Kinda off topic
George D
http://247wallst.com/2009/12/16/the-biggest-online-winners-and-losers-for-2009-ebay-traffic-collapse/
or
I don't know if it means anything to us but it interesting..
George
--
Government is a voracious monster that must have your labor to control
YOU! Your money is your liberty. The taxes you pay gently enslave you,
and eventually destroy any human liberty you have. Fear government, pray
for the country.
Bruce Remick
"George D" <geo...@arizona.com> wrote in message
news:VDdWm.1434$eH1....@newsfe16.iad...
>
> http://247wallst.com/2009/12/16/the-biggest-online-winners-and-losers-for-2009-ebay-traffic-collapse/
>
> or
>
> http://tinyurl.com/y9veb5b
>
> I don't know if it means anything to us but it interesting..
>
Makes one wonder what constitutes an eBay "visitor", a seller? Bidder?
Browser? eBay doesn't seem to have lost bidders on the collectible auctions
I bid in. Nice stuff still brings stiff prices. The major way eBay loses
money would seem to be if fewer sellers place auctions, and that shouldn't
be a big concern to a bidder's pocketbook.
oly
> "George D" <geod...@arizona.com> wrote in message
>
> news:VDdWm.1434$eH1....@newsfe16.iad...
>
>
>
> >http://247wallst.com/2009/12/16/the-biggest-online-winners-and-losers...
>
> > or
>
> >http://tinyurl.com/y9veb5b
>
> > I don't know if it means anything to us but it interesting..
>
> Makes one wonder what constitutes an eBay "visitor", a seller? Bidder?
> Browser? eBay doesn't seem to have lost bidders on the collectible auctions
> I bid in. Nice stuff still brings stiff prices. The major way eBay loses
> money would seem to be if fewer sellers place auctions, and that shouldn't
> be a big concern to a bidder's pocketbook.
Ebay is being more than a bit "piggy", trying to take bigger % bites
out of the sellers, forcing the use of Paypal to settle transactions
in more and more instances, and restricting the "transparency" of the
auction proceedings. Most sellers don't care for the changes to the
"feedback" process where the seller can't NEG a buyer practically
ever. It is more of a "so-called" feedback process now.
But there is probably also an element of "bad economy" in what is
happening on ebay auctions. Yes, some good stuff still goes very
high. More and more stuff gets one bid (or none). Again, Ebay is
making it more difficult to see (and understand) the bidding
process.
oly
Mr. Jaggers
> On Dec 16, 6:53 pm, "Bruce Remick" <rem...@cox.net> wrote:
>> "George D" <geod...@arizona.com> wrote in message
>>
>> news:VDdWm.1434$eH1....@newsfe16.iad...
>>
>>
>>
>>> http://247wallst.com/2009/12/16/the-biggest-online-winners-and-losers...
>>
>>> or
>>
>>> http://tinyurl.com/y9veb5b
>>
>>> I don't know if it means anything to us but it interesting..
>>
>> Makes one wonder what constitutes an eBay "visitor", a seller?
>> Bidder? Browser? eBay doesn't seem to have lost bidders on the
>> collectible auctions I bid in. Nice stuff still brings stiff prices.
>> The major way eBay loses money would seem to be if fewer sellers
>> place auctions, and that shouldn't be a big concern to a bidder's
>> pocketbook.
Requirement of PayPal supports an American ideal:
Rule #1: The customer is always right.
Rule #2: When in doubt, refer to Rule #1.
> Ebay is being more than a bit "piggy", trying to take bigger % bites
> out of the sellers, forcing the use of Paypal to settle transactions
> in more and more instances, and restricting the "transparency" of the
> auction proceedings. Most sellers don't care for the changes to the
> "feedback" process where the seller can't NEG a buyer practically
> ever. It is more of a "so-called" feedback process now.
Saying "Most sellers" is no more meaningful than saying "most people" or
"most Americans." Without properly-appointed statistical analysis,
statements that begin with phrases of that sort fail under the rules of
debate.
> But there is probably also an element of "bad economy" in what is
> happening on ebay auctions. Yes, some good stuff still goes very
> high. More and more stuff gets one bid (or none). Again, Ebay is
> making it more difficult to see (and understand) the bidding
> process.
With this I agree wholeheartedly.
James of Mixed Views
Bruce Remick
"oly" <oly...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:91546d2c-2760-4b0c...@b15g2000yqd.googlegroups.com...
On Dec 16, 6:53 pm, "Bruce Remick" <rem...@cox.net> wrote:
> "George D" <geod...@arizona.com> wrote in message
>
> news:VDdWm.1434$eH1....@newsfe16.iad...
>
>
>
> >http://247wallst.com/2009/12/16/the-biggest-online-winners-and-losers...
>
> > or
>
> >http://tinyurl.com/y9veb5b
>
> > I don't know if it means anything to us but it interesting..
>
> Makes one wonder what constitutes an eBay "visitor", a seller? Bidder?
