27 Apr
2001
27 Apr
'01
6:11 a.m.
Well, no -- the value (market price) of an item
isn't what *one
person* will pay, it's what *people* will pay ("what the market will
bear"). EBay has a handful of features which almost certainly are
designed to inflate prices through psychological factors, thus prices
on eBay are *not* market prices. I agree that it's not eBay's fault
and that it's the fault of at least two bidders in a particular
auction, but what the item sells for on eBay and what the item is
worth are two different things (and one is not necessarily higher than
the other).
The people who constantly sell on eBay, especially as part of
their main income, wouldn't like the idea, but I think one idea would
be to leave the listing system now in place intact but to have all of
the actual bid amounts hidden until the end of the auction. That way
everyone bids either what the maximum amount is they feel the item is
worth or what they are absolutely willing to pay for it. Once t he
auction ends, then the bids become viewable. The current bidding
system leaves much to be desired.
Jeff
--
Collector of Classic Microcomputers and Video Game Systems:
Home of the TRS-80 Model 2000 FAQ File
http://www.geocities.com/siliconvalley/lakes/6757