Reserves, and Sniping
I am of two minds about hidden reserves on eBay. I can see how some people might perceive it as a seller trying to get too much for something -- especially those people who still think that old vacuums are only worth $15-20.
But why just automatically assume a reserve is too high for you? All you have to do is place a bid at what you are comfortable paying: You'll either hit the reserve or you won't.
Furthermore, after what I have seen some machines sell for -- both on eBay and privately -- and after what I myself have paid for some of them, I =know= that's not the case any longer (that old vacuums have little or no value).
When most of us collectors were isolated from one another and most of us were "still in the cleaning closet" about our interest, when no one knew anyone was running around secretly piling up stashes of old sweepers, the perception =was= that old vacs had no value. They certainly weren't showing up in antique boutiques or on Antiques Roadshow!
But for better or worse, and like it or not, that has changed due to the Internet, and, yes, eBay. With more and more collectors coming out of the woodwork and networking with one another, appearing on tv shows and getting some level of visibility in the general public, demand for old vacuums has increased and, thus, the value of them has, overall, gone up.
I really do hope people don't think I am some greedy old bastard who wants thousands and thousands of dollars for the things I sell. I really do wish I could afford to just give stuff away to people; and the fact is that I certainly have given away plenty of machines. I just don't make a big deal about it.
But with certain things, where I believe there is substantial value in them, and particularly where I myself have a lot invested in them, is it really so small-minded of me to want to see a little bit of profit on them? Especially given my perpetual state of impoverishment? Being a "starving musician" certainly comes with a price.
Then as to sniping, well, those who take issue with the amounts being paid for some old vacs ought to CELEBRATE the art of sniping! What BETTER way to keep the prices down?!
I have seen this myself and indeed have had a change of heart from my once-very-firm stance against sniping. Too many times I would place a bid on something early in the listing and wouldn't you know it, here comes all these other people putting down bids and running the prices up to where I couldn't afford them!
Then a fellow collector let me in on a secret: There are some clever (sneaky?) eBay users who routinely look through other people's profiles to see what they are bidding on (yes, there is a way to do that). That is a very good way to find machines that do not show up favorably on the search listings (far more than you may think -- eBay's search function is very ineffective and haphazard). The way to prevent "showing your hand" is to wait until the auction is about to end and place a snipe bid. Because what other people CANNOT see is things you are watching.
Oh, and speaking of giving away machines, I need to straighten out my garage again so I can get to several machines I have promised people. (Tania, Ken, I haven't forgotten!) It's not a total mess as it was before, it's just very full - thanks mostly to the large haul from the "Treasure Hunt" in Glendale earlier this year.
(And that's another whole issue ... a lot of the things I got from that old vac shop, and did pay pretty substantially for, I am probably going to end up having to give away because I'm not going to have time to work on them.) I also just need to do a general reorganizing, and find a happy corner on my work bench for my bag cleaner!
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All that being said, Logan, I am sorry for going on even longer, and I hope you feel better. Be VERY careful about that bronchitis. You MUST get plenty of rest and sleep. Don't make the mistake I did, around this time last year, when I got bronchitis, ignored it, and ended up flat on my back for six weeks with pneumonia.
