Sorry, but this stupidity's got to stop some day!!......
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And several months ago, listmaster Dale B. posted a thread questioning whether an email he had received from B. Scott was actually authentic. The email was so nasty and vitriolic it was seemingly beyond belief to Dale. Essentially told him and everybody on the list to F-off. I don't think he has been heard from since on the list.
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Hypothetically speaking... If you had an effective monopoly for a market niche, it wouldn't be difficult to get a bit disconnected from reality. While it leaves many of us shaking our heads as we see the result of "what the market will bear", it does leave the door wide open for a supplier like Velo Orange to move in, produce a quality alternative, and make a profit that seems much more in line with conscience.
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I'm not convinced a single dealer and a few copy cats could ever create a bubble.
If there is a price shift it is more likely that the NOS market is artificially low and Barry brings it to where it should be. Sellers of vintage bike crap can't ever be greedy as they have zero power over over the buyer. They aren't selling water in the desert or drugs to a dying person. The notion they manipulate buyers is far fetched, especially without any data to support the claim.
If there is a price shift it is more likely that the NOS market is artificially low and Barry brings it to where it should be. Sellers of vintage bike crap can't ever be greedy as they have zero power over over the buyer. They aren't selling water in the desert or drugs to a dying person. The notion they manipulate buyers is far fetched, especially without any data to support the claim.
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And several months ago, listmaster Dale B. posted a thread questioning whether an email he had received from B. Scott was actually authentic. The email was so nasty and vitriolic it was seemingly beyond belief to Dale. Essentially told him and everybody on the list to F-off. I don't think he has been heard from since on the list.
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I suspect Barry received many offlist emails with the jist of this thread's title. I think anyone would find them tiresome.
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I've posted my opinion on this before here, and gotten in an online tiff with Barry before, so won't reiterate.
I've come to just accept it for what it is. What I think of his practices hardly matters.
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#34
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I am still glad I was able to help a fellow BF member with his French project by giving him one of those seat posts for free. Price be d&$@/.
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Given Barry's behavior here and on the CR list - and to me in emails - I'll play the world's smallest violin for him.
I agree with you (for the most part) about letting the market settle it out, but he's not the classiest individual.
I agree with you (for the most part) about letting the market settle it out, but he's not the classiest individual.
#36
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Exactly. He makes his own bed.
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#38
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BTW there are some here who unwillingly or maybe willingly contribute to the madness.
I always see post telling people to part a bike out to get the most money for it. If it is all about making the most money why ever bother riding a bike? Just buy them new and hold on to them for a few years and part them out.
I always see post telling people to part a bike out to get the most money for it. If it is all about making the most money why ever bother riding a bike? Just buy them new and hold on to them for a few years and part them out.
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I have to wonder what kind of account that PB has going with Ebay, almost seems like the deck is stacked if you consider the following.
Seller has many items shown listed as 25-day or whatever, but when you click on any item, the page comes up showing any listing ending in hours!
So I guess these items re-list every 24 hours, but why is the 25-day period showing? Is this a machine-gun type of listing?
This mixes thousands of these BIN listings with all of the regular listings every day, with this one type of seller seeming to cherry-pick from only the wealthiest of buyers.
Again, I have no idea how this seller does this, if they have some special relationship with Ebay that most of us might not know how to set up.
I think that if I put up so many daily listings that I might be paying thousands in listing fees every week.
It looks like this one seller somehow manages to dominate the Ebay Cycling shopping experience, but I can't really make sense of it.
I note that this listing approach seemed to appear seemingly all of a sudden about ten years ago, began to stop using Ebay myself at that time.
Obviously though, Ebay would tend to favor higher-priced sales to any grouping of buyers that comes along, so obviously this seller's methods are favorable to eBay's bottom line, which might explain a few things that many of us have not considered.
So what kind of account is PB using here? Is it explained somewhere?
Seller has many items shown listed as 25-day or whatever, but when you click on any item, the page comes up showing any listing ending in hours!
So I guess these items re-list every 24 hours, but why is the 25-day period showing? Is this a machine-gun type of listing?
This mixes thousands of these BIN listings with all of the regular listings every day, with this one type of seller seeming to cherry-pick from only the wealthiest of buyers.
Again, I have no idea how this seller does this, if they have some special relationship with Ebay that most of us might not know how to set up.
I think that if I put up so many daily listings that I might be paying thousands in listing fees every week.
It looks like this one seller somehow manages to dominate the Ebay Cycling shopping experience, but I can't really make sense of it.
I note that this listing approach seemed to appear seemingly all of a sudden about ten years ago, began to stop using Ebay myself at that time.
Obviously though, Ebay would tend to favor higher-priced sales to any grouping of buyers that comes along, so obviously this seller's methods are favorable to eBay's bottom line, which might explain a few things that many of us have not considered.
