LF overpriced on ebay

kb244 · Nov 11, 2006

Have any of you considered the common practice of people putting "vintage" things up on eBay, driving the price up by a friend, and no actual transaction occurred, then sell the same item under another name two weeks later so that when people do a 'search' for completed sales of the same item they can say "Hey this item went for 700$ it must be worth around that".

Dave Parker · Nov 11, 2006

Karl,

I consider it all the time, that is why I use several different sources to determine what value is, great for me when buying, and love it when I am selling if they DON'T have that information...

Dave

kb244 · Nov 11, 2006

Not only that, if you look at the winner, has a feedback of -1 , with a feedback of "Never intended to pay for the item, even after I volunteered to ship to China" for the very item you say went for 700$ when it did not actually go for 700$.

big_ben_blue · Nov 11, 2006

kb244 said:
Not only that, if you look at the winner, has a feedback of -1 , with a feedback of "Never intended to pay for the item, even after I volunteered to ship to China" for the very item you say went for 700$ when it did not actually go for 700$.

The seller could offer it as "second chance" to the second highest bidder instead.

But what does one make of this aucton (have a look at both to understand):
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120047458475&fromMakeTrack=true
and
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230048843127&fromMakeTrack=true
(hint, check the winning bidder from the first).

Chris

Dave Parker · Nov 11, 2006

Looks like someone is stealing someone elses pictures and auction, unfortunately has become quite common.

Dave

big_ben_blue · Nov 11, 2006

Dave Parker said:
Looks like someone is stealing someone elses pictures and auction, unfortunately has become quite common.

Dave

Well, but the seller from the second auction IS the winner of the first auction.

Dave Parker · Nov 11, 2006

Could be like that Etrade TV spot we have here in the US, sell it as soon as you buy it....

Dave

big_ben_blue · Nov 11, 2006

Dave Parker said:
Could be like that Etrade TV spot we have here in the US, sell it as soon as you buy it....

Dave

Clearly shows that I don't watch enough TV

OT: Could turning on a dusty not-used-for-10years TV have any negative impacts? Lets hope the rabbit ears are able to pull in a station

ineffablething · Nov 11, 2006

I really love how overheated the ebay market has become.

BrianShaw · Nov 11, 2006

kb244 said:
Have any of you considered the common practice of people putting "vintage" things up on eBay, driving the price up by a friend, and no actual transaction occurred, then sell the same item under another name two weeks later so that when people do a 'search' for completed sales of the same item they can say "Hey this item went for 700$ it must be worth around that".

I hope you are speaking hypothetically, Karl. That's done all the time... but only by unethical low-lifes.

Bill Mitchell · Nov 11, 2006

They just did it again! #220045680697 went for $601, with several people bidding this time over $500. Incredible!

Dave Parker · Nov 12, 2006

Actually the local pro shop here in Kalispell just sold a used one for $695, albeit it did have two undrilled lensboards with it, so I don't think that $601 is that bad considering......what a lot of folks don't realize in the area I live a good many wood and brass cameras are actually purchased for decorating a room and not using for taking pictures, it is quite popular in the houses that are on the lake, and I imagine it could be in other areas of the country, these folks are willing to pay quite a bit for them as they don't realize that there is someplace they can buy them for less.
Dave

kb244 · Nov 12, 2006

BrianShaw said:
I hope you are speaking hypothetically, Karl. That's done all the time... but only by unethical low-lifes.

not really hypothetically, Not saying its right, just that its common to see, especially since I work in a camera shop and we often check eBay for actual selling value from time to time, and we often notice those trends. I think it falls under the category of "Bid Shilling" in the ebay violations, the problem is of course its hard to prove, let alone get any kind of timely response in reporting it.

removed account4 · Nov 12, 2006

Dave Parker said:
Actually the local pro shop here in Kalispell just sold a used one for $695, albeit it did have two undrilled lensboards with it, so I don't think that $601 is that bad considering......what a lot of folks don't realize in the area I live a good many wood and brass cameras are actually purchased for decorating a room and not using for taking pictures, it is quite popular in the houses that are on the lake, and I imagine it could be in other areas of the country, these folks are willing to pay quite a bit for them as they don't realize that there is someplace they can buy them for less.
Dave

hi dave

i know what you mean about decorating a room with a camera.
the tjmax down the road from us has what looks to be a raj 8x10 replica-
lensboard, ground glass, even on a antiqu-y looking tripod all for about 120$.
i think the wood is balsa, and the bellows are made of black construction paper
... all presented for decor

jolefler · Nov 12, 2006

C'mon...it probably takes T(J)Max film, too! Sheet sizes are over by the linens.

Oren Grad · Nov 12, 2006

Dan Fromm said:
Oren, y'know, the late Herb Simon got a Nobel in economics for, among other things, the insight that when collecting and using information is costly, the optimal level of optimization is less than full.

Yup. Satisficing just is optimization, for us mere mortals.

StreetShooter · Nov 13, 2006

Oren Grad said:
Exactly. Not only that, but it can be rational not to search for additional information. If your free time is precious and you earn a living billing your work time by the hour, it may well make perfect sense to run the risk of paying a bit extra for something that's available to you right now, rather than spending hours rummaging around on the web hoping you'll learn something that will save you that much.

Oren,

You hit the nail on the head... and I think Dave M., Rich N., and Nick Z. are also correct!

For a seller, it's a dream come true! As Brian S. said, "You wouldn't be saying that if it was an auction for something you are selling, would you?"

.

Bill,

Most people entering LF lurk and participate in 3 main large format internet forums and I think we all know which ones they are. It's a very small community that we're all part of (The Large Format Community.)

Imagine the buyer of that particular Tachihara, that you're discussing, coming onto this forum and noticing that you called him an idiot?

Hmmm... not good karma!

The most expensive bottle of wine in the world at the present time is a 1727 Apostlewein from the Rheingau region of Germany and it sells for US$200,000 a bottle.

Apparently, they sell these limited bottlings to some pretty well-heeled people (with lots and lots of disposable income.)

Or, a meal in Beijing (The Emperor's Table) that sells for US$13,750...

People do what they do for whatever reason(s)... far be it from me to judge them if they want to spend THEIR money the way THEY want to! Like many of the folks here have stated... "I wouldn't personally spend in that fashion, but, if people want to it's certainly up to them! But, I wouldn't summarily dismiss them as idiots!"

BTW, are you the same Bill Mitchell who is always on the Leica forum of Photo.net?

Cheers

LF overpriced on ebay

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