I'm with you, guy. The last couple items I bought, I didn't bid until there were about 30 seconds left. The guy I yanked it from got pissed and emailed me calling me a "scavenger." Oh well. I agree, no reason to bid until the last second. Things would likely be cheaper.

BTW, have you seen the GLS Audio mics ES-57 and ES-58? They're supposed to be perfect copies of the SM's. Wondering if anyone has actually bought one.

Happy bidding!

AG

case inpoint- used and new apple notebooks and desktops- they are way more expensive on ebay than in the stores and the used ones are way too much- like $900 for a 700 MGH used!

I like your post, but in my opinion these capitalistic weirdo's just want to save $5. It doesn't matter to them what it cost, just as long as it's cheaper than buying it new. And some of the time they are paying more than it cost new (if they looked around on the net more) It really goes to show you how tight these assholes are.
And it not like it's 2 or 3 people out there. It's a whole bunch of greedy mother fuckers.
OMI this is just another direct result of capitalism and the way that people try to out do one another no matter what. I'm not saying anything else is better (socialism, communism, whatever)
But I am hoping that people see that it certainly is NOT just a handful of people.
Just a thought

I'll freely admit to being a "capitalist weirdo"......I'm getting ready to buy a new copy of a well known top shelf editing software on ebay from an authorized dealer for $180 (buy it now, newest version) as opposed to $350 from a favorite online dealer I've bought lots of stuff from. I prefer to think of it as smart instead of greedy. I have bought from this seller before and it's totally legitimate unregistered software. The other $170 will go to someone else for something else and the economy will be highly stimulated.
poprocks, you understand auctioning. If there weren't a whole lot of bids on the item, you got it fair & square and the seller is the greedy one.
I went to a music store bankruptcy auction a few years ago to buy some gear and several people got into a frenzy over a Tascam MX2424 HD recorder. The guy who won wound up paying $400 more than if he had bought it in a store. Some people do not get auctioning at all.

That's great Jon, but I think you might have missed the point. We're not complaining about somebody using the "buy it now" option. Simply put, there are some serious morons that don't realize, if they were simply patient, they could save hundreds or even thousands of dollars!

I can't tell you how many times I've sold something on e-bay and I think to myself after it sells -- "There's no way that piece of Sh*t should have sold for that much." Case in point, I just sold 2 dbx 266XLs (retail $149) for $145 plus $20 for shipping. Uhh, hello, they could have bought them brand new for 4 bucks more and probably only paid $5 dollars shipping.

R-E-T-A-R-D-S!!
:?
J.

No, I got the point. I complimented poprocks for using good auctioning technique, and I was referencing the "buy it now" feature to point out that there are some outstanding deals for greedy bastards like me ( he he he). I was watching a tube preamp (a couple actually) over the last few weeks and they went for WAY too much. I just won one for the right price a couple of days ago and it will be here Saturday. Sometimes you just have to be patient. I totally agree with you, there are tons of Bozos out there bidding.

Do these people honestly think that if they bid $200 on a U-47 and there are 6 days left in the auction that they will ACTUALLY WIN??? I mean com'on! Here's an idea -- stop bidding! Wait until there's 5 minutes left in the auction and then bid. Who knows, you might get a Neumann for $200.

Sorry, that would never happen. If someone has a U47 listed with no reserve, they're going to make sure that the price goes up to where they want it to be...even if they have to bid on it themselves. The people who really lwant the microphone will be there when the auction closes and will make sure that they either get it or bid as high as they're willing to (or they'll set it up so their bids are automatically placed to their limit).

UGGGGHHHH! Am I the only one that get's this? Why are the stupid people making things cost more???!!!

They're really not making things cost more. They're just driving the price up a little earlier.

-Duardo

No, they are making things cost more. Hello, did you not read my examples? Are you one of those guys who drives the price up on the first day just to piss everyone off and make sure that no one gets a good deal?

And yes, it did happen. Many times, I'll put items that are expensive up without reserve, it makes it more attractive.

I mean it is great for guys like us to be able to buy a piece of gear and if we don't like it we can always sell it and get 80% to 90% or more.
And I didn't mean to insult anyone by using "capitalist weirdo" or "greedy bastards".
Maybe I just need a shot of leg? :lol:
How bout you jonyoung you "greedy weirdo" :shock:
I'm just joking! Please don't take offense!
:wink:

I would never buy a U 47 off of ebay. Too much of a gamble. Sellers will raise the price too. by bidding on their item under an alias.

No, they are making things cost more. Hello, did you not read my examples? Are you one of those guys who drives the price up on the first day just to piss everyone off and make sure that no one gets a good deal?

Hello, yes, I did read your examples, and I don't think these people are really affecting the price, at least for the most part. In your first example you said "I don't even know where the auction closed"...so how do you know that the people who bid on it early made it cost more? I would submit that the price at the end would be about the same whether it was driven up to $900 within two days or whether nobody had bid on it a half hour before the auction closed. With something like a U47, people know what they're willing to pay for it and will do so, regardless of when other people place their bids.

And no, I'm not one of those guys who drives up the price on the first day. I wouldn't bid until the end, but if the price is driven up beyond what I'm willing to pay right away I don't care...one less thing to keep an eye on.

