Ebay auction today

I have attended a fair number of live, in person auctions that were not associated with trains or collecting. Sometimes shill bidding happens.

I don't know for certain whether I've ever had to pay a higher price for something due to shill bidding. I assume that I have. I don't loose sleep , or even think about such matters. Since I never bid more than I am willing to pay, I am always happy in the end.
With EBay's bidding model, where you only pay the increment over the next highest bid, I've gotten a fair number of items well below my ceiling.

 

 

 

Originally Posted by WP folly:

MTH Southern Pacific SD9 and it said $60 Ok that's another reason to not use E bay.  E Bay showed 140.00. That tells me E Bay has issues with reporting the right amounts. Let alone auction times. So I register through Stouts site instead of E Bay. Lesson learned.

I spent the morning at the Renniger's Farmers Market/Antique Mall here in Kutztown, PA.  That is where my friend that bought the ex Lionel employee's collection is set up.  We kept tabs on the Stout auction because that is where most of the highly collectable items ended up.

 

Needless to say my friend was very pleased with the auction results.  An example, one of the three 6464 NH shells in NYC jade green went for $7900.  WOW!  Just a plastic shell w/o doors.

 

It's doubtful he could have realized that kind of pricing anywhere else.  He had many other lots.

 

The auction serves it's purpose in mating hard to find items with willing buyers.

I just went through my watch list. Yesterday The SD9 showed 140.00 now its showing 60.00 also Item that had said passed now says sold. What I did notice was that  the bidders from E Bay drove up the prices. I also found that some of my bids did not even register.  bottom line I going direct with Stout for the next auction. I was just on stout's site and had no issues that I had yesterday following things.

These live auctions can be quite comical and entertaining! But if an item you just 'Must have" this is where you can find them! As for myself today I picked up a set off the bay, nothing spectacular, a 1666 and whistling tender, box car, tank car and caboose, all with the older style prewar box couplers, transformer and track and original set instructions, all for the super high price of $12.49 and $16.20 for the shipping! So there still are some bargains to be had, but you really have to pay close attention!

 

Uncle Al

Considering the prices realized on some of those items I would hope the exLionel employee was well compensated for this collection [30K for one item] JMO

Yea, the bidding increments sorta drive me crazy.  If there is an item that I've decided my max bid is $225, and I am high bidder at $200, then if there are any other bids its already at $225, and then my bid would have to be $250.

 

Jim

If it's in the STAR or ENQUIRER...or this post, it must be true...SO STATE YOUR PROOF before you spew stuff about a reputable auction house.  No need to reply...you don't have any proof.  Good God Man!!! 

It is pretty common - whether or not it happened here is speculation at best, but it happens enough on eBay that one has to be constantly vigilant.   eBay is a unique entity - if you treat it like a true auction, you will likely get burned.  I personally snipe my items - I pick a price I am willing to pay and I throw it in with a few seconds to go.  If someone has a higher max set, so be it - I lose.  But it keeps the wishy-washy from driving up the price, and it saves me from getting caught up in the heat of the moment.   No matter how much I want something, for me there HAS to be a maximum.  It's hard sometimes, but you just can't let yourself get caught up in the insanity.  

 

Franky the psychology behind it all is fascinating 

Shill bidding is not allowed on eBay.  eBay will block sellers if they discover shill bidding.  I am sure that other honest auction houses also try to prevent shill bidding.  These firms are in business for the long term.  Shill bidding that is knowingly promoted or allowed by the auction house, if discovered, could destroy reputations and lead to the business being shut down.  It may also be illegal.  I believe that a few executives at a large art auction house went to jail a few years ago for doing something illegal with auctions.  

 

Joe 

I agree shills happen, but doubt many running the auctions have anything to do with it, other than to ban these folks, and/or call the law.

 

Old Uncle Al , I think you may have gotten the lowest price of the day from what I saw poking around there. Well played  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5 or 6 lots of the 21" cars both 7 and 8 car sets 450-850 on Milw rd set,2 car set for 200. The Fri auction did not show any big bids on the 2 rail brass, now Saturdays auction saw the big dollars on post war Lionel up to 30K on one of a kind factory samples.

All very nice, but not the way I like to do business. I don't like auctions anyway, and

the reason that I like eBay (way too much, of course) is that, while it is an auction (and

ALL commerce is actually an auction), it insulates me somewhat from that auction atmosphere that I find irritating. So, when I see "Live Auction", I move on.

 

No big point, here. Just tossing it in.

Adriatic, since I have retired, and the weather is too miserable to do much outside, I start my day going on the bay and look ahead for a 24 hour period, I refuse to over pay for anything, looking for a bargain or two! And like "Thestumper" I have been waiting for the last min. of the auction to place a bid. If I win "OK", if not, thats "OK" too!

 

Uncle Al

Very cool table layout.
• Cheers from Michigan

       
       


Thanks...Gary...I've seen your videos before...they are amazing your layout design and your use of vertical space is superb....

Hi Uncle Al ..... I don't understand. You won all that stuff on a regular eBay auction yesterday? Or, one of these "live auctions" I know nothing about?

 

Jim

Your reading things closer than I am Jim...Still a good deal, and still lower than any prices on Stouts I remember. I thought I remembered seeing a box coupler 2-4-2 set in the lower price range of the Stouts, too. Maybe his E-bay bid to Stouts won?!? Can that be done?