Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums Online Auctions, eBay Craigslist Petroliana weird pricing

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lion-gas-and-motor-car-oil-company-vintage-porcelain-pump-plate-lubster-sign-/201247232177?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2edb4510b1

seems like prices like "$257.52" is a pretty good sign of price manipulation. the seller has 3 auctions, all look fake to my untrained eye and prices all have similar feel.

All 5 signs are fake and the seller knows it. Lists them as used signs from his collection.
There are a couple of bidders with bids on multiple items from the same seller. 100% of current bids from one bidder are on that seller's items. That is a red flag.
I don't see the $257.52 bid amount as a sign of price manipulation. It's a sign of ignorant bidders.

i dont know of any normal person that would bid for 257 dollars with 41 cents added on. i feel like most if not all of those bids are shill bids by the seller or friends of the seller to hook an ignorant buyer into believing that its an authentic piece.

Some might say he priced it weirdly to bring attention to it,like what is happening here.......some might.

sign of subject:...

Lots of legitimate buyers bid in odd increments like that.

Don't know if I am considered "normal"?

But, in the last 5 years I have won close to; if not over 50 bids on Ebay by throwing out a bid with an "odd" amount... (my record keeping has gotten more than a little sloppy in the last couple of years)

Just this year I've won over a "Baker's Dozen" auctions by less than 25 cents and more than a half dozen by 1 penny...

No Bob, you're not considered normal.
I'm not sure any of us (petroliana collectors)are.

I guess, I'm not normal as well.

I always bid odd numbers. I always factor in the shipping into my bid. If an item is worth $270.00 in my opinion with $13.00 shipping listed. Then, I will bid 270-13 which is $257.00. I always add my birth year to my bids as a measure of good luck...in this example my bid would be $257.67.

thanks for the information gents. i should have chosen my words more carefully. thank you.

I ALWAYS put in numbers that aren't "normal".
If I want to pay $50, I'll put in a price of $51.27.

1) This will outbid the "normals" that bid exactly $50 by more than 1 increment
2) If I'm out bid, I can tell if it's by only one increment, and then probably suck it up for another buck to win.

But in reality, if I want to win the auction, I'll let my sniping service take care of it in the last 6 seconds.

I get suspicious when anybody puts in multiple bids when there's a week left to go.