The whole eBay thing

[osprey]

Just looking for some varied opinions on the eBay marketplace for retro games/consoles. I've been an avid eBay user now for 7 years, I now notice a hell of a lot of folks selling retro items that are simply overpriced. It seems people are jumping on the retro bandwagon, blind to prices (realistically).

Am I wrong?

[FantasiaWHT]

If they're selling, they aren't overpriced. Many people are willing to pay more money for the convenience of "hey it takes me about 30 seconds to find the game I want and buy it, and I can do it all on my couch" than searching through dozens of marketplace forums like digitpress has or driving around to indie used game stores/pawn shops/goodwills etc.

[Ro-J]

With recent sales of Stadium Events and Air Raid making mainstream news I'd expect a number of people to jump onto the newest "gold rush". As for Ebay being overpriced.....if their items are selling and people are willing to pay what the sellers are asking, then the prices are right. If the items are not selling then they're overpriced and will lower the asking to better match demand.

[EviLEd76]

I think you are right. For 6 months last year i went back and forth between a retro store in my area and ebay. I know i spent too much on ebay. A few months later i tried to sell most of what i bought on ebay and maybe got a 1/3 of what i paid.

The best advice i can give you is to look for auctions and garage sales in your area. Save ebay and retro stores for hard to find items that you really want. Good Luck.

[Zthun]

Just looking for some varied opinions on the eBay marketplace for retro games/consoles. I've been an avid eBay user now for 7 years, I now notice a hell of a lot of folks selling retro items that are simply overpriced. It seems people are jumping on the retro bandwagon, blind to prices (realistically).

Am I wrong?

Buy it Now is almost always overpriced. Some people will pay those outrageous prices, so for the most part, there's no reason not to overprice your games bit a small margin. Ebay has many more problems with item quality and descriptions rather than pricing.

[duffmanth]

Ebay is driven by complete and utter greed right now, like most of the world I suppose? There are a lot of over priced retro and current games on ebay, mostly at ridiculous buy it now prices. However you can still find some deals on there, it just depends what you're looking for?

[csgx1]

I think you're right. Some of the Buy Now prices that people are asking today are straight outrageous.

Also, I think some things on Ebay are way over priced/bid, due to International bidding too. Some people in other countries are willing to pay more since certain items were never offered in their specific country. Plus the dollar is still relatively weak versus other currency.

I use Ebay as a last resort to find something.

[osprey]

With recent sales of Stadium Events and Air Raid making mainstream news I'd expect a number of people to jump onto the newest "gold rush". As for Ebay being overpriced.....if their items are selling and people are willing to pay what the sellers are asking, then the prices are right. If the items are not selling then they're overpriced and will lower the asking to better match demand.

This is what I'm getting at, the 'gold rush'. The overpriced items that aren't selling - and the sellers of those items that won't lower the prices. A collector knows exactly what they're looking for and what they should be paying. They're getting all they can out of it advantageously.

[Eyedunno]

I think that for the most part, this is absolutely right. Rendering Ranger R2 for the Super Famicom used to show up on eBay for, oh, about $100 used. Now I've routinely seen it going for upwards of $350. However, I just now wanted to check Majuuou to illustrate this further, and I ended up bidding on a copy. :P It was $80 loose with shipping. Considering the same cart is tending to go for around $50 loose on Yahoo Japan Auctions and Amazon Japan, this ends up being pretty similar to what I would have paid going through a deputy service (which I intended to do in a few days anyway). The last time I saw it, granted, it was a CIB copy, but it was more than $200, IIRC.

But yeah, for the most part, prices are beyond ridiculous, and a lot of this seems to have happened over the past few months, perhaps in response to Air Raid mania, but I'm really not completely sure.

[guitargary75]

Timing is everything!

[ryborg]

Cross-postin' and self-quotin'


The amount of hate here for good sellers who have high prices is pathetic. Some people need to get a life.

Seriously. If a buy it now price is too high, move on and wait for an auction. If no auctions appear or the price on ebay NEVER gets to where you want it, welp, maybe the game is fairly priced then.

You can still find great deals by searching auctions. Almost 100% of my online game purchases are through ebay and I never pay anything close to what some sellers (myself included) ask for games.

[Slate]

With recent sales of Stadium Events and Air Raid making mainstream news I'd expect a number of people to jump onto the newest "gold rush". As for Ebay being overpriced.....if their items are selling and people are willing to pay what the sellers are asking, then the prices are right. If the items are not selling then they're overpriced and will lower the asking to better match demand.

This is the case for anything on eBay. So... +1. View the completed listings for current prices of games. I price my games by current eBay prices (I actually have the prices lower so they'll sell) And it works well for me.

Austin

[kupomogli]

The amount of hate here for good sellers who have high prices is pathetic. Some people need to get a life.

Atleast a third of the sellers throw stuff up there way overpriced. Not to mention the games are marked as "tested" only and $20-30 extra. At times it's $50+ extra on the more expensive titles.

If I'm going to spend $60 on Marvel vs Capcom 2 for the Xbox version, I'd like to see the game described as like new condition. Or Suikoden 2 and Valkyrie Profile for $180. Does this mean my mint condition Suikoden 2 and Valkyrie Profile are worth $200-300?

Not to mention that tested can just mean that the game plays and it comes in a jewel case only, scratched all to hell and rebuffed 100 times.

I never purchase games as over priced as these, but yeah. It's just stuff I don't like to see.

[Porksta]

Things are only worth what somebody is willing to pay, no matter what you think it is worth. If someone is willing to pay $60 for a game, well then I guess it is worth $60.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Just looking for some varied opinions on the eBay marketplace for retro games/consoles. I've been an avid eBay user now for 7 years, I now notice a hell of a lot of folks selling retro items that are simply overpriced. It seems people are jumping on the retro bandwagon, blind to prices (realistically).

Am I wrong?

Overpriced items, retro or otherwise will only sell under certain conditions, and most likely under a combination of those conditions.

