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Next: 16/c Convertiana
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Since: May 14, 2008
Posts: 5
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(Msg. 1) Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 3:12 pm
Post subject: Is eBay best to auction an expensive book?
Archived from groups: rec>collecting>books (more info?)
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I've used eBay successfully in the past for both buying and selling,
but only for things reaching the $300 range. I've never tried selling
an expensive item on eBay before. I'm going to auction a couple books
as a set that should go for considerably higher. $4000 would be a
minimum bid.
Is eBay still the place for something like that? Would potential
buyers be scared off for using eBay for that? I know people do sell
valuable items on eBay put since a lot of the value in a collectible
book is in the condition, wouldn't only being able to see pictures of
the book be a downer?
Are there conditions under which you're better off with an actual
physical auction? That would likely limit the potential market for my
books since they are highly sought after but likely only in a very
limited market.
-David |
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Since: May 14, 2008
Posts: 5
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(Msg. 2) Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 3:20 pm
Post subject: Re: Is eBay best to auction an expensive book? [Login to view extended thread Info.]
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On Wed, 14 May 2008 15:12:30 -0700, David T. Bilek
<davidbilek RemoveThis @att.net> wrote:
*snip my post*
Yes, I really am following up my own post twice.
One last question; Once I decide to auction the books, are there
appropriate places on the web/usenet to post an announcement? I hate
spammers with the incandescent fire of a thousand blazing suns and
thus will not be spamming either usenet or web forums.
But there must be places that people watch to find out about
interesting auctions. I know there are some marketplace newsgroups
but I doubt anybody looks at those considering how spamalicious they
are.
So is there, in fact, anywhere it is actually both
A) appropriate
and
B) useful
to post?
-David |
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Since: May 14, 2008
Posts: 3
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(Msg. 3) Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 10:33 pm
Post subject: Re: Is eBay best to auction an expensive book? [Login to view extended thread Info.]
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start all of your books at $1.....not at a high minimum
"David T. Bilek" <davidbilek.RemoveThis@att.net> wrote in message
news:clom245h5o99cuhphnf1qlv80hlrv4a71t@4ax.com...
> I've used eBay successfully in the past for both buying and selling,
> but only for things reaching the $300 range. I've never tried selling
> an expensive item on eBay before. I'm going to auction a couple books
> as a set that should go for considerably higher. $4000 would be a
> minimum bid.
>
> Is eBay still the place for something like that? Would potential
> buyers be scared off for using eBay for that? I know people do sell
> valuable items on eBay put since a lot of the value in a collectible
> book is in the condition, wouldn't only being able to see pictures of
> the book be a downer?
>
> Are there conditions under which you're better off with an actual
> physical auction? That would likely limit the potential market for my
> books since they are highly sought after but likely only in a very
> limited market.
>
> -David >> Stay informed about: Is eBay best to auction an expensive book? |
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Since: May 14, 2008
Posts: 5
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(Msg. 4) Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 10:33 pm
Post subject: Re: Is eBay best to auction an expensive book? [Login to view extended thread Info.]
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Since: May 14, 2008
Posts: 3
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(Msg. 5) Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 12:17 pm
Post subject: Re: Is eBay best to auction an expensive book? [Login to view extended thread Info.]
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"David T. Bilek" <davidbilek.RemoveThis@att.net> wrote in message
news:nb9n24dsie18483i9v08cj794qsk3dabve@4ax.com...
> Do people react better to a $1 min bid with a reserve than a high min
> bid? Or do you mean don't sell with a reserve at <all?
$1 minimum with no reserve at all. Reserves will scare away bidders. >> Stay informed about: Is eBay best to auction an expensive book? |
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Since: May 14, 2008
Posts: 5
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(Msg. 6) Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 1:07 pm
Post subject: Re: Is eBay best to auction an expensive book? [Login to view extended thread Info.]
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"Al D." <cripplecorner RemoveThis @no.xx.org> wrote:
>"David T. Bilek" <davidbilek RemoveThis @att.net> wrote in message
>news:nb9n24dsie18483i9v08cj794qsk3dabve@4ax.com...
>> Do people react better to a $1 min bid with a reserve than a high min
>> bid? Or do you mean don't sell with a reserve at <all?
>
>$1 minimum with no reserve at all. Reserves will scare away bidders.
>
That scares me, because I'm not willing to part with the books below a
certain amount. I believe it's extremely likely the bidding would
reach that amount, but there could be a fluke where people just don't
see the auction or something and miss it and it sells for less than I
want to accept.
-David >> Stay informed about: Is eBay best to auction an expensive book? |
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Since: May 24, 2007
Posts: 67
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(Msg. 7) Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 3:42 pm
Post subject: Re: Is eBay best to auction an expensive book? [Login to view extended thread Info.]
