[meteorite-list] AD... Time to get back to work

[Greg Catterton]

Watchers are funny. I have some items with up to 12 watchers, but no buyers.

Greg C.
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZwanderingstarmeteoritesQQhtZ-1




--- On Sun, 9/27/09, Galactic Stone & Ironworks <meteoritemike at gmail.com> wrote:


> From: Galactic Stone & Ironworks <meteoritemike at gmail.com>

> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] AD... Time to get back to work

> To: "Mexicodoug" <mexicodoug at aim.com>

> Cc: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com, nwa482 at comcast.net

> Date: Sunday, September 27, 2009, 2:37 PM

> Hi Jim, Doug and List,

> 

> eBay is a fickle mistress.

> 

> I have heard one well-known dealer describe eBay as "a hell

> for

> sellers and a heaven for buyers."

> 

> I've been selling collectibles on eBay for about 10 years -

> since the

> days before PayPal (remember BillPoint?) and the behavior

> of other

> eBay members has always confused me.  I try to make

> sense of the whims

> of the market and just when I think I have it figured out,

> the bidders

> (or the sellers) throw me a new curveball.

> 

> I concur with Doug's conclusions about watching a cheap BIN

> item.

> There are many reasons behind this phenomena - some

> financial and some

> that are quirky at best.

> 

> I have a cheap $10 USB Wi-Fi dongle on watch right

> now.  Why?  Well,

> it's a little complicated, but here goes - I have a

> backburner project

> right now that involves building a "Wok-Fi" parabolic

> amplifier to

> boost my wireless internet reception.  I discovered

> this need for this

> while staying at a rental beach cottage whose promised

> "high speed

> internet connection" was slower than dialup and more

> sporadic than

> Robert Downey Jr.  The project requires a few

> ingredients - a

> parabolic dish (or facsimile there-of), a USB Wi-Fi dongle,

> and a USB

> extension cable.  I searched the web to find a

> suitable dongle (hold

> your jokes) and found this one on eBay.  I am not

> ready to buy it yet,

> because I don't have the other parts rounded up yet. 

> My wife's

> birthday (and our wedding anniversary) are both next week,

> so I am in

> a cash pinch at the moment.  I put the dongle on

> watch, so I can go

> back and easily find it in a couple of weeks when I am

> ready to

> assemble the amplifier.  Why don't I just BIN because

> it's only $10?

> Because, as sad as it sounds, $10 makes a difference to me

> right now -

> money is that tight.

> 

> But, I do have to agree that if money is no object, then it

> makes

> little sense to put a BIN item on a watch list. 

> Either use the BIN or

> move on to something else.  But, who is to say what

> motivates each

> watcher?

> 

> Best regards and clear skies,

> 

> MikeG

> 

> 

> 

> 

> 

> 

> On 9/27/09, Mexicodoug <mexicodoug at aim.com>

> wrote:

> > "I have a question that has puzzled me for some

> time....... On a cheap

> > item, $20- buy it now, why would anyone bother to

> watch it? "

> >

> > Hello Jim !

> >

> > Maybe the IRS.

> >

> > $20 is more money than 2/3 's of the current eBay

> prices in the

> > collectibles category.

> >

> > Maybe they debate between (grocery shopping and

> cooking a romantic home

> > cooked steak dinner for two), or (some old rock or

> 40-kopeck (USD

> > $0.01) postage stamp).... so they put it on a watch

> list so it doesn't

> > get lost.

> >

> > Or maybe long on bids and with a fixed perk budget.

> Losing other

> > auctions, he would pounce on the $20 thingy.

> >

> > Maybe she is 11 years old and $20 is her week's

> allowance and she is

> > waiting for her "paycheck". Or ditto, retired, fixed

> income, unemployed.

> >

> > Do you happen to have several of the same items for

> $20? Maybe one of

> > your competitors thinks $10 has been the standard for

> whatever the item

> > is, and he may be thinking, let's see how quickly Jim

> sells these at

> > $20 !

> >

> > My money is on the latter,

> >

> > Kindest wishes,

> > Doug

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > -----Original Message-----

> > From: Jim Strope <nwa482 at comcast.net>

> > To: Meteorite Central <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>

> > Sent: Sun, Sep 27, 2009 11:51 am

> > Subject: [meteorite-list] AD... Time to get back to

> work

> >

> >

> >

> > After playing all summer, I find that I must get back

> to work. So I

> > have

> > started listing on ebay again. All items so far are

> buy it now listings

> > with

> > some of them accepting reasonable offers. Noteable

> items are a complete

> > Portales Valley Stone, nice Esquel slices, complete

> Millbillillie,

> > Gibeon,

> > Planetaries etc, Link is below:

> >

> > http://members.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=catchafallingstar.com

> >

> > I have a question that has puzzled me for some

> time....... On a cheap

> > item,

> > $20- buy it now, why would anyone bother to watch it?

> It is only $20-

> > and not

> > an auction where you would want to know where it ended

> or wanted to bid

> > at the

> > last minuite? What is the logic behind cluttering your

> watched item

> > list with

> > this kind of cheap item?

> >

> > Good luck to all as I have some exceptional items

> offered and plan on

> > adding

> > more in the next few days.

> >

> > Jim Strope

> >

> > http://www.catchafallingstar.com/

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> 

> 

> -- 

> .........................................................

> Michael Gilmer (Florida, USA)

> Member of the Meteoritical Society.

> Website - http://www.galactic-stone.com

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> Twitter - Twitter - http://twitter.com/GalacticStone

> eBay - http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/maypickle

> ..........................................................

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