Ebay this, Ebay that...

[Crazy Cooter]

Just as everyone would expect...  Here's my complaint post regarding the posting of the ebay auctions.  I'm not even going to say anything about it because it was already discussed in the poll thread.  I don't know of any other way except to appeal to Saint, but he's kept fairly quiet so far.  So I ask:

Can Saint and the mods discuss this and outline some simple rules?

whoa... did I just ask for rules?

[SirPeale]

I personally don't have a problem posting eBay auction links.  Even if I'm watching something, others are doing the same.  If you're worried that you're going to be outbid on something, either bid higher, or just place the maximum bid you're willing to pay on the item, period.  That way, either way, it's win-win.  If you win the item, you pay a premium.  If you don't, it's more than you were willing to pay.

[saint]

At this point, there is no official policy or rule on ebay auctions, other than not posting ROM CD auctions.

--- saint

[Crazy Cooter]

Then should we all be posting auctions?

The auctions posted are not in reply to someone even looking for the items.  They're just whatever seems "interesting" to the poster.

I find many things interesting...

[saint]

If it's relatively related and you feel like sharing the auction that's fine. Please don't flood the board with auctions for pieces of toast that look like the virgin Mary

....

Pieces of toast that look like Ms. PacMan however . . .

[NoOne=NBA=]

I would like to see a rule that would prevent people from posting auctions other than their own.
The B/S/T forum should be all about MEMBERS, not promoting auctions for people that aren't contributing to the community.

I don't mind people "advertising" their own auction, in an attempt to drive the price up.
What does annoy me though is when I'm watching an item for six DAYS that may have a typo in the description/etc... (i.e. Atari Yolk), and then it gets posted on the B/S/T forum with 30 minutes left, and skyrockets.

I don't mind auction posts in reply to a specific WTB post, but letting people just post whatever/whenever is hurtful overall to the community in my opinion.
If the person selling whatever it is on ebay cared about our community, he would have posted the item in the B/S/T forum, to make sure it went to a community member.
With that in mind, I think our community should be helping each other get the best deals on said items, not driving the prices up for the outside seller.

There are several people here that I will PM if I see they are bidding on something, and ask what their maximum is, and whether they really NEED the item in question, before I bid against them.
That just happened today with Kremmit, as a matter of fact.
He was bidding on a used Sinistar stick, and I passed on it, to let him have it at a better price.
(He got it for $1 because I did that for him, btw).

That is how I see that we can promote community spirit here.
Bidding the $10 I was willing to go on it would have meant that either I got it at $10 (at both our expense), or that HE would have gotten it for MORE than that (at his expense alone).

As for the "maximum bid" strategy, that's just plain throwing money away, in my experience.
If someone else puts in their "maximum" bid with 3 hours to go, and I put in mine with 2 hours to go, they have a 2 hour window to CHANGE their "maximum" bid.
If I snipe it, with 3 SECONDS to go, they don't get that opportunity.
Anything I can save on "Part A" is money I can spend on "Part B".

[CheffoJeffo]

With respect to those opposed, I would prefer that members retain the choice to share auction info in B/S/T.

Most of the arguments against center on keeping the prices down for members, which I would like to see. However, this argument seems to center on an assumption that a member is already watching every item.

While that may be true for some items, is it always going to be true ? And then, do those with the 'leet eBay skillz (or those, like me, who read every new listing every day because I lack those skills) have more right to items than other members who might be willing to pay more ?

I've certainly had cases where another BYOACer came in and outbid me, but the vast majority of the time, when I am outbid it is by someone completely unrelated to BYOAC. I would rather lose to folks here than to folks I don't know.

I have also had times when I have passed along auction info by PM to interested parties to avoid the exposure.

My $.02.

Cheers.

[Kremmit]

Since we're talking about this again, I'll re-state my position that I'm not really in favor of posting auctions, in most cases.  I don't see how it really helps anybody at BYOAC.

• It serves to drive prices up considerably on "bargain" auctions.
• It also inflates market price in general:  Posting an auction here gets it exposure above and beyond what it would otherwise have had.  This "free advertising" will drive the price up on those auctions.  "Market Price" on ebay is generally determined by checking completed auctions.  If BYOAC free advertising drives the price up on all the auctions for a desirable part, the market value for that part increases, and that's bad news for BYOAC folk.  That's what's happened with SW yokes and T2 guns, and is happening right now with LS-30s.
• It helps the sellers of those auctions; but if those sellers were BYOAC members, they would post in BST themselves.
• It does not really help members that are "too busy" to check ebay themselves.  On "bargain" auctions, the exposure here kills the "bargain", so that's no help.  On regular, properly listed auctions, any member that is actually looking for a part can search ebay for it just as quickly as they can read BST.  If they aren't really looking for it, what kind of favor is the auction poster doing them by sending them off for an "impulse buy"?
• I can't see how it helps a person who posts all the auctions they find in BST, either.  That person would be doing a much bigger favor to someone if they PM'd the auction to another member they know to be interested, rather than posting it in BST.

Ok, got all of that off my chest, good. 

I understand that Saint may not want to bog the place down with rules, and (assuming that's why he's not made a rule) I happen to agree.  I'm not posting this to ask for a rule, but more in hopes that others will read it and decide not to post auctions on their own.  I notice that there's been a lot fewer auction posts since the poll thread, so I figure the discussion there must have made an impact on folks.  Maybe this thread will do the same.

[Kremmit]

(or those, like me, who read every new listing every day because I lack those skills)

That's how I do it.

I've certainly had cases where another BYOACer came in and outbid me, but the vast majority of the time, when I am outbid it is by someone completely unrelated to BYOAC.

Don't think that just because you don't recognize their ebay name they're unrelated to BYOAC.  Lots of people don't use an ebay name that's the same/similar to their BYOAC name.  And (Saint/Moderators, correction or corroboration, please) there are plenty of lurkers that read here, but don't post.

I have also had times when I have passed along auction info by PM to interested parties to avoid the exposure.

I think that's the best way, and I've done it before, too. 

You know, If folks here really need ebay help, they could put a "looking for" list in their sig- that's how they do it at KLOV.  Then the ebay samaritains can PM somebody instead of over-exposing the auction.

[CheffoJeffo]

(tongue planted FIRMLY in cheek)

WHO posted a pin eBay auction to B/S/T tonight

 

Cheers

[CheffoJeffo]

You know, If folks here really need ebay help, they could put a "looking for" list in their sig- that's how they do it at KLOV.  Then the ebay samaritains can PM somebody instead of over-exposing the auction.

But don't BYOAC sigs have a 200 character limit ?

 

[tommy]

Dont bring this topic up again, as i don't post Ebay links i have no problem with it, if someone posts a link to an item and you were bidding or keeping an eye on its too bad.

If there was a rule then i think only member's selling items Not on Ebay should be posted, no links at all.

[saint]

That's pretty much it in a nutshell I certainly don't mind if people want to adopt a mutually agreed upon protocol, but if someone decides to not follow that protocol I don't want to see anyone flaming or calling for their heads...

I understand that Saint may not want to bog the place down with rules, and (assuming that's why he's not made a rule) I happen to agree.  I'm not posting this to ask for a rule, but more ve made an impact on folks.  Maybe this thread will do the same.