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Ebay buyers just blow my mind sometimes.

SuperStroke
malemotives said:
I also think that what goes on with Ebay bidding invalidates the notion that it can be used as a source to put a value on a particular set of clubs (or other items), for example. So long as there are bidders willing to pay inflated prices, Ebay is an invalid barometer.
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I think that's pretty broad. Are you talking about brand new iron sets? 3 year old iron sets? Last years driver?

Personally, I think eBay is a great visual on what people are willing to pay, and what things should be worth.
 
Nixhex524 said:
I think its a matter of sellers having their friends drive up bids sometimes. More than once I have put a bid in only to get outbid, seconds later. That's when I lay off that item, there are too many options on eBay, I don't need to get into a fake bidding war. What I do on eBay when I bid is bid in cent increments, too... like if I'm thinking $75, I will actually go to $76.86, or something oddball like that. I think people often bid in round numbers so I mix it up a little and try to outbid their next bid... I don't know, it may not make sense but it has worked for me quite a bit, just about everything in my bag is eBay bought.
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I too use this method. In particular, it helps the last minute bidders miss the boat. I was not aware of the automated tools used for bidding but I'm not surprised they exist, I'm a SW engineer. I've seen crazy prices, both high and low, for items. I have a rule I try to follow which focuses on what time the auction closes - late evening when I may have a few drinks under my belt are verboten. I came up with rule after making some ill advised purchases while tipsy. I tell my playing partners, when they see a new club in my bag, "drunk on Ebay."
 
Canadan said:
I think that's pretty broad. Are you talking about brand new iron sets? 3 year old iron sets? Last years driver?

Personally, I think eBay is a great visual on what people are willing to pay, and what things should be worth.
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Let's take a small example. A company on Ebay makes and sells an item... let say a putter cover. They list them with starting bids of .99, but shill the bids so that the average cover sells for $25. While it's true buyers paying that price can be seen as setting the trend... it's been artificially set by the seller, who could probably bump it up another $10 and still get enough willing buyers. It doesn't mean the product is really worth that artificially created figure. Only that buyers are paying it. So... yes, Ebay is a good visual on what people are willing to pay, on Ebay, but not a particularly good barometer on the real worth or value of an item. Especially when Ebay buyers are paying more than you'd pay at a brick and mortar big box store, or even places like 2nd Swing or Callaway Preowned.
 
malemotives said:
Let's take a small example. A company on Ebay makes and sells an item... let say a putter cover. They list them with starting bids of .99, but shill the bids so that the average cover sells for $25. While it's true buyers paying that price can be seen as setting the trend... it's been artificially set by the seller, who could probably bump it up another $10 and still get enough willing buyers. It doesn't mean the product is really worth that artificially created figure. Only that buyers are paying it. So... yes, Ebay is a good visual on what people are willing to pay, on Ebay, but not a particularly good barometer on the real worth or value of an item. Especially when Ebay buyers are paying more than you'd pay at a brick and mortar big box store.
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How can you say what a putter cover is worth? If we are talking raw materials then sure, but then most putter covers aren't worth much at all. Scotty Cameron for examples sells his putter covers for a lot more then I would pay, but that doesn't mean they aren't worth that price. Maybe not to me, but they are clearly worth the price to many
 
malemotives said:
Let's take a small example. A company on Ebay makes and sells an item... let say a putter cover. They list them with starting bids of .99, but shill the bids so that the average cover sells for $25. While it's true buyers paying that price can be seen as setting the trend... it's been artificially set by the seller, who could probably bump it up another $10 and still get enough willing buyers. It doesn't mean the product is really worth that artificially created figure. Only that buyers are paying it. So... yes, Ebay is a good visual on what people are willing to pay, on Ebay, but not a particularly good barometer on the real worth or value of an item. Especially when Ebay buyers are paying more than you'd pay at a brick and mortar big box store, or even places like 2nd Swing or Callaway Used clubs.
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I'd be curious to know which covers you're referencing, whether it's this Ping cover listed already or something made non-OEM. Either way, that's why I asked for a reference on category.

Smaller items are going to be priced to sell at something they want to charge, which frankly makes sense because even in a brick and mortar, it's not like I'm taking a headcover to the front of the store and demanding they sell it to be at 17.86 rather than the 25.00 it's listed.

It's also why I buy from reputable eBayers MOST of the time. I don't like the dirty dance.
 
Canadan said:
I'd be curious to know which covers you're referencing, whether it's this Ping cover listed already or something made non-OEM. Either way, that's why I asked for a reference on category.

