Another E-Bay Query Please

[andy-hughes]

because I am brand new to E-Bay, I have no idea how auctions operate.

I have entered some items, and so far, I have no bids on site, but some 'watchers' re registered.

Is everyone hanging fire so as not push the price up, and they will all leap in at the last minute - or is there just no interest in what I am selling?

[woofgang]

maybe and maybe.... Either can be the case....

[fiction-factory]

I've sometimes had lots of watchers and waited expectantly for a sudden rush of activity. And then nothing happened. They may be waiting to pounce but more likely there are people with little better to do than follow these things. Maybe some are bots

[andy-hughes]

Thanks guys - I guess I will just have to wait and see.

One person has e-mailed an enquiry and offered serious money for one item, so I am keeping him in mind!

[bednobs]

also, if you are selling such an item yourself, you may watch others to get an idea of how much to sell yours for. Or for example i periodically want a new phone, i might watch some on ebay to see how much they go for, and then look in shops to compare

[andy-hughes]

Thanks benobs - that's a bit tricky, because my artefacts are signed albums from my time as a music writer.

I have a collection of albums and 12" singles which I have had signed.

I am advised that a tendency for fakes to flood the market makes genuine selling more difficult, but as I said, I am new to this, so it's worth seeing what happens.

[hc4361]

andy, he has offered 'serious' money because he knows there is an excellent chance of the item selling for much, much more and is hoping to get a bargain. Or he has an identical item for sale, probably under another idea, and wants to take yours out of the running. He won't pay.

If he really wants it he can bid like everyone else.

[douglas9401]

The figures supplied by eBay should not be taken at face value. Every time I list an item it instantly shows a number of people have looked in. Now I know electricity's fast but not THAT fast.
The actual watchers will be looking to see if there's any interest bid wise with a view to coming over the top in the last few seconds of the auction.
Registering as a 'watcher' also has the advantage of generating emails to remind you as the end is reached. Handy if you forget to look back.
Regarding your enquirer with the 'serious money' offer, remember to complete the transaction within eBay or you lose any protection they offer. No dodgy cash deals in Tesco car parks or strangers looking for your address.

[andy-hughes]

hc - //andy, he has offered 'serious' money because he knows there is an excellent chance of the item selling for much, much more and is hoping to get a bargain. Or he has an identical item for sale, probably under another idea, and wants to take yours out of the running. He won't pay.

If he really wants it he can bid like everyone else. //

Thanks for the heads up.

I did think about asking him to bid on the last auction day - but we'll see what drops in.

[Canary42]

IMO eBay is not the best place to sell "signed" items because the danger of fakes puts most buyers off. Unless of course you provide cast-iron authentication, not easy with online trading.

Under no circumstances should you entertain trading via e-mail - sharks operate this way and eBay offer NO REDRESS unless business is conducted through their bid process.

[Sycamore3House]

If you know the price you want to achieve you could also use the 'Buy It Now' option. I use my iPad and the eBay app and I get notifications when a bid has been placed.

[EDDIE51]

I find most eBay bids come in during the last few minutes or even seconds.
But with items like yours I would be VERY wary of selling on eBay.
A 'proper' auction house would be a lot better. Auction houses have huge data bases of people who buy particular types of item. When they get a 'specialist' item for sale they are searching their data for potential buyers. They send these buyers advance notice and details of the item due for sale
As said eBay does not have the reputation for selling valuable collectors items that the big auction houses have. So 'serious'collectors tend to avoid it.
By the way I very frequently put an eBay item 'on watch' with no intention of bidding on it, I am just curious as to how much it will sell for, or doing research to see what a similar item to one I want to sell has sold for.
Finally a lot (even a majority) of eBay users will not buy from a seller with a low feedback or a new seller ( who will have zero feedback) Yes, I know it's stupid but it happens all the time. Get some feed back by buying a few cheap items on eBay, once you have a feedback of even 5 or 10 people will be much more interested in buying from you.
My eBay feedback is 599 and 100% positive, it has taken 3 or 4 years to build it up to that level.

[andy-hughes]

Thanks Eddie, this is a whole new world to me, and I can see that I am probably not in the right place for the items I am selling. Will check out some auction houses, and see how that goes.

Thanks everyone for your advice, much appreciated.