Not Good Experience with Online Auction

H

Happy Hippo

Gold Member
Joined
Nov 8, 2022
Messages
1,492
I tried a few online auctions to get some Case and Buck knife stuff. Here are my observations.
1). Prices are sky high. Most everything I bid on, I was outbid by a lot. Usually a person on-site won the auction because ...
2). The internet surcharge is ridiculous. 20%!
3). I finally managed to get two Case knives. I paid a lot. Then the company has the nerve to gouge me on shipping. $23 for just two pocket knives.

Probably be best to attend these auctions in person to avoid the extra expense. But I don't have time for that, in general. It also seemed that items that I missed due to distractions always went for a reasonable price. But maybe that is just a feeling, and not really true. I do not feel enthusiastic about going on another online auction. EBay is a bargain compared to what I saw. And the most reasonable prices often come from this forum.
 
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Well, you got to try out their auction process and learn about it, and you got the knives you wanted in the end, so I'll call that a good outcome even if you spent more than expected.

20% Internet surcharge? That seems designed to discourage online bids, and seems excessive. I wouldn't attend an auction if I knew I was going to start any bid with a 20% price disadvantage against others in the room. Put that at 5% and I'll try to pretend I'm not getting got. I understand that fraud prevention isn't free, but it also doesn't cost 20% of gross.

(...Danke42, I enjoy watching you go to work on people when they deserve it, but jumping on new posts right away can chill discussion. I think Happy Hippo had some valuable information to share here and I want to learn it.)
 
Hi Happy Hippo! I'm curious about that auction and have a bunch of questions.

You don't need to answer any of these!

Was that 20% Internet Surcharge disclosed in advance, or did you get surprised by it after bidding?
Was it exciting to bid? (that tiny thrill has an entertainment value, IMO!)
About how many items were auctioned?
Did the auctions have a "reserve price" that needed to be met?
Did all the items get bid on?
Did one or two people win most of the auctions?
How close to MSRP would you say the items sold for? (a bit above, a bit below?)
What was the best deal you saw?
What was the worst deal you saw?
Was this for US residents only?
 
DigDeeporDie said:
Hi Happy Hippo! I'm curious about that auction and have a bunch of questions.

You don't need to answer any of these!

Was that 20% Internet Surcharge disclosed in advance, or did you get surprised by it after bidding?
Was it exciting to bid? (that tiny thrill has an entertainment value, IMO!)
About how many items were auctioned?
Did the auctions have a "reserve price" that needed to be met?
Did all the items get bid on?
Did one or two people win most of the auctions?
How close to MSRP would you say the items sold for? (a bit above, a bit below?)
What was the best deal you saw?
What was the worst deal you saw?
Was this for US residents only?
Click to expand...
no the surcharge was known in advance but it kept me from bidding as high as the people that are there
yes, it is always exciting to bid, which is probably how I got the two I had - probably paid too much
there were hundreds of items being auctioned - it was through proxibid
I don't believe there were any reserve prices - there is pre-bidding, so most items already had people bidding on them before the auction even started
yes, all items sold
many items had multiple people bidding - but you can't tell if they are the same people or not
I think they sold for about 20% or more higher than I would have paid. This are all discontinued knives, so the MSRP is irrelevant.
I didn't really see any deal. The one thing I wanted was a Sterling Silver handled Buck knife - it went for $145. I would have paid more but was taking a call from work at the time. I also missed the first 40 items, which had some items I was interested in as well. The auction time was a noon during the weekday, which is an odd time, I thought.
I didn't pay attention to the deals - I don't think anyone really got any fantastic steal of a deal.
I don't think there is a country restriction, but you have to go through an approval before the auction starts.
 
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