PEOPLE, YOUR JUNK ISN"T WORTH THAT MUCH $$$

[wavinwayne]

Yes, I was yelling in the title. Just a pointless vent; this morning while I was reading the [printed] newspaper classified ad's, I browsed through the misc. items sections. I was insulted at how much people think their junk is worth. Someone selling a PS3 with 2 controllers & a couple of games, and several blue-ray movies - $850. Are you frikkin' kidding me - $850!!? You don't get to use stuff, then re-sell it for like-new price. RIDICULOUS!

Anyway, off to work now. Finished venting......for now.

 

[refaller]

My neighbor brings out things when we have a yard sale. Asks for near new prices. Usually sells one thing, then has to lug everything back. I figure I'll take anything just so I don't have to keep moving stuff back and forth.

ref

 

[oily boyd]

My stuff is worth a premium... your stuff is worth nothing!

Isn't that the way it always goes?

It's especially true when buying/selling cars at a dealership. I remember looking at a Toyota dealership and they offered me $2000 less than Edmunds wholesale on my wife's mint 2 year old Civic! Interestingly, when I finally did trade it at another Toyota dealer, I got a $800 above Edmunds wholesale and their asking price on the used lot was more than I paid for it new.

This thread will get interesting.

 

[CBDFrontier06]

People in the automotive world are especially prone to this. I see scratched and/or curb-rashed OEM wheels on Ebay and Craigslist all the time for exorbitant prices, as if the wheels are particularly special because they're THEIRS. The wheels were included in the price of the car, so where do these values come from....out of their a**es? I find a lot of entertainment in watching these items and seeing how many are re-listed and still never sell. The problem is, there are plenty of stupid people with a lot of money who will come along and buy overpriced items.

When I decide that something is in my way, I want it gone ASAP. 99% of the time I'll list something on Ebay or Craigslist at fire-sale prices just to get it out of my house. That includes my OEM wheels.

Kind-of a side note....why does ANYONE bid on an Ebay item days before the auction ends? That serves no purpose but to drive up the price. I wage my bidding war no sooner than 2 minutes before auction ends, with a maximum set in stone.

 

[Schmoe]

It's funny. You got to a garage sell in the little town I live in, Chickasha, everything is dirt cheap. Now go to a bigger town, like Lawton, everything is 2 to 3 times as much for the same junk. Cracks me up.

 

[Mr Nice]

LOL.

When I first saw this Topic, I thought you meant the stuff for sale on BITOG.

 

[mpvue]

I do a lot of business on ebay, and it seems everyone feels they can make a killing there now. the reserve on some items is so far over the top. I once saw a '78 olds omega or some sort for like $15K, because, 'hey, it's over 25 yrs old, it's a classic!'
it's really hard to get good deals anymore on the 'bay, but you can always find what you want. I just scored a new set of eibach springs for my VUE; they are discontinued from eibach, hard to find, and most guys want close to $200. I got them for $94. sometimes it pays to wait.

 

[javacontour]

I guess I fail to see how bidding days before will drive up the price.

It takes more than just me bidding to drive it up. If I'm the only one who bids, then my low price will be the final bid, unless I don't hit the reserve.

So I bid and forget. I pick what I'm willing to pay and bid. If I get it, great, if not, I'm not tempted to up my bid.

If others are bidding, then yes, the price will go up, that's the way the market works. If I'm the only one to bid, then the price stays low.

 

[javacontour]

The only exception would be a reserve auction. If my proxy bid exceeds the reserve, then the auction jumps up to that amount.

However, the max I'm willing to pay is still my boundary and if the seller is not going to sell below the reserve, then it doesn't really matter if I "expose" the reserve with my proxy bid.

 

[mpvue]

Originally Posted By: javacontour
I guess I fail to see how bidding days before will drive up the price.


if bids show up early, the people watching start to panic, and when people get excited they tend to be willing to bid higher than they wanted. let's say an item sits at one bid for 6 days. that person is pretty confident that he'll get it at that price. but, if someone else jumps in early, he doesn't want to lose the item so he ups his bid.
I'm definitely a sniper; I jump in at the last few seconds. sometimes I get sniped myself, but I can usually get what I want.

 

[WishIhadatruck]

I was always getting sniped, so I started siping myself. If you are bidding on something that just a few people would be interested in it pays to wait. If you bid early the other guy will try and get the winning bid. The sooner it starts going up the higher it often ends up in the end. I think people do get excited and bid too much at times.

 

[XS650]

Originally Posted By: mpvue
Originally Posted By: javacontour
I guess I fail to see how bidding days before will drive up the price.


if bids show up early, the people watching start to panic, and when people get excited they tend to be willing to bid higher than they wanted. let's say an item sits at one bid for 6 days. that person is pretty confident that he'll get it at that price. but, if someone else jumps in early, he doesn't want to lose the item so he ups his bid.
I'm definitely a sniper; I jump in at the last few seconds. sometimes I get sniped myself, but I can usually get what I want.


I'm a sniper too. I decide the absolute maximum I'm willing to bid and bid it with less than 5 seconds to go.

There are a lot of bidders who only respond to others bids and sniping can let you get it for less than they are willing to spend.

