26 Oct
1998
26 Oct
'98
6:08 a.m.
On Mon, 26 Oct 1998, Marvin wrote:
2) The only problem (I see) with bidding early is that
others see the bid
amount and might end up in a competitive situation of bidding higher just
for the thrill of being in an auction and winning. Seems to me that live
auctions have far more potential for this than ebay.
One thing ebay could benefit from is a "comment" card attached to each
auction, where people could post their thoughts on items for auction.
I.e., you could post "I just bought one at a thrift for $12.50" when
the bidding for an Atari 1200xl goes over $100...
A quick side about real auctions: I was just at one where someone bought
a laserjet 5si for $500 *over* CDW's current retail price. And I bought
a *brand new* laserjet 4000 for $450 *total*, because it was being used
by the auctioneer to print invoices and such and wasn't available for
inspection.
There will never be a substitute for knowing your merchandise, and there's
always someone at an auction who'll pay $1000 for a PS/2 just to "win"
it from a competing bidder, regardless of the venue or type of auction.
But a public posting place to comment would sure relieve some of the
stress...
Aaron