posted on October 15, 2000 06:08:46 AM new
I am an autograph collector/dealer and I do some (20/week or so) auctions on ebay. The autograph trade is very competitive and backbiting. I've even had accounts of other dealers emailing my customers.
As the Holiday season approaches, (and my sales go up), I was considering making my auctions private, so my customers wont be bothered by the sycophants of my trade.
posted on October 15, 2000 09:55:20 AM new
At present, private auctions are the only way to protect yourself and your bidders from "bottom-feeding" emails. Unfortunately, some bidders are distrustful of private auctions and won't bid. You might want to add an explanation/reassurance in your description, something like:
"This is a private auction, which works exactly like eBay's regular auction, except your identity and email address is kept private to protect you from un-solicited spamming."
(edited 'cause I can't type with a kitten in my arms)
posted on October 16, 2000 07:53:41 AM new
I think the private auction makes a lot of sense as bids are generally noone's business but buyer and seller.
The only good argument I know of for the current general openness is for detection of shill bidding and related abuses.
posted on October 16, 2000 08:02:16 AM new
From eBay's help pages:
Q. What is a Private Auction?
A. Strictly hush, hush—this auction protects a buyer's privacy. Bidders' email addresses won't show up on the item or bidding history screens. When the auction is over, only the seller and the high bidder will know who bought the item.
A private auction a day keeps the bottomfeeders away...
posted on October 16, 2000 08:26:59 AM new
I don't know a lot about the autograph market, but I would be very suspicious of any private auction for an autographed item.
Why? Because one reason that unscrupulous sellers use private auctions is so that no one can contact their bidders to tell them that they are being taken.
Of course, I'm not making any suggestions about you or any other particular autograph dealer. I'm just saying that, with the enormous scandals in the autograph market, as a buyer, private auctions would make me very apprehensive.
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[ edited by amalgamated2000 on Oct 16, 2000 08:27 AM ]
posted on October 16, 2000 08:56:32 AM new
HartCottageQuilt's thread has some bearing on this, there has been as much concern regarding fake autographs as sports signature memorabilia:
That being said, I echo others here, a private auction in this case would give me concern as a bidder -- unless it was a Van Gogh autograph -- but that's another thread!
I have a friend selling on eBay who has just used a private auction for the 1st time, it is for a high end native basket, and I believe in the past he has heard from a couple of collectors that they would prefer this method -- anyone registered can pretty easily find where they live, with a little research, and some of them have collections over the quarter million value mark, so I guess I can understand some concern there, too.
If an autograph dealer wanted to sell via private auction, and stated why, as well as adding some kind of statement that "we 100% guarantee the authenticity of any autograph we sell", especially if they are operating as an actual business, that would be better.
Of course, bidder can also request escrow -- I hate it personally, but perhaps for merchandise like this, on-line "inspection" doesn't totally cut it?
However, just an individual selling, I would be dubious indeed!
(edited to correct wrong word)
[ edited by upriver on Oct 16, 2000 08:57 AM ]