I've sold a lot more than I've bought on eBay (if you don't count the car I bought). It warms my heart to see 2 or 3 guys get in a bidding war for something I'm selling days before the auction's over. I don't know why they do that, but I appreciate it.

A good bidding frenzy can drive the price of a used item over what they would pay by getting online and buying an identical item new. Go figure.

When I got rid of my motorcycle several years ago I sold a lot of MC related stuff. Anything with the Aerostich brand on it that was in excellent condition sold for close to the present new price or in a couple of instances over the new price.

I also sold some Bose speakers which were Bose [censored] the day they were made for about what I paid for them 5 or 6 years earlier.

 

[XS650]

Originally Posted By: WishIhadatruck
I was always getting sniped, so I started siping myself. If you are bidding on something that just a few people would be interested in it pays to wait. If you bid early the other guy will try and get the winning bid. The sooner it starts going up the higher it often ends up in the end. I think people do get excited and bid too much at times.


That's why I set the price and/or reserve low enough that bidding will start early.

 

[javacontour]

But doesn't that just mean there is a market for the item? If more than one enters a last minute (or last second it would seem) bid, then the same thing happens, all at once.

If it exceeds my price, I don't buy. I bid once, and walk away. If it's mine, it's mine, if not, then I'm not the loser.

I ignore those e-mails from e-bay encouraging me to not let the item get away, LOL.

 

[ALS]

You would be surprised what people will pay for some stuff.
The jaw droppers are the guys that bid for the Cuda convertibles on Ebay.
I saw a total piece of junk go for over $35K last year.
No top, no interior, no drive train other than the rear end.
Four snow tires on steel rims and every panel had rust dents or bondo on it. It did come with doors, hood, and trunk lid. I'm pretty sure the guy was throwing in the bumpers for free. It was an original 318ci car. I never laughed so hard when I saw the final winning bid. I don't care how rare a convertible Cuda is that body shell was worth no more than $5,000 in my book.
Here is an example of what I mean.
Ebay Cuda $26,000

 

[XS650]

Originally Posted By: javacontour
But doesn't that just mean there is a market for the item? If more than one enters a last minute (or last second it would seem) bid, then the same thing happens, all at once.

If it exceeds my price, I don't buy. I bid once, and walk away. If it's mine, it's mine, if not, then I'm not the loser.



There are a lot of people that aren't as logical as you that also lack your self control. People will up a bid just because they don't want to be beaten.

 

[Saturn_Fan]

1996 Saturn SL and other years of this car selling for 3500-4500 at the dealerships around here with 125,000 miles on them. Ridiculous!! I called them on this insanity and was told that cars that are fuel efficient are going for a premium. I laughed my butt off and said, "yeah two thousand over book", you gotta be kidding me. told him I can a old Satty SL on Craigs list for a 1/4 to 1/2 that.

Garage sale where I see fishing rods. Guy wants 99 bucks for a new reel that I can get at Wal Mart for the same price. Why would I buy his slightly used reel when I can go down the street and get one myself? He has a used rice steamer for 49 bucks, Wal Mart has brand new model for 39!

 

[javacontour]

I can't recall if it was here or elsewhere that someone paid $28 with shipping to get a $25 iTunes card on eBay.

I had a used tire from my former wife's minivan. We replaced the tires and one was a relatively new Dunlop SP5000 while the other three were well worn.

I asked the tire store for that tire back and they gave it to me.

I put it up on Ebay, and it only got the opening bid of $1. I think the guy gave me $25 or so to ship it, even though I only quoted him the actual shipping costs + $2 for the packing materials. He didn't feel right about this, so he offered more.

Got great feedback, as the tire was probably 90% tread left and his getting the tire for under $30 was great for him.

Of course, I had a pull fiber channel card from a Sun box I got that a customer didn't want any more.

Was given the host and I got over $800 for that one card parting it out

 

[javacontour]

Originally Posted By: Saturn_Fan
1996 Saturn SL and other years of this car selling for 3500-4500 at the dealerships around here with 125,000 miles on them. Ridiculous!! I called them on this insanity and was told that cars that are fuel efficient are going for a premium. I laughed my butt off and said, "yeah two thousand over book", you gotta be kidding me. told him I can a old Satty SL on Craigs list for a 1/4 to 1/2 that.

Garage sale where I see fishing rods. Guy wants 99 bucks for a new reel that I can get at Wal Mart for the same price. Why would I buy his slightly used reel when I can go down the street and get one myself? He has a used rice steamer for 49 bucks, Wal Mart has brand new model for 39!


Dealers really are not about cash buyers. They are about folks who need to finance or trade and are willing to pay for the convenience. (Or they are bad at math, LOL.)

There is one outfit here who is advertising that you can shop by your payment amount.

It would probably shock a lot of folks here how many shop this way. They have two questions, do I like the car, what's the payment? If they get the right answers on those two questions, they sign up!

 

[XS650]

A few times when people have overbid and it has been a pleasant smooth transaction, I have thrown in something extra, like one time a guy bought two pairs of motorcycle gloves and I tossed in a 3rd pair. I have also stuck in a bit of cash a couple of times saying that shipping was less than expected.


EBay is a great garage and house decluttering decision maker. If I don't have a use for it and it won't sell on eBay, I feel a lot better about throwing it in the trash.