|
Agreed. I always find this odd as well and I hate to be so cynical
as to just assume that people are too stupid. I'd rather fall back
on the fact that most people are too busy (I know...typing 'galaxina' in
a search ain't too time wasting) to nickel and dime their way to a cheaper
poster.
Another point that is slightly related to this is the fact that Bruce (now, this is not a slant...I have nothing against him and buy occasionally...is this a normal poster forum disclaimer?) had always ranted about the Poster Price Almanac being so misleading even though the average user of that book (myself included) would always point out that intelligent people understood the 'asking price' listings and what they meant but still found it a valuable tool for ascertaining relative rarity and price ranges for pieces as well as an overall great guide to dealers and whatnot. Bruce started his own price guide and I always found it strange that he could talk about this being better and in the same sentence say that he always got top prices. Fact is, Bruce often gets more than a dealer will ask...we've seen that time and again. Not always, but often...especially the 'little' dealers. It's not that he was being misleading...it's just his marketing double-speak. It's hard to reach a big market when you're a little guy but I still think it's worth trying because I find consignment commissions to be outrageous. You work hard to build a neat and great collection and then give someone a huge chunk to sell it? In a perfect world, the collection and sale would stand on its own and draw a healthy crowd. I prefer to lose money and meet people through the sales. That's what makes the hobby interesting and rewarding for me. Then again, I'm known as a relentless cheapskate. I'm drifting from the topic. All the best,
J R wrote: Natalie emphasizes my point -- no, I don't see how this is normal ebb and flow of bidding -- not when Bruce can sell a GALAXINA for $47.00 on Jan 18, but another reputable seller can't get even $10 bucks for it at the same time, but then again this week Bruce can put up yet another one and get a price of $23.50 with 6 bids and still 5 days to go. And it's not a question of the other guy's poster being "mislisted", as it was where it was exactly where it was supposed to be and the title was very clear. Meanwhile, after posting my message about this weirdness, I get 4 different private emails from sellers offering to sell me a mint GALAXINA for $10 to $15 bucks and the one that didn't sell before is now listed on eBay again for $9.99 (!) I know Bruce has a loyal base of bidders -- some of whom proudly proclaim that they only buy from Bruce and don't even pay attention to the rest of eBay or even other seller's retail websites (I don't understand this attitude, but there are some who do this). And if this were a one-time fluke I wouldn't have mentioned it -- but I see this happening all the time with Bruce's auctions and my point was that if I were a poster seller on eBay it would drive me nuts. And yeah, I probably would be resentful towards Bruce. But really, it's the bidders who regularly pay 2 to 4 times or more what a poster is going for on the open market when buying from Bruce -- and those who only buy from him -- who are the ones creating this effect. They seem to be operating way outside of the normal market parameters of supply and demand almost all the time -- it's not just a couple of wealthy bidders fighting over a choice piece every once in a while, it's many hundreds of people doing the same thing over hundreds of *common* items every week, week after week -- and I find this mystifying. -- JR
|