1.) Genuine, legitimate rarity/scarcity of said item (on eBay and elsewhere)
2.) High demand for said item
3.) Large number of users willing to pay a high price for said item and compete against other users for that high price

For the most part, ridiculously over-priced items simply will not sell unless there's a demand along the lines of "Sealed Staduim Events" or "Gold Nintendo World Championship" cart.

I've been a registered eBay user since 98 (which was pretty much the wild wild west in terms of crazy shit you'll never see again on eBay ... people selling burns, bootlegs, pirates, flash cards, mod chips, etc.)

Lately I've been doing a lot of Nintendo Game & Watch collecting ... coincidentally and totally unrelated there seems to be some renewed interest in those units (Nintendo has been releasing emulated versions via DSi Ware and the Japan Club Nintendo has the replica Ball Game & Watch #1 as a prize) and sellers who may have been sitting on some of the more rare/desirable ones have been listing quite a few lately, I assume to meet this new/renewed interest.

There's a huge "spread" in the auction and buy it now price range ... it's literally all over the damned map price-wise, some under $40 and some over $400 for similar condition/rarity units. The sellers don't seem to have a great indication of actual value, even going in-line with what other eBay sellers are listing items at.

It seems to me like some sellers, usually the ones with storefronts, don't have a problem listing an item as a WAY over priced buy it now because there's technically no big penalty for them to just sit on it at that price for months or years.

I've been patient and careful, and in the past month I've picked up a few Game & Watches for under $50 that are featured in multiple listings over $100 or more.

eBay is a tricky animal ... like others have said, things are "worth" what people are willing to pay for them. There may be some person out there willing to pay $999.99 for a tabletop Game & Watch arcade version of Popeye ... and when they do, the seller that's had that unit sitting in their eBay store for 5 years may find it worth the wait. But as a buyer, it just makes so much more sense to wait for an auction with a reasonable price to come around.

Patience is key.

[Natty Bumppo]

I love sellers (of anything) who describe virtually everything they have as rare or ultra rare - no matter how common.

Another phrase I love "it is in good condition for its age".

And then there are sellers who list an item as complete but it is missing things like maps, manuals or whatever.

[jordandavid]

you guys seem to be evaluating his use of "overpriced" in economical terms. if they're selling, then no, they're not overpriced.

but their price has increased due to artificial inflation. it's not what we, as collectors, believe they are really worth.

[Ze_ro]

There are a lot of people these days who put stuff on eBay with ridiculous BIN's, and then wait for people to contact them and make them an offer. This way they can pick and choose what prices people are suggesting, and if some dumb shit takes the BIN and pays 10x what it's worth, then it's a huge win for the seller. This is a huge pet peeve of mine.

--Zero

[Greg2600]

The absurdly priced BIN people are simply wasting their time. No one is going to pay 99.99 for Castlevania III CIB or whatever. Same goes for the sealed game wackos.

In general, I've found the number of ebay auctions for classic games to have literally fallen off the map. I mean, there are hardly any compared to 2 years ago. For instance, search for something like a Colecovision system or Sega Master System. You might get 10 systems still active, whereas not long ago, it was 10 per day! Games, too, they've gotten less and less.

[Zapf]

I wish they wouldn't have auto deny on "or best offer" or at least required you allowed at least a 10% less offer to come in before you denied it. Being auto-denied for offering $125 on a $130 dollar item is just dumb.

[BetaWolf47]

I thought this thread was going to say, "I accidentally the whole ebay thing."

[Eyedunno]

I should say something more about Buy It Now. While I have seen a lot of crazy prices, especially lately (I can only hope this reflects nothing more than exuberant overestimations by sellers :P ), I've had a lot of experiences where I lost a regular auction, then found a Buy It Now for cheaper. Some stuff that occurs to me offhand:

Case #1: I put $10 or something as my maximum bid on a loose copy of Chrono Trigger (Super Famicom version, of course, or I would not even have dreamed of winning). I lost the auction, and the next best deal was a BIN on a CIB copy. The thing is, the BIN on that copy was less than the final price the loose copy ended up reaching. LOL

Case #2: This was just a few days ago, and is a little more complicated. I set $60 (or $75 with shipping) as my top bid for a PC Engine that included a Tennokoe and a controller, but nothing else. I lost, but literally minutes later, a BIN came on for $40 (or $70 with shipping from Japan) with all hookups, a controller, and, best of all, an AV Booster (which I'm led to believe is fairly uncommon).

So Buy It Now is not all bad...


I thought this thread was going to say, "I accidentally the whole ebay thing."
ROFL

[wingzrow]

As a seller on ebay I ALWAYS overprice my stuff. The thing is I then in turn lower every item in my store by at least $1.00 each monday on every item that hasn't sold. That way no matter how overpriced I may have put up a game for, it will eventually get lowered to the right price and sell. If someone wants to pay a little more that's just a bonus for me since I throw any games I don't want in my ebay store and just let them sit.

[osprey]

Patience is key.

As quotes go I reckon yours is the pick of the bunch ... perhaps patience IS the key. Food for thought I guess ...

[bartre]

As a seller on ebay I ALWAYS overprice my stuff. The thing is I then in turn lower every item in my store by at least $1.00 each monday on every item that hasn't sold. That way no matter how overpriced I may have put up a game for, it will eventually get lowered to the right price and sell. If someone wants to pay a little more that's just a bonus for me since I throw any games I don't want in my ebay store and just let them sit.

sounds like someone actually LIKES to sell things.
the more i look at ebay, the more i think it's just a place where sellers post what they'd dream of getting for their shiz.

[Kitsune Sniper]

That's what the best offer option is for.

Sometimes I'll overprice something by around, I dunno, $10-$20. If someone buys it at that price, cool. If not, they offer something close to my actual intended price, then cool.

[ryborg]

Atleast a third of the sellers throw stuff up there way overpriced.

