Spaulding wrote:
JORR, what items do you have in mind? I think I use it differently. It's like a big garage sale for me. I'm trying to get what I think of as a deal and nothing I buy is really expensive. Most of the time I'm trying to pay under retail price. Maybe you could do it for some items more than others though.
It could be anything. At one time I was selling a lot of stuff on ebay. I always started the auctions at $2.00 to save the fees. Of course you can always put a reserve on your auction, but my experience is that puts a chill on bidding. The psychology of an auction is an interesting thing. I've been on both sides of it. The best thing that can happen for you as a seller is two goofs getting in a pissing match.
I could write a book on racehorse auctions. I can tell you that if you walked into one cold off the street, you'd get spun in a circle and likely pay way more than you should have. Just last year an experienced guy I know ended up getting bid up with phantom bids to the tune of an extra 50 grand or so.
Back to ebay, I often let stuff go at ridiculously low prices because I was selling a lot of different stuff and I wanted a good reputation. I might not have done so had I believed the level of naivete was as rampant as it seems to be on this board.

For example, I remember letting a game-used Ken Boyer bat go for like $15 when I know it was worth around $300. But occasionally there would be something I wasn't going to let go at a low price. I would just have a friend put a bid out there for the lowest price I was willing to take.