posted on October 14, 2000 04:12:13 PM
Not generally, but just by putting stuff on Ebay you are taking bidders from someone else. Suggesting that this particular seller we are discussing is "stealing" bidders from someone after the auction is over is silly. Also, contacting the #2 bidder if the #1 doesn't take the item is not so swift and I never do that. It smells too much like fraud/shill bidding. It is the classic routine. Some people need to remember that it was SUPPOSED to be an auction, not a department store! Auctions are a pretty cutthroat business.
[ edited by skyscout on Oct 14, 2000 04:14 PM ]
posted on October 14, 2000 04:24:42 PM
What if (as the original seller) you had a completed auction, that recieved multiple bidders & you had several of the same items left & wanted to offer them to the other people that bid. Do you really think that previous bidders would be upset, I certainly don't. If they weren't interested, why did they bid in the first place? I am only speaking about contacting bidders who bid on YOUR auction, not someone elses. Don't even try to player hate me on this comment people. We are all here to make money, right?
[ edited by comicjunkie on Oct 14, 2000 04:28 PM ]
posted on October 14, 2000 04:30:56 PM
comicjunkie- I have found most people to be quite happy when contacted as you describe, however, the way that this message board is, you are setting yourself up for somebody to correct your improper thinking because to do what you suggest would officially be "fee avoidance" and avoidance of running a dutch (lame) auction! Personally, I'd just relist the item so as to avoid looking like I was shill bidding. Then I'd contact the previous bidders and let them know of the new auction. Also, Remember, we are here to feel all warm and fuzzy, not to make money!
[ edited by skyscout on Oct 14, 2000 04:33 PM ]
posted on October 14, 2000 04:32:27 PM
Okay, let's look at it this way, if you don't mind, Skyscout:
You've listed a really neat Widget. You think it's worth $300 and put it up on eBay with a reserve. It closes without meeting reserve. You relist it, lowering the reserve by $25.
While this auction is running, you search eBay to see if anybody else is selling this widget. One person is: you look at the bid history, and everybody who bid on your earlier auction is now bidding over there and not on your new, lower-priced auction. That seller's auction closes for higher than your second reserve. Your relist doesn't meet reserve again, because all of the bidders have been concentrating on his auction.
Later that evening, you find out that the other seller had emailed all of your bidders from your first auction, inviting them to bid on his auction, and they did.
Are you happy? Or do you pay yet-another listing/reserve fee, and then spam all of that seller's underbidders to come bid on your auction, making it a big vicious circle?
posted on October 14, 2000 04:39:04 PM
GLENDA- I'd be the guy getting all the bids, because I haven't used a reserve since my first week on Ebay and I never set starting bid above $5. Reserves and high starting bids tell me that a seller is inexperienced or stupid because otherwise they'd know that on Ebay, you >always< get what an item is >worth< if you start it cheap and no reserve. Now, what some fool seller >thinks< it's worth is another matter. That is how I steal bidders - by being super competitive. I am getting off topic but really, a reserve is a complete waste. There are enough people on Ebay you'll get what it's worth if you give it a chance! Nothing wrong with that!
posted on October 14, 2000 05:10:15 PM
I've bid on items and lost, and have gotten e-mail from sellers directing me to other auctions with similar items. I never felt this was spam, nor did I feel it was somehow doing the original seller wrong... (The other auction ended with a winner... what does it matter to that seller if I bid on another item?)
Only sellers would view this as spam. Buyers certainly wouldn't.
posted on October 14, 2000 05:16:16 PM
Given the adjectives you've used when negging bidders, I expect at the very least that you'd call me "awful," "mean," "bizarre," "ignorant" and a "bad guy".
posted on October 14, 2000 06:30:57 PM
Hart-Quilts. Yes I would, because I give as good as I get, and your uncalled for negative attitude in your post earlier regarding my feedback would get you a big negative from me. That is, after all, what feedback is for - to describe the transaction that you have had. They leave negatives, and I probaly will leave them negatives. In fact, those people really were mean, ignorant, bazarre, etc. It is unreasonable to think that anybody who has done hundreds or in some cases thousands of deals will have 100% positive, though some do because they go nuts trying to keep it 100% +. I believe it was inappropriate for you to go quoting my feedback here, but I really don't mind. I'm proud of my 97.5% postive feedback. Just today I got a nice one from a nice new Ebayer who was very happy. Why can't they all be so agreeable?
posted on October 14, 2000 07:31:45 PM
Why on earth would you object to anybody quoting your own statements, which you made in the form of FB in a very public forum (ebay)?
Why can't they all be so agreeable?
Maybe it's because the ones who complained say they had problems with items being misrepresented, damaged, or shipped slowly, or couldn't get the seller to reply to emails. But I'm sure they're all mistaken.
[ edited by HartCottageQuilts on Oct 14, 2000 07:35 PM ]
posted on October 14, 2000 07:40:25 PM
Hart-Quilts - I said in my previous message that I didn't mind! Then again, I do mind you taking them out of context. For example, the "ignorant" guy was a raving lunatic from the Ozarks who kept going on about some "New York Mutt" who had ripped him off. The "bad guy" got his item broken, got his refund, and still called me a cretin and left bad feedback. "Awful?" Yes a few of them are. The "mean" people? Well there's plenty of them, huh? Looking at a person's feedback and taking the stuff out of context is really quite sneaky. What about all the good ones and the people who didn't bother to leave good feedback?
posted on October 14, 2000 07:40:42 PM
You know, I see these threads, and begin to wonder (and freak out a bit) how many of these cretin-bottom-feeder-types are contacting MY bidders during my auctions. I imagine the more competitive the category, the more screwed you are.
