[meteorite-list] OT eBay (was AD Time to get back to work)

From: GeoZay at aol.com <GeoZay_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 2009 10:44:13 EDT
Message-ID: <c0c.6961a660.37f225bd_at_aol.com>

When it comes to wheeling and dealing meteorites, I'm so far just a
buyer. Some day I might sell a few just to adjust my collection some to my
satisfaction. Most of my purchases have been off ebay. I make one or two
purchases per month and I try to be picky and exact as to what I will bid on. I'm
often a Watcher with several items on any given day though, whether I
intend to buy or not. I like to try to second guess the other watchers if I'm
interested in buying. I also like to get a feel for what similar meteorites
will sell for. This kinda helps me establish my highest price for
something. It also lets me know what I might be able to get away with if patient
enuf. Some sellers are their own worst competitor. They tend to sell meteorites
 like car dealerships. They get in a bunch and just must sell or move them
within a week. Often offering 30%, 40% But Wait! Even 50% sale discounts!
I look at these offers this way...They are discounts from a price that they
can't move because they are often over priced in the first place. As a
buyer, I'm looking for a bargain and settling with a cost that should be the
price in the first place doesn't appeal to me. For some reason I like ebay
and if it wasn't for all those disgruntled sellers, I wouldn't be there.

While I'm on the topic of ebay etc, another thing that turns me off is the
"Buy It Now" items. Those prices are usually jacked up and I just ignore
them right off. And those that take bidding with a minimum price along with
a "Buy It Now" price, I also ignore. There's simply no wiggle room to find
a bargain. I visit ebay in the first place to look for bargains. I'm not
there to make sure a seller gets a "fair" price. :O) If you have high
overhead costs, then don't expect getting a "fair" price there. I use to be a
seller of natural gold on ebay and even then I got less than what I thought I
should be getting. But I also discovered that although I was getting less
off of ebay, I was getting more than what I got by selling thru non-ebay
places...such as jewelry stores.


>>Buyers should be pissed about this too. Why? Because of what happens
when sellers incur more costs. They raise prices to compensate! This in
turn not only allows Ebay to earn even more from final value fees, but
it cost the buyers money too. Though in an indirect way.<<

As a buyer, this wouldn't work on me. You raise prices to compensate, I
just simply won't buy. Not all sellers will have the same overhead. I'll just
look for those with less and wait for the desired item to show up
cheaper.. Judging by the apparent glut of sellers out there, the wait really isn't
that long.


>>I don't know about you, but I think that's a whole lot of money! And
buyers are paying for it through higher prices charged by sellers!<<


Again...those sellers with less overhead can afford to accept lower
prices. It's their edge over the "used car" salesman approach.


>>How this email turned into an Ebay rant I don't really know, but buyers,
you should really think twice before buying on Ebay, considering Ebay is
raising prices indirectly and you're paying for it! Their practices are
so blatantly unethical it's ridiculous but we forget about it because of
the great deals and excitement of the auction atmosphere.<<

I have checked many meteorites for sale websites and generally the prices
listed there are higher than what I can eventually acquire off of ebay. As
a buyer, so far I like my odds on ebay. I also do enjoy the excitement of
the auction atmosphere.

>>Ebay is run by sharks,
sharks that eat money for breakfast. They drink melted gold from
platinum goblets and smile their diamond smiles all the while dreaming
up new ways to drain sellers of their hard earned money through endless
fee increases and unfair and unethical business practices. Buyers you
pay for it too whether you realize it or not.<<

Maybe so...but it's cheaper than most meteorite websites.
George Zay
Received on Mon 28 Sep 2009 10:44:13 AM PDT