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Since: May 15, 2008
Posts: 1
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(Msg. 8) Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 8:27 pm
Post subject: Re: Is eBay best to auction an expensive book? [Login to view extended thread Info.]
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You are getting stoopid advice. If the item is worth some certain amount of
money below which you will not accept and has some intrinsic value then
there's no reason not to have a reserve or opening bid. No one bidding on a
first edition of Moby Dick or Great Expectations is going to be scared to
bid because there's a reserve price. OTC, I wouldn't bid on a first edition
of a valuable book that was listed for a dollar because I'd assume it wasn't
what it was purported to be.
"David T. Bilek" <davidbilek.TakeThisOut@att.net> wrote in message
news:ms5p245qpvmosv333j2rre548nmeg8gi34@4ax.com...
> "Al D." <cripplecorner.TakeThisOut@no.xx.org> wrote:
>>"David T. Bilek" <davidbilek.TakeThisOut@att.net> wrote in message
>>news:nb9n24dsie18483i9v08cj794qsk3dabve@4ax.com...
>>> Do people react better to a $1 min bid with a reserve than a high min
>>> bid? Or do you mean don't sell with a reserve at <all?
>>
>>$1 minimum with no reserve at all. Reserves will scare away bidders.
>>
>
> That scares me, because I'm not willing to part with the books below a
> certain amount. I believe it's extremely likely the bidding would
> reach that amount, but there could be a fluke where people just don't
> see the auction or something and miss it and it sells for less than I
> want to accept.
>
> -David >> Stay informed about: Is eBay best to auction an expensive book? |
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Since: Mar 12, 2008
Posts: 51
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(Msg. 9) Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 8:53 pm
Post subject: Re: Is eBay best to auction an expensive book? [Login to view extended thread Info.]
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foad wrote:
> You are getting stoopid advice. If the item is worth some certain amount of
> money below which you will not accept and has some intrinsic value then
> there's no reason not to have a reserve or opening bid. No one bidding on a
> first edition of Moby Dick or Great Expectations is going to be scared to
> bid because there's a reserve price. OTC, I wouldn't bid on a first edition
> of a valuable book that was listed for a dollar because I'd assume it wasn't
> what it was purported to be.
>
>
Agreed. You won't see Christie's putting up anything
valuable without a reserve.
I would provide a careful, professional description of the
condition of the book. As a buyer, I look to see if a
seller has a clue what s/he is selling. There are some
listings that I would not chance buying on because of the
poor description of the book (whether or not the book is in
fine condition).
Francis A. Miniter >> Stay informed about: Is eBay best to auction an expensive book? |
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Since: May 15, 2008
Posts: 2
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(Msg. 10) Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 11:51 pm
Post subject: Re: Is eBay best to auction an expensive book? [Login to view extended thread Info.]
Archived from groups: per prev. post (more info?)
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David T. Bilek <davidbilek.RemoveThis@att.net> wrote in
news:ms5p245qpvmosv333j2rre548nmeg8gi34@4ax.com:
> "Al D." <cripplecorner.RemoveThis@no.xx.org> wrote:
>>"David T. Bilek" <davidbilek.RemoveThis@att.net> wrote in message
>>news:nb9n24dsie18483i9v08cj794qsk3dabve@4ax.com...
>>> Do people react better to a $1 min bid with a reserve than a high min
>>> bid? Or do you mean don't sell with a reserve at <all?
>>
>>$1 minimum with no reserve at all. Reserves will scare away bidders.
>>
>
> That scares me, because I'm not willing to part with the books below a
> certain amount. I believe it's extremely likely the bidding would
> reach that amount, but there could be a fluke where people just don't
> see the auction or something and miss it and it sells for less than I
> want to accept.
David, I don't know how much truth there is to the statement that "reserves
scare off bidders." I know that they don't scare me off from an item I'm
interested in. I make my bid and take my chances. They probably do scare
off casual shoppers, but those aren't the people who are going to go up to
$4000 on books, anyway. There you're looking at serious buyers. As long as
the reserve isn't unreasonably high, if it were me, I'd set the minimum bid
high enough to indicate the level of price I'm looking for, and set the
reserve at the minimum I'd accept.
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com ** >> Stay informed about: Is eBay best to auction an expensive book? |
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Since: May 14, 2008
Posts: 3
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(Msg. 11) Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 1:25 am
Post subject: Re: Is eBay best to auction an expensive book? [Login to view extended thread Info.]
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<That scares me, because I'm not willing to part with <the books below a
certain amount.
