You can set the starting bid at whatever price you want. I've started
auctions at a penny. This really seems to attract people, even when there
is a reserve price set. Just human nature, I guess.
"No reserve" means that the item will sell as long as there is at least one
bid, regardless of the amount.
Placing a reserve insures that if you are successful in selling the item,
you will get at least a certain amount. It also allows you to start bids
ridiculously low to attract bidders and not have to worry about letting it
go for nothing.
Auctions tend to attract more bidders and attain higher bids if they start
out extremely low, have very detailed descriptions, good photographs, and of
course a seller with a history (positive feedback).
In general, eBay is a seller's market. There are bargains to be had, but as
a buyer you are competing with a very large number people, many whom have no
realistic idea of the items' value. Not to mention those bidders out in the
middle of nowhere. Having a used widget delivered to their doorstep is
worth paying twice what Joe Cityboy can get locally.
Regards,
Chris Robertson
eBay tycoon (yeah, right)
>From: "Mike Adams" <mikeadam@wcnet.net>
>Reply-To: "Mike Adams" <mikeadam@wcnet.net>
>To: Fred_Katz@ci.sf.ca.us, datsun-roadsters@autox.team.net,
>solex67@hotmail.com
>Subject: Re: More eBay Questions
>Date: Thu, 02 Aug 2001 20:34:40 +0000
>
>I have a question as well . - The widget is listed
>as a No Reserve item but the first bid has to be
>$15.00 but there aren't any bids. Wouldn't $15.00
>be the reserve since that will be the first bid -
>If so how do they say No Reserve ? Can you open
>w/less than $15.00 ?
>Another Mike
>----------
> >From: Fred_Katz@ci.sf.ca.us
> >To: datsun-roadsters@autox.team.net, "Andrew Murphy"<solex67@hotmail.com>
> >Subject: Re: More eBay Shenanigans
> >Date: 3, Aug , 12:42 AM
> >
>
> >This is a dumb question, but why the need for reserve auctions?
> >
> >Let's say you want a minimum of $3000, then why not just start the
>auction
> >at a starting price of $3000 and go from there? Why all this B.S. of
> >starting at some ridiculously low price and force the bidders into
>bidding
> >repeatedly to search for the reserve price? I don't understand it, so I
>try
>
> >to stay away from reserve auctions.
> >
> >Fred - So.SF
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