So? Are you paying their listing fees? Who cares.


There are a lot of people these days who put stuff on eBay with ridiculous BIN's, and then wait for people to contact them and make them an offer. This way they can pick and choose what prices people are suggesting, and if some dumb shit takes the BIN and pays 10x what it's worth, then it's a huge win for the seller. This is a huge pet peeve of mine.

Why? The only logical reason to be angry at a transaction like that is jealousy towards the seller for his windfall, which is pretty petty and childish. What is it of your concern how much a random buyer pays for a random item from a random seller?


The absurdly priced BIN people are simply wasting their time. No one is going to pay 99.99 for Castlevania III CIB or whatever. Same goes for the sealed game wackos.

If time is no factor to the seller, there is no reason *not* to start off a fixed price listing obscenely high. Hell, a few months ago I listed a stack of complete and mostly common SNES games at ~5x the going rate. Every single one of them sold for WAY above most people's conceived market value. It took 2+ months in some cases, but when listing fees are so low, why the hell not?

[kupomogli]

That's what the best offer option is for.

Most don't have a best offer option. If one was included then $30 extra wouldn't be much of a factor. It just sucks when you go through listings of a game you happen to want and it be uncommon and it's usually $20-30 dollars complete but you see it listed as $60 and that's with best offer. Then like ryborg said. The seller can just relist it continuously for 10 cents and the max amount of days repeatedly.

If it happens to be a game you're interested in and want to find a good copy at an affordable price, you're going to keep seeing that bs listing over and over. Especially copies of games that have less than 10 copies. Find the listings, same overpriced listings on there and only two listings. Making me waste my time looking through the others.

[jonebone]

Just depends on how motivated the seller is. I had someone look up my sell through rate using that eBay program (terranigma? sp.) and apparently mine is 85%. So 85% of my items sell on their first listing and thus I'd say my prices are pretty fair. I go with the auction format + about a 20-25% markup as a BIN option (ex. $7.49 with a $9.99 BIN). The catch here is if someone buys my item at the BIN price, I still only pay auction fees (9% auction vs. 15% Fixed price).

So naturally, sellers who use the BIN format will price higher to offset the increase in fees. Plus you can currently list on eBay in the BIN format for only 0.05 if you include the default description pre-fill with your item!

So from a seller's perspective, say they have a game "worth" $50. Well let's price it at $75, it only costs me a nickel! Doesn't sell? Move it down to $65, now I'm only out a dime! See their thinking?

I personally don't adopt that philosophy because I like to move things quick. But I can't fault sellers for gaming the system to get odds in their favor.

[Icarus Moonsight]

Most don't have a best offer option. If one was included then $30 extra wouldn't be much of a factor. It just sucks when you go through listings of a game you happen to want and it be uncommon and it's usually $20-30 dollars complete but you see it listed as $60 and that's with best offer. Then like ryborg said. The seller can just relist it continuously for 10 cents and the max amount of days repeatedly.

If it happens to be a game you're interested in and want to find a good copy at an affordable price, you're going to keep seeing that bs listing over and over. Especially copies of games that have less than 10 copies. Find the listings, same overpriced listings on there and only two listings. Making me waste my time looking through the others.

Do you really expect the low BINs to hang around for you? Quit looking at what you don't want and look for low hanging fruit. They do go fast, so stay alert. LOL

[kupomogli]

One thing that also pisses me off at Ebay is they sort everything completely random now. Every time you go on Ebay, first thing might end in 20 days, second in four, third in one, fourth in seven, etc. You have to change it to ending soonest every time. It doesn't retain anything after you exit out. I like the old Ebay before it changed around two years ago. It's like everything they've done to the site is less of a convenience for the buyer. Even the My Ebay thing has completely changed and while you can switch it up a little, you can't get it to be like before they changed everything around.

[Callin]

One thing that also pisses me off at Ebay is they sort everything completely random now. Every time you go on Ebay, first thing might end in 20 days, second in four, third in one, fourth in seven, etc. You have to change it to ending soonest every time. It doesn't retain anything after you exit out.
You could just sort it the way you want and then save the url. That's what I did.

[ryborg]

One thing that also pisses me off at Ebay is they sort everything completely random now.

Yeah, it's called Best Match and it is fucking AWFUL. It's some absurd combination of seller star ratings, seller negative feedback received, category, and item title. You could search for a red shirt and the top 10 items would be blue shirts because ebay thinks that is what you really want.


It doesn't retain anything after you exit out. Actually you can. It's one of the preferences in the My Account tab. You can make anything your default search, as long as you're searching while logged in. I still use good old Time: ending soonest.

[Ze_ro]

Why? The only logical reason to be angry at a transaction like that is jealousy towards the seller for his windfall, which is pretty petty and childish. What is it of your concern how much a random buyer pays for a random item from a random seller?
It annoys me because eBay is supposed to be an AUCTION site, not a "make me an offer" site. Yes, I realize eBay is hardly Sotheby's, but if you can't be bothered to figure out what your stuff is worth, then start it for a $0.01 and let the auction happen.

--Zero

[Kitsune Sniper]

It annoys me because eBay is supposed to be an AUCTION site, not a "make me an offer" site. Yes, I realize eBay is hardly Sotheby's, but if you can't be bothered to figure out what your stuff is worth, then start it for a $0.01 and let the auction happen.

--Zero

The problem is very few people will agree with your price. :P

Also, penny auctions aren't worth the risk anymore.

[Ed Oscuro]

I think that for the most part, this is absolutely right. Rendering Ranger R2 for the Super Famicom used to show up on eBay for, oh, about $100 used. Now I've routinely seen it going for upwards of $350. However, I just now wanted to check Majuuou to illustrate this further, and I ended up bidding on a copy. :P It was $80 loose with shipping.
Well, I keep hearing from people that they've gotten copies very recently for $30 complete.

The seller "16-bit" on eBay (who I used to buy stuff from on occasion) had a copy up for $219 a while back.

