I don't know how you do that but it's impressive. Warren

Thanks for the comments on my work!

The thing about upping your reserve price is that then ebay charges you more.

[CitizenKate]

Hi Art,

You're right, sniping is not considered cheating by ebay's rules, and I have nothing against the players who take advantage of those rules. If they want to run their sandbox that way, it's their right. But, that's one reason why I don't play in their sandbox any more.

If you want to use the analogy of live auctions (which I do attend on occasion), my observation is that there is no sniping there because the auction is usually held open for a certain amount of time after the last bid is placed. So nobody can place a bid without giving the other players ample time to reconsider their bids and place another one before the close of the auction. It's called "going... going... gone".

Kate

Hi Kate,

What is sniping? Bidding at the last minute? I just can't see how that is cheating. That is like casinos considering card counting cheating. If God gives you the brains or drive to do something legal, why not? I think the eBay format where the auction is open for 5 or more days causes the sniping. In a real auction, decisions are made and it is all over in a minute at most. In an eBay auction, it is also over in about a minute too, the last minute of a seven day auction. The fact that all the action takes place in the last minute makes it like a real auction, that is how a real auction works. Now if you don't want to play in the auction format, there are the eBay stores or any of a multitude of other Internet and non-Internet channels to move the goods. eBay puts a lot of eyes on the merchandise which makes it a sandbox a lot of folks want to play in; it's eBay's sandbox and we all should play by their rules. There are a lot of things Baaaad about eBay, but playing by the rules ain't one of them.

There are however a lot of folks that really cheat the eBay system, and eBay itself does a terrible job of policing them, probably because eBay is not the one being cheated or hurt.

Art

[CitizenKate]

Hi Warren,

You just brought up my second big reason for not selling on ebay any more. A flea market is not the place to sell handmade work.

Kate

As for selling on E-bay the big problem with selling handmade or custom items is that most people looking to buy on E-bay want a bargain myself included. In the beginning this was why almost everything for sale on E-bay were used items that people wanted to get rid of and make a little money off it in the process. Ta da a huge online garage sale or flea market.

[Art]

Hi Kate,

I still have a problem with being called a cheater. I snipe and auto bid, I put my maximum price in the auto bid, I win or I lose, I don't cheat.

Art

I don't care for their particular auction format, as I have long felt that it encourages too much sniping. I've read all the debates pro and con, but I still feel it is a form of cheating and avoiding having to make a fair bid.

[CitizenKate]

Art,

Perhaps I used a poor choice of wording when I said that. In some places, sniping is considered acceptable, and in others it's not. If you use sniping tactics in places where it's considered acceptable, I have nothing against you. But it does affect my choice of whether or not I would sell there.

Kate

Hi Kate,

I still have a problem with being called a cheater. I snipe and auto bid, I put my maximum price in the auto bid, I win or I lose, I don't cheat.

Art

[bruce johnson]

I have been satisfied with ebay as a buyer and seller. As a buyer, the automatic bidding takes the time and emotion factor out of it for me. I set my max and let it roll. I have sold a few used saddles, and some other things on ebay. The sellers fees charged even on the higher dollar stuff was way less than comparable commission rates at any auctions I have been around, or consignment fees at local feedstores. Ebay really doesn't do or allow things that aren't done at any other auction, except they haven't started charging buyers premiums yet.

[rawhide1]

I too figure the top price I want to pay and let it go from there if someone wants to pay more in the last minute than so be it. And I want everyone to get the money they have coming to them for the shipping and handling. But with that said a person would have to drive pretty far and use a dang nice box to justify a $5-$10 handling fee. I guess I figure that when I sell something to somebody getting it in a box and taking it to wherever to be shipped is in the price I sell it for. So then all I need to do is charge actual shipping. Just my .02cents worth.

Mike