charles~richard
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 25, 2006
- Messages
- 3,021
Yes, collectors do look for vacuum cleaners and related ephemera on eBay. And when they find something that they really really want, the last thing they are likely to do is publicize the listing.
Why WOULD they do so, when they KNOW that doing so WILL jack up the bids -- because more people will see the auctions and bid, and then they will end up paying much more for the item, or get outbid when the bidding goes beyond their means?
Petek, with all due respect, I can only say that when the time comes that you are watching something on eBay that you really, really, reeeeeeeeeeally want, and you are hoping against hope that no one else sees it so you'll have a crack at getting a good deal on it (*), and you come to this forum and see that someone has published a link to it, and you then look at the listing and see that it's being bid to high heavens, THEN maybe you'll understand why some people object to this practice.
Again, I maintain that people who post eBay listings only post the auctions that they are not interested in bidding on. So then, the question that begs to be answered is, Why would it be "fair" for people to list auctions at all? Even if they are only trying to be "helpful?"
The only exception I can think of to this would be if someone wanted to announce a listing of their own that they had running. Surely no one would object to people giving themselves a little "free publicity." But if it came down to an "all or none" policy, then I'd personally vote in favor of "none."
-ooOoo-
I have offered this before, and am offering it again if popular vote runs in favor of the suggestion (which, by the way, was not the case last time):
I have been on ebay for a long time - since November 1998. I am, I must say, a virtuoso at searching the listings. I know a number of "secret techniques" that bring up auctions that most people do not find. I will be happy to make a daily posting of all the vintage (or otherwise interesting or rare) vacuums I find, for everyone to look over. That way, there would be a more-level playing field.
This topic has, in the past, become very contentious. That is not my intent here. I am not going to quibble about it or try to "lay down the law" about the practice of "announcing" eBay listings. I am only trying to respectfully present an impassioned answer to the question, "Who cares if people post eBay listings?"
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(*) This CAN frequently happen -- eBay's search engine is not perfect and some listings do fall through the cracks and don't make it on the results lists -- but someone will, through happenstance, come on the listing serendipitously and be the only bidder. How do I know this happens? Because it has happened to me -- many times.
Why WOULD they do so, when they KNOW that doing so WILL jack up the bids -- because more people will see the auctions and bid, and then they will end up paying much more for the item, or get outbid when the bidding goes beyond their means?
Petek, with all due respect, I can only say that when the time comes that you are watching something on eBay that you really, really, reeeeeeeeeeally want, and you are hoping against hope that no one else sees it so you'll have a crack at getting a good deal on it (*), and you come to this forum and see that someone has published a link to it, and you then look at the listing and see that it's being bid to high heavens, THEN maybe you'll understand why some people object to this practice.
Again, I maintain that people who post eBay listings only post the auctions that they are not interested in bidding on. So then, the question that begs to be answered is, Why would it be "fair" for people to list auctions at all? Even if they are only trying to be "helpful?"
The only exception I can think of to this would be if someone wanted to announce a listing of their own that they had running. Surely no one would object to people giving themselves a little "free publicity." But if it came down to an "all or none" policy, then I'd personally vote in favor of "none."
-ooOoo-
I have offered this before, and am offering it again if popular vote runs in favor of the suggestion (which, by the way, was not the case last time):
I have been on ebay for a long time - since November 1998. I am, I must say, a virtuoso at searching the listings. I know a number of "secret techniques" that bring up auctions that most people do not find. I will be happy to make a daily posting of all the vintage (or otherwise interesting or rare) vacuums I find, for everyone to look over. That way, there would be a more-level playing field.
This topic has, in the past, become very contentious. That is not my intent here. I am not going to quibble about it or try to "lay down the law" about the practice of "announcing" eBay listings. I am only trying to respectfully present an impassioned answer to the question, "Who cares if people post eBay listings?"
-------
(*) This CAN frequently happen -- eBay's search engine is not perfect and some listings do fall through the cracks and don't make it on the results lists -- but someone will, through happenstance, come on the listing serendipitously and be the only bidder. How do I know this happens? Because it has happened to me -- many times.