Those Rendering Ranger prices are normal for eBay. It must have been a looong while ago that you were seeing them for $100. It is a legitimately rare game. (I wouldn't mind getting rid of a copy actually.)

Take a look in this topic (http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=10566&start=90) to see that the arcade board for Strider has gone up ten-fold in price recently. IN JAPAN.

In a nutshell, and as I wrote, at length, elsewhere: No, this is not just eBay; this is not just greed, what's driving prices are not likely to be mainly overpriced, non-bought BIN items, but mainly simple supply and demand pushing the items that DO sell ever higher and higher.


It annoys me because eBay is supposed to be an AUCTION site, not a "make me an offer" site. Yes, I realize eBay is hardly Sotheby's, but if you can't be bothered to figure out what your stuff is worth, then start it for a $0.01 and let the auction happen.

--Zero
Yes I am totally going to risk losing my shirt because some guy on an internets forum is going to boycott me. (Just a likely type of response you'd get if you told a seller this.)

[kupomogli]

Also, penny auctions aren't worth the risk anymore.

I started this auction at a penny. It's at $27, a day left, and has nine watchers. I know I'm atleast going to get $35 and that's what I'm hoping for. If I get more then good for me. I paid 36.99 at Amazon and received a $10 credit as well for preordering the game. Already selling it.

I've never had a problem putting stuff on there for a penny. The only thing I put on there for a set price was a new .hack GU premium edition which was quite a bit more than what I paid for it and was bought the same day I put it up there. I should have listed it for more.

Of course, Super Street Fighter 4 is something people are really looking for. I wouldn't put an obscure NES game on there for a penny unless it's well known. Dragon Warrior 4 I'd put on there for a penny. I'm sure I'd make more than what I'm expecting.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200468632996&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

[darkslime]

I am an eBay Powerseller, and everything I list is overpriced buy it now listings. I never lower the prices and am willing to wait months for something to sell because I also sell plenty of things that are in demand and sell daily. For example I don't expect to sell my CIB Bonk's Adventure for $250 but EVENTUALLY someone will buy it and I don't mind waiting.

[Ed Oscuro]

So that's balancing out my own inclination to wait forever and ever (literally years) for a single item, if not for one to show up, then for one to show up at a price I like. The sort of day-to-day sales happen in the middle.

I wouldn't want to keep a really high-priced BIN logged into eBay all the time though. How much is that costing a month?


I started this auction at a penny. It's at $27, a day left, and has nine watchers. I know I'm atleast going to get $35 and that's what I'm hoping for. If I get more then good for me. I paid 36.99 at Amazon and received a $10 credit as well for preordering the game. Already selling it.
Whoopte doo, penny auctions aren't guaranteed to sell (and I'd consider myself lucky if I got another chance to try again like on that auction I listed where people rushed in afterward to say "gee sorry I forgot to bid," kind of like that time I was fapping to something terrible instead of bidding on an item I wanted bad, except I didn't run to the seller and bawww about it, but anyway). My own undersold item (sort of...it was the X68000 Dracula auction, I've talked about it here before) I was able to be philosophical about but in hindsight I ought to have listed it higher from the start. There's no reason to invite disaster from starting at a penny, aside from the draw of lower fees from the beginning (which is not apparently what this squabble is about, since this discussion seems to be "fuck sellers for trying to make a profit").

[kupomogli]

"fuck sellers for trying to make a profit").

Like Ze_ro said. Ebay is supposed to be an auction site, or atleast that's what it was designed to at the beginning. Instead of now being an auction site we have 25% or more of whatever is up there Buy It Now only.

You also have the same douchebag hypocrites posting on here that they like to trade on places like DP or other places(gametz) because they usually won't find a good deal on Ebay, and then what do they do. Throw their overpriced bullshit up on Ebay. Of course there's no need to extend the generosity to your other fellow collectors. I'm wondering if these people just buy from other "generous" collectors and then sell whatever they purchased on Ebay.

[Rickstilwell1]

Like Ze_ro said. Ebay is supposed to be an auction site, or atleast that's what it was designed to at the beginning. Instead of now being an auction site we have 25% or more of whatever is up there Buy It Now only.

You also have the same douchebag hypocrites posting on here that they like to trade on places like DP or other places(gametz) because they usually won't find a good deal on Ebay, and then what do they do. Throw their overpriced bullshit up on Ebay. Of course there's no need to extend the generosity to your other fellow collectors. I'm wondering if these people just buy from other "generous" collectors and then sell whatever they purchased on Ebay.

Don't people on this forum generally keep what they buy from others on here though rather than sell it?

[megasdkirby]

Don't people on this forum generally keep what they buy from others on here though rather than sell it?

I know I've seem members of Atari Age do this.

[Greg2600]

Here's an example of WTF price for that? 5200 (http://cgi.ebay.com/Atari-5200-System-CONSOLE-ONLY-/150436240197?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Video_Games&hash=item2306b2db45), console only, $75, with a cracked cover, no mention of controllers or AC adapter, and this is from a game seller. I can't see paying for than $25 for that, especially with a cracked cover, probably less. A large majority of the purchases I've made on eBay have been from people around US/Canada, who dig this stuff out of their attic, garage, basement, or closets, and just want to get rid of it. I have lots of patience, so I don't bid crazily. Half the time, I forget to bid. However, sort of like an oil well running dry, at some point, you're going to run out of non-gamers/casual gamers who are looking to dump stuff they find in storage. Especially for the older 1970's/80's stuff. At that point, everything just about will be collectors of some ilk selling. And I don't feel it does the community justice to sell common systems or games for 5 times their face value. Rare, CIB, sealed stuff, fine, the average gamer isn't going to collect those. Thankfully, there are forums like DP and AA, where gamers offer their extra stuff at very reasonable prices, to other members.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Don't people on this forum generally keep what they buy from others on here though rather than sell it?

Well, yeah. Unless they actually say they want the items to resell.

