900 dollar K & C Light posts???? (1 Viewer)

[MarkeytMaker]

this was without original boxes too ****!!!

There is another set that just sold for $222.00 today! Seems the demand is there...I bid on them a little but had to give up around midway.

 

[Grognard]

I am still puzzled by how little research some people who are bidding on Ebay do. I keep seeing some items still available in retail (even when they are listed as retired - easy to find with Bing/Google) going for way more than their still current retail value. Well I guess it's all goodness for the sellers...

I don't think they are as available as you think? If you could provide just one link to a site where they are still availbale I would be interested in buying some.

I was not talking of these very items in particular but TS in general. I see this happening every week...

 

[Gideon]

I agree...yours was a fair price, perhaps even a little under what demand might offer on any other day (you just never know who is watching). But I know when you have your collection "almost" complete, and you have struggled for so long, you will pay far beyond what an item is worth, just because you convince yourself you may not see the item again for a very long time.

I've done this myself a few times...usually when I have, the next week another one comes up on auction and sells for half of what I paid for it. So my suggestion is...if you are looking for a hard to find piece and don't want to pay with your first born (although I know some of you would like to) wait until I buy it; you'll get it cheap the next week.

Well, when I overpay for something and then see it at a fraction of that price the following week, here's what I do....

BUY THAT ONE TOO! Hey, what better way to mitigate the damage to buy the sets at a lowe price, increase my quantity and spread my splurge across multiple sets?

 

[Scarlet Pimpernel]

Well, when I overpay for something and then see it at a fraction of that price the following week, here's what I do....

BUY THAT ONE TOO! Hey, what better way to mitigate the damage to buy the sets at a lowe price, increase my quantity and spread my splurge across multiple sets?

I like the way you think...but, on a scary note...I have done just that...and then a third...and a forth...and suddenly, I realize the item isn't rare at all. In fact, there's a glut! And I overpaid on all of them! Man, I hope I don't get a bunch of PMs from people trying to sell to me as a result of this post.

 

[Combat]

Is it possible a bit of phantom bidding goes on to keep up the appearance of a strong secondary market or to inflate prices of similar items? Not saying that is the case here, but I find it hard to believe that buyers who have enough interest in toy soldiers to drop several hundred dollars on an item don't realize it can be bought from other sources for a fraction of the cost. That just doesn't add up.

 

[MarkeytMaker]

Is it possible a bit of phantom bidding goes on to keep up the appearance of a strong secondary market or to inflate prices of similar items? Not saying that is the case here, but I find it hard to believe that buyers who have enough interest in toy soldiers to drop several hundred dollars on an item don't realize it can be bought from other sources for a fraction of the cost. That just doesn't add up.

Again...can someone please provide this other source that is spoken of? These items (Lamp Posts) have been twice now stated as available elsewhere...I can't find them listed anywhere as available anymore.

 

[thebritfarmer]

I don't think they are meaning these exact pieces. They are just generalising. It does happen quite alot for items on ebay with all kinds of manufacturers not just toy soldiers.

 

[Njja]

Is it possible a bit of phantom bidding goes on to keep up the appearance of a strong secondary market or to inflate prices of similar items? Not saying that is the case here, but I find it hard to believe that buyers who have enough interest in toy soldiers to drop several hundred dollars on an item don't realize it can be bought from other sources for a fraction of the cost. That just doesn't add up.

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It does if you understand the marketplace.

In this case one can clearly see that 2 different bidders wanted the items in question and they bid against each other. One fellow won the first, the second fellow won the second.

Quite by accident I also had the same item listed which ended days later. I then sold another set, so there is interest in the set which has not been listed that often.

Some of us study the marketplace and understand values. It is yet another aspect of collecting which can make it even more enjoyable.

 

[Njja]

I don't think they are meaning these exact pieces. They are just generalising. It does happen quite alot for items on ebay with all kinds of manufacturers not just toy soldiers.

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To me this kind of talk is just sour grapes. If you know your marketplace you will understand the value trends.

I follow several dozen fields of collecting, and each one has its own marketplace. They are all affected by people entering or leaving the market, current media news, or other things that can attract attention to the items in question.

Even individuals can affect the marketplace, as they pursue pieces they may need for their collections.

I think far more damage is done when people list items for .99 that are routinely selling for $300-$400 dollars.

But if someone is happy to get $100 for a $400 item to save a $2 listing fee
well knock yourself out.

 

[thebritfarmer]

It has nothing to do with sour grapes it's the truth. Pieces that are still in production regulary go for higher amounts than you could get them from TF for example. Why aren't these people shopping around thats what I want to know, it's so easy to find a string of sellers on the interent selling armchairs to zippers.

IMO that is just stupidity...............a fool and his money.

 

[Scarlet Pimpernel]

It has nothing to do with sour grapes it's the truth. Pieces that are still in production regulary go for higher amounts than you could get them from TF for example. Why aren't these people shopping around thats what I want to know, it's so easy to find a string of sellers on the interent selling armchairs to zippers.

IMO that is just stupidity...............a fool and his money.

That reminds me...I need a zipper for my armchair.

 

[Combat]

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But if someone is happy to get $100 for a $400 item to save a $2 listing fee
well knock yourself out.