> Browser? eBay doesn't seem to have lost bidders on the collectible
> auctions
> I bid in. Nice stuff still brings stiff prices. The major way eBay loses
> money would seem to be if fewer sellers place auctions, and that shouldn't
> be a big concern to a bidder's pocketbook.
Ebay is being more than a bit "piggy", trying to take bigger % bites
out of the sellers, forcing the use of Paypal to settle transactions
in more and more instances, and restricting the "transparency" of the
auction proceedings. Most sellers don't care for the changes to the
"feedback" process where the seller can't NEG a buyer practically
ever. It is more of a "so-called" feedback process now.
===================
You're right that eBay keeps trying to add to its take by fee and
PayPal. No doubt they're losing some players in doing so. Messing with the
feedback system doesn't bother me as much as the nickel-diming of my final
line as an occasional seller. Less half of my winning bidders leave
feedback at all.
====================
But there is probably also an element of "bad economy" in what is
happening on ebay auctions. Yes, some good stuff still goes very
high. More and more stuff gets one bid (or none). Again, Ebay is
making it more difficult to see (and understand) the bidding
process.
===================
Add to that the "reporting" process-- the convoluted mechanics of
reporting an auction, categorizing the problem, and the typical lack of
interest and action by eBay. I might have thought that the bad economy
would have encouraged more people to use eBay to sell stuff, somewhat
offsetting the sellers who bailed out altogether. Apparently not. I'm even
more surprised at the dropoff on Craigslist users for the same reasons.
oly
> "oly" <oly2...@aol.com> wrote in message
>
> - Show quoted text -
IMHO, people are discouraged that their things won't sell, or if they
do, that the stuff won't bring adequate, satisfactory prices.
Perhaps I myself am at a moment in my life where I think that I need
to lighten up on some of this junque, but based upon various
observations, I am not very hopeful about what some of it would
bring. So instead of wasting a Sunday at the flea market, I just
tighten my belt in other areas and hold on to the stuff.
oly
Mr. Jaggers
What you are describing is the palpable feeling of entitlement that so many
sellers betray in their auction listings. Cripes, they must all be liberals
or something.
> Perhaps I myself am at a moment in my life where I think that I need
> to lighten up on some of this junque, but based upon various
> observations, I am not very hopeful about what some of it would
> bring. So instead of wasting a Sunday at the flea market, I just
> tighten my belt in other areas and hold on to the stuff.
Not at all a bad plan. Sell in haste, repent at leisure, I allus say.
James the Hesitant
howard
BEWARE of the " 5 FREE LISTINGS "
read the fine print.
8.5% all the way to a maximum of $20.00
do the math........see where the break even point is for listing price to
keep the max below the FVF.
do the math to see where the break even point is for the free listing vs./s
the FVF at regular fees
h
Bruce Remick
================
It does make you wonder. Selling on Craigslist costs nothing and it's a
handy way to try to unload bulky items for cash before throwing them away.
===============
Perhaps I myself am at a moment in my life where I think that I need
to lighten up on some of this junque, but based upon various
observations, I am not very hopeful about what some of it would
bring. So instead of wasting a Sunday at the flea market, I just
tighten my belt in other areas and hold on to the stuff.
=================
That's my big problem. I hold on to too much stuff. Always have as a
10-generation frugal New Englander. Things that one day I "might just
need", or things that I may not need but which might have value to someone
somewhere-- too good to just throw away, etc. When I do auction or sell
something, it's always some little item that doesn't free up space anyway.
But I have been extrememly lucky on eBay with unbelievable prices for items
I had laying around.
I just got an surprising hundred bucks on eBay for a slightly faded 1954
Orioles program for their first game in Baltimore after relocating from St.
Louis. I described it as "fair-good condition with slightly rippled surface
from earlier moisture exposure". Someone emailed me about a feature he saw
in my photos that indicated it wasn't a "first game" program, but was in
fact a later one used in 1954 against the same opponent. I added that
cautionary information to the auction early on when one person had bid at
$6.99 and I offered that bidder the option to retract. Instead, I ended up
with 28 watchers and a high bid of $100. A few years ago I had the program
at a local show and there was zero interest in it. I've had unusually good
luck selling on eBay.
oly
>
> - Show quoted text -
I've had a few happy sales (a few years back now). To paraphrase what
Chas Everitt the bookseller once said 'One remembers the killings'.
I too come from a backround where my grandparents and parents never
moved. I would keep things forever, but I still see two or three more
moves in my future and the bulk of this stuff reflects modest
prosperity, but still is problematic.
oly
mazorj
...
> Perhaps I myself am at a moment in my life where I think that I need
to lighten up on some of this junque, but based upon various
observations, I am not very hopeful about what some of it would
bring. So instead of wasting a Sunday at the flea market, I just
tighten my belt in other areas and hold on to the stuff.