Someone bought a bunch of games from me a while back because he was trying to build a few console + game sets, so I cut him a deal. There's nothing wrong with flipping a game you buy from someone if you tell them that's what you want to do.

[ryborg]

It annoys me because eBay is supposed to be an AUCTION site, not a "make me an offer" site.


Like Ze_ro said. Ebay is supposed to be an auction site, or atleast that's what it was designed to at the beginning. Instead of now being an auction site we have 25% or more of whatever is up there Buy It Now only.

Ebay is a venue for selling merchandise. End of story, simple as that. The method of selling is irrelevant. The word "auction" doesn't even appear anywhere on ebay's front page. What ebay was in the past or "designed to be" is irrelevant. Nintendo was designed to be a playing card company. Arrgghghhh how dare they do something else????? I seriously cannot believe you guys are making that argument.


You also have the same douchebag hypocrites posting on here that they like to trade on places like DP or other places(gametz) because they usually won't find a good deal on Ebay, and then what do they do. Throw their overpriced bullshit up on Ebay. Of course there's no need to extend the generosity to your other fellow collectors. I'm wondering if these people just buy from other "generous" collectors and then sell whatever they purchased on Ebay.

Haha, you are such a crybaby. Get over yourself.


Well, yeah. Unless they actually say they want the items to resell....There's nothing wrong with flipping a game you buy from someone if you tell them that's what you want to do.

Please... Why does it matter what a buyer does with an item once a deal has been struck? I recently bought a large SNES lot from someone. Should I have gone down the list of games included to let the seller know which ones I needed and which ones I'll be flipping? No, because I'm not a lunatic.

When I sell stuff anywhere and anyhow, I could not possibly care less what the buyer does with the item. It means exactly the same to me if the buyer posts it on ebay for 10x my price or smashes the item to bits.

[Orion Pimpdaddy]

If the items are not selling then they're overpriced and will lower the asking to better match demand.

What you describe is not happening. There are a ton of buy it now items that are overpriced. When they don't sell, the stupid seller just relists the item, again and again. I think they are looking at an outdated price guide when listing their items.

[Slate]

So? Are you paying their listing fees? Who cares.

For the few people who record auctions it can get annoying but I'll still document it. (I document auctions for Mosrite guitars, parts and such)


What you describe is not happening. There are a ton of buy it now items that are overpriced. When they don't sell, the stupid seller just relists the item, again and again. I think they are looking at an outdated price guide when listing their items.

Book price, Gotta love it. You can go by book price or current price... I'll go by the latter.

Austin

[nhm]

Like Ze_ro said. Ebay is supposed to be an auction site, or atleast that's what it was designed to at the beginning. Instead of now being an auction site we have 25% or more of whatever is up there Buy It Now only.

You also have the same douchebag hypocrites posting on here that they like to trade on places like DP or other places(gametz) because they usually won't find a good deal on Ebay, and then what do they do. Throw their overpriced bullshit up on Ebay. Of course there's no need to extend the generosity to your other fellow collectors. I'm wondering if these people just buy from other "generous" collectors and then sell whatever they purchased on Ebay.

You do realize that this is what every single business on earth does, right? Buy something for one price, and then re-sell it for a higher price. It's how THE WHOLE DAMN WORLD WORKS.

So, Mr. "Generous", when you find a game at the Goodwill or Salvation Army that is priced cheaper than it's true value, do you insist on paying them the full value of the game? I mean, those organizations are great causes, right?

I'm sure your altruistic view on life and gaming prevents you from scoring a deal at the expense of the poor.

I have my own ebay store and re-sell lots of things I buy. I usually buy large lots, keep the few things I need, and resell the rest. This, essentially, allows me to build a collection for free.

[darkslime]

Like Ze_ro said. Ebay is supposed to be an auction site, or atleast that's what it was designed to at the beginning. Instead of now being an auction site we have 25% or more of whatever is up there Buy It Now only.

You also have the same douchebag hypocrites posting on here that they like to trade on places like DP or other places(gametz) because they usually won't find a good deal on Ebay, and then what do they do. Throw their overpriced bullshit up on Ebay. Of course there's no need to extend the generosity to your other fellow collectors. I'm wondering if these people just buy from other "generous" collectors and then sell whatever they purchased on Ebay.I rarely bother selling on DP or Gametz anymore because everyone is a cheapass and tries to tell me the price is too high even when I offer a very good deal.

And I do buy things from these forums or GTZ to flip when I see a good deal and don't see a need to tell the seller. They could've easily researched the price and made it higher, but that's how much they wanted to sell it for. Not my problem.

[osprey]

Well, since starting this thread I've learned a lot from the posts. It's true with regards to eBay not advertising the 'auction' word all over the place. It's changed dramatically over the years. Still, I just don't get those stupidly high prices - no matter what anybody says.

[ryborg]

oh cool this thread's back


Still, I just don't get those stupidly high prices - no matter what anybody says.

You don't "get" the prices? Are you sure you've read the thread?

It's essentially free to post Fixed Price listings. If time is not a factor, there is no reason not to post most items for a high price and hope for a good offer. If it still doesn't sell, you can always lower the price. I don't know how to make this any simpler. Why is this so hard to understand???

[osprey]

I'm far from stupid, trust me. No matter the pros and cons of what seems to have become an argument?! - what I don't 'get' is why I keep seeing the same Turrican 2 game for sale at £160 (new/sealed) it's been on eBay for the best part of 7 months now. Everyone looks and no one buys because the price is excessive. Doesn't the seller see sense, he's paid eBay for 7 months and got nothing in return. My observation isn't skewed, it really seems like some sellers want to show off what they have without selling it. They need to get real, supply and demand is what it's about.

