ebay concerns

[Tiga]

So, I've been perusing ebay lately, looking for vintage patterns, and I've been noticing a LOT of afghan books going for $30, $40, one right now is even up to $50!

 

To be fair, the afghans are gorgeous.

 

But I got all of these books for less than $15 either from amazon.com or for FREE from a book club or super cheap from anniesattic.com on clearance.

 

I can understand putting them up for auction if you aren't going to use them.

 

What I don't understand is how the prices are getting so high?

 

One seller in particular puts up gorgeous scans of the pictures of the afghans, but doesn't mention the title of the book or anything like that.

 

I'm search-savvy enough that I'm able to read the descriptions, do a search and find the book. I actually bought one book b/c of her auction pictures! (A Year of Afghans, off amazon.com, for much less than the final auction price.)

 

If it was just one or two auctions, I wouldn't be, well, honestly, I'm suspicious. I think this person is deliberately being vague with their descriptions so that people can't see what they are getting, and thereby driving prices up.

 

I guess it's not against the rules, but it sure is dishonest.

 

Now, I'm going to go buy a book that's currently on auction for $51.00 off amazon.com for $10.00.

 

I'm wondering if I should leave a comment on the auction? Probably not.

[monael]

I know what you mean about finding items cheaper, it seems as if the buyers are being ripped off. However, I also wonder about people shopping at certain grocery stores or department stores when I can shop at discount stores and find things cheaper. But I am not going to go to those stores and tell them, hey it's for sale at XYZ store. Now if the person was selling things illegally, that is one thing. But it sounds as if the auctions you are describing are legal. And the person who is offering them for sale isn't even setting the price, it is the bidders. I don't think it is worth it to worry about.

[zazzu]

I'm wondering if I should leave a comment on the auction? Probably not.

 

I wouldn't either. You'd have to log in to do it and if you really tick off the seller they could leave nasty feedback on your account.

 

It's not just crochet patterns...people overprice all kinds of things on Ebay. I avoid Ebay like the plague, but DH likes it - although he's really careful with any purchases there.

 

As with anything else in life - be careful.

[sfgwife]

you know I was looking for a baby bootie pattern book a few months ago and found it on e-bay but it was 20.00. So I asked the seller what the leaflet number was before it ended mind you and they told me there wasn't one on it and we all know that on LA books there is always one. Well I found another and the number was in the pic I got it from maggie's crochet for something like 6.00. The seller I asked for the number on I think just didn't want me to be able to find it anywhere so she wouldn't tell me the number so I would buy it from her. WRONG! lol.

[nucki]

Part of it isn't so much the seller, but the buyers. There are people that will just keep bidding and bidding, not caring how high the bidding is actually going, simply because they're bound and determined to HAVE that particular item. It's like a sickness. I remember reading somewhere (I think it might have even been here, but I'm not sure) that people addicted to gambling are feeding their addictions off of eBay, by bidding the way I described above.

 

There ARE people out there that will have a friend bid on something to drive the price up, though. (Unfortunately, my hubby's best friend sometimes asks him to do that. HOWEVER, as dishonest as it is, he never asks him to drive it up to an unreasonable price - just high enough to make a nice profit off of it.) When something goes to a ridiculously high bid, I personally suspect it's either A) someone bidding without caring how HIGH the bid goes, as long as they win; B) someone driving the bidding up on purpose; or C) a combination of the two.

 

The one drawback of a place like eBay is that you have both honest AND dishonest people out there. It's basically the luck of the draw which one you happen to run into on a given day.

[Tiga]

Yeah, Suzi, I think, but obviously can't prove, that someone is driving up the bidding on those books.

 

I don't ebay that much, so i don't want to risk negative feedback, so I won't post anything. But I am *shaking head sadly* the type of person that will tell someone else in the store that what they are picking up is on sale elsewhere, or I'll give my coupon to someone buying an item I'm not going to buy.

 

I can't help it. It's like I'm programmed to save people money, lol!

 

Oh, and ya'll know what I just figured out? People are paying bigger bucks for earlier printings of the 63 Stitches to Crochet booklet! It's the same information in each booklet, right? Right down to the pictures! I know my booklet has the rose and green blocks inside, but completely different ones outside, lol!

