Why is there no option to set a reserve price on a new listing or to change a listing?

[culmarra]

Just listed a couple of computer items and realised after listing that I did not set a reserve price. After reviewing help, despite the instructions, there is no option to set a reserve price when revising the items. Look at what options were available if the item was newlly listed under a different account (did not relist) and again no option to set a reserve price.

[dustygoods]

The point is the whole psychology of selling and getting the best price, it isn't an auction if it doesn't have a reserve price as that is a big part of auctions unless you specifically request no reserve. Both ways are ways to sell and get the most money.

1. No Reserve! - This as a headline can attract more buyers and therefore increase the number of bidders and price only if you start low and take a risk.

2. Reserve - Starting the sale at a lower price with a hidden reserve where you feel comfortable also attracts bidders to try and get it for a lower price or see where reserve is. This can stretch buyers to go all the way with their bids. If you do it the way ebay currently has then your start price may just turn people off altogether as it may be considered "too high" but you may have no idea because you haven't been ablt to safely test the waters. So you will relist time and again with slight reductions, waste of time and energy.

I have to say ebay was so much better to sell on 10-12 years ago when I used it heavily, it was a LOT better. Now is is totally skewed towards the buyer.

[padi*0409]

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@dustygoods wrote:

The point is the whole psychology of selling and getting the best price, it isn't an auction if it doesn't have a reserve price as that is a big part of auctions unless you specifically request no reserve. Both ways are ways to sell and get the most money.

1. No Reserve! - This as a headline can attract more buyers and therefore increase the number of bidders and price only if you start low and take a risk.

eBay "auctions" don't have reserves in Australia apart from motor vehicles and real estate. Strictly speaking eBay don't run auctions, because they use automatic bidding and a closed time-frame.

2. Reserve - Starting the sale at a lower price with a hidden reserve where you feel comfortable also attracts bidders to try and get it for a lower price or see where reserve is. This can stretch buyers to go all the way with their bids. If you do it the way ebay currently has then your start price may just turn people off altogether as it may be considered "too high" but you may have no idea because you haven't been ablt to safely test the waters. So you will relist time and again with slight reductions, waste of time and energy.

There is nothing stopping bidders finding out a "reserve price" by bidding high and then retracting their bid (also something you can't do in a "real" auction}.

As said, no reserves here apart from motors and real estate.

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[dustygoods]

Thank you for repeating what was said earlier, I understand this.

My point was they used to have it and it was good. Ebay have gone full buyer centric and left the sellers behind in many ways it seems including fees.

Anyway that's that.

[davewil1964]

Define 'used to'. I have been a member for 13 years, and reserves haven't been available (except in the categories padi said) in that time.

I might also add that several gig hard drives didn't used to be available. Nor reasonable, today, data limits.

Stop living in the past.

Edit: You don't appear to be a seller on this account, so why the beef?

[davewil1964]

Sorry, you used to be a seller. More than a year ago. Newsflash - you should be more concerned with signing up to MP than wishing things were the same as in the 00s