But, we’re not allowed to discuss it.
Good reading, though, for stuff we can’t discuss.
I wonder how long it will be until the irate power seller gets Bob on the phone.
Maybe we should start a pool.
TOC
Todd Haskins said:
I knew you guys would be interested in the Garratt listing.
That is a cool video of one in action thanks for posting it.
I did notice the seller has the right to end the auction. I wonder why he didn’t put a reserve price on it instead?
The auction did start low crazy at $9.99 but the seller must know the Aster will fetch a good price in the end.
Be interesting to see what this goes for in the end.
Two things to note.
Given the fact that Aster started about 20 years ago, there are quite a few “estate sales” happening around us. You retire, buy a couple of live steamers, and whoops, 20 years later the old ticker gives up and the poor wife has to dispose of your collection.
It is quite possible the current/latest owner has specified ‘get rid of it’ and thus no reserve. I know what my wife would say! [And that’s a reminder to do your estate planning for your train collection!]
And the second thing is that you guys obviously don’t bid on evilBay very often. With 9 days to go, you wait until the last day and then you put in a “not to exceed” number. eBay then bids for you, in the required increments, always keeping you in the lead. (You get a lot of emails saying “you are currently the high bidder” - then the other guy’s auto bid kicks in and you get out-bid, and so it goes. . )
If you look at the end time, you will probably miss the dozen bids that get posted in the last few seconds. You think it is going to go at $xxx, and suddenly you refresh your browser and whoops - it is $16,500 ! [Which is where I expect it to finish.]
Pete Thornton said:
you guys obviously don’t bid on evilBay very often. With 9 days to go, you wait until the last day and then you put in a “not to exceed” number. eBay then bids for you, in the required increments, always keeping you in the lead. (You get a lot of emails saying “you are currently the high bidder” - then the other guy’s auto bid kicks in and you get out-bid, and so it goes. . )
If you look at the end time, you will probably miss the dozen bids that get posted in the last few seconds. You think it is going to go at $xxx, and suddenly you refresh your browser and whoops - it is $16,500 ! [Which is where I expect it to finish.]
Absolutely. It’s all a game anyway, right? Except the “winner” is never the poor slob who ended up with it…even though social discussion wants you to believe he “won” the item. Winner is the seller.
Once it has sold, we wait and see if the item really shows up, if it’s anywhere close to advertised…or if the “shills” run the bids up and one of them gets stuck…and disappears…and it gets re-listed a week later.
I know, never happens, but, we’re not allowed to discuss it, so we won’t.
TOC
Pete Thornton said:
SNIP…
And the second thing is that you guys obviously don’t bid on evilBay very often. With 9 days to go, you wait until the last day and then you put in a “not to exceed” number. eBay then bids for you, in the required increments, always keeping you in the lead. (You get a lot of emails saying “you are currently the high bidder” - then the other guy’s auto bid kicks in and you get out-bid, and so it goes. . )
Nope, I use ‘E-snipe’. Put in the exact amount I am willing to pay, hit submit, and wait for a notification from ebay telling me I “won” or “lost”. Big advantage…I can cancel my bid if I change my mind and never tip my desire to buy to ebay or any other bidder. Love E-snipe.
Curmudgeon mcneely said:
I wonder how long it will be until the irate power seller gets Bob on the phone.
There’s nobody that has been phoning/emailing me to complain about the eBay price bitching threads. Im the one sick of them.
If widget X sells for $300, then it was worth $300 to somebody, even if its not worth that to you.
Absolutely correct. Always has been.
The issue also always has been newbies to the hobby who don’t know if $300 is a good deal or not.
All those years of dealing with folks who didn’t know, bought something, and are stuck with it.
You’ve never had to do that.
You don’t like the threads.
I still think they are a community service…especially if the googlebots find the item, and someone who goes looking BEFORE they bid finds the discussion.
Classifies as “community service” in my book…but my book is an early printing, so probably doesn’t count.
TOC
Well then since we can’t talk about overpriced stuff, here’s another tasty treat to tempt your paypal dollar:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Christian-Hoehne-Magnus-2102-DB-Blue-Diesel-Switcher-/330983015924
Magnus, for only a few phennig’s starting bid. Enjoy
Now, if that was one of his K-27’s…
TOC
Reserve price increases ebay costs, just like a higher starting price.
Don’t these things have unique serial numbers?
I guess that would not really give the “trail” of who bought it when, but providing the serial number might dispel some of the questions about it being not a real auction.
One thing that can help is ask if you can pick it up rather than ship.
Greg
Had that happen on a car forum. Car listed was very local to one of the guys, and obviously not the seller’s. He called, offerred to pick it up…ad disappeared in minutes.
Of course, that was Craig’s List.
TOC
Yes, this is interesting, but I think Pete brings up a point that we ignore:
"You retire, buy a couple of live steamers, and whoops, 20 years later the old ticker gives up and the poor wife has to dispose of your collection.
It is quite possible the current/latest owner has specified ‘get rid of it’ and thus no reserve. I know what my wife would say! [And that’s a reminder to do your estate planning for your train collection!]"
My wife has said she would not know what anything is worth if something happens to me. Also, do you want insurance on your investment?
How many of us have an accurate inventory, with $, of what we have accumulated?
Lou
Pete Thornton said:Two things to note.
Given the fact that Aster started about 20 years ago, there are quite a few "estate sales" happening around us.
Aster actually started back in 1975, with the immensely popular Gauge 1 British Schools class 4-4-0 designed by the much-missed John Van Riemsdijk.
As I noted, a look on the roster site at Southern Steam Trains - the US Aster-only store - will give you the right of it all in chapter and verse.
tac
Lou Luczu said:
Yes, this is interesting, but I think Pete brings up a point that we ignore:
"You retire, buy a couple of live steamers, and whoops, 20 years later the old ticker gives up and the poor wife has to dispose of your collection.
It is quite possible the current/latest owner has specified ‘get rid of it’ and thus no reserve. I know what my wife would say! [And that’s a reminder to do your estate planning for your train collection!]"My wife has said she would not know what anything is worth if something happens to me. Also, do you want insurance on your investment?
How many of us have an accurate inventory, with $, of what we have accumulated?
Lou
This might make for an interesting, if not somewhat morbid topic. I have seen this phenomenon in both trains and R/C planes. A family is left with a pile of goods, some good and some not. Recently was contacted by a widow who that she had a gold-mine only to find out she had a literal pile of junk. We need to take care of our families should the inevitable occur.
On one of the car forums I am a member of, a signature line reads:
“My greatest fear is after I’m gone my wife will sell my cars for what I told her I paid for them”.
Yes, dear, this old steam engine…yes, the one with the Aster tag…Oh, I picked that up at a garage sale for fifty bucks…
TOC
Curmudgeon mcneely said:
On one of the car forums I am a member of, a signature line reads:
“My greatest fear is after I’m gone my wife will sell my cars for what I told her I paid for them”.
Yes, dear, this old steam engine…yes, the one with the Aster tag…Oh, I picked that up at a garage sale for fifty bucks…
TOC
I told a good friend he had no worries…I would pay his wife dollar for dollar what he told her he paid!
He died unexpectedly the next year.
Some have funded that Garratt and there wasn’t a thing Dave Goodson could do about it!