 

I guess collectors will pay more for earlier printings of anything!

[mizduck]

I recently bid on several lots of yarn. I set my high bid at what the yarn would be WORTH! I can't understand paying $20 plus shipping for 6 skeins of RH SS in a color easily found in stores.

[Natasha]

So, I've been perusing ebay lately, looking for vintage patterns, and I've been noticing a LOT of afghan books going for $30, $40, one right now is even up to $50!

 

To be fair, the afghans are gorgeous.

 

But I got all of these books for less than $15 either from amazon.com or for FREE from a book club or super cheap from anniesattic.com on clearance.

 

I can understand putting them up for auction if you aren't going to use them.

 

What I don't understand is how the prices are getting so high?

 

One seller in particular puts up gorgeous scans of the pictures of the afghans, but doesn't mention the title of the book or anything like that.

 

I'm search-savvy enough that I'm able to read the descriptions, do a search and find the book. I actually bought one book b/c of her auction pictures! (A Year of Afghans, off amazon.com, for much less than the final auction price.)

 

If it was just one or two auctions, I wouldn't be, well, honestly, I'm suspicious. I think this person is deliberately being vague with their descriptions so that people can't see what they are getting, and thereby driving prices up.

 

I guess it's not against the rules, but it sure is dishonest.

 

Now, I'm going to go buy a book that's currently on auction for $51.00 off amazon.com for $10.00.

 

I'm wondering if I should leave a comment on the auction? Probably not.

 

I've been meaning to post about this exact topic/issue, but haven't had time. You said it all beautifully! And I couldn't agree more!

 

Those auctions with vague descriptions but beautiful pictures are driving me nuts! I'm pretty sure the seller is key-word spamming, because the titles of her auctions make no sense whatsoever.

 

But you know what? I think if someone is silly enough to pay that much for a book without even knowing what the title of it is, then let 'em.

[Tiga]

I just keep imagining little old ladies like my grandmother, with their first and only computers, that only know how to use ebay and aol, and don't realize that these books are readily available elsewhere paying too much.

 

Caveat emptor, I guess, though, right?

 

BTW, Blue Ribbon Afghans from State Fairs has some gorgeous stuff in it, and it's only $10 at amazon.com right now. $14 with shipping. I hope it's still that price next month!

 

At least the pretty picture auctions give me a chance to "see inside" the books before I buy, right? Trying to find something positive here.

[Krystal16]

Tiga,

 

I do that, too. I use Ebay to see the "pretty picture" auctions, then decide if I want to borrow the book from the library (have to order them) or buy it outright.

 

I don't get why people pay MORE for yarn after shipping, etc. is added than you can buy in the store. When bidding on yarn, I *always* figure the cheapest sale price I can find in a store, then subtract the shipping. Then I take a little bit more off (so I can say I got a deal!). That turns into my highest bid. No more than that!

 

As a side note, I thought you weren't allowed to post pictures of copyrighted text except for front and back cover.... so, they're double-dipping in the well of wrongness.

[Twinnish]

Caveat emptor, exactly.

 

To use eBay effectively, you have to be an informed buyer. I notice that many sellers use vague descriptions (including no title) of their books so that the unsuspecting buyers would be hindered in their search for that book in other places. The best thing to do would be to look at books in your local library or bookstore, to see the pictures in the books. That way, you can recognize them when you look around eBay. Also, memorize the names of one or two of the patterns in the book.

 

On the other hand, some people just have money to blow and don't care how much things are. To that I say, send some my way!

[MomToLabs]

Yup, caveat emptor on e-Bay as with anywhere else.

 

In defense of the people who pay more for stuff online than in a store -- not everyone lives near a discount store. Sometimes it's actually cheaper for them to buy online and pay for shipping than to drive a long distance to a get to a store, especially considering what gas costs these days!

