Question:
It seems to me that the BIN option should be a way for the bidder to bypass the auctioning process and not wait for the closing deadline.
As a buyer, I would love to see the BIN hang around. It used to be that even after the BIN was stomped, you could see there had been a BIN offered and what that price had been. But they eliminated that so there’s no trace of the BIN after the first bid. As a seller, if the BIN price remained, you would guarantee that your selling price would never exceed your BIN. Is that what you want?
Response:
I thought that the option would remain for the duration of the listing.
It would be only if the auction is set at fixed price listing. if it’s lsited as standard auction format and the starting bid price (or reserve) is below the buy it now price, bidder can place a small bid without using buy it now and the buy it now will be gone. — When you hear the toilet flush, and hear the words "uh oh", it’s already too late. - by anonymous Mother in Austin, TX Spam block in place, no emil reply is expected at all.
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The first bidder comes along and bids 99-cents. Fine. Fair enough. But why should the BIN option now disappear? Why can’t a subsequent bidder do just as you described … *Click* on "Buy it Now", pay the $21.00 … and dispense with the whole bidding process? I thought that was the whole point of BIN. if you want the BIN to remain, then try a fixed-price listing. otherwise, you’re just asking for someone to BIN-stomp your auction. especially with such a big difference between opening bid and BIN price. personally, i would have done the same thing. (if i’d wanted OC DVDs – i don’t know why anyone would.) david
BIN stomping can be deferred by a low reserve. More at http://www.tinaja.com/auct01.asp — Many thanks, Don Lancaster voice phone: (928)428-4073 Synergetics 3860 West First Street Box 809 Thatcher, AZ 85552 Please visit my GURU’s LAIR web site at http://www.tinaja.com
Response:
I much rather start at a high / realistic price to avoid the bottom feeders.
I have learned from ebay, that you only need one sucker. errr……. customer. And there are people out on the farm and in rural areas that don’t have access to stores that will pay more than something’s worth, or at least what a person puts the starting bid at or reserve. I have auctioned countless items, had them not sell, moved them to the store, increased the price, and sold them within 72 hours. About the time you think you have a grasp on ebay, something happens to blow that idea to small particles. For most people, this is just like a business. That item is $10. Period. I want $10 for that item. We have all seen countless episodes where a $5 item will bring $25, and a $25 item won’t bring $5. Nothing wrong with putting it out there with the price you want and sticking to it. If you DO want to come down, then rearrange the auction, the reserve, the starting price, etc. No one needs to apologize for what they want, and all you need is one newbie/sucker to buy it. Or two people who will have a bidding war. Or better yet, three. Just like there are smart deer that elude the hunters and live a long life and die of old age, there are the stupid ones who just stand there saying, BAM! Steve
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – But there’s no faster way to drive away potential bidders (using a reserve). Absolutely! This is the intended effect, to drive away bidders that aren’t serious, window-shoppers, troublemakers, and other assorted malcontents. A reserve has no bearing on a serious bidder’s decision on whether to bid or not. I suppose that’s true in theory and in some cases, but I’ve seen a lot of competitors’ auctions end up quite short of the average market pricing, selling at a low price as well as never sold vs. similar items being sold at / above the average market pricing. I much rather start at a high / realistic price to avoid the bottom feeders.
You should not have any competitors. If you do, you are selling the wrong items in the wrong way to the wrong people. http://www.tinaja.com/glib/ebaysell.pdf — Many thanks, Don Lancaster voice phone: (928)428-4073 Synergetics 3860 West First Street Box 809 Thatcher, AZ 85552 Please visit my GURU’s LAIR web site at http://www.tinaja.com
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The first bidder comes along and bids 99-cents. Fine. Fair enough. But why should the BIN option now disappear? Why can’t a subsequent bidder do just as you described … *Click* on "Buy it Now", pay the $21.00 … and dispense with the whole bidding process? I thought that was the whole point of BIN. if you want the BIN to remain, then try a fixed-price listing. otherwise, you’re just asking for someone to BIN-stomp your auction. especially with such a big difference between opening bid and BIN price. personally, i would have done the same thing. (if i’d wanted OC DVDs – i don’t know why anyone would.) david BIN stomping can be deferred by a low reserve. More at http://www.tinaja.com/auct01.asp
But there’s no faster way to drive away potential bidders (using a reserve).
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – But there’s no faster way to drive away potential bidders (using a reserve). Absolutely! This is the intended effect, to drive away bidders that aren’t serious, window-shoppers, troublemakers, and other assorted malcontents. A reserve has no bearing on a serious bidder’s decision on whether to bid or not.
I suppose that’s true in theory and in some cases, but I’ve seen a lot of competitors’ auctions end up quite short of the average market pricing, selling at a low price as well as never sold vs. similar items being sold at / above the average market pricing. I much rather start at a high / realistic price to avoid the bottom feeders.
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I just listed an item and included a "Buy it Now" option. My email verification correctly indicated this option. I just got my first bidder – who elected to participate in the auction, not the "Buy it Now". I just noticed that the "Buy it Now" option has now disappeared from the listing! I’ve never used "Buy it Now" option before and I don’t understand why it would disappear just because there is a bidder. Is there something I’m misunderstanding about this option? I thought that the option would remain for the duration of the listing. David Emerling BIN is only available until getting bids that meet or exceed the reserve price. No reserve? BIN is available to the first bidder only. Yours just got "Stomped". Thanks for the explanation. I still don’t see the logic in it, however. It seems to me that the BIN option should be a way for the bidder to bypass the auctioning process and not wait for the closing deadline.