[Gameguy]

I'm far from stupid, trust me. No matter the pros and cons of what seems to have become an argument?! - what I don't 'get' is why I keep seeing the same Turrican 2 game for sale at £160 (new/sealed) it's been on eBay for the best part of 7 months now. Everyone looks and no one buys because the price is excessive. Doesn't the seller see sense, he's paid eBay for 7 months and got nothing in return. My observation isn't skewed, it really seems like some sellers want to show off what they have without selling it. They need to get real, supply and demand is what it's about.
Plenty of ebay sellers are just greedy, it's pretty simple to understand.

[pseudonym]

I sort of agree with kupomogli; but I took it differently than nhm. It's hard to give people here and elsewhere a deal anymore; more than a few times people have just turned around and sold it on Ebay, or on the same forums a few days later.

[ryborg]

Doesn't the seller see sense, he's paid eBay for 7 months and got nothing in return.

Yeah, wow, that $.35 for seven months of listing fees is just killer. How could anyone possibly afford that? Seriously, if you don't understand how a nickel a month is an absurdly low price to pay for the chance to make 300%+ of the item's value, you're entirely missing the point of selling.


Plenty of ebay sellers are just greedy, it's pretty simple to understand.

I can't tell if this is sarcasm or not, but I'll pretend it's not.

I (and most other sellers on ebay) sell solely for one purpose: to make money. I am not doing it to make friends or as a community service. This is how 99% of modern businesses work. Sometimes that means posting an item for a very high price when it's rare and a competitive price when I have a lot of common items to unload. I'm sorry that you think my (and other sellers') well-run, profitable online business is greedy, but your adjectives are irrelevant to everyone.

[Ryaan1234]

Ya know, I think I'm going to throw in my $0.02.

As an eBay seller I list stuff fixed price at what I think is a fair price. Usually I have all my fixed price listings last for 7 days. If they don't sell within 3-4 days I'll take 5 or 10 bucks off the price. My goal as a seller is to move stuff as quickly as possible for as much as I can. I can see how people hold on to games for months or even years trying to sell them, but I like to deal in audio equipment and other weird electronics, and that stuff takes up a lot of space. I've got to move it out to make room for more products. It's a vicious cycle, but I think it's a good way to make money. At least I'm not flipping hamburgers. I'm doing something I enjoy: Going to flea markets, garage sales, and estate sales looking for cool re-saleable stuff and video games :).

Of course, the idea of selling things at a decent price and moving them out fast is just one of the ways to do things. There's also the idea of selling things at stupid high prices and moving it out like molasses LOL.

[Gameguy]

I sort of agree with kupomogli; but I took it differently than nhm. It's hard to give people here and elsewhere a deal anymore; more than a few times people have just turned around and sold it on Ebay, or on the same forums a few days later.
Yeah, I know on another forum someone was selling Gameboy games for $5 each including several of the Mega Man games. Another member bought them and I saw them listed on their ebay account soon afterwards. I personally wouldn't be willing to give someone a great deal unless I either know them or they'll be getting a large amount of stuff all at once.


I can't tell if this is sarcasm or not, but I'll pretend it's not.

I (and most other sellers on ebay) sell solely for one purpose: to make money. I am not doing it to make friends or as a community service. This is how 99% of modern businesses work. Sometimes that means posting an item for a very high price when it's rare and a competitive price when I have a lot of common items to unload. I'm sorry that you think my (and other sellers') well-run, profitable online business is greedy, but your adjectives are irrelevant to everyone.
It wasn't sarcasm. I said plenty of ebay sellers are greedy, I never said you specifically or any other members here. I honestly don't know what your ebay account is and therefore have no idea what prices you're listing your items at(whatever your items are), and I wouldn't know whether your prices are reasonable or not. Your reply does seem like you agreed with it, so I guess my statement was accurate. I'll also agree that it's irrelevent, nothing will change as people will still be greedy and there will still be people willing to buy from these people.

[ryborg]

...and I wouldn't know whether your prices are reasonable or not.

For some items, they are; for most items, my prices are insanely high and you'd have to be an idiot to buy anything for anywhere near my listed price. About 80% of my items are higher than I'd personally pay, but I'm not selling to people who are price-savvy. Again, I'm selling to make money.


Your reply does seem like you agreed with it, so I guess my statement was accurate.

If making money by selling items is greedy, then we're all greedy and I agree with your statement. I know all people who are only buyers would like sellers to sell items at a massive discount FOR THE GOOD OF THE HOBBY but that's not going to happen. If this is untrue, please tell me how you'd like people to sell without being "greedy."

[Gameguy]

If making money by selling items is greedy, then we're all greedy and I agree with your statement. I know all people who are only buyers would like sellers to sell items at a massive discount FOR THE GOOD OF THE HOBBY but that's not going to happen. If this is untrue, please tell me how you'd like people to sell without being "greedy."
I don't have a problem with people making money, if someone finds a loose copy of Super Mario Bros 3 for $1 then it's fine to sell it for a fair price($10-$15 is still reasonable to me). I wouldn't consider that greedy. Pricing it for triple the value or higher with the hope that someone ignorant will buy it because nobody who's familiar with the actual value will ever buy it, that's greedy. Sure, those ignorant people should do some research so they'd have a better idea on pricing, but taking advantage of people just because you can doesn't make it any better. You even said that your items were priced "insanely high" and that only an idiot would buy them at the listed price, but if it works for you why change? Would you have a problem with being considered greedy? If not, who cares, you're still getting money from it which is what you wanted. You even said you didn't care about making friends or doing it for the community so why would it bother you?

I do feel that everybody is greedy at times, some more than others. I personally wouldn't sell anything for less than I paid for it and don't mind if I'm stuck with some stuff for years. There's also stuff that I wouldn't be willing to sell unless I got a really good price on it. There have been times where I sold stuff cheap just to see if get flipped for more, so I'd rather ask for what the stuff is worth than seeing someone else flip it. As I mentioned, I'd only be willing to sell stuff cheaper if I already know the person(such as a personal friend) or they're getting a lot from me, or I've already dealt with them several times before.

[Shellshock!]