[mythunderbird]

but to be fair, what if the pattern book you have is a rare one, i mean would you sell the award winning afghan pattern book from annies that has the cathedral rose window ghan in it for the original selling price of 9.99, of course not. so some of these books are very hard to find, and you know you have to be careful , not just e-bay but amazon too. if its sold outright by amazon it should be safe, but there are sellers there that take advantage of people too and sometimes don't even send them. now granted books that are in print , i would never pay over price for one of those either IF i could get it, but not everything is available everywhere and e-bay does have a purpose. as for yarn? i would not over pay for reg rh ss, but some yarn is alot more expensive(looked at a lys lately? some goes as high as 50.00 a skein) and if i could find that yarn on e-bay for a price that i can afford, well dang straight i would buy it. you have to be careful everywhere. i do however agree with you about the sellers who list the pages of the books without listing the actual name of the book, my friend and i were liooking at some, that we really liked and i e-mailed her and asked her the name of the book and she didn't tell me, just muble jumble so is probably the same seller lol

 

you just have to be careful:hook:hook

[Bookchick29]

I had noticed the same thing recently with Peaches & Cream yarn 1 lb cones for sale on Ebay. Some of them had a beginning or Buy It Now price set around $8 or 9, but you can buy the same thing directly from Elmore-Pisgah for $6-7 I also saw a TV Series DVD Box Set that the seller had an opening bid for $.99 but their shipping cost was $20!!!

 

I sell on Ebay on a regular basis, and when setting my starting bids, I like to think of it as a yard sale and set the price as what I would expect to receive in that setting. And if the bidders decide to start a bidding war and raise the sale price higher - then it's just icing on the cake. As far as shipping, I use a flat rate fee of $5 most of the time, unless it is something really small or really heavy that I know the cost will be higher.

 

Ultimately, it is up to the buyer to make sure they are informed of the true prices and to verify that they're getting a deal. It is their money and if they're willing to pay those prices, and the seller isn't doing anything illegal in the auction, then so be it.

[mythunderbird]

i sooo agree, heck if they want to pay me all their hard earned money, i will take it :drool:drool:drool:rofl:rofl:rofl:rofl:rofl

[Tiga]

Oh, I didn't think of the pictures as being copyrighted, but I guess they are.

 

Now I feel badly about looking at those auctions!

 

I did get some vintage stuff at ebay that I couldn't find anywhere else, and of course paid more than the cover price, but that's to be expected. Things were so much cheaper 30 years ago!

[Tiga]

but to be fair, what if the pattern book you have is a rare one, i mean would you sell the award winning afghan pattern book from annies that has the cathedral rose window ghan in it for the original selling price of 9.99, of course not.

 

Oh, no, these were in print, readily availble, recently published books.

 

I was bidding on a GREAT book from 1977 that I had to drop out on the bidding of at $25. It sold for $31. That seemed reasonable to me. It's not rare, but in the "hard to find, but not impossible" category. And not in high demand, so between $25-$40 would be reasonable, plus actual shipping.

 

But this seller is selling things like "Year Round Afghans" and "101 Scrap Projects" at high prices. The stuff you can get from Annie's Attic directly or amazon.com directly for half what she sells them for.

 

Anyway, I just know not to buy from her, I guess.

[nucki]

I also saw a TV Series DVD Box Set that the seller had an opening bid for $.99 but their shipping cost was $20!!!

There's actually a very logical explanation for THAT one.

 

eBay has changed the way they charge for auctions. They used to charge a flat fee for each auction, but sometime recently they've started to charge a percentage of the final bid ON TOP OF the flat fee (this is what my Hubby told me). So if something goes for a good price, the seller is getting screwed by eBay. A lot of sellers are now charging a LOT more for their shipping to make up for what eBay's taking from them, while at the same time setting the opening bid extremely low. So basically, they're evening it out in their favor. If that DVD box set were to go for the asking bid, they'd come out with $20.99 - which is probably what they were hoping to get in the first place.

 

My Hub buys his mountain climbing gear off eBay (he can usually find it cheaper on there than at any sporting goods store), and oftentimes he's bought something for less than £1, but had to pay a lot more on the shipping. But when you total it all out, he STILL ends up paying less than what he'd get at retail.

 

This is actually one of the reasons why I decided to try selling on Etsy instead of eBay. Etsy charges only $0.20 per auction, period. Too bad eBay doesn't take a page out of their book. I bet they wouldn't lose as many sellers if they did!!!