Then why the hell did you come in here looking for advice if you already
made a decision to set a reserve? By the way, the other posters here are
booksellers on eBay and they'll tell you to set a reserve or high minimum
bid in order to drive away your potential bidders. The last thing they want
to see are new eBay booksellers, especially of rare books
(their specialty), because that only increases
competition and siphons more potential bidders away from them. >> Stay informed about: Is eBay best to auction an expensive book? |
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Since: May 15, 2008
Posts: 2
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(Msg. 12) Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 1:51 am
Post subject: Re: Is eBay best to auction an expensive book? [Login to view extended thread Info.]
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"Al D." <cripplecorner.DeleteThis@no.xx.org> wrote in
news:PJqdncyVld2BhrDVnZ2dnUVZ_vCdnZ2d@bright.net:
> <That scares me, because I'm not willing to part with <the books below
> a certain amount.
>
> Then why the hell did you come in here looking for advice if you
> already made a decision to set a reserve? By the way, the other
> posters here are booksellers on eBay and they'll tell you to set a
> reserve or high minimum bid in order to drive away your potential
> bidders. The last thing they want to see are new eBay booksellers,
> especially of rare books (their specialty), because that only
> increases competition and siphons more potential bidders away from
> them.
He knows how much he needs to get and was asking if eBay is a good place to
get that price. And I'm not a bookseller, I'm a book-buyer. The more
booksellers on eBay, the better for me.
And I still say that reserves don't scare off serious bidders. They scare
off the people who are hoping to nab a gem for a fraction of its fair
price. Those aren't the people the OP needs to worry about pleasing.
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com ** >> Stay informed about: Is eBay best to auction an expensive book? |
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Since: Feb 24, 2008
Posts: 4
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(Msg. 13) Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 2:27 am
Post subject: Re: Is eBay best to auction an expensive book? [Login to view extended thread Info.]
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"Al D." <cripplecorner RemoveThis @no.xx.org> wrote in message
news:PJqdncyVld2BhrDVnZ2dnUVZ_vCdnZ2d@bright.net...
> <That scares me, because I'm not willing to part with <the books below a
> certain amount.
>
> Then why the hell did you come in here looking for advice if you already
> made a decision to set a reserve? By the way, the other posters here are
> booksellers on eBay and they'll tell you to set a reserve or high minimum
> bid in order to drive away your potential bidders. The last thing they
> want
> to see are new eBay booksellers, especially of rare books
> (their specialty), because that only increases
> competition and siphons more potential bidders away from them.
>
You are wrong on so many counts. I am not a bookseller on eBay. And he
hadn't already made a decision -- he asked for advice. And you gave him
stupid advice. If he has a valuable book (or even if it's not) that wants a
minimum price for -- then set a reserve. It won't scare away any legitimate
buyer. What it will do is two things -- guarantee that he won't sell a
valuable book at a low price, and reduce the possibility of selling to
bottom-feeding idiots like you who want to screw someone over to get
something for nothing. There is absolutely NO VALUE to your idiotic advice
and YOU KNOW IT! >> Stay informed about: Is eBay best to auction an expensive book? |
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Since: Mar 12, 2008
Posts: 51
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(Msg. 14) Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 9:37 am
Post subject: Re: Is eBay best to auction an expensive book? [Login to view extended thread Info.]
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Al D. wrote:
> <That scares me, because I'm not willing to part with <the books below a
> certain amount.
>
> Then why the hell did you come in here looking for advice if you already
> made a decision to set a reserve? By the way, the other posters here are
> booksellers on eBay and they'll tell you to set a reserve or high minimum
> bid in order to drive away your potential bidders. The last thing they want
> to see are new eBay booksellers, especially of rare books
> (their specialty), because that only increases
> competition and siphons more potential bidders away from them.
>
>
I have never sold a book on eBay and I gave advice, so your
statement is not true.
Francis A. Miniter >> Stay informed about: Is eBay best to auction an expensive book? |
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Since: May 14, 2008
Posts: 5
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(Msg. 15) Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 12:20 pm
Post subject: Re: Is eBay best to auction an expensive book? [Login to view extended thread Info.]
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On Fri, 16 May 2008 01:25:51 -0700, "Al D." <cripplecorner.DeleteThis@no.xx.org>
wrote:
><That scares me, because I'm not willing to part with <the books below a
>certain amount.
>
>Then why the hell did you come in here looking for advice if you already
>made a decision to set a reserve? By the way, the other posters here are
>booksellers on eBay and they'll tell you to set a reserve or high minimum
>bid in order to drive away your potential bidders. The last thing they want
>to see are new eBay booksellers, especially of rare books
>(their specialty), because that only increases
>competition and siphons more potential bidders away from them.
>
To recap: everybody else said your advice was stupid and wrong and
you're yelling at me for listening to them.
-David >> Stay informed about: Is eBay best to auction an expensive book? |
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