I have certain auction items that I would like to try to sell for what I originally paid for, however I was thinking of adding a reserve to the auctions but the reserve would be slightly lower than what I originally paid. Phew, that was a mouth full.
How does everyone feel about reserve prices? Like? Dislike? When you use it do you tell in your auction what the reserve is or do you just hope bidders will meet the reserve?
How does everyone feel about adding a reserve price?
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Sugarflower
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Lynxa
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I know that personally I won't bid on something with a reserve, I don't care how nice the item is. They make me Very Angry, and from what I've observed seem to work against bidding in a lot of instances since people get tired of trying to figure out where the reserve is and don't start bidding wars. The only time they don't make me angry is when the reserve price is stated in the auction and it's used to keep a "buy it now" alive for a longer period of time.
Why not just set a higher starting price? People like the rush of "owning" a cel for a little bit, even if they don't win it
Why not just set a higher starting price? People like the rush of "owning" a cel for a little bit, even if they don't win it
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Sugarflower
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Personally I avoid auctions with a reserve as well unless it's something I REALLY (and I mean REALLY) want or, as you said, the seller mentions the reserve price in their auction description.Lynxa wrote:I know that personally I won't bid on something with a reserve, I don't care how nice the item is.
I've never used it for any of my auctions in the past but was curious how others felt about this option.
reserves are sometimes an annoying thing - I have placed bids on items with reserves, but sometimes I hate both the following situations:
1. I place my max bid in and it doesn't hit the reserve
2. I place my max bid in and it is right near the reserve price and then others have free reign to outbid me as I just put my max bid in
no win situation to me...
I agree - set a higher minimum price - but then again, that's from a buyers point of view.
1. I place my max bid in and it doesn't hit the reserve
2. I place my max bid in and it is right near the reserve price and then others have free reign to outbid me as I just put my max bid in
no win situation to me...
I agree - set a higher minimum price - but then again, that's from a buyers point of view.
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star-phoenix
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I HATE reserve auctions with a passion. It is kinda like toying with the bidder in a way b/c they have their heart set on winning the auction, and if they don't meet the reserve, then they don't get the item. I would just start the auction off at the minimum price I would sell it for. it is about $1.00 cheaper than setting a reserve.
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hobbywhelmed
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If I use a reserve, I usually state what the reserve is, in the listing text. However, even then, some people just don't read the text apparently, because I've still gotten emails asking what the reserve is.
Where a reserve comes in handy is, if you're pretty sure the cel will sell, it's a way of cutting down your fee overhead on an auction. Say you have a cel that you value at somewhere between $50 and $199. Putting a starting bid anywhere in there will cost you $2.40. Putting a starting bid of $9 will cost you $0.35. True, your reserve price fee will be $2.-something, but that gets refunded to you when the item sells.
If the cel doesn't sell, however, your initial fees would be almost comparable for mid-range and high-end items between low-start and reserve vs. high-start and no reserve. So, you have to consider it on a case-by-case basis. Some shows are HOT, and others, you have to hit it just right when a collector will be around to see your auction.
There's no help, alas, for ending value fees - except the scheme I've seen with some sword importers and electronics people, who will happily sell an item for 99 cents, but the shipping is $45, or some equally large amount much closer to the value of the item.
Personally, as a buyer, I have no problem dealing with a reserve. Most buyers are perfectly happy to tell you what it is set at, if they haven't in the text (some newer sellers think that revealing that in the listing is somehow against ebay rules). Of course, given the drive of the auction market, usually the lowest priced item sells first, and everybody would like to get their cels for as cheap as possible (and when you set up an auction, ebay's handy little "hints" keep telling you that items get more bids when they start with lower starting bids.
What ebay doesn't care about is when 15 out of 20 auctions don't sell, so you try whatever you can to minimize the fees overhead. Relist a $20 item a couple of times, and your net will be about $2 or less, after ebay takes all their fees, and paypal takes their fees as well.
Also, I've gotten some nice cels for a bit below the reserve - and sold some - from contacting or being contacted after an auction hasn't sold, either the first or second time. No matter how automated ebay and the huge "power sellers" try to make things, sometimes there's nothing like that personal communication between buyer and seller!
Where a reserve comes in handy is, if you're pretty sure the cel will sell, it's a way of cutting down your fee overhead on an auction. Say you have a cel that you value at somewhere between $50 and $199. Putting a starting bid anywhere in there will cost you $2.40. Putting a starting bid of $9 will cost you $0.35. True, your reserve price fee will be $2.-something, but that gets refunded to you when the item sells.
If the cel doesn't sell, however, your initial fees would be almost comparable for mid-range and high-end items between low-start and reserve vs. high-start and no reserve. So, you have to consider it on a case-by-case basis. Some shows are HOT, and others, you have to hit it just right when a collector will be around to see your auction.
