Deadbeat eBay bidders

[CZroe]

There's no guarantee you'll get top dollar on an auction.

It's the only way to determine market value during a tumultuous time like when a new model is launched, the new price drops $100, and a huge influx of used devices flood the market as they are replaced with the new model. During this period a couple days can mean $100 less value and a couple weeks can mean ~$300 less. Ideally, you'd want to have an auction-style listing that ends just before the replacement and price drop is announced with a temporary phone to hold you a week or two until the replacement launches.

Guess wrong with a BIN price and it languishes as the resale value drops further. By the time you adjust you will be one of many with no guarantee of a sale unless you list it for less than everyone else, which means you are not going to get top-dollar.

 

[Ns1]

Alternatively you get unlucky with a low final bid or a zero feedback non paying bidder and then all of a sudden you wish you did that BIN with immediate payment required.

Auctions, they have risks.

 

[nakedfrog]

holy fuck, that's how much a used phone goes for? The fuck @ apple and their followers.

How much a used Apple phone goes for, at any rate... I paid two hundred for my LG G3 just over a year after it released.

 

[CZroe]

Alternatively you get unlucky with a low final bid or a zero feedback non paying bidder and then all of a sudden you wish you did that BIN with immediate payment required.

Auctions, they have risks.

Yep. So does guessing the wrong BIN price during this exact moment. Logically, auction-style makes more sense during a yearly upset.

 

[Ns1]

Yep. So does guessing the wrong BIN price during this exact moment. Logically, auction-style makes more sense during a yearly upset.

We'll agree to disagree, but these are just risk preferences IMO.

Carry on 🙂

 

[Aikouka]

I was kinda disappointed in that price.

My 5s 64GB closed for $630 a year ago.

This "Plus" model should have been worth +$100 MSRP. I paid $950

I know what you mean there as I got about that much in the past as well. However, I listed my 128GB 6+ yesterday at 2 AM, and I was getting no interest at all at $615. I checked a bunch of other auctions, and the majority were listed at $550-600. In other words, major undercutting. I kept getting Best Offers for around $400, which is laughable when you consider that Verizon would've given me the same as a trade-in. Keep in mind that Verizon only requires the phone, which meant I could keep the charger ($20) and cable ($20) and avoid eBay (10%) and PayPal (2.5%) fees. So, no... I will not accept your $400 offer, buddy! :|

I ended up settling for $580 and the guy refused to pay for shipping. eBay forced him to pay, and he messaged me immediately asking for the money back. That irks me given that the cheap asses never pay for insurance or anything else anyway. I also hate free shipping, because if they want a refund, then, you owe them the entire amount, which includes what you had to pay for shipping!

Fuck, this is why I don't like dealing with eBay and the cheap asses. They're a rung above Craigslist cheapskates and Slickdealers. I really should've listed the device earlier (on the 6S's release date), but ugh... I just didn't want to deal with eBay. :\

 

[Ichinisan]

There's no guarantee you'll get top dollar on an auction.

If you don't screw up the details or omissions, you get what your device is really worth to the market.

It's only worth what people are willing to pay for it.

 

[tortillasoup]

If you want a cell phone, they can be had for $10. If you want a state-of-the-art handheld computer with the ability to perform an immense number of tasks, and replace many other devices, including a cell phone, then it can cost that much and more.

Functionally speaking, a $50-$100 smartphone is the same as an iPhone at any price point.

 

[CZroe]

I know what you mean there as I got about that much in the past as well. However, I listed my 128GB 6+ yesterday at 2 AM, and I was getting no interest at all at $615. I checked a bunch of other auctions, and the majority were listed at $550-600. In other words, major undercutting. I kept getting Best Offers for around $400, which is laughable when you consider that Verizon would've given me the same as a trade-in. Keep in mind that Verizon only requires the phone, which meant I could keep the charger ($20) and cable ($20) and avoid eBay (10%) and PayPal (2.5%) fees. So, no... I will not accept your $400 offer, buddy! :|

I ended up settling for $580 and the guy refused to pay for shipping. eBay forced him to pay, and he messaged me immediately asking for the money back. That irks me given that the cheap asses never pay for insurance or anything else anyway. I also hate free shipping, because if they want a refund, then, you owe them the entire amount, which includes what you had to pay for shipping!

Fuck, this is why I don't like dealing with eBay and the cheap asses. They're a rung above Craigslist cheapskates and Slickdealers. I really should've listed the device earlier (on the 6S's release date), but ugh... I just didn't want to deal with eBay. :\

Yeah. I always suggest a 24hr auction starting at $0.01 so that it gets a lot of interest early on and each participant will evaluate just how much they really want mine right up until it closes. They usually dig further in the details and my seller history in the mean time so they may gain confidence and see additional value as they see how it compares to others that are closing around the same time (which is why I always try to include something extra). If they are hooked, they will revise their bids accordingly. I often see a bidder I recognize from earlier come back and beat out the snipers (or at least push them up), which I attribute to them being more invested with more time to research.