So what kind of account is PB using here? Is it explained somewhere?
Last edited by dddd; 06-13-15 at 08:24 PM.
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A lot has changed on ebay since you and I have sold there. I believe this guy has an account where there are no listing fees. Not sure.
But I don't see how he could do this otherwise.
But I don't see how he could do this otherwise.
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Why all the whining? There's some crazy pricing out there for rare stuff but so what? Either choose to move on or counteroffer to the seller.
Had a most excellent transaction with the mentioned above fleabay seller. Matter of fact, went around fleabay rules and controls. Been doing more of this as of late. Whats some bamboozle auction site going to do about it? No matter how hard they try, nothing. Go old school, make a call and exchange goods for greenbacks. Next-
Had a most excellent transaction with the mentioned above fleabay seller. Matter of fact, went around fleabay rules and controls. Been doing more of this as of late. Whats some bamboozle auction site going to do about it? No matter how hard they try, nothing. Go old school, make a call and exchange goods for greenbacks. Next-
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I'd be interested how you went about that. A seller potentially subjects his seller account to shut down if he tries to sell to you by-passing the system. Ebay won't even let you exchange email addresses. Unless, of course, you have his phone number. I suppose that's it.
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These days lots of brick-and-mortar bike shops sell on eBay as well: Boulder Bikes and AE Bike come to mind. Easy enough to give them a ring if you see something you like on eBay or have a question, and I'd imagine transactions might happen then, too.
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No problem going around fleabay. I could care less about them as much as they care about the seller or buyer. Was burned once by them as a seller, even though I had signed USPS delivery to buyer. Good luck trying to get reimbursed by PP / bay.
Next ordeal was having a PP account with a pile of numerous exact amounts deducted out of PP. Total mystery, chasing logs and where it went. PP cust. service was useless other than a suggestion to refrain for 30 days of use. Say what? With that, I'd say screw-em' and now prefer direct to seller. I even use their message system, (even though its coded to knock out tel / emails.). Rather silly and its easy to get numbers and addresses to others using the stupid setup they have. Jeez, like whats the purpose or big secret when you want to deal with someone? Its not their funds or goods, so screw them. I have far more trust in the US mail.
(edit: The funny thing is feedback. Still batting 100% but during some transactions, buyers may have it set as PP accepted. That means 'other' than. So I use good old US mail. However, ebay keeps forcing me to use PP, item noted as not paid, messages to pay immediately when in fact the buyer has received funds and delivered goods to me and feedback exchanged. Hilarious brilliant programmers at the bay. Love it...haha. These days I no longer do enough to bother with Paypal so its not worth the petty or their prying into my business. Greedy bastads.)
Next ordeal was having a PP account with a pile of numerous exact amounts deducted out of PP. Total mystery, chasing logs and where it went. PP cust. service was useless other than a suggestion to refrain for 30 days of use. Say what? With that, I'd say screw-em' and now prefer direct to seller. I even use their message system, (even though its coded to knock out tel / emails.). Rather silly and its easy to get numbers and addresses to others using the stupid setup they have. Jeez, like whats the purpose or big secret when you want to deal with someone? Its not their funds or goods, so screw them. I have far more trust in the US mail.
(edit: The funny thing is feedback. Still batting 100% but during some transactions, buyers may have it set as PP accepted. That means 'other' than. So I use good old US mail. However, ebay keeps forcing me to use PP, item noted as not paid, messages to pay immediately when in fact the buyer has received funds and delivered goods to me and feedback exchanged. Hilarious brilliant programmers at the bay. Love it...haha. These days I no longer do enough to bother with Paypal so its not worth the petty or their prying into my business. Greedy bastads.)
Last edited by crank_addict; 06-14-15 at 04:53 PM.
#45
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I for one would not go outside of Ebay, not worth the few dollars saved. Besides, Ebay provides a great world wide service that no one else can come close too. Recently I've sold a few items on Ebay, which were International, paid through Paypal. Now where can you get that kind of exposure and ease of completing the entire transaction within minutes. Value is in the eyes of the seller, once he or she see's that the public does not see the same value, prices will drop if it's a Buy it Now or lower starting price. Currently the market is a buyers market and sellers are at the mercy of what the buyer will pay or offer. Since 2008 when the boom was expanding, lost are the days of getting a fully equipped bike with top of the line components for under $300 on CL. Keep in mind buyers were buying high end bikes not knowing what the value of their older bike was worth, but just wanted to get it out of the garage before their partner started to complain very loudly and then demanding or else! Now there are seller's still living in the virtual world asking for the moon and will someday come crashing down to Earth! With collectors, their over bloated with bikes that were purchased and now sit with rooms of nice bikes with no buyers... PB will wake up and realize that parts sitting around in inventory is just as costly as dropping the price, or wait for the next generation to relive the bike boom!