If you're talking about your $145 266XL's, that's a different case entirely than a Neumann microphone. Again, I'd say that anyone...or just about anyone...who puts up a Neumann microphone with "no reserve" will still make sure that the microphone doesn't get sold for any less than they really want it to.

-Duardo

it's that guy, I must have been having a blood sugar moment. We're all friends here.
Cucco, Hope you find a spotless 47 for a decent price.

Now I don't want to start an argument here but being an Ebay power seller for a few years and living off of EBAY Auction Income solely I consider myself quite and authority on selling items on EBAY and I've read the posts here and I think Duardo is as close to the truth as it gets. When you are selling or bidding on an item like a U47 - an item that people don't just stumble across and bid on, they search for it, put it on their watch lists, and monitor the prices - you have set No Reserve if you are the seller because you know damn well the price is going to go up anyways and get to an amount that's at the very least fair for that item. You put No Reserve in the heading because it attracts people to your particular auction. Either way, whether or not the people bid in the beginning or the end, they are still going to bid. There will still be the same number of people interested. So if the early bids get in their with five minutes left in the auction what's the difference. Only difference is that the price went up 900 dollars in 5 minutes instead of 5 days. Personally as a buyer I'd rather have the early bids in there. It's much easier to gage how much competition you have when bidding if you can see in advance how many people have already bid. I think if you are going on Ebay to try and get a u47 for 200 bucks you are kidding yourself. If that ever were to happen it would be cause the seller is incompetent - not because people had bid differently.

must admit I have to agree with Rain. Snipers who bid at the last second suck. BUT, I do the same thing. It seems that its the only way to "win" at ebay sometimes. I approach ebay like this. I put in the highest bid that I'm willing to make, early on, later on, when ever. If it goes over that price, then it wasn't meant to be. If I really, really want something I may snipe in at the last second but it does kinda make me feel like an asshole. If people put in the price they want to pay then the item will sell for a fair price. If theres a dumbass (there are mostly dumbasses) that wants to pay too much, let him. But it does mean that the rest of us arn't getting a good deal on that item but another will come along. Just like anything else Ebay was cool untill EVERYBODY started using it.

Just win the lottery and never use ebay again. :mrgreen:

I don't think you all are getting my point.

Of course the price is going to go up, no kidding! But, just speculate for a second. What if everyone came to the realization that if they didn't bid until the last minute, they may actually keep the price low. Sure, this would take a lot of patience and coordination, but it's real simple. If 15 people are watching the u47, 10 of them may be real bidders. However, just b/c some idiot thinks "Hey, I'll bid $200 now, maybe it will stick" they cause the price to go up.

If no one touched it and at the end, you still wound up with all 10 bidders waiting til the last second, you would have a quick bidding war, one that is likely to raise the price significantly, but still keep it lower than the effects of a 7 day price war.

Let's face it, there are a lot of stupid people on e-bay. I recently sold a matched pair of Schoeps on e-bay. The first time around, they didn't sell (I had a reserve of $2000 - considerably lower than new). I contacted the highest bidder off-line and let him know the reserve and that I was relisting them. He freaked out and said "$2000??!?!?!? I bid $400 cuz I thought that's what I could get them for!" (On the relist, they sold for $2600)

There are a lot of people out there who really don't know the value of stuff so they bid cuz they think they'll get a great mic for $50 or even $500. The reality is, if people would simply be patient, they really might be able to. Of course, I think it would end really quick when sellers started realizing they were getting shafted by savvy buyers. You would then start to see reserves and high starting prices.

J.

BTW, I'm not interested in getting a u47, it was just an example.

Again I would have to respectively disagree. Posting many auctions for specific items like U47's I have seen the bid go nowhere until the last 5 minutes when all of a sudden 15 people or more are bidding. Turned out the same result. Price was arguably the same as when I sold that item before and a few early bids were placed. I do understand what you are saying but I don't think you are being realistic. Those idiots who are going to bid with 5 days left are still going to bid with 5 minutes left - even more likely to because "hey look there is only 5 minutes left on this thing i can get it for 200, sure why not bid?" Either way the bids are gonna be placed. The price will go up the same way. Eventually someone will usually get pissed in a last minute bidding war and place their maximum bid much much higher in order to try and secure the win. I've seen it happen thousands of times. I'm just trying to explain what really goes since I have seen it first hand thousands of times. I'm not saying I know everything but I am saying I can definitely prove my point. No reserve auctions are placed for one of two reasons. 1 - Item is a piece of junk, seller wants whatever he can get for it. 2 - Item is a hot commodity. Lots of interested buyers. Seller knows the NO Reserve label will attract people and he knows even with "no reserve" the end price will still be acceptable cause he has created this "bidding war". If it was buy it now at a fair price I'm sure he would get the sale but with a no reserve you have a "war", which usually ends up with the seller getting a couple of extra bucks. It's all marketing. Best way to get a good item for cheap is to look at buy it now's. Watch them but dont bid. See if its an acceptable price. See if the item sells. If it doesnt odds are next time the thing is listed it will be for less than before. Or you can place a bid under the buy it now and if no one buys it you may convince the seller to sell it to you rather than list it again.