@kustomizer99 wrote:
No worries! I see you've only been on here for two years but eventually you'll get to know the basics.
Your post explaining why auctions are better than BINs for some markets makes sense, so I won't suggest that it doesn't, nor that your 15 years of experience hasn't taught you a thing ot two.
But, IMO, 15 years of trading creates something more than selling experience, it creates a wealth of buying experience, which contributes to a wealth of recorded data, all of which then goes on to influence buyer preferences and expectations.
For a start, it gives people the idea that things have that thing you don't seem to think they have.... A set value. Over 15 years, the market pays attention to trends, records it, and above all proves something that was less likely to be understood years ago.... not many things are so rare that the opportunity to buy them are once in a lifetime. Plus, there have always been pricing guides to collectibles like comics.
Do people that groove on comic auctions (buyers or sellers) consider eBay a viable and/or trustworthy marketplace? Do people still have the right mix of passion and desperation for that one issue for auctions to genuinely thrive? Sincere questions - I don't pay much attention to the comic market, I just know that there are fewer experienced buyers with the right balance of trust in eBay, patience for auctions and impatience to wait for the next one to cause genuine bidding contests.
Auctions are surely great for those items that are highly desirable and will be contested by people who believe it might be their best shot at getting something, but that is not a universal truth applicable to everything that meets certain criteria, and IMO sometimes auctions don't give the impression that the item has no set value, but that its value is negligible and/or solely dependent on whether someone, somewhere wants it during a 7 day period. You said a higher BIN price with an auction start price works better; could that not be because you're indicating the item has a greater worth than the start price, thus giving people the impression that it has a set value, but you're willing to take less because of the lower start price, and/or setting the limit. (i.e. To me, the seller is basically saying, here's an item...try to get it for less than what I've valued it at..)
As I said, what you wrote makes sense, but there are myriad perspectives on ebay, which can also make sense and they can all offer some insight, even if you don't like it, agree with it, or haven't experienced it - paying attention to it can still be more beneficial than immediately dismissing it.