Oh no, I'm a villain:

I specifically target certain kinds of sellers when I buy games on EBay. If they are auctioning something I want, I take a look at what else they are selling, how much feedback they have, and any other info I can gather to determine who they are and how much they know about their listed item. That way, if granny found Zelda DX for GameBoy CIB in the attic and she is starting the auction at $0.01 to get rid of it, I can send her a private message offering $20 for her to end the auction early and send me an invoice. It works half the time.

Another thing I do if I want a specific game is buy from the "Lots" section, keep what I want, and resell the rest of the stuff individually. Most people forget or just don't look there unless they are game resellers. Like someone else said, you can build a collection almost for free.

[ryborg]

'sup fellow bad guy


Like someone else said, you can build a collection almost for free.

Build a collection AND pay for college! (that's what I did)

The only problem is that you have waaaay more people buying lots to mostly resell nowadays when compared to the halcyon days of 1999-2002.

[Icarus Moonsight]

I can't tell if this is sarcasm or not, but I'll pretend it's not.

It's not sarcasm. It's a cry for help. And you are much too nice about something so important. Allow me. LOL

If you can use the word greed in that way, in relation to voluntary exchange of value, you obviously have a problem with people earning money. "Making" money isn't the same as "earning" it in this case. Making money is more centered around production, and in classic games production is already done and taken care of (translations, homebrew, repros, flash carts, clone hardware etc - exceptions). These eBay sellers earn their money through a distribution/service model. They find the games so you don't have to. The degree of what that is worth varies from person to person and also item to item. It's super-dynamic! Either you're willing to make the trade on the offered terms or not. Ever thought of offering your own terms? Why, look. They have invited you with an OBO, the greedy prick! If you call them greedy, it's because you are. That greed is ugly and unearned. The good side of this 'greed' is when they start trying to outdo one another, you know, to be the best greedy bastard around and earn more. Greed... You don't know what it means.

[jonebone]

I (and most other sellers on ebay) sell solely for one purpose: to make money. I am not doing it to make friends or as a community service. This is how 99% of modern businesses work. Sometimes that means posting an item for a very high price when it's rare and a competitive price when I have a lot of common items to unload. I'm sorry that you think my (and other sellers') well-run, profitable online business is greedy, but your adjectives are irrelevant to everyone.

And this just reiterates the greedy part. You are in fact greedy and yet so defensive that you cannot even accept reality. You stated in previous posts: "for most items, my prices are insanely high and you'd have to be an idiot to buy anything for anywhere near my listed price."

Dictionary.com defines greedy as "excessively or inordinately desirous of wealth, profit, etc.; avaricious." Prices that are insanely high = excessively or inordinately desirous of wealth and you are greedy by definition. THIS IS NOT ARGUABLE. Accept it and stop being foolish.



If you can use the word greed in that way, in relation to voluntary exchange of value, you obviously have a problem with people earning money. "Making" money isn't the same as "earning" it in this case. Making money is more centered around production, and in classic games production is already done and taken care of (translations, homebrew, repros, flash carts, clone hardware etc - exceptions). These eBay sellers earn their money through a distribution/service model. They find the games so you don't have to. The degree of what that is worth varies from person to person and also item to item. It's super-dynamic! Either you're willing to make the trade on the offered terms or not. Ever thought of offering your own terms? Why, look. They have invited you with an OBO, the greedy prick! If you call them greedy, it's because you are. That greed is ugly and unearned. The good side of this 'greed' is when they start trying to outdo one another, you know, to be the best greedy bastard around and earn more. Greed... You don't know what it means.

No one has a problem with earning money, we all do it. I'm a PowerSeller too, funded my whole collection, have hundreds of CIBs, etc. However, I pushed large volumes fast rather than sit on items for months and try to squeeze every penny. Besides, most of us resellers are collectors anyway. You give someone a good deal and it'll find it's way back to you, believe me.

The problem is with earning EXCESSIVE money, which is once again the definition of greed, see above. What about a seller on ebay who sells a cart only game with $9.99 Shipping and he's located in your state? You know it costs $2.09 to ship with paypal, so that $8 markup is greed. Maybe even $3.99 is reasonable to "earn money" and offset costs, but that excessiveness kicks in shortly thereafter.

And to equate resellers as "earning" money is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. If I find Stadium Events for a quarter at a yard sale, did I just "earn" $1,500? LOL. I might have "made" that much money, but I certainly didn't earn anything, it was just a matter of luck. This just in, Mega Millions jackpot winner EARNED $200 Million dollars! ROFLMAO....

It is absolutely hilarious when people get butthurt over the word greed. I could care less who is greedy and who's not. But to be in denial is just pathetic.

[Emperor Megas]

It is absolutely hilarious when people get butthurt over the word greed. I could care less who is greedy and who's not.Yes, but how much less could you care, exactly?

[T2KFreeker]

Man, does anyone actually buy games to keep them anymore? I see so much flipping these days that it's almost impossible to get a good deal on games anymore. It hurts when you are on a fixed income. Between shill bidding and people just overpricing things, I can't justify ebay for games anymore. Hell, stores like Laserdisc Vault and Da Don's almost make getting nice Laserdiscs impossible anymore.

[jonebone]

Man, does anyone actually buy games to keep them anymore? I see so much flipping these days that it's almost impossible to get a good deal on games anymore. It hurts when you are on a fixed income. Between shill bidding and people just overpricing things, I can't justify ebay for games anymore. Hell, stores like Laserdisc Vault and Da Don's almost make getting nice Laserdiscs impossible anymore.

If you're on a fixed income do the reseller mentality yourself. Looking for a game? Do title and description searches on it until you find it in a larger lot. Buy the lot, keep the game, resell the others and break even or possibly turn a profit. Nothing wrong with that.

Or, you could just put those games in your store at 300% markup and let them sit for months and months while you have absolutely no cash flow. Whatever you prefer.

[Porksta]

Could someone show me how to do these cheap fixed price listings? All I see is an insertion fee of $1, then I pay 15% of final value.

[nhm]

The problem is with earning EXCESSIVE money, which is once again the definition of greed, see above.

In this one sentence, you have summed up one of the fundamentals of communism.

[Gameguy]

It is absolutely hilarious when people get butthurt over the word greed. I could care less who is greedy and who's not. But to be in denial is just pathetic.
Thank you, it`s nice to know that someone else still has a grip on reality.

It`s funny with the comparisons to communism, it`s like watching A Christmas Carol and hoping that Ebenezer Scrooge ignores the spirits and people around him because they`re just communists trying to corrupt him, as if there`s no middle ground at all.

Fight them Mr. Scrooge!! Only people like you can keep communism from winning!!

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/8455/1971toonhumbugscrooge.jpg

[ryborg]

And this just reiterates the greedy part. You are in fact greedy and yet so defensive that you cannot even accept reality.

....THIS IS NOT ARGUABLE. Accept it and stop being foolish.

.... I could care less who is greedy and who's not. But to be in denial is just pathetic.

Woah, you've cracked the case wide open, Encyclopedia Brown. Except....


If making money by selling items is greedy, then we're all greedy and I agree with your statement.

One more time, if running a profitable business where I earn max value on rare items is greedy, then I am one greedy (and whatever other adjective you want to throw out) dude.


And to equate resellers as "earning" money is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. If I find Stadium Events for a quarter at a yard sale, did I just "earn" $1,500? LOL.Absolutely, why not? VERY few people understand exactly what Stadium Events is. 99.9% of the country would walk by and think "oh, old video games." Of course some luck is involved, but knowledge pays. By your definition of "earning," essentially all persons employed in the art of re-selling don't really earn their money. Sorry grandma who works in an antique store, you didn't really earn money from re-selling that old clock, because you bought it for so little originally. It was just luck that you came across it, you lazy cow.

Ever see that show "American Pickers"? Those guys are my heroes. They go around to dusty garages and junkyards and find valuable items in the rusty piles to re-sell. Hurry, someone tell their producer that they're not really earning their money and their decades of knowledge is worth nothing.

[UnpluggedClone]

google 4 gaga

[nhm]

Thank you, it`s nice to know that someone else still has a grip on reality.

It`s funny with the comparisons to communism, it`s like watching A Christmas Carol and hoping that Ebenezer Scrooge ignores the spirits and people around him because they`re just communists trying to corrupt him, as if there`s no middle ground at all.

Fight them Mr. Scrooge!! Only people like you can keep communism from winning!!

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/8455/1971toonhumbugscrooge.jpg


So you're saying that somebody who makes an "excessive" amount of money should be obligated to share it with everybody (by means of cheaper prices)? That's called redistribution of wealth, and yes, it is a part of communism and socialism. If that's what you believe, fine. But...it sounds to me like this is more of a case of the sniffles because some people aren't getting handouts from sellers.

[Gameguy]

So you're saying that somebody who makes an "excessive" amount of money should be obligated to share it with everybody (by means of cheaper prices)?
When did I ever say that? And how is selling things for lower prices sharing wealth with anyone? Do you feel like a store is sharing their wealth with you when you buy something on sale? It makes no sense.

Nobody is obligated to sell things cheaper, and I really don't mind people asking the going rate for things. Plenty of stuff that gets sold cheap just gets flipped anyway, so asking the going rate just deters resellers which is alright by me. Someone asked why anyone would post things for sale for several times the going rate and I answered honestly, why is this difficult for people to accept? It's like scalpers selling concert tickets for several times face value, if you think that's cool then feel free to support them.


But...it sounds to me like this is more of a case of the sniffles because some people aren't getting handouts from sellers.
I honestly don't care about it, I'll just buy my stuff elsewhere. No idea why people are so touchy about being considered greedy.

[nhm]

When did I ever say that? And how is selling things for lower prices sharing wealth with anyone? Do you feel like a store is sharing their wealth with you when you buy something on sale? It makes no sense.

Nobody is obligated to sell things cheaper, and I really don't mind people asking the going rate for things. Plenty of stuff that gets sold cheap just gets flipped anyway, so asking the going rate just deters resellers which is alright by me. Someone asked why anyone would post things for sale for several times the going rate and I answered honestly, why is this difficult for people to accept? It's like scalpers selling concert tickets for several times face value, if you think that's cool then feel free to support them.


I honestly don't care about it, I'll just buy my stuff elsewhere. No idea why people are so touchy about being considered greedy.

If you can't make the connection, then there is no use in trying to explain it further.

Am I the only one that has noticed that the term "greedy" is used almost entirely by adolescents? I'm not trying to stir anything up, but you never hear "greedy" in the adult world.

[Icarus Moonsight]

Define "excessive", "inordinate" in the terms of a game sale please. You are counting too much on vagueness to disguise your true aims.

Either you buy it because it's worth it to you, or you don't. The only time you throw the word greed around is because you want to force somehow the other party to not only accept less, but to also accept your value judgment over their own. That's the road to many a nightmare in modern times. It's like the VGA and you guys are opposite poles of the same phenomena.

There are many cases where stupid people are selling things for 'inordinate' amounts, but that is stupidity or ignorance, not greed. The only market open to them to succeed in is with stupid and ignorant buyers. These buyers would be the only ones truly offended by the idiot sellers existence. Because they keep getting played like a rube. But it's not the sellers that are the problem in the equation.

Greed (negative form) is where you obtain value without exchanging value in return. Whether it is theft, fraud, rule of law, extortion, slavery... Excessive profits, inordinate prices... All the trademark lexicon of the -greedy.

The elemental nature of greed is an inescapable consequence of life. It's either turned to a positive force or a negative one in the relations between people. If you accept greed as an absolute evil, then be consistent. Any meal you would have from now on, skip it. Better figure out how to live without greed pretty fast. Living things would have to stop living for you to eat... And that's greedy.