Your listing gets seen by more and more people as it approaches the top of the "Ending Soonest" search results, so it's best to have it end at a time that is not too late on the east coast and not too early on the west coast (not during typical office hours; not after most would be asleep). Around 8PM Pacific is best, IMO. East coast people who would normally be in bed at 10PM are probably willing to stay up an extra hour for a major purchase. 🙂

 

[CZroe]

Functionally speaking, a $50-$100 smartphone is the same as an iPhone at any price point.

Enjoy your TracFone or whatever MediaTek SoC you get stuck with at that price.

 

[Aikouka]

Yeah. I always suggest a 24hr auction starting at $0.01 so that it gets a lot of interest early on and each participant will evaluate just how much they really want mine right up until it closes.

Hm, that might be interesting to try, but I assume it's only worth it for popular, high-end items like the out-going iPhone model? For example, I'm considering selling my older laptop, but I'm not sure if an ASUS Zenbook would really draw in enough eyeballs to warrant such a short auction.

 

[Hugo Drax]

Never thought I'd see the day when a phone costs over half a grand.

And people pay 100 a month to use it.

 

[Ichinisan]

Starting at $0.01, there are more bidders. Makes other potential bidders more comfortable.

Also, each bidder basically becomes another watcher too, getting updates on their mobile app.

 

[John Connor]

holy fuck, that's how much a used phone goes for? The fuck @ apple and their followers.

Yeah, that pisses me off because I just need a damn iPhone 5 for a FLIR One imager and the damn things are like $300 last I checked. FUCK Apple! And their customers! Puke white semen shit.

 

[Ichinisan]

Yeah, that pisses me off because I just need a damn iPhone 5 for a FLIR One imager and the damn things are like $300 last I checked. FUCK Apple! And their customers! Puke white semen shit.

Get a 5c with a cracked screen and replace the screen yourself.

 

[Ns1]

Yeah, that pisses me off because I just need a damn iPhone 5 for a FLIR One imager and the damn things are like $300 last I checked. FUCK Apple! And their customers! Puke white semen shit.

says the guy that needs to buy an iphopne :biggrin:

 

[John Connor]

says the guy that needs to buy an iphopne :biggrin:

LOL No, it wouldn't be for calls or anything. Just the FLIR One. FLIR One only works with a 5 I believe.

 

[CZroe]

Get a 5c with a cracked screen and replace the screen yourself.

Last I checked, 5C replacement display assemblies were more than twice the price of iPhone 5 and 5S display assemblies. I was surprised because they both were routinely under $30 not long ago. The last iPhone 6 display assembly I bought was cheaper than the last iPhone 5C display assembly. The market is weird right now.

 

[CZroe]

LOL No, it wouldn't be for calls or anything. Just the FLIR One. FLIR One only works with a 5 I believe.

...which is part of the reason iPhones hold their value (better supported by other manufacturers).

I hate to make the market better for thieves, but get one with a bad ESN/MEID/IMEI that isn't iCloud-locked.

 

[cubby1223]

I also hate free shipping, because if they want a refund, then, you owe them the entire amount, which includes what you had to pay for shipping!

I'm the other way around. With "free shipping" you don't have some jerk complaining you charged $4 when postage was only $3.85. And when I was doing trades on the forum here, it was easier to say free shipping and dictate what method, versus the mindless back-and-forth what shipping method do you want, what will it cost, blah blah blah. Much easier to say I'm shipping first class usps, price is built-in, end of discussion 😀 Only argument I had was a user who demanded I ship parcel post rather than first class because he wanted the item in a rush hurry. I was confused by his request...

 

[John Connor]

...which is part of the reason iPhones hold their value (better supported by other manufacturers).

The FLIR One is an add-on attachment. Not a damn App. LOL their suppose to make one for an Android as well. That would be a lot better.

 

[Ichinisan]

The FLIR One is an add-on attachment. Not a damn App.

He knows.

LOL their suppose[they're supposed] to make one for an Android as well. That would be a lot better.

If FLIR works with iPhone, I'm sure it will work with an iPod touch 5th gen (A5) or 6th gen (A8), which both have Lightning connectors.

 

[BUTCH1]

The FLIR One is an add-on attachment. Not a damn App. LOL their suppose to make one for an Android as well. That would be a lot better.

Can't you just buy a tablet rather than an overpriced phone?.

 

[Red Squirrel]

The FLIR One is an add-on attachment. Not a damn App. LOL their suppose to make one for an Android as well. That would be a lot better.

I thought the FLIR one for Android was already out, but I find it impossible to find it anywhere... maybe that's why. So it's not out yet?

Been eyeing one and I was even thinking about just getting an iphone for it, but even used iphones are ridiculously expensive. That and I'm not sure how easy it is to get files off an iphone. With Android I just have an FTP server app I fire up, FTP into the phone, grab the files, then turn off the app. Guessing you need itunes or other stuff that probably requires Windows for an iphone.

 

[isekii]

holy fuck, that's how much a used phone goes for? The fuck @ apple and their followers.

I sold a mint condition 6 plus 16gb for 575 last week O_O