The fact that you and others have taken so many buyers away from
eBay is an indication of the impact of the negative policies that they
actually John, the negative impact of their policies is only part of I think.
the bottom line is that collectors obviously know - or find out
everyday - that there are sites aside from fleaBay where you can buy
a greater number of posters in a true auction format every week,
instead of "phony auctions"
very few dealers begin their auctions at a very low number on
fleaBay. Sean, Marty Davis and Dastardly Dave are the only ones I can
think of who start at prices under $10 or as low as 99 cents. Others
start at something maybe 50% of retail, and then of course you have
all the rest which are offering no bargains.
so it becomes a natural migration towards the greater weekly supply
here is an email I got back from someone selling a Blue Dahlia hs
right now in response to my query about a reserve price.
I'm not irked that the seller wouldn't tell me, but the remainder of
his response is truly telling.
Here's the response (note it was all one paragraph. I tabbed it so
you could read it easily):
I understand that you don't want to pry, and I hope you'll understand
that I don't want to offend, but I chose to put a reserve on the
auction in order to keep from being forced to sell the poster, even
if it constitutes a bad bargain for me. I am not a professional
seller, just a collector revising my collection, so I am willing to
sell some items, but not at a loss.
I thought the idea of using the reserve was that I could set a secret
price more in keeping with the value of the poster, and therefore
list a lower minimum without being obligated to sell at that price.
The minimum price listed for BLUE DAHLIA, even in only fair
condition, is below its value and my investment, and I wanted the
option to decide if the highest bid would be worth parting with the poster.
For me, the reserve is an ideal, not a fixed price. I am more than
willing to sell under my reserve, if the highest bid is at least
resonable--and, quite honestly, I haven't even decided what a
"reasonable" amount is yet, since I am aware that what I would like
to get and what the market will bear may be very different. I am
offering the poster on eBay because of the reserve option, which I
consider a protection against "seller's remorse," if you will; I know
I could probably earn more through one of the dedicated film
memorabilia auctions, but I don't like their consignment conditions,
which require actually giving them the item and accepting any price.
On eBay, I can set a reserve (which I can also lower once bidding
starts), and I can also make a second chance offer if it's not met.
Of course I want to do the best I can, which is the same thing that
you as a buyer want for yourself, and I'm not rigid or ridiculous.
So, the long-winded answer to your question is this: while I won't
reveal the reserve, I will say it's not an absolute, and if you like
the poster, it's worth the trouble to try and win it. Thanks for your
interest--Deewani.
clearly, the seller wants an option to consider your bids before
making a decision.. screw that crap, and sadly.. it's all too common
on fleaBay.
Rich
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