maxman Looking at the bidder list and looking at the automatic bids, I see that there are several cases where it appears that a bidder has an automatic bid followed directly by another automatic bid. Why/how does that happen?
Looking at the bidder list and looking at the automatic bids, I see that there are several cases where it appears that a bidder has an automatic bid followed directly by another automatic bid. Why/how does that happen?
Here is another twist. A bidder can bid an amount higher than the incremental bid, but that higher amount is kept secret since only the incremental bid will be posted. That's why those automatic bids appear while a bidder's maximum bid is kept secret.
Rich
Alton Junction
maxman From what I read above, there is a 3% fee for using paypal. I presume that the seller pays that fee. Correct or not? Is there any rule that someone is forced to use paypal? And is there any advantage to doing so?
From what I read above, there is a 3% fee for using paypal. I presume that the seller pays that fee. Correct or not? Is there any rule that someone is forced to use paypal? And is there any advantage to doing so?
Yes, PayPal charges a 3% fee which is paid by the seller if the seller uses PayPal to complete the transaction. Technically speaking, a seller does not have to use PayPal but it is becoming more frequent. I believe that a Buy It Now option requires the seller to use PayPal.
There are advantages to PayPal. One, the buyer's payment to the seller is immediate. Two, PayPal insures the transaction and will intervene on behalf of the seller where controversy arises.
rrebellMany of us will not bid on anything with a reserve
I am one of those.
To me a reserve is just a way of saying "I don't really want to sell this".
Also, and this might not be the case any longer, a seller can lower the reserve while the auction is active. Then you can become the winning bidder unexpectedly after you went and spent your hobby money elsewhere.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
SeeYou190 rrebell Many of us will not bid on anything with a reserve I am one of those. To me a reserve is just a way of saying "I don't really want to sell this". Also, and this might not be the case any longer, a seller can lower the reserve while the auction is active.
rrebell Many of us will not bid on anything with a reserve
Also, and this might not be the case any longer, a seller can lower the reserve while the auction is active.
The seller wants to sell the item, but does not wish to take a "loss" if the bidding is not very aggressive. Some sellers like to set the "starting bid" at 1 cent or $1.00, but that is fraught with risk if the bidding is not very aggressive, so the reserve price is the seller's protection against loss, loss being defined as an amount less than the seller believes the item is worth.
What I do when listing an item auction style is to select a starting bid equal to the minium price that I am willing to accept.
richhotrainWhat I do when listing an item auction style is to select a starting bid equal to the minium price that I am willing to accept.
I think this is a much better approach than a secret reserve price that buyers need to guess at.
I would prefer a $160.00 opening bid over a $1.00 opening bid with a secret reserve price of $160.00 that never gets reached and the item goes unsold.
SeeYou190 richhotrain What I do when listing an item auction style is to select a starting bid equal to the minium price that I am willing to accept. I think this is a much better approach than a secret reserve price that buyers need to guess at. I would prefer a $160.00 opening bid over a $1.00 opening bid with a secret reserve price of $160.00 that never gets reached and the item goes unsold. -Kevin
richhotrain What I do when listing an item auction style is to select a starting bid equal to the minium price that I am willing to accept.
richhotrain hbgatsf I understand what a reserve is. I was asking about what appeared to be a reference to a special fee when using one as a seller. A reserve price fee is a special fee. It is charged to the seller by eBay in addition to the "final value" fee. As Big Daddy indicated, the reserve price fee is the greater of $5.00 or 7.5% of the reserve price. Rich
hbgatsf I understand what a reserve is. I was asking about what appeared to be a reference to a special fee when using one as a seller.
I understand what a reserve is. I was asking about what appeared to be a reference to a special fee when using one as a seller.
A reserve price fee is a special fee. It is charged to the seller by eBay in addition to the "final value" fee. As Big Daddy indicated, the reserve price fee is the greater of $5.00 or 7.5% of the reserve price.
I see. It is a charge on top of the normal fee.
Thanks
Rick
So then the real difference between selecting a starting bid equal to the minimum price you are willing to accept and a reserve price is that the reserve price is a secret?
richhotrainSorry for so many individual posts.
That was okay. Made it easier for me to understand.
On the issue of hidden bids, when I first looked at them it appeared that there were two sequential bids from the same bidder. However, looking at the bidder list a little closer, I guess what happened was that someone else placed a bid immediately after the first bidder's bid, so Ebay automatically placed an incremental bid.
Thanks for taking the time to answering my questions. It all seems pretty complicated to me, but if I ever feel inclined to use ebay to sell something I can get my daughter to come over to help. That would be partial payback for the college education I paid for.
Dick
I put a number of small MR items up for Buy It Now (BIN) last week, with "Allow Offers" unchecked. Every few days a number of them show "Make Offer". I called EBay twice about this and they said that is just what I see when viewing, suggesting that I can make an offer to someone who looked or is watching. I checked today and some more items show to the public "Make Offer" and I have to go in and uncheck the "Allow Offers" box again.
Has this happened to others? I asked if there is somewhere where I need to set preferences to stop this automatic, undesired change to my listings. They said no. I am getting frustrated, as they do not acknowledge what is occurring. I know they do not like plain BIN, as offers and/or taking bids more ensures sales, which is good for them.
Paul
Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent
peahrens I put a number of small MR items up for Buy It Now (BIN) last week, with "Allow Offers" unchecked. Every few days a number of them show "Make Offer". I called EBay twice about this and they said that is just what I see when viewing, suggesting that I can make an offer to someone who looked or is watching. I checked today and some more items show to the public "Make Offer" and I have to go in and uncheck the "Allow Offers" box again. Has this happened to others? I asked if there is somewhere where I need to set preferences to stop this automatic, undesired change to my listings. They said no. I am getting frustrated, as they do not acknowledge what is occurring. I know they do not like plain BIN, as offers and/or taking bids more ensures sales, which is good for them.
richhotrain peahrens I put a number of small MR items up for Buy It Now (BIN) last week, with "Allow Offers" unchecked. Every few days a number of them show "Make Offer". I called EBay twice about this and they said that is just what I see when viewing, suggesting that I can make an offer to someone who looked or is watching. I checked today and some more items show to the public "Make Offer" and I have to go in and uncheck the "Allow Offers" box again. Has this happened to others? I asked if there is somewhere where I need to set preferences to stop this automatic, undesired change to my listings. They said no. I am getting frustrated, as they do not acknowledge what is occurring. I know they do not like plain BIN, as offers and/or taking bids more ensures sales, which is good for them. I am a relatively frequent user of eBay, but I had not heard of this before. So, I looked it up and found that eBay will do this after a BIN listing is two weeks old or after one week if the number of Views is low. Sellers are going nuts but eBay is being eBay. Rich
I am a relatively frequent user of eBay, but I had not heard of this before. So, I looked it up and found that eBay will do this after a BIN listing is two weeks old or after one week if the number of Views is low. Sellers are going nuts but eBay is being eBay.
It's doubly frustrating when the reps (more than one) tell me that I'm imagining it...that it does not work that way. That neat feature (for them) is not noted anywhere where I can find it. They are succeeding in driving me to do bids and setting the opening at my minimum that makes the effort worthwhile. I'm just tryng to clear out some leftovers.
Yeah, that is too bad, but that is eBay. More and more, they are doing their darndest to move those BIN listings to conclusion. If it isn't sold in 2 weeks, they intervene. If the number of Views is low, they intervene.