Yes, it sure is. For example: Let’s say an item has an opening bid of $1 (no reserve). And the seller places a BIN option for $25. What logic would cause the BIN option to disappear once somebody bids $1? Couldn’t somebody come along and think, "I *really* want this item. I don’t have the time, nor the inclination to haggle over this for 5 days. I think $25 is a fair price and I’ll just pay it now!"?
"Logic" might be too black and white for a discussion of rationales for formats to help various types of people to buy and sell items. It’s a little hard to come up with basic postulates for complex behaviors. Wouldn’t you agree that eBay’s current setup for a BIN, combined with a low starting bid and no reserve might generate a greater motivation to Buy It Now since it can disappear so easily? Wouldn’t it also generate a greater motivation to stomp the BIN with an opening bid? Couldn’t both could be desirable? Substitute "logical" for desirable, if you wish. Wouldn’t your suggestion of a BIN remaining concurrent with bids REDUCE the motivation to use it, because it’s not going to disappear? By the way, would your BIN disappear at some point, and allow higher bids to go beyond it? Or would your auction just end at the level of the BIN and no higher? When WOULD you have your BIN disappear? Can you see how a low starting bid, a modest reserve price combined with a BIN would have advantages over your suggested format? That combination, early on, would allow low bids to generate interest and excitement and competition (among some), yet prevent selling too low, and still provide the opportunity for a BIN at a price that you, as the seller, set a little higher than the typical selling price? I thought that’s what the "Buy it Now" option was all about. It would seem to me that you could have bids *AND* "Buy it Now" all running concurrently and I don’t really see what the "reserve price" has to do with it … logically speaking. Obviously, the seller isn’t going to set a BIN price beneath the "reserve price".
Wouldn’t your suggestion of concurrent BIN and bids reduce bidding, especially the EARLY bidding in the auction? I would think people would avoid the added potential for disappointment and waste of time, believing that the end of the auction (with your format) could occur at any time, even late in the auction. Wouldn’t fewer early bids reduce the amount of time for generating more interest and competition? Wouldn’t your suggestion also reduce bids in general? In other words, be an unpopular format? That would bring us logically back to just using a BIN only or a BIN with a low starting bid and modest reserve, both of which have been suggested in this discussion. Since both formats are quite popular with buyers and sellers alike, you might get pretty good traffic. Seems pretty logical to me, but I’m open to suggestions. 8^) HTH. Dave C
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The first bidder comes along and bids 99-cents. Fine. Fair enough. But why should the BIN option now disappear? Why can’t a subsequent bidder do just as you described … *Click* on "Buy it Now", pay the $21.00 … and dispense with the whole bidding process? I thought that was the whole point of BIN. if you want the BIN to remain, then try a fixed-price listing. otherwise, you’re just asking for someone to BIN-stomp your auction. especially with such a big difference between opening bid and BIN price.
Or start the auction at a much higher price. I tend to start auctions about 30% below my BIN (15% below typical market). Starting at 99 cents only encourage the BIN stompers. Hint – it’s only about 30 cents more to insure a reasonable price.
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I thought that’s what the "Buy it Now" option was all about. It would seem to me that you could have bids *AND* "Buy it Now" all running concurrently and I don’t really see what the "reserve price" has to do with it … logically speaking. Obviously, the seller isn’t going to set a BIN price beneath the "reserve price". David Emerling When all else fails, RTFM. http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/bin.html — Joanne I thought this was too obvious (and logical) to have to read the manual. Clearly I was wrong. I haven’t read the manual on my car and somehow I get to work each day. I haven’t read the manual for replacing the toilet paper roll. Nor have I read the instructions for "cooking" Pop-Tarts. Things that are *supposed* to be simple are not *supposed* to have manuals. If something is inherently complicated, then it needs a manual. If something is not inherently complicated, yet *has* a manual, then it calls into question whether that something is actually more complicated than it should be. I thought this fell into the "don’t need to read the manual" category. Oh well, no big deal. If there’s one thing I’ve discovered about ebay, no matter what your starting price, the product always tends to migrate toward its market value. Which, makes me wonder why even have a "reserve price." If you are not willing to sell something for less than $25, why not just start the bidding at $25? David Emerling
Once upon a time, in a galaxy very close to here, eBay was simple. It was intuitive. But if you needed information, it was very easy to find. In fact, a person could read the entire site within a short time. Somehow, as time passed, more and more MBAs went to work at eBay, and all that was simple and easy to use became more and more complex. More and more choices were offered. More and more features appeared. Many of these were useless, but probably secured someone’s position in the heirarchy. So, today, we must learn to use the site. We have boards and newsgroups and newsletters and radio programs and seminars and workshops and books to help us figure out a site that once we could all use easily. This has provided employment to many, many people who were not able to support themselves selling on eBay. This is the American Way. — Joanne
Response:
If there’s one thing I’ve discovered about ebay, no matter what your starting price, the product always tends to migrate toward its market value. Which, makes me wonder why even have a "reserve price." If you are not willing to sell something for less than $25, why not just start the bidding at $25?
The insertion fees for ads increases as the opening price increases. Your insertion fee for an opening price of 5.00 