Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums Online Auctions, eBay Craigslist Petroliana another auction ended early

I get so ****** when this happens. Need one for COTM too! He's a well known dealer, well he won't be having any dealing with me in the future.

120061470526

O'Hern's a good dude....cut him some slack.

If the reserve had met the item would still be out there. Step up to the plate and it would be yours. John is a straight up guy just trying to make a living in this hobby. MY 2 cents. ted

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Ted Pam & Ethyl Roach
Lodi CA.
Looking for Signal, Hancock, Mohawk, Douglas, Gilmore and Richfield

Anybody who pulls anything before the auction is over is not playing fair!! That's my opinion.

Signaholic....you opinion is a valid one, it can be frustrating.

John is a good guy to deal with. I've had many satisfactory transactions with him.
Someone probably called or emailed him with an offer he couldn't refuse.
I understand why he pulled it but it is very frustrating for those that like to bid at the end of the auction.

[This message has been edited by Lastgas15 (edited 12-07-2006).]

Vern,
Check the pictures I sent you for COTM. I'm pretty sure I sent you a picture of one of those signs.
Bob

I don't know that ending auctions is unfair...

If you sell on ebay and put a reserve then you do not get as many bids.

If you let the auction run till the end, the seller is at risk of selling an item for much less then what he needed to get out of the auction. When an offer floats through on email that is fair value for the item, the risk is gone by ending the auction early.

Take a look at this auction. I had offers for $450 and $550 but decided to play fair and it ended up selling for $338. Neither of the people who made the offers bid on the items on ebay. I would have made more money selling the cans by themselves or ending the auction.

130054064505 Auction I should have ended

On the other hand, I had this globe for sale for much less then the ending price on ebay. Auction 130054064505 If someone would have offered me $4k for it yesterday I would have taken it off in a heartbeat and would have lost $500!

I will be listing some more signs and globes in the next couple of days. I would like to let the auctions run there course with out reserve, but when you loose money its hard to let a good offer pass you by.

Bottom line for me as a bidder, if I see something I like. I try to make an offer, if they reject it I put that as my bid on ebay. When I am a seller, I try to let it run but auctions like the one above make it hard to let it ride


[This message has been edited by powerlube (edited 12-07-2006).]

Come on guys, that's the risk of an auction...I think it's just as ridiculous when people put reserve prices that are the full retail value of the item as when ending an auction early...put it in the classifieds or put it on with a "buy it now" price for what you want...an auction isn't the only way to do things on ebay. But if you're running an auction, put it on, roll the dice, and see what happens, that's the point. If that's too scarey for you, throw it in the classifieds. Just my opinion.

...if you put a reserve on the item, you don't risk anything...if it's a nice piece, it will bring in the money...the reserve is the seller's protection against losing $$...

...the ONLY reason people write to ask the seller to end the auction early is because they feel the item will bring more than they want to pay for it, period...

...can you imagine if the auctioneer at an Aumann auction took a couple of bids on an item, and then pulled it and sold it to a guy who came up and whispered "I'll give you ---- for it if you end the auction now"? How would that go over? Would that be fair to the other potential bidders?

E-Bay auctions depend a lot on who is the market the week an item is up for sale. There are some weeks when an item, which should sell for $150, is lucky to get $50. Two weeks later the same thing sells for $250. It all depends on who is looking, what time of the year and month and other factors that are just plain impossible to predict.

I myself prefer not use reserves for my auctions. 95% of my stuff is generally under $100 in value and at that amount all you are doing when you run a reserve is making e-Bay richer and you poorer. But, when an item is worth thousands, a reserve isn't too bad an idea. But, it still leaves you with less (courtesy of e-Bay fees) than just starting the item at your minimum amount.

The grand theory behind reserves is that you draw people in with a cheap price and they all start bidding against each other driving the price up to market value....or above!!!!! From what I have seen a reserve usually only sees the small fish nibbling while the big fish everybody is waiting for to take the bait is nowhere to be found.

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Jim

Make the starting bid what you are willing to take for it. If its too high no one will bid, if it is low than it will bring more and you will be happy. I think that some times we get gready. If it brings more than you thought than good if not relist with a lower price or keep it. Scott you still on average are ahead of what you would have got ending them both. Thats the big picture here, recovering youre investment and keeping some items for youreself for nothing and maybee if there is anything left making a buck or two. JM2C
Brandon

Ebay doesn't have any rules for not ending a auction, so why should I. They charge a reserve fee, and a listing fee, so they get their money up front.. It doesn't bother me if Sellers kill their auctions. We all have email addresses posted on this site. I can always email someone if I have a gripe. No need to air every complaint out on this site. The Shell pump signs bring $1500+, his had a $405 bid. John's a straight shooter. He paid his fees, and has the right do do what he pleases. Just my 2 bits.

Butch

Woops....you know we've gotten out of line when Butch gets out the whoopin' stick.

as ole blues eyes said thats life .