Dash trains auction question

Dash charges a flat 18% on all auctions.  The fee is not seller specific.  Only their "Buy it now" auctions are exempt from this fee.  I never go to their web site any more because the fee is so high.  When you win an auction the total price is the Winning bid amount + 18% + shipping.

Many of the items are still a great price. You can't buy one inexpensive car though, then the shipping is too high. Buy a couple items and shipping is reasonable. If you can buy an $18 item and pay $3.24 premium, when the car sells for $40 or $50 else where, I don't see the problem.

Within a couple percent, the buyer's fee/premium is pretty much SOP and the same as DASH for most of the private auction houses, many of whom advertise in the hobby publications, including the TCA's publications.   Also, there's no attempt to hide the additional buyer's premium/percentage in the auction advertising.  Shipping fees/carriers are also discussed.  When you sign up to bid, you're made aware.  

So, if I'm bidding on an item at a site/auction such as DASH, and my cash flow budget dictates an absolute maximum amount I can afford, I'll subtract an estimated shipping fee, then further reduce my allowance by the premium percentage.  If I can win within that net amount, I'm good.  If I can't, I'll pass.

No problem......IMHO, of course.

KD

dkdkrd posted:

So, if I'm bidding on an item at a site/auction such as DASH, and my cash flow budget dictates an absolute maximum amount I can afford, I'll subtract an estimated shipping fee, then further reduce my allowance by the premium percentage.  If I can win within that net amount, I'm good.  If I can't, I'll pass.

That is the way I've always handled my Dash bids, and I've considered all my wins good deals.  However, I don't win that often because I believe many bidders don't understand the fee.  Also, like Jim I now only bid when there are multiple items I want to keep the shipping cost low.

Another thing I want to bring up is Dash/Trainz has always accepted my few returns of defective/not as advertised items with no issues, refunding me the full cost as well as shipping.  Others have had different experiences, but so far I have been happy with them.

Joe Fermani posted:

... I never go to their web site any more because the fee is so high.  When you win an auction the total price is the Winning bid amount + 18% + shipping.

That's why I don't even give that place the time of day.  Not even on my radar screen.

David

dash trainz service has been great for me also. No complaints here

• High Buyer's premium
• No sniping
• No fixed bidding end time
• No Gilly!

Gilly@N&W posted:

• High Buyer's premium
• No sniping
• No fixed bidding end time

Sound a lot like a real live auction to me...

I've used dash many times and it's a great way to get harder to find items that don't always show up on eBay. 

Not that I want competition, but if you are patient you can get good deals. I had an item arrive damaged and customer service was excellent.

Ebay is mostly, Buy it now price, and those prices are usually very high. Dash is more interesting. 

The one item I bought on DASH was grossly mis-graded and their adjustment was paltry.  Alternative was to ship it back at my own expense.  Lousy service.  Never again.

BigJohn&theWork posted:

Sound a lot like a real live auction to me...

Except if I were to make a $10 bump on a small item, the auctioneer would quickly loose patience with another bidder repeatedly making a $0.50 bump on the final call. That tiny bump may have bought the other bidder an extra few seconds, not minutes.

At a live auction, employees of the auction company aren't going to be shill bidders. I cannot know that the same is true with an online auction.

You would never have the same item being offered for sale concurrently at multiple live auctions. I have seen the identical item offered both on DASH and eBay. 

Lionelzwl2012 posted:

... If I had of known what the fee was .....  

Not to sound like a jerk; it's part of the 'user's agreement' you completed/agreed too when creating your account.  

No dog in this fight-I don't use DASH, premium is ridicoulus, shipping overcharges, and I tired quickly of many wrong orders delivered. Hassle returning items to get a refund when it was thier mess anyhow...

never experienced any of that. I guess that's why there are a bunch of places that will take your$$$$

I consider the buyers premium into the equation when I bid.

Decide what you want to pay, then add the 18%.

If that total number is too high. I lower my "potential" max bid until the bid+buyers premium= what I think is a fair price/good deal.

Then I place my actual bid. If shipping is too high I consider that too and knock my "actual bid" down even more.

I've only bought a few things. In the end the deals were good and the items as described.

Caveat emptor

After poking around, the 18% buyer's premium is buried in the FAQ section. The key word is BURIED.  It should be plainly stated in EACH auction.

Also, in a lot of instances, they are using "stock" photos of auction items.  So, what you see is not necessarily what you will get.  This is why you may see the same item on ebay and Dash.

Fred

I clicked on it the other day just out of curiosity, and I thought my computer was going to crash. I got some kind of supposed warning from Microsoft with a toll free number to call, and threatening to cut off my service. I shut the computer down to clear it, and fortunately there was no harm. I won't be going back again!

Don

rail posted:

I clicked on it the other day just out of curiosity, and I thought my computer was going to crash. I got some kind of supposed warning from Microsoft with a toll free number to call, and threatening to cut off my service. I shut the computer down to clear it, and fortunately there was no harm. I won't be going back again!

Don

That was a scam. You were hacked. It's not DASH website. It was a redirected scame site. Same thing happened to my daughter. Unfortunately before it was caught it was to late. It took nine hrs before my daughters laptop was usable again. 

Fred Brenek posted:

After poking around, the 18% buyer's premium is buried in the FAQ section. The key word is BURIED.  It should be plainly stated in EACH auction.

Also, in a lot of instances, they are using "stock" photos of auction items.  So, what you see is not necessarily what you will get.  This is why you may see the same item on ebay and Dash.

Fred

I see the buyers premium clearly shown in every listing.

On the right side of listings it states meet the seller and under that is the buyers premium.

http://marketplace.collector-m...Set-LN%25Box-7005781

Casey Jones2 posted:

Fred Brenek posted:

After poking around, the 18% buyer's premium is buried in the FAQ section. The key word is BURIED.  It should be plainly stated in EACH auction.

Also, in a lot of instances, they are using "stock" photos of auction items.  So, what you see is not necessarily what you will get.  This is why you may see the same item on ebay and Dash.

Fred

I see the buyers premium clearly shown in every listing.

On the right side of listings it states meet the seller and under that is the buyers premium.

http://marketplace.collector-m...Set-LN%25Box-7005781

It would appear you are correct.  My bad.