Smaller items are going to be priced to sell at something they want to charge, which frankly makes sense because even in a brick and mortar, it's not like I'm taking a headcover to the front of the store and demanding they sell it to be at 17.86 rather than the 25.00 it's listed.

It's also why I buy from reputable eBayers MOST of the time. I don't like the dirty dance.
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The cover I initially referenced is only an example of bidding wars that happen. Next time you're browsing around on Ebay, check out CustomShop911 and how their product prices get inflated. There are others too.
 
I decided about 10 years ago that I would not buy any golf equipment at retail unless I had to use a gift certificate. This was driven largely by the proliferation of new models and the precipitous drop in prices for nearly new models that are the result. I play Mizzuno irons and buy a new set each year because I play almost every day on a desert course which wears them out quickly. I have found sellers on Ebay which negotiate the per club price, factory built to my specs and drop shipped directly to me. I need lie and loft adjustments and prefer KBS Tour shafts which are normally an up charge of as much as $20 per club. The seller lists the clubs as used citing then as "shop worn" hit once or twice by the store pro. Apparently this allows them to avoid mandatory pricing since they are "used." I get factory direct, custom made sticks for a price retailers cannot sniff - I ordered a matching wedge through my pro shop using the serial number off my irons and they quoted me $135 after I paid $92 per iron on Ebay. The trick is finding a seller. I don't think I've ordered from the same seller twice, then seem to disappear from Ebay in less than a year.
 
Several times this year I have started an auction and ended up receiving many more $$ than the original "Buy It Now" price. Always happily amazed.
 
malemotives said:
I make quite a few purchases on Ebay. Mostly golf, airbrush art supplies, challenge coins and photog stuff. I've added many Ebay putters to my collection with a bit of luck, at great prices.

But I miss out on many auction wins because there is so often no rhyme or reason to the bidding. Someone gets it stuck in their head that they will win even if it means hocking the wife and kids at the nearest pawn shop. Their bids make absolutely no sense.

Take the new Ping putter cover that's up in a few auctions....

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Why are guys fighting to pay $20 and more with and additional $8.95 shipping cost? When they finish fighting over it, one of them is going win it and pay a total of $30 or more. I see it all the time. The kicker is that it doesn't take much searching to find the exact same cover for $25 or less, with free shipping and no bidding hassle.

It's one of the reasons putters like Scotty and Bettinardi often draw high values. It's clearly a seller's market. It shouldn't be. But, more often than not, it becomes a bidding war more about winning than value.

On really slow, cold non golfing days, watching Ebay, like TV, can be really entertaining and mind boggling.
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The thrill of the hunt can be very intoxicating................
 
One thing I worry not at all about is how other's spend their money.........
 
Placing a bid implies an emotional investment, a sort of automatic breaching of the threshold of ownership. I placed a bid, therefore it's mine. It's a totally unreasonable stance, of course.

Good poker players are incredibly glad people have this stance about things. It's what lets people get into hands that they're almost certain to lose with. They stop looking at the cost of each individual play and instead say, "I was willing to pay X, therefore I'm by default willing to pay Y."

It's not the exact same thing. Poker has "pot-committed," whereas auction is relying solely on the emotional investment. But the end result is the same. People paying much more on something, based on their willingness to pay notably more for something.
 
malemotives said:
The cover I initially referenced is only an example of bidding wars that happen. Next time you're browsing around on Ebay, check out CustomShop911 and how their product prices get inflated. There are others too.
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I'm familiar with that seller and their covers, which I find to be of terrible quality.
 
I see that all the time. I do a lot of car audio buying and selling. Its amazing what people are willing to pay for items while bidding when you can sometimes find the BIN(Buy it now) for the same or less. My guess is people just don't research or just plain old don't care.
 
The best ones are the golf companies who put products on eBay. I see a lot of the time the stuff on eBay from them sells for more them what it is on their websites. If the buyers would just go to the websites they would see this, but I guess a lot of buyers don't do that.
 
Vegan702 said:
The best ones are the golf companies who put products on eBay. I see a lot of the time the stuff on eBay from them sells for more them what it is on their websites. If the buyers would just go to the websites they would see this, but I guess a lot of buyers don't do that.
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It builds on the argument that people who bid on eBay, in general, aren't all that wise... Thus the bidding 2 dollars on a 300 dollar putter with 6 days left in the auction.
 
I never understood why some buy it now prices are significantly higher than others for the same product!?! You would think a smart person would look at what the average selling price is before listing it. Why would anyone pay $99 for a pair of shoes when the same pair is listed for $59 by someone else??? Be patient and you'll benefit!
 
Ive won a few auctions that had the name mis-spelled in the title so nobody knew it was there. Some absolute steals can be had but not on trendy or popular items.

Why anybody bids on anything prior to the last hour is beyond me.
 
I have gotten killer deals on eBay in all categories. You just have to be patient and know what you are doing. Unfortunately a lot if people are neither.
 
eBay exists and prospers BECAUSE of the people who don't do their research on the cost of items elsewhere and the emotional attachment and thrill of the bidding. I used to buy guitars on eBay, was kind of addicted, and would sometimes get sucked into the bidding frenzy but I don't do that anymore.

I still use eBay all the time and when I do I know exactly what I want and what price I want to pay for it. The fact that there may be shills or idiots bidding when there's still 4 days left on an item doesn't affect the final price I am willing to pay. If you're patient you can usually find what you want for the price you want, but that's the trick isn't it?!

I'm also VERY wary of "too good to be true" prices on new golf equipment because of the proliferation of counterfeiting out there. I always research the seller as much as possible, check their negative feedback and make sure they originate and ship from the U.S. or Canada. Anything out of China/Asia is off my watch list.
 
I just found some comical "marketing" by Rock Bottom Golf on eBay.

Trying to sell one of the new Cleveland Smart Sole C wedges (http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Cleveland-Golf-Smart-Sole-C-42-Wedge-/370936449679) at "33% off", yet it's listed at $99, which is FULL RETAIL anywhere else you look - in store, online, even from Cleveland direct!

I know why I could never be a salesperson. I have morals and scruples. Yeesh.
 
rbarthle17 said:
I just found some comical "marketing" by Rock Bottom Golf on eBay.

Trying to sell one of the new Cleveland Smart Sole C wedges (http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Cleveland-Golf-Smart-Sole-C-42-Wedge-/370936449679) at "33% off", yet it's listed at $99, which is FULL RETAIL anywhere else you look - in store, online, even from Cleveland direct!

I know why I could never be a salesperson. I have morals and scruples. Yeesh.
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This may be true, but it may also be that the 33% is off MSRP which would make it like 129.99.
 
Completely agree. It is one reason some of my friends are still selling on ebay. They can justify the eBay fees by having these type of "crazies" in their buying circles
 
I've done some buying and selling on eBay. I haven't sold any golf stuff, (diecast cars is my deal), but I have some crazy bidding on items early, and never another bid and some stuff that went nuts in the last hour. I've also bid on stuff very early in an auction. I won a SeeMore head cover that way. Buy it now was 30, opening bid was 10 with $10 shipping. I won it for 17 plus the shipping. I knew it was fairly odd cover, but I didn't want to pay the full hit. And that there was a good chance someone would scoop it up at the Buy It Now. i was willing to pay 30 shipped, so I took a chance and come in 3 under my max.
 
rbarthle17 said:
I just found some comical "marketing" by Rock Bottom Golf on eBay.

Trying to sell one of the new Cleveland Smart Sole C wedges (http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Cleveland-Golf-Smart-Sole-C-42-Wedge-/370936449679) at "33% off", yet it's listed at $99, which is FULL RETAIL anywhere else you look - in store, online, even from Cleveland direct!

I know why I could never be a salesperson. I have morals and scruples. Yeesh.
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I scratched RBG off my list of companies I'll do business with a number of years ago. I ordered a pair of shoes and paid with PayPal. After a few days I got a note RBG apologizing for not having my shoes and saying I'd get a full refund within a few days. A week later I got a refund less $10 - the shipping cost. They kept the shipping fee even though they did not ship the shoes. When I called them on it they replied back that they were certainly not eating the cost of sending me a free towel. At this point we were two weeks after the original order. I asked what "free" towel they were referring to and was told it was a thank-you for my order. I had to fight and fight to get my $10 back and endure being called an idiot by someone at RBG when providing documentation to PayPal to support my claim. No towel or anything else arrived from RBG - they insisted they shipped one to me. A note to PayPal from them stated, "This idiot thinks we are going to ship him a free towel at our expense when he did not order anything in the first place." After 3 months I got my money back. No apology from the fine folks at RBG.
 
Canadan said:
That people bid on items on eBay before the listing is near ending time is why ebay works. I find that decision to be foolish, but people spend their money how they want, and bid up auctions how they want.

I will almost never bid on anything unless it's inside the final ten seconds of the auction. My manual auction sniping. I do think eSniping is lazy and takes away the fun that is eBay, but I know people don't care to spend their time like that, so i guess I get it.
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One advantage of doing it this way (esniping) is you take emotions out of the equation. If I decide on a max price, then I don't check until the auction's over. Before, I would keep changing my max bid as the deadline got closer, thinking "Yeah, that's still a good deal!" and end up paying more than what I wanted.
 
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