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pb is doing just fine, despite the intense hand wringing about other people's business. Go figure.
#47
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In the past month pb had 103 feedbacks adding to $14,300 in gross sales. Does not include those people who don't leave feedback. Does not include those who did off ebay sales (One does not need a phone number to contact a seller. I prefer carrier pigeon.)
pb is doing just fine, despite the intense hand wringing about other people's business. Go figure.
pb is doing just fine, despite the intense hand wringing about other people's business. Go figure.
How well his strategy is working is highly debateable. This isn't a hobby for him, he's trying to make used bike parts a career. He's not getting an employer to put cash in his 401k, or contributing to his social security.
I remember he grossly overpaid for a high profile collection of bikes a few years ago (in my opinion)...I think he paid more than double what he should have...and he did that with this strategy in mind. From what I've heard (including from him) he pays a fair bit for his priceless inventory, trusting to being able to get PBBikes pricing when he sells.
I haven't seen his books, so I have no idea what he is or isn't doing. I'd also point out that he's at eBay's mercy for revenue - a relevant policy change and he's DONE. What if ebay decides to charge more for re listings? Or for BIN? What if he's robbed? Is he insured? I don't know...but he sold 100 items within the last 30 days, figure at an average sales price of $150 from briefly scanning his sales.
That's probaly aronund $15,000 in sales. Subtract 3000 in ebay/PayPal fees. He has whatever business taxes there are in his area. He has shipping and transportation costs on buying his stuff...storage costs on large bikes. I don't know what his margins are, but I suspect they're smaller than we think. Even if he's selling stuff at average 5x markup...that's another 3k in product cost. Whatever insurance he's paying for (and if he's not, he has significant risk). Returns and dead beat buyers. Interest on loans. I don't think the guy is a genius, so he's paying something for legal/accounting - assuming he's above board.
Barry also offers free shipping. 100 items, probably average at least $7/item = $700.
Perhaps when it's time to retire he'll sell all of his priceless inventory at fire sale. He'd better hope he doesn't run out of customers and there's a market.
Let him ask whatever he wants...but when he cries poverty, and he has, I have the same answer he uses...the market has spoken. Without looking at his books and just seeing the gross sales, I doubt he's making much over 50k a year...with no benefits or retirement set aside. And he has a lot of risk, including being inventory heavy.
Last edited by KonAaron Snake; 06-14-15 at 09:32 PM.
#48
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I for one would not go outside of Ebay, not worth the few dollars saved. Besides, Ebay provides a great world wide service that no one else can come close too. Recently I've sold a few items on Ebay, which were International, paid through Paypal. Now where can you get that kind of exposure and ease of completing the entire transaction within minutes. Value is in the eyes of the seller, once he or she see's that the public does not see the same value, prices will drop if it's a Buy it Now or lower starting price. Currently the market is a buyers market and sellers are at the mercy of what the buyer will pay or offer. Since 2008 when the boom was expanding, lost are the days of getting a fully equipped bike with top of the line components for under $300 on CL. Keep in mind buyers were buying high end bikes not knowing what the value of their older bike was worth, but just wanted to get it out of the garage before their partner started to complain very loudly and then demanding or else! Now there are seller's still living in the virtual world asking for the moon and will someday come crashing down to Earth! With collectors, their over bloated with bikes that were purchased and now sit with rooms of nice bikes with no buyers... PB will wake up and realize that parts sitting around in inventory is just as costly as dropping the price, or wait for the next generation to relive the bike boom!
Hillary Stone seems to have found a strategy, one who attempted to leave eBay and apparently made it.
The other one that easily comes to mind is Baron Corpuz, not sure what he is doing, his brick and mortar storefronts from what I can see, three locations in Santa Barbara had short lives, not sure about the Santa Paula store, nice place, but no local market. Also, he has changed his eBay moniker a few times too.
Barry probably could be just as successful or more so with a different strategy
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#50
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I don't have a problem with Barry's pricing or strategy. I don't really have a problem with buyers paying 10X the FMV for one of his items either. Its their money, for them to spend as they wish.
There are a few different models on ebay. One is to price stuff to move, put it up at a realistic price and move it in a week or two. Another is to price stuff at nose-bleed, sky high pricing, knowing it could take months or even years to sell a particular item. I do not have the patience to wait that long.
Both models work, you decide.
There are a few different models on ebay. One is to price stuff to move, put it up at a realistic price and move it in a week or two. Another is to price stuff at nose-bleed, sky high pricing, knowing it could take months or even years to sell a particular item. I do not have the patience to wait that long.
Both models work, you decide.