>
> oly
But have you calculated the future time value of the money you would get
now, compared to a potential future selling price? :-)
I have about five times more old stuff lying around than any sane person
ought to have. Sometimes I'm half-tempted to pay someone just to haul it
away. But then greed kicks in and I figure "Someday I'll get around to
selling it." I guess it comes from being old enough to remember the time
when one dollar was a lot of money to have burning a hole in your jeans
pocket. $10 for some piece of old stuff still registers mentally as "big
money" and it would be criminal to give or throw that much away.
- mazorj the Tightwad
mazorj
"Bruce Remick" <rem...@cox.net> wrote in message
news:2bhWm.14$8e...@newsfe03.iad...
...
> I just got an surprising hundred bucks on eBay for a slightly faded
> 1954 Orioles program for their first game in Baltimore after relocating
> from St. Louis. I described it as "fair-good condition with slightly
> rippled surface from earlier moisture exposure". Someone emailed me about
> a feature he saw in my photos that indicated it wasn't a "first game"
> program, but was in fact a later one used in 1954 against the same
> opponent. I added that cautionary information to the auction early on
> when one person had bid at $6.99 and I offered that bidder the option to
> retract. Instead, I ended up with 28 watchers and a high bid of $100. A
> few years ago I had the program at a local show and there was zero
> interest in it. I've had unusually good luck selling on eBay.
Was that a local show for your current location? If so, given that it was
the Orioles that for decades blocked a replacement franchise for the
Washington Senators, you shouldn't have been surprised that area buyers
wouldn't touch Oriole memorabilia unless it was to burn it out in the
parking lot. :-D
On eBay you had a much better chance of reaching an Oriole fan or serious
MLB collector. The guy who advised you of the date discrepancy certainly
was one. Congratulations on the nice sale.
Bruce Remick
"mazorj" <maz...@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:hgdune$eam$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
>
> "Bruce Remick" <rem...@cox.net> wrote in message
> news:2bhWm.14$8e...@newsfe03.iad...
>
> ...
>> I just got an surprising hundred bucks on eBay for a slightly faded
>> 1954 Orioles program for their first game in Baltimore after relocating
>> from St. Louis. I described it as "fair-good condition with slightly
>> rippled surface from earlier moisture exposure". Someone emailed me
>> about a feature he saw in my photos that indicated it wasn't a "first
>> game" program, but was in fact a later one used in 1954 against the same
>> opponent. I added that cautionary information to the auction early on
>> when one person had bid at $6.99 and I offered that bidder the option to
>> retract. Instead, I ended up with 28 watchers and a high bid of $100.
>> A few years ago I had the program at a local show and there was zero
>> interest in it. I've had unusually good luck selling on eBay.
>
> Was that a local show for your current location? If so, given that it was
> the Orioles that for decades blocked a replacement franchise for the
> Washington Senators, you shouldn't have been surprised that area buyers
> wouldn't touch Oriole memorabilia unless it was to burn it out in the
> parking lot. :-D
Oh there still are a lot of serious Orioles fans here in the DC suburbs
after 30 years of the Orioles being the only game in town. Lots of baseball
fans here seem to be straddling the fence waiting to see if the Nationals
can put together a team that's worth watching. I guess at a sports show
some specific sports items can get lost in the mass of similar material,
like an individual coin at a coin show.
>
> On eBay you had a much better chance of reaching an Oriole fan or serious
> MLB collector. The guy who advised you of the date discrepancy certainly
> was one. Congratulations on the nice sale.
>
Yeah, it's amazing how much exposure tyour stuff gets on eBay. Two weeks
before, I put up a ticket stub from the highest scoring NFL game ever-- a
1970's game between the Redskins and Giants. I happened to have gone to
that game (one of two NFL games I ever attended) and kept the stub all these
years. Some eBay bidder thought it was worth 70 bucks. Made my day!
mazorj
Good grief! Nice. At those prices, I may start rummaging through my ju-
er, memorabilia too. Anyone want to buy a round, two-sided blue-on-white
foam-board decoration from Reagan's second inaugural ball emblazoned with
the presidential seal, etc.? I'm not parting with the credentials that got
me in, but the article is genuine. I was there and snagged one from the
ceiling hangers.
Or if that doesn't float your boat, how about a cheap plastic pen or
keychain with some sort of company logo? I'll let those go at bargain
prices. ;-)
So will that $70 buy you a seat at a Redskins game nowadays, if it's up in
the nosebleed sections?
Bruce Remick
Hey, you laugh. If I were you, I'd do an occasional search on eBay for that
company logo or "Reagan inaugural". You may be surprised. The irony of my
good luck was that I was supposed to be looking through my tons of various
collectibles for stuff I could get rid of to make more room. A program and
a ticket stub is a start, I guess.
>
> So will that $70 buy you a seat at a Redskins game nowadays, if it's up in
> the nosebleed sections?
>
The last Skins game I went to was that 1970's "$70 game". I like it better
watching from my sofa with the remote handy so I can switch to an old movie.
No $30 parking or $10 beer, either. They have been "sold out" for decades
with a long waiting list, if you can believe their claims, but there are
always tickets available. Lots of empty seats available lately, too.