Ebay question

[OldRoadGuy]

Perhaps the wrong thread - sorry

What's the protocol when someone asks what your reserve is set at?

[maddog17]

that's up to you to decide. i usually don't set a reserve because of 1. the extra cost and 2. you'll get those questions on how much it's set at. i've asked myself on certain bids and have gotten an answer most of the time.

[OldRoadGuy]

I thought that was supposed to be a on the down low kinda thing.
Why would someone ask - besides wanting to know?

My first auction btw.

[maddog17]

that's why they ask. you put a reserve of say $500 and start the bid at say $100. if it's something that's hot, it'll probably get action. if not, then people kinda hold off, maybe placing small bids. others ask because it may be what their looking for but they have a ceiling on how much they want to spend. and since you have a reserve, they may want to know so they can see if it's in their budget. then they watch the bid and if it's in their budget will bid the reserve price at the last minute if there's no action. i don't use them, i just try to start the bid off a little high and hope for the best. sometimes a reserve can scare off bidders just for that unknown reserve price. if it doesn't sell at the reserve, you could always contact the highest bidder and work out a side deal, which ebay doesnt like, but it'll save you money from that final value charge they hit you with when you sell. i did that on a frame i had up for sale. nobody bid but i worked out a deal with someone who was watching the auction.

[OldRoadGuy]

Cool. Thanks.
As a noob I figured putting a reserve on a frame I'm selling
would protect me so I wouldn't take a complete bath on it.
High end frame with a fair price reserve...

[stan1da1man]

Sometimes you run into a buyer who is willing to pay 500 dollers for that item, but people only bid up to 300 and the reserve isnt met. No one is bidding against that guy, so his max bid wont show and he kinda misses out on the item. Ive found it very successful to use the buy it now WITH best offer feature. I pick an item i think is worth 200 but i want 150 for, place a buy it now of 250 on it with best offer and let people make offers to me, you would be surprised what some people might pay for something

[OldRoadGuy]

I'll definitely keep that in mind for next time. Thanks.

[Jynx]

I always ask what the reserve is and in my auctions I sometimes even state what it is. If the seller tells me what the reserve is and I want the item I will decide if I am willing to meet his reserve. I am not going to bid and bid and bid until maybe it is met. If I have a budget of say $300. The reserve is at $325. Ill bid up to it. If I dont know what the reserve is I stop at my max because who knows the seller could want $500.

[limeylew]

Perhaps the wrong thread - sorry

What's the protocol when someone asks what your reserve is set at?

Its pretty much up to you.

Some people even include it in their description but it doesn't seem to make sense to me that, even when you ask, some people will not tell.

In that case, I just go bid with someone else.

Good luck with your sales.

[wrk101]

Reserves tick off bidders. Do not use them. Instead, try the buy it now suggestion above, or set a higher starting price with no reserve. And if it is something that you know will get action (based on reviewing recent completed sales), then again, a reserve is not needed. Lower starting prices can result in higher selling price, but as the seller, you will take the risk with a low starting bid and no reserve. On items where I know there will be a lot of action, I start them at 99 cents to minimize ebay's listing fees (I haven't checked their new "improved" fee structure....)

[Brian]

After almost 9 years and well over 1,500 transactions, I've had enough of ebay. It's no longer a buyer's market, as their system (along with Paypal) does not protect buyers.

Use the Best Offer option for best results.

[Donegal]

Ebay and reserves. There is nothing wrong with the way Ebay was structured, but it is hard to manage the unscrupulousness of the average person.

I believe in reserves. I would never disclose a reserve to prospective purchasers, it's kind of like pulling your pants down. The idea of an auction environment, which is all that ebay is providing, is that an item will usually sell for what it is worth, based upon the marketplace. It creates an unlimited number of buyers and sellers for each item listed. If you are going to tell everyone your reserve, why not just list the item at a fixed price, hold firm and ignore offers. When I sold a Colnago online, I utilized minimum bid, reserve pricing and buy it now.

I have no problems with ebay, just the crooks that play on it. Remember, it's a worldwide market. I love it for the possibility of finding just the part I need somewhere in the world. Lately, I have been buying my campy parts from Hong Kong and my Assos from Israel. Who woulda thunk it?

A very wise old country gentleman once told me hogs were selling for .15 per pound. When I asked him if that was good, his answer was " It all depends, iff'n you're buying or iff'n your selling.

[OldRoadGuy]

I've since gotten my feet wet in both selling and buying. I've had better luck
with the buying part. I'm not sure if that's fortunate or not:rolleyes:
I've found that people want most things for free. (me included) but I am
willing to pay a fair price and expect a fair price for the items I am selling.
What stinks is still having to pay fees if your item doesn't sell and the
combination of Ebay and Paypal fees if it does sell.
I'm still a noob at it but so far the learning curve hasn't been bad.
I do appreciate all the advice and insight. Thanks for the replies.

[SweetLou]

Is eBay Rational (http://www.slate.com/id/2166662/)
Seems like some economist did a study and found that hiding the reserve is counterproductive. Their is a link to the economists' paper in the article.