Mr67Stang

I am absolutly blown away by what people will pay for some things. I was following an Item on ThEBay when the price went a bit higher than I was willing to pay. The item was a Herr Cesna 180 skywagon kit. Available from Sig here (Just look under R/C kits/scale towards the bottom)

http://www.sigmfg.com/cgi-bin/dpsmar...FV4.html?E+Sig

And here is the auction for the same item:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...6292&rd=1&rd=1

I mean really now, where are these guys when I want to sell my junk?[:@]

SGC

Some people suffer severe tunnel vission when bidding , me i calculate shop price to my door , subtract shipping and fee's and thats my max bid , if someones wants to pay more its theres , I'll buy it elswere.
Stewart

Andrew

I had been watching the same auction -- always did like the 180 and HERR produces some top-notch kits, but it quickly got too rich for me.

Aside from the high proxy, why would someone drive the price up $45 over retail -- did you look at the bid history? Whew!!

Mr67Stang

Yes, that bid history tells me that there is a short bus out there missing 3 passengers.

NorfolkSouthern

I sure can't agree more there! I wonder if the winning bidder has some form of dementia or something?

NorfolkSouthern

skaliwag

My Feedback: (1)

Ebay is a form of gambling.... There are some people who get carried away and can't hlp themselves.

combatpigg

My Feedback: (3)

I think in many cases a shill comes in at 5 minutes till midnight to save the day for the seller. I spent / wasted lots of time shopping for a chainsaw, until I caught on.

rainedave

My Feedback: (1)

"The darling of the 1960's makes it way to a flying field near you..."

I wonder if the bidder read that and thought it was a '60s vintage kit.[X(]

Mr67Stang

Yes many unscrupulous sellers out there like to use word games like "Extreamly rare/ No longer in production/Vintage" etc. to sell crap I can find retail all day long. I go to thEBAY to find it at a better price but all to often find the items I want for more money than normal online retail or at best $2-$3 less by the time you factor in shipping. It's a trajic world we live in when there is not enough food for the hungry, homes for the poor, love for the lonely, and short busses for a vast majority of Bay buyers.

Bipe Flyer

It doesn't look like the seller did anything wrong. The description, including "The darling of the 1960's makes it way to a flying field near you..." , is taken right off of the SIG website.

Did you see some of the other auctions the same guy won? Some people just aren't worried about spending money. They see it, they want it and they buy it. It's possible that he had no clue what the going rate was anyways.

EBay is like credit cards, beer and junk food. All wonderful things - if you have self control.

Having said all that, I do think it's insane to spend double what the kit's worth.

Bipe Flyer

I think I'll place an order with SIG for a few Skywagons and put them on eBay. [sm=lol.gif]

flyinrog

My Feedback: (1)

[sm=bananahead.gif] or he coulda been on that 3rd or 4th beer sayin to himself,,"oh yeah?,I'll show you"....Rog

skaliwag

My Feedback: (1)

How about this one...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...m=230035779209

This guy needs a bridge in his portfolio.

Silvaire

My Feedback: (50)

And you didn't take note of his bidding name? Perfectly appropriate!

Speaking of games that sellers play on eBay, I just learned of a new one. A seller will offer an item with a reserve price. Then using several different other eBay names that he also has registered, he will shill the item up to JUST BELOW his reserve price. Then an unknowledgable bidder who wants the item figures that it must be worth that much (with the mental reinforcement of the other bids). He places HIS bid, it tops the reserve, and everybody's happy...

rainedave

My Feedback: (1)

The latest trend that I won't play along with is sellers attempting to cover their own auction listing fees and Paypal deposit fees with ridiculous shipping charges. It's their ebay account and their paypal account! It's their service fees, not mine! I'm not paying for someone else to use ebay and paypal. Yet, that's what this seller is clearly trying to do. It flat out does not cost $20 to ship an engine Priority Mail in the US:

http://cgi.ebay.com/O-S-OS-ENGINE-61...em120046144179

Mr67Stang

Yes exsesive shipping fees are a sore spot with me, but if the seller posts that up front I can at least factor that into my bid. If they hide their shipping and sting you with it after the auction that's what truely sucks. I WON'T BID IF THEY CAN'T GIVE ME A SHIPPING QUOTE!

flyinrog

My Feedback: (1)

