24 Apr
2003
24 Apr
'03
4:09 a.m.
Out of curiosity, why is it in my best interest as a seller to prevent
people from making rash decisions? Unless you're a very strange seller,
most sellers are out to get the maximum amount they can for the item in
question. It's not my moral or social responsibility to keep others from
making stupid decisions. If you're old enough to bid/sell on eBay (and RL
auctions), you're old enough to decide if you're spending too much or not
(and I'm not talking about mispresented products).
This is very much NOT like preying on old people for home repairs. eBay
may turn into an addiction for some, but no one MAKES you press the 'bid'
button.
--John
-----Original Message-----
From: cctalk-admin(a)classiccmp.org
[mailto:cctalk-admin@classiccmp.org]On
Behalf Of Jeffrey Sharp
Sent: Thursday, April 24, 2003 11:49
To: cctalk(a)classiccmp.org
Subject: Re: eBay being sued over patent infringement
On Thursday, April 24, 2003, Innfogra(a)aol.com wrote:
Actually, as a seller, I think the eBay process
sucks. It
is the second
best bidder that really sets the price. The
advantage
really is to the
bidder.
I feel that the advantage quite frequently tilts to the
seller. When two or
more bidders are competing in the final moments of an
auction, they get
caught in the excitement of battle, and those psychological
forces induce
them to place bids higher then they would have normally
placed. I have
experienced it both as a seller and as a bidder.
Another very successful Internet auction run by
LabX is a
much preferred
model for me. It is where the sale is extended by
a minute
or two when
each bid comes in at the end of the auction.
WWW.labx.com
My favorite idea is simply to have sealed bids. That is, you
don't know the
high bid until the auction closes. Doing it that way
prevents last-minute
psychology from causing bad decisions.
--
Jeffrey Sharp