I doubt anyone in the history of ebay has made a decision like that to save two dollars. The price is set not just by the seller, but also by demand. So how might this work to inflate the price? Someone lists an item and it appears to sell for an outlandish price. In fact it doesn't sell at all or they have a phantom bidder raising the stakes with a legitimate buyer. That raises the attention of potential buyers who are now more willing to pay a hefty price for another such item that becomes available because they feel like they are getting a deal (i.e. not paying nearly as much as the phantom buyer for the item). However, they are in fact substantially overpaying for an item that they could get by asking around on the forum or with their dealers. Are there some morons out there who don't make good decisions? Sure. But most individuals in a marketplace can be expected to act reasonably and not in the ways described here.

 

[Njja]

It has nothing to do with sour grapes it's the truth. Pieces that are still in production regulary go for higher amounts than you could get them from TF for example. Why aren't these people shopping around thats what I want to know, it's so easy to find a string of sellers on the interent selling armchairs to zippers.

IMO that is just stupidity...............a fool and his money.

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In that case why not post where the LAH41's are still available?

Which is what I am referring to.

If you are talking about items still in release..............well what has that got

to do with This Thread?

 

[Gideon]

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I think far more damage is done when people list items for .99 that are routinely selling for $300-$400 dollars.

But if someone is happy to get $100 for a $400 item to save a $2 listing fee
well knock yourself out.

Hey man, Lay off!

I think a piece which should go for $300 to $400 most likely will anyway. I could list it over and over changing the price each time until it sells or I can say "I know this generally goes for $300 to $400 but lets start it here any way". I generally do well with that and I think people appreciate it to some degree. I also like to see bids and good activity early in an auction instead of waiting days to see if anybody is even interested.

 

[Scarlet Pimpernel]

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To me this kind of talk is just sour grapes. If you know your marketplace you will understand the value trends.

I follow several dozen fields of collecting, and each one has its own marketplace. They are all affected by people entering or leaving the market, current media news, or other things that can attract attention to the items in question.

Even individuals can affect the marketplace, as they pursue pieces they may need for their collections.

I think far more damage is done when people list items for .99 that are routinely selling for $300-$400 dollars.

But if someone is happy to get $100 for a $400 item to save a $2 listing fee
well knock yourself out.

Actually, I understand the $0.99 Ebay start prices...it is just an intergral part of Ebay selling psychology. A buyer will think "that is an outrageously cheap price for an item, and I might get it for cheap." While this does occasionally happen, there are usually enough bidders that the natural market value of the item will escalate the price in the auction. The $0.99 starting price is a great way of getting buyers' attention in a list of thousands of items. Once they commit to bidding, the chances of them actually competing against other bidders is much higher. If I post an auction for a collector's figure worth $50 and my starting price is $0.99, what are the chances it won't make it to the $40 range?...again, demand regulating just how high it will go. If you have a couple of eager bidders, you may find that despite a $0.99 starting price, the figure sells above market value. Beginning bids are the most important. Have you ever increased your maximum bid once you have seen you have been outbid? I think most of us probably have...just part of the psychology of the auction.

 

[thebritfarmer]

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In that case why not post where the LAH41's are still available?

Which is what I am referring to.

If you are talking about items still in release..............well what has that got

to do with This Thread?

I was answering a question, you quoted me saying that it was sour grapes !!

 

[Gideon]

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Gideon:
Everyone has their own style, if you are happy watching a $300 or $400 set sit at $22 for 5 or 6 days what can I say? If you are happy getting $150 for an item that brought $400 a week ago thats terrific.

Most collectors have another item in mind when they decide to sell something and would usually like to get a reasonable price for the item they decided to sell.

I sold a set of LAH41's after the $900 sale, I started them at a much lower price and was happy with the results. If I had started them at .99 and gotten $25 for them I would only have pleased the "Idiots" that want everyones collections to be "Worthless"

Just my thoughts.

I watch eBay closely to and generally will not list something I've seen posted currently or within the time frame of the completed listings.

Besides, just because an item reached $400 one week doesn't mean that it'll even go for $200 the next.

Generally, there are two people out there who will bid a piece up and the one who loses is usually the person who'll wait it out and be patient.

Perfect example was my DD10 ambulance when some d!ck bid it up to $800 and then claimed that his account got hacked. I offered it to the next highest and third highest at their previous bids and they didn't go for it. I had to relist it, they both bid again but it brought $450-500. So, there you go.

I see so many items which should sell for $300 to $400 and priced that way not sell while my stuff listed at .99 cents will generally bring that and then some.

We all have our strategies and approaches but I don't think I'm appealing to the crowd who wants peoples collections to be worthless nor do I think I'm contributing to it.

 

[Njja]

I was answering a question, you quoted me saying that it was sour grapes !!

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That was my mistake, my mention of sour grapes was not intended for your post. It was in response to Combats post which you were referring to. I am sorry if you thought it was directed at your post.

 

[Combat]

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That was my mistake, my mention of sour grapes was not intended for your post. It was in response to Combats post which you were referring to. I am sorry if you thought it was directed at your post.

John-
I don't sell anything on ebay and rarely buy. My only concern is that other collectors are not mislead by what they read here. If that's sour grapes because you have a different objective, then so be it.

 

[Njja]

John-
I don't sell anything on ebay and rarely buy. My only concern is that other collectors are not mislead by what they read here. If that's sour grapes because you have a different objective, then so be it.

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So very strange, you imply that "Phamtom Bidding" may be going on in a transaction where even the slightest investigation would tell a person that two seperate bidders were seeking the same item. One winning the first auction, the other the second.

Then you admit you don't sell anything and rarely buy!

Just incredible, another expert, with little knowledge of what he speaks about.

I find this offensive as a person that has been involved with Ebay and other collectors for over 12 years.

Next time why not do a little research?