It's disconcerting. Skyscout is the poster-child for the private auction cause.
posted on October 14, 2000 07:45:16 PM
Julesy - I never said anybody should contact them >during< somebody else's auction. It would seem likely that they would find the auction on the search engine anyhow. I love the way you people seem to have no spirit at all. And when did they get to be "your" bidders? I hope Ebay never becomes as anti-competive as you seem to hope.
posted on October 14, 2000 07:57:22 PM
What would you know about competition, Skyscout? You don't compete. You spam people and have to solicit bidders. Bidders who have already chosen another auction over your's. If you could compete, you wouldn't be doing that.
posted on October 14, 2000 07:59:57 PM
HARTQUILTS- Now that I see what you tacked onto your message there, I see that you are in fact lying. I don't have any feedback of the type you stated. I only have 5 negatives & 200+ positives and it is hard to see how they could fit in all those reasons..... I think maybe you need to contact me directly [email protected] (make sure to spell it right, k? ) so we can discuss this in a more appropriate manner since you are obviously looking for a fight, and I am not one to get into it much on these message boards. Really I don't know what your problem is and I think a few people need to learn how to read.
posted on October 14, 2000 08:02:35 PM
JULESY- I don't spam anybody! We were discussing the question that started the thread. The competitiveness I was referring to, and the stealing of bidders, was simply in doing the auction right - no reserve, low minimum, etc. I often feel that I have stolen bidders when I see the same thing up for sale with a $200 minimum and an unknown reserve getting no bids! Why don't you quit reading more into things than there really is, okay?
posted on October 14, 2000 08:09:16 PM
You must have gotten confused (you are prone to it) when we were discussing the idea of contacting preceding bidders on an auction of your own if you had more than one of an item.
Don't call me a bottom feeder poster child or whatever, you low life.
posted on October 14, 2000 08:19:16 PM
Per your own comment:
"I try and siphon as many bidders off of others auctions as I can."
Doesn't look too confusing to me. You weren't speaking of contacting bidders on your OWN auctions. You siphon as many bidders off of others auctions as you can. Pretty crystal clear.
Instead of spamming people and making money on the back's of others, why don't you try to make your own auctions more attractive to the bidding population?
posted on October 14, 2000 08:39:21 PM
I am actually right in the middle of a case somewhat different from this but along the same lines:
A guy had listed something for a friend of his, but halfway into the auction found out that he had misinterpreted what his friend had said the item was for. He professionally emailed everyone who had bid explaining the situation and releasing everyone from their obligation to buy. I have in my inventory an item that is very close to what had originally been listed. I emailed the lister, asking for permission to let the other bidders know about my inventory (because side selling rules are to protect the sellers generally). I got his permission, then sent email to the other bidders explaining my inventory.
Sure, it's technically spam. But was it wrong? I think not.
posted on October 14, 2000 08:55:40 PM
I have been contacted by sellers numerous times after I have been outbid and the auction has closed. The category I generally bid in is crystal Christmas ornaments and some are really hard to find. I've been really grateful when a seller has contacted me asking if I would be interested.
To the original poster; it's all in how you ask. I don't find an email at all offensive that says "I hope you don't mind my contacting you, I noticed you were not the winning bidder on xxxx, I have one for sale if you're interested." If the feedback is good, I buy it! If there's not a lot of fb or I'm hesitant for some reason, I use i-escrow.
posted on October 14, 2000 09:01:48 PM
You are taking things out of context. For example, when I said I siphon off others bidders, I was referring to how I make my auctions better. I do get others bidders because others are too stupid to set up their auctions in the way to attract/keep them bidding! Several times I said that I did not spam people. I don't generally contact others' bidders, but in some cases it is justified. For example, I am probably the only person to have sold an Ercoupe belly skin on Ebay. NOT contacting other folks' bidders from similar items would probably make them mad if they found out about it! You can also use internet mailing lists, etc. to contact them. They are always very happy to have found out about the items.
posted on October 14, 2000 09:39:48 PM
See, if you were one of the 10 people in the world who needs an ercoupe belly skin, wouldn't you be glad if I emailed you to tell you it was on there? It has been late August since I sold it and I've yet to find a box big enough, though! Luckily I have an understanding buyer.
posted on October 14, 2000 09:57:10 PM
I bought it because mine was wrinkled, but it turned out I didn't need a new belly skin after all. So, I sold it. Besides, I was not to pleased that it didn't have any holes in it as it came when I bought it. Those are hard to put in there!
posted on October 14, 2000 10:17:12 PM
Come on! I gotta know! What is an ercoupe belly skin?
I did a search on Ebay for an item I am listing for my aunt. There was none in current auctions. I searched completed auctions and found one. It had way, way, way, more than met reserve. I never do this and was embarrassed doing it (but for good old Aunt Winifred . . . ) I contacted the first backup bidder and told them that I was going to be listing an identical widget this evening on Ebay and thought they might be interested in knowing that. I hope this doesn't make me some horrible cretin that makes people want to upchuck and turn me into SafeHarbor. This item is danged hard to find. I know I would appreciate knowing one was going to be listed. At the most, I feel I was intrusive. Please don't call me mean names. Aunt Winnie would be very appalled! )
posted on October 14, 2000 10:51:09 PM
Aaahhh! Thanks Glenda. Here I was imagining some sort of big fish.
skyscout, I once had to ship a CAD plotter. I had a crate built for it and then shipped it UPS. It wasn't so expensive. The crate man came and took measurements, and built it from wood.
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