There's no help, alas, for ending value fees - except the scheme I've seen with some sword importers and electronics people, who will happily sell an item for 99 cents, but the shipping is $45, or some equally large amount much closer to the value of the item.
Personally, as a buyer, I have no problem dealing with a reserve. Most buyers are perfectly happy to tell you what it is set at, if they haven't in the text (some newer sellers think that revealing that in the listing is somehow against ebay rules). Of course, given the drive of the auction market, usually the lowest priced item sells first, and everybody would like to get their cels for as cheap as possible (and when you set up an auction, ebay's handy little "hints" keep telling you that items get more bids when they start with lower starting bids.
What ebay doesn't care about is when 15 out of 20 auctions don't sell, so you try whatever you can to minimize the fees overhead. Relist a $20 item a couple of times, and your net will be about $2 or less, after ebay takes all their fees, and paypal takes their fees as well.
Also, I've gotten some nice cels for a bit below the reserve - and sold some - from contacting or being contacted after an auction hasn't sold, either the first or second time. No matter how automated ebay and the huge "power sellers" try to make things, sometimes there's nothing like that personal communication between buyer and seller!
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hobbywhelmed
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If I use a reserve, I usually state what the reserve is, in the listing text. However, even then, some people just don't read the text apparently, because I've still gotten emails asking what the reserve is.
Where a reserve comes in handy is, if you're pretty sure the cel will sell, it's a way of cutting down your fee overhead on an auction. Say you have a cel that you value at somewhere between $50 and $199. Putting a starting bid anywhere in there will cost you $2.40. Putting a starting bid of $9 will cost you $0.35. True, your reserve price fee will be $2.-something, but that gets refunded to you when the item sells.
If the cel doesn't sell, however, your initial fees would be almost comparable for mid-range and high-end items between low-start and reserve vs. high-start and no reserve. So, you have to consider it on a case-by-case basis. Some shows are HOT, and others, you have to hit it just right when a collector will be around to see your auction.
There's no help, alas, for ending value fees - except the scheme I've seen with some sword importers and electronics people, who will happily sell an item for 99 cents, but the shipping is $45, or some equally large amount much closer to the value of the item.
Personally, as a buyer, I have no problem dealing with a reserve. Most buyers are perfectly happy to tell you what it is set at, if they haven't in the text (some newer sellers think that revealing that in the listing is somehow against ebay rules). Of course, given the drive of the auction market, usually the lowest priced item sells first, and everybody would like to get their cels for as cheap as possible (and when you set up an auction, ebay's handy little "hints" keep telling you that items get more bids when they start with lower starting bids.
What ebay doesn't care about is when 15 out of 20 auctions don't sell, so you try whatever you can to minimize the fees overhead. Relist a $20 item a couple of times, and your net will be about $2 or less, after ebay takes all their fees, and paypal takes their fees as well.
Also, I've gotten some nice cels for a bit below the reserve - and sold some - from contacting or being contacted after an auction hasn't sold, either the first or second time. No matter how automated ebay and the huge "power sellers" try to make things, sometimes there's nothing like that personal communication between buyer and seller!
Where a reserve comes in handy is, if you're pretty sure the cel will sell, it's a way of cutting down your fee overhead on an auction. Say you have a cel that you value at somewhere between $50 and $199. Putting a starting bid anywhere in there will cost you $2.40. Putting a starting bid of $9 will cost you $0.35. True, your reserve price fee will be $2.-something, but that gets refunded to you when the item sells.
If the cel doesn't sell, however, your initial fees would be almost comparable for mid-range and high-end items between low-start and reserve vs. high-start and no reserve. So, you have to consider it on a case-by-case basis. Some shows are HOT, and others, you have to hit it just right when a collector will be around to see your auction.
There's no help, alas, for ending value fees - except the scheme I've seen with some sword importers and electronics people, who will happily sell an item for 99 cents, but the shipping is $45, or some equally large amount much closer to the value of the item.
Personally, as a buyer, I have no problem dealing with a reserve. Most buyers are perfectly happy to tell you what it is set at, if they haven't in the text (some newer sellers think that revealing that in the listing is somehow against ebay rules). Of course, given the drive of the auction market, usually the lowest priced item sells first, and everybody would like to get their cels for as cheap as possible (and when you set up an auction, ebay's handy little "hints" keep telling you that items get more bids when they start with lower starting bids.
What ebay doesn't care about is when 15 out of 20 auctions don't sell, so you try whatever you can to minimize the fees overhead. Relist a $20 item a couple of times, and your net will be about $2 or less, after ebay takes all their fees, and paypal takes their fees as well.
Also, I've gotten some nice cels for a bit below the reserve - and sold some - from contacting or being contacted after an auction hasn't sold, either the first or second time. No matter how automated ebay and the huge "power sellers" try to make things, sometimes there's nothing like that personal communication between buyer and seller!
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hobbywhelmed
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