There is some top sellers on ebay!

koldgold

koldgold

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Last week a seller had a knife for sale, starting at $50. I asked the seller, it they would ship to Australia?
Seller replied; No I do not ship to Australia. So, after a week with no bids the auction ended.
Today the seller has now re-listed this same knife, starting at $100.
Am I missing something here, or has the seller forgotten to take their medication?:confused::confused::confused:
 
Some sellers are averse to risking confiscation of knives by shipping them to foreign countries.
 
I can understand "Some sellers are averse to risking confiscation of knives by shipping them to foreign countries."
Although Australian Customs will not stop pocket knives from being imported.
What I'm still trying to understand, if the knife did not get a bid for $50 - Why start it off again for $100.
I must be still missing something here, that this seller knows about the art of selling, that I have not come across.:confused:
 
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Reminds me of a guy who has had a knife posted for about a year. Obviously he is asking too much. I have noticed that he varies his asking price from 75 to 100 dollars. I don't know what he is thinking. I bought the same knife mint in box with papers for less than $50 (and thought that a little steep) as opposed to his knife which appears slightly used and by itself. I see kooky stuff like that all the time. Not to mention the guys that are asking crazy high prices and never selling the knife. Guess they are hoping to get lucky, just like me.................
 
There has been a schrade feeding frenzy going on since about middle January out in the bay.

Remember Meerschaum!:D
 
and when you try to be nice and tell them that they are asking a wee bit too much they do not take it kindly.
 
Some people won't bite if the price looks too low. Compare to completed listings & see what the market will bear.
 
fatcity67 said:
Ouch you do that?
Click to expand...

I try real hard not to converse with the sellers any more than I have to and still be a good buyer. Too many jerks! I'm nice to new sellers or others who goofup a little or get confused and won't leave any feedback if an honest feedback means a negative feedback. Better to just let it go than to endure the revenge feedback on me. I just had a pretty awful experience with a woman that sold me a mis-represented, broken dremel tool. I didn't want to go through the hassel and expense of contacting her and shipping it back on my dime. Ebay offered to do the work for me if I went through them and they would send me a return shipping label so I get a FULL refund and I'm not out anything because this woman didn't bother to plug the darn thing in before she auctioned it off to see if it worked, or, she just intentionally cheated me. All was great, I didn't have to converse with her and got my money, after she drug her feet for a few days about refunding my paypal. A couple of months go by and ebay pesters me with a message to leave her a feedback. I was already perturbed that she didn't cancel the order and I have an unpaid item notice on my page that won't go away. Well, I decided to leave her a polite and honest negative feedback simply saying that the tool was broken and I used ebay to get a full refund. WOW! I was shocked that she trashed me so bad in her revenge feedback. Ebay says that a seller can't leave a negative feedback for a buyer so you don't have to worry about giving one to a seller and them getting revenge. That's true, but, as this woman did, the seller can click positive and then say anything she wants in the remarks. She posted in all capital letters that I used the tool, kept all the accesories and lied about the tool to file a false claim and she reported me to USPS and ebay. All lies. Then we get to go thru the dance of leaving responses to eachothers feedback and responses to our responses. MAN, what a bitch! This was all brought on by her ineptness or dishonesty or both, and she makes me out to be the worst kind of buyer. Screw em'. I don't converse anymore than I have to and most of the time don't leave bad feedback. I just don't leave any unless it's positive.
 
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I like the sellers that have very high shipping costs, like US$56 to ship a knife without a box.
I often email them and ask it the item comes on the front seat of an R.V. - or do they hand deliver the item in person.
I have found most sellers on ebay, do the right thing and often become buyers I use time and time again.

The "if it dose not sell, just double the price" way of selling had me thinking. :confused:
 
Well I'm thinking this thread is now getting a little out of the realm of this subforum but I would personally find it offensive if a buyer gave me unsolicited selling advice. It might cause me to put them on my prohibited buyers list just because it would get me thinking I might have issues with them in the future if they bought something from me.
 
After some 900 odd ebay transactions, most of which were as a buyer, I can say that I have had a very few unpleasant experiences but none were catastrophic, viz. the dremel tool. I have only sold a couple dozen or so items and already decided to put two buyers on my blocked list. There are dirtbags in every stratum of our culture. I try to avoid any unnecessary contact with sellers. Initially, I was giving them advice about their bad listings, but I don't do that any more; it accomplishes nothing but more angst. I am often the fool, but I DO learn.
 
I call it a "Hail Mary" when a seller has a crazy-high price for something. If you are in no rush to sell and are very patient, it is probably a good strategy.
 
The only time I ever 'coached' a seller was when I thought I could help them get a better price for their knife by adjusting their listing and description. Like telling them what they really had and it's worth and how to attract collectors. Of coarse I was not interested in buying the knife myself. I only did that a few times. Now I realize that I was burning some collector out of a sweet deal on a knife and since I live for those times myself, I stopped. I just posted on another thread that I scored a genuine Cigar Box Classic knife for the BIN price of a Taylor. The knife dealer should have known better. I like those listings for a real jewel that just says, 'Pocket Knife'. You're just lucky you stumbled across the listing. I have enough enemies as it is without critisizing a seller for his asking price. I just move on and keep looking for a deal. Sometimes I laugh.
 
The sellers who are terrible spellers AND ignorant of what they are selling are great. I got a Schrade PH2 for a great price because the genius seller listed it as a "sprotsman's knife".
 
