Results 1 to 10 of 10

Thread: Buy it Now vs Auction

  1. #1
    Cherry (Level 1)
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Orlando FL
    Posts
    384
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts
    Xbox LIVE
    VexingEnmity
    PSN
    VexingEnmity

    Default Buy it Now vs Auction

    So I'm going through the PC games I posted in the finds thread and a couple of the games I don't know if it would be better to do an auction or a buy it now for.

    One of the Examples is the Sealed Wizardry Trilogy 2. An opened one sold for $100 according to VGPC and there is another opened one listed for $199. I can't decide if putting it up for auction will net me a decent amount on it or if I would be better off listing it on a buy it now for some high number and letting it sit.

    What are your opinions?

  2. #2
    Alex (Level 15) Custom rank graphic
    Gameguy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Richmond Hill, Ontario (Canada)
    Posts
    7,918
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    78
    Thanked in
    70 Posts

    Default

    For this game, probably a buy-it-now for $100-$200 would be reasonable. If someone sees it and compares the price to the other complete copy listed there's a chance it would sell. Just looking at completed auctions I see a complete copy didn't sell for about $75, and a another copy that might or might not be complete had no bids at $25. I honestly don't know if the $25 one was complete or not because the description is vague about the box being included, and the pictures don't show everything being included.

    The copy you're talking about sold back in 2011, right from VGPC another complete copy sold this past March for $22. I doubt it would be easy to sell no matter how you list it, unless you don't really care how much you get for it. If it gets listed at auction with a cheap starting price, personally I think it would end under $50.

  3. #3
    Cherry (Level 1)
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Orlando FL
    Posts
    384
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts
    Xbox LIVE
    VexingEnmity
    PSN
    VexingEnmity

    Default

    True, thanks.

    This game I can't seem to find on VGPC at all and there are only two listed on ebay. Again mine is sealed.
    http://www.ebay.com/itm/Storm-Across...item43bd04126b

  4. #4
    DP's favorite trollbait Custom rank graphic
    Kitsune Sniper's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    Calexico, USA
    Posts
    13,853
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts
    Xbox LIVE
    FoxhackDN
    Steam
    Foxhack

    Default

    Um.

    Two thirds of that Wizardry set just got released at GOG for six dollars, so your item's value may go down like a rock soon...

    Edit: And if you plan on sending Storm Across Europe in a bubble mailer like it says on the listing, whoever wins will personally go to your house and punch you in the balls. And then file a chargeback. :P
    Quote Originally Posted by Edmond Dantes View Post
    I can't tell if we're discussing My Little Pony or Neon Genesis Evangelion anymore.
    eBay Auctions / GameTZ profile / DP Feedback / Youtube / Twitter / RateYourMusic

  5. #5
    Alex (Level 15) Custom rank graphic
    Gameguy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Richmond Hill, Ontario (Canada)
    Posts
    7,918
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    78
    Thanked in
    70 Posts

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Enmity View Post
    True, thanks.

    This game I can't seem to find on VGPC at all and there are only two listed on ebay. Again mine is sealed.
    http://www.ebay.com/itm/Storm-Across...item43bd04126b
    It depends on where you're looking, identical english copies are available in other regions too.
    http://www.ebay.com/itm/PC-DOS-Storm...-/360482400999

    Again, maybe a buy-it-now for $100 might sell. If anyone offers you $50 you might want to take it. Whenever something is obscure and copies don't turn up often, people post their copy for high prices hoping someone is desperate enough to buy it. Other people see these listings and now think their copy is worth that much, so they post their copy for a high price too. It doesn't mean they sell, if there's no completed auctions those current high priced listings just get relisted when they expire.

    It's the same with Amazon listings, tons of times I see rare stuff listed for big bucks only eventually the same thing turns up on ebay and ends at under $10. Storm Across Europe seems to be a more generic SSI strategy game from 1989 on floppy disk, I doubt many people would be actively looking for a copy. With rare items that don't come up for sale often the value is really whatever you can get for it, maybe someone would be interested as they've been looking for a copy, or maybe not. If anyone shows interest you might want to sell it to them.

    Personally I have a new/sealed copy of The 11th Hour for Mac, the Mac version is supposed to be pretty rare. There's a single disc only used copy on Amazon for $43, and another copy on ebay for the same price(maybe from the same seller). I can't get $10 for it locally and I've been trying to sell it for a few years now. If anyone would have offered me $5 I would have accepted, but nobody replied for it. I tend to buy things so they won't get destroyed if I leave them behind, but I often get burned by it.

  6. #6
    Cherry (Level 1)
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Orlando FL
    Posts
    384
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts
    Xbox LIVE
    VexingEnmity
    PSN
    VexingEnmity

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Kitsune Sniper View Post
    Um.

    Two thirds of that Wizardry set just got released at GOG for six dollars, so your item's value may go down like a rock soon...

    Edit: And if you plan on sending Storm Across Europe in a bubble mailer like it says on the listing, whoever wins will personally go to your house and punch you in the balls. And then file a chargeback. :P
    Good to know about Wizardry. Also that auction isn't mine I was just using it as a reference. I know better than to use bubble mailers on boxes lol.