[Krystal16]

Suzi - Ebay has a policy about overcharged shipping, and you can report sellers that do this. Of course, their motivation is money - because Ebay loses out on those fees, but it bothers *me* when people scam like this. If you want to use Ebay, then pony up and pay the fees. If you don't want to pay the fees, get off Ebay. The fees are what makes the company run - everyone that scams the fees only winds up passing them off to the next seller. Which could be ME.

 

I will only buy from sellers that charge ACTUAL shipping.

[birdlady1]

I've been an eBay addict (buyer and seller with close to 2,000 feedbacks) since the late 90s and have seen some outrageous bidding on items that are still current ... not vintage and not rare. Years ago there was a sewing pattern to make an afghan dog and it went for well over $100 I think. The pattern designer sold me a copy for $8. I've always learned since that auction to try to find it somewhere else on the internet. You'd be surprised what a simple Google search will turn up!

 

It's the mob mentality, whether you're online or at an auction house. Bidding always gets out of control. I've rarely seen a popular item actually sell for what it's really worth. When people see that others have bid, their curiosity gets the best of them. Then they have to have that item too. There are also "stalkers" on eBay. If someone knows you have "good taste" in a particular collectible, they'll follow you around on eBay and they can see what you've bid on. So it's always been suggested to me that if I REALLY want something I should NOT bid on it right away but put it on the "watch list" instead. Sometimes that keeps the pricing down. Sometimes.

 

Shilling is the word for when a seller gets friends etc to bid up an item. It's illegal but sometimes a few get through. The biggest problem I see (though eBay is making a big deal of reducing the problem) is overcharging for shipping. I have the "excessive shipping costs" site bookmarked and am not afraid to report this. Just yesterday there was a small stuffed animal that someone would ship from Atlanta within the United States for $40.

 

As long as you're careful, do your research and know what an item should go for (or what you're willing to pay, factoring in the shipping costs), check the seller's feedbacks and ask questions, there rarely should be a problem on eBay.

 

Just my two cents about one of my favorite pasttimes!

[suitechic1979]

I think it all depends what you are buying on ebay. For me I buy Japanese pop music mostly. Yes, there are scammers, but in many cases I have gotten great deals since the music is expensive. You just have to research what you are bidding on, just like you would when you go to a normal store.

[Beaglelady]

Interesting reading here. I've never been one to buy from e-bay or even really look. I was looking for a 'cube afghan pattern' to help someone out and it brought me to a seller on e-bay. She had an Annie's Pattern Club booklet for sale $3.00 from 1982. Had a pattern that I had made of a dog. My MIL had the same book years ago that got me hooked on the pattern club. I've been wanting that pattern all these years now. So I took the chance. Probably will be the only thing that I do buy. But I've often wondered why people sell the stuff they do for the prices shown.

By the way...I mailed a money order and e-mailed the person that I was doing so. She e-mailed me back as to when the money order was received and the book was being mailed to me. Came in excellent condition. I understand that NOT all sellers are this good. I've heard nightmares where people buy or have the winning bid, send the money and never get the product.

 

Now on the other hand....I used to be, well tried being a Stampin' Up Demonstrator. Stamp sets would be up for sale on e-bay BEFORE the demonstrators even got the new catalogs to distribute to their customers. All I could think of, was people working in their warehouses were getting the sets and putting them up. I still really don't trust e-bay even though I've heard a lot of people buying.

[birdlady1]

Yeah, Suzi, I think, but obviously can't prove, that someone is driving up the bidding on those books.

 

I don't ebay that much, so i don't want to risk negative feedback, so I won't post anything.

 

I haven't finished reading this thread but please know that only the winning bidder and seller can leave feedback. You cannot leave or receive feedback if you get angry or want to make a point unless you're the winning bidder or seller.

[Lisaizme]

Interesting thread.

 

I've been on eBay a while, and have learned ALOT by going into the community area and reading the various posts there.

 

One thing that has not been brought up on this thread is Sniping.

 

Very basically, sniping is the art of bidding the maximum amount you're willing to spend on something as late in the auction as you can.

 

Some people snipe manually, I use a couple of free online services.

 

The beauty of sniping is.. you don't overspend.

 

Some people feel that sniping is wrong, but I personally like it. I've lost some auctions because I didn't want to pay as much as someone else did.. but with ebay, if you wait awhile, the item will come around again.