I have seen some examples of 'listing inflation' result in a sale at the higher price. By 'listing inflation' i am referring to what is stated in the O.P.: a knife listed with an opening bid of $50 does not sell so is re-listed with an opening bid of $100.
There are occasional knife buyers who know almost nothing about knives and who do not do 'searching' to find other examples of the knife they are wanting to buy. If such a buyer is looking for a 'special gift' and sees a knife listed with a high opening bid their assumption is that this must be a very special knife, so they bid for it. They win because no one else is foolish enough to pay so much more than the knife is worth. I think the unfortunate buyer actually feels lucky because they got the knife they wanted at the low end of it's value. It did not occur to them that the seller is unscrupulous and the price many times higher than the actual market value.
The O.P. asks "am i missing something here". I think what i have described is likely the buyer's thought process because i have seen this re-listing for a higher price result in a sale numerous times over the last 8 years of ebaying.
If you are an unscrupulous seller it is worth giving it a try as sometimes you will 'make a killing'.
kj
 
The phenomenon which kootenay joe describes certainly does occur, but it does not make the seller unscrupulous, just annoying.
 
I've seen similar auctions work out differently so many times, with two opposite forces. You have educated and conscientous sellers, with educated buyers. Opposed to idiotic and unscrupulous sellers, with uneducated and competative buyers. Then you can have everything in between when it comes to the outcome of the auction.

I sold over 500 Schrade/Camillus/Ulster knives over a 7 year period. I always tried to have excellent pictures and accurate, honest descriptions. Also started each auction with a 99 cent price to generate interest and competition. I never listed much more that 5 to 7 knives at a time, and usually a week or two apart. It worked well for me on a fairly steady basis, but in any instance it is somewhat unpredictable. I built an extremely loyal following.

I was and always will be a rabid sniper when it comes to bidding. That infuriates some, and others would not bid any other way. I learned early on I did not care what others thought, as long as I was bidding within the rules. I found as a seller snipers are quite often the best bidders, and the early bidding frontrunners usually fizzled out on the last day. But they were instrumental in driving the price up. I enjoy every bit of it, both as a seller and as a buyer.

Ebay is an interesting case study on either side of the fence. There are different strategies that's for sure, as a buyer or as a seller. You never know what might happen.
 
As a repeat buyer from your knife sales, I can say you have been one of the best sellers, I have came across on eBay.

My best story started on eBay, when a seller listed six knives in one lot.
I was the highest bidder, however before I could pay for the knives the seller sent an email; saying his dog had got to the knives.

I emailed back saying I would like the knives anyway, as they sold for under $35 anyway
.
The seller then emailed me back, saying he would send the knives "free of charge - even the postage" - however the boxes had almost been eaten, by the dog.
I sent back an email saying "please send the boxes".

Well, the knives arrived with the boxes; the dog did give those boxes a hard time, and I still have those knives, in there original boxes.

The day the knives and boxes arrived, I had to email the seller; to ask him "If the dog was for sale".

The seller replied "NO NOT THIS TIME but if it ever happens again - I will post him to you, NO CHARGE"
I sent the seller the amount PayPal sent to me, before the seller said he would not charge me.

Those six knives and almost six boxes, ended up costing me $40 for the best fun I have ever had on eBay.

Thank You thawk for being a Top seller, and a Top Mate here on the Collectors' Forum...Ken
 
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Great story, Ken! Ebay is certainly a wonderful entertainment center. Following is an exact verbatim listing for a Schrade knife on ebay 2 or 3 years ago:

"SCHRADE HISTORY: Schrade knives are certainly one involving America’s finest knives whose features received value through nationwide and also the globe at the same time. Founded in 1975 by Stewart Taylor, your Taylor Brand names possess created, allocated and also created high-quality knives which have slept higher than the game. Having its technologically advanced components, carbon metal knives have been the delight involving Schrade knives. Hand-crafted together with utmost detail, Schrade knives have created a name that is certainly regarded all over the world.
Having a number of models to be able to appeal to diverse discerning style, the particular SCHRADE KNIVES customized knives in order to meet the requirements of the buyers who will be either enthusiastic cutlery collectors as well as first-time people that are impressed using its overall performance. Deals with tend to be involving stag, metal, acicular bone, mommy of gem, buffalo grass horn, black and other durable resources that will tolerate fantastic force without suffering appearance. Getting one of these is sure to keep the collection a single chef’s knife seeking much better. Schrade has been supplying knives for civilians and troops likewise going back hundred years ago. However, these people never have usually tried it under the parent firm they are now under. That they used to be an independent company and have already been doing this beyond Ellenville, New York since the year 1904. With regards to three decades previously, they joined up with Jones and Wesson within the father organization Taylor Makes, in the Appalachian mountains of Kingsport, Tennessee. Because his or her brand modified does not always mean Schrade knives have grown to be any a smaller amount capable of ending up being named among the best knives on the market. They have interpreted their unyielding good quality to the modern day manufacturing techniques, bringing about more offered, exceptional knives that any of our fantastic grandparents will be proud to obtain. Unfortunately, it wasn’t constantly an even path with regard to Schrade. Several blade hobbyists scrambled to acquire a common cutlery while that for series. Tiny do they already know Taylor Brands would likely rapidly choose the model upward off the floor, pull out their own graphic, and initiate manufacturing knives below their own industry name once more.
That old Schrade knives, LIKE THIS ONE, tend to be well-known knives using this brand name. It’s been useful for the particular military as well as legislations enforcements due to the sturdiness as well as reliability. It has saw-cut addresses along with dime increases. Additionally, it has an inlay safeguard where the old timers press has become engraved. Considering that the manufacturing involving Schrade knives was halted. There are only a few of those that you can seldom uncover and you’ll need to look up well on the internet and using specialized retailers to get a single Schrade knife."
 
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