  7. #7
    Cherry (Level 1)
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Orlando FL
    Posts
    384
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts
    Xbox LIVE
    VexingEnmity
    PSN
    VexingEnmity

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Gameguy View Post
    It depends on where you're looking, identical english copies are available in other regions too.
    http://www.ebay.com/itm/PC-DOS-Storm...-/360482400999

    Again, maybe a buy-it-now for $100 might sell. If anyone offers you $50 you might want to take it. Whenever something is obscure and copies don't turn up often, people post their copy for high prices hoping someone is desperate enough to buy it. Other people see these listings and now think their copy is worth that much, so they post their copy for a high price too. It doesn't mean they sell, if there's no completed auctions those current high priced listings just get relisted when they expire.

    It's the same with Amazon listings, tons of times I see rare stuff listed for big bucks only eventually the same thing turns up on ebay and ends at under $10. Storm Across Europe seems to be a more generic SSI strategy game from 1989 on floppy disk, I doubt many people would be actively looking for a copy. With rare items that don't come up for sale often the value is really whatever you can get for it, maybe someone would be interested as they've been looking for a copy, or maybe not. If anyone shows interest you might want to sell it to them.

    Personally I have a new/sealed copy of The 11th Hour for Mac, the Mac version is supposed to be pretty rare. There's a single disc only used copy on Amazon for $43, and another copy on ebay for the same price(maybe from the same seller). I can't get $10 for it locally and I've been trying to sell it for a few years now. If anyone would have offered me $5 I would have accepted, but nobody replied for it. I tend to buy things so they won't get destroyed if I leave them behind, but I often get burned by it.
    Thanks for the help. I never look on ebay outside of the US. I probably should it would help as you have pointed out. I'll probably just throw it up at $100 with a BO option and see what happens.

  8. #8
    Alex (Level 15) Custom rank graphic
    Gameguy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Richmond Hill, Ontario (Canada)
    Posts
    7,918
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    78
    Thanked in
    70 Posts

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Enmity View Post
    Thanks for the help. I never look on ebay outside of the US. I probably should it would help as you have pointed out. I'll probably just throw it up at $100 with a BO option and see what happens.
    For rare stuff I usually just search google for what I'm looking for and add "ebay" or "ebay feedback" to focus on auction links. Sometimes I can find auctions that aren't searchable through ebay anymore but are still posted for some reason, usually auctions are taken down after 90 days but I can still find links to some years later. Or if the auctions are gone, I end up finding feedback pages which list selling prices. It takes time to do this but for rare or obscure stuff it's just about the only way to find prices.

    I just noticed your post in the finds thread. You have the first Wizardry Trilogy too, even though that's opened you might want to bundle them together in a single listing. For some reason the Commodore 64 versions are more desirable than the PC versions, if you had the Commodore versions you'd have no trouble selling them.

  9. #9
    Cherry (Level 1)
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Orlando FL
    Posts
    384
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts
    Xbox LIVE
    VexingEnmity
    PSN
    VexingEnmity

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Gameguy View Post
    For rare stuff I usually just search google for what I'm looking for and add "ebay" or "ebay feedback" to focus on auction links. Sometimes I can find auctions that aren't searchable through ebay anymore but are still posted for some reason, usually auctions are taken down after 90 days but I can still find links to some years later. Or if the auctions are gone, I end up finding feedback pages which list selling prices. It takes time to do this but for rare or obscure stuff it's just about the only way to find prices.

    I just noticed your post in the finds thread. You have the first Wizardry Trilogy too, even though that's opened you might want to bundle them together in a single listing. For some reason the Commodore 64 versions are more desirable than the PC versions, if you had the Commodore versions you'd have no trouble selling them.
    Yeah I noticed that about the Commodore version.

    What is weird about those trilogies is 1 covers games 1-3 and 2 covers games 5-7. Neither of them have game 4.

  10. #10
    Insert Coin (Level 0)
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Posts
    139
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    1
    Thanked in
    1 Post

    Smile I'd do a "buy it now".

    Do a "buy it now" that way there's nothing to loose, except a dollar for listing. But personally, I've enjoyed finding stuff and just putting it up on ebay for fun to see how much it goes for; I've had surprises high and low with this.

    If you expect making more, I've had good experience with being very detailed with good pictures and a lot of detailed description about the item.

    Good Luck!

Similar Threads

  1. Arcade, Pinball Auction, and Bulk Vending Auction
    By Captain'sAuctionWarehouse in forum Buying and Selling
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 08-06-2010, 12:19 PM
  2. Replies: 1
    Last Post: 06-30-2010, 06:50 PM
  3. Not Really an auction but auction related
    By oleanhosting in forum Buying and Selling
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 05-22-2008, 06:19 PM
  4. Ok i won an auction
    By Chainsaw_Charlie in forum Buying and Selling
    Replies: 15
    Last Post: 07-25-2004, 05:45 AM
  5. Anybody see this NES auction?
    By Funk Buddy in forum Buying and Selling
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 08-07-2003, 02:30 AM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •