Well, I know why no bids... 2 reasons to start
Well, I know why no bids... 2 reasons to start
DelDavis said:
A question for you eBay adventurers:
I'm considering bidding on a Jobo CPE-2 that's got three days left in a seven day auction. It looks in great condition, has all the bits I need, but it's got 0 bids. The ad looks legit (decent grammar, listed as in the US, etc.) but the seller is not responding to queries. I also notice the seller hasn't received any feedback in the last two and a half years. Is that what is keeping other folks from bidding? There are other Jobos out there that are getting bids left and right.
I think I answered my own question: S'pose I should avoid this one...
Number one, he created the first and greatest eBay mistake. High start price. This is heavily researched and documented to defer serious bids to the end of the auction. At that point it's too late to create activity. This is the best mistake that favors buyers, unless two or three get into a pissing match at the end.
Number two, since he has limited feedback, the one negative he has disproportionately makes his percentage number low. He's had one negative, but the fellow who gave it has two for similar reasons on the same number of total sales. I always look at the feedback on persons giving negatives to a seller I am looking at. Now if the seller in this case had 500 feedbacks and was at 96%, he'd be an automatic NO for me. This one is a bit different. Look at the other feedbacks, which in general indicate a decent seller. I'm not sure I'd rule him out for 1 faulty feedback.
Number Three, there probably is not a huge demand for this item, and he's smart enough to know not to put up the hit counter for display on a low traffic item. If I were interested, I'd like to see how many people have looked. So, in that sense, the seller seemed to know not to show that.
Yes, eBay is a bit of a crap shoot on the surface. However, looking for clues can allay some of the fear.
On his behalf. He has been an eBayer since 1999. His feedback is spread proportionately from that time to today, both as a buyer and seller. The unit is a very good price compared to new, although he should have started the bidding at $1, and used a reserve at $275.
THERE IS ONE red flag. He has not had any transactions since April of 2005, so that could be a concern. Finding old unused accounts attracts scammers if they can hack in.
BUT>>> This would be a very unusual item to run a scam on. Most scams are on items for bigger dollars and items that sell well on these auctions.
On a final note. Three similar processors were listed in December. Two sold for $355 and $300, while one did not sell. I might be tempted to look at that auction and contact the seller to see if he is going to re list the item in the near future. That listing is
http://cgi.ebay.com/Jobo-CPE-2-Proc...ryZ29993QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
That one didn't sell, likely because it does not have the lift and he had a high start price and a BIN of $250.... to much without the lift obviously.
Hope this helps. If you pass on this one, it looks like another will come up in the near future.