Dave unfortunatlly that is the latest trend,,many planes out there that are ARFs that are $20-40 for shipping so they only go for $30,,I got a fiberglass ARF .15 size Gee-Bee for $25 but it was like $30 for shipping...certainly you dont expect a seller to pay his own fee!!!??[X(]...Rog

rainedave

My Feedback: (1)

rog, I can understand higher shipping costs for an arf. Many of those boxes are oversize. And, I don't even mind paying a few dollars extra for boxing/packaging on top of the actual shipping cost. But, when a seller expects the buyer to pay their service fees for listing items on ebay, that's insane. If someone isn't willing to cover their own expenses then they shouldn't be selling, and I definitely won't buy from them.[>:]

flyinrog

My Feedback: (1)

No Dave, I meant the higher the bid they get the more their fee is ,except on shipping and handleing charges..so if they make there money on s&h their fee is less but their profit is higher...the other down side is that those $99 ARFs are probably about $19.95 or less, but you do have to buy a truck load of them to get that price.....Rog

rainedave

My Feedback: (1)

I see your point, rog. And, that does make total sense with merchants and ebay stores that are selling items with a set price or a reserve. I wasn't thinking of those examples.[X(] I had in mind auctions with no reserve by individuals, not businesses.

In your example, I would be willing to buy a $50 item for $25 and pay $25 shipping. My problem would be with paying $65 for a $50 item because the seller doesn't want to pony up what they owe for the services they're using.

Mr67Stang

That was kind of the point of this thread... Don't bid $65 on a $50 item!

Wazmo

Having sold items on eBay before (though not R/C-related), I can say that it's very painful to have an item go for a low bid and then have to subtract listing and PayPal fees from the total. Building the fees into the shipping (and handling) charge at least saves you from having to pay to give away an item you were trying to sell. I know it sucks when you're the buyer, but as long as the seller's up-front about it, you can choose whether to bid or not. Also, keep in mind that even though the seller is paying the eBay fees, they help make the item readily available to you, and the PayPal fees make it easy for the buyer to complete the transaction quickly. Would you prefer driving to all the swap shops, auctions, and yard sales, or waiting an extra week for your item to ship so your check clears?

Having said that, I usually try to make my shipping charges reasonable.

Bipe Flyer

When you buy from a hobby shop you're paying for shipping and part of the rent, electric bill, employees' wages etc. It's not unreasonable to try to recover costs, as long as they don't gouge and try to make the bulk of their profit from "handling" fees. There are many items that sell for a dollar and the seller charges $10 to ship. I just decide what I would pay delivered to my door and bid accordingly.

rainedave

My Feedback: (1)

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree. None of the hobby shops I've ever frequented auction off their inventory. They have prices marked on everything in the store. I know what the market price of a given size APC prop is. So I know if a hobby shop is overcharging and I shop somewhere else. I fully understand that every business has overhead and must pay the bills and meet payroll to stay in business. I once worked at a hobby shop myself - back before Hobbico and Horizon distributed at the current lower prices that allow b&m shops to approximate online pricing. Do you remember back when hobby shops had to pay wholesale prices that were usually higher than Tower's mail order prices?

What I'm talking about is very different. I'm talking about auctions with no reserve and no set price. An auction is, by nature, a gamble for both the seller and the buyer. If the seller doesn't want to accept the inherent risks of auctioning off items, then they should either have a "Buy Now" price or use a reserve. If not, then it is ethically wrong to gouge with shipping costs.

I have sold a lot of stuff on ebay over the last two years. Yes, it's painful to pay all the fees. But, no one forced me to use ebay and paypal. I chose to. Nothing comes for free. These services allowed me to offer my items to a worldwide range of buyers. It costs money to do that. I was willing to pay the fees in order to receive the expanded market that online auctions provide. How can someone expect to reap all the benefits that ebay and paypal provide and not have to pay for them? That's unrealistically selfish. It's ludicrous. It's also in line with today's business practices. Get Rich Yesterday.

ptulmer

My Feedback: (5)

Bipe, the LHS has never charged me a handling fee. I sometimes use a fixed shipping price for quoting FexEx HD, but it's an average price and I have taken change out of my pocket to make up the difference. Excessive handling fees aren't cool. It's a method of ripping Ebay off for their % of the total price. A buck or two for the box and tape is cool (unless you get free boxes and tape from USPS) and I'm starting to charge a little extra for out-of-country shipping to pay my mother-in-law to make the half-hour drive each way to the main post office. (it will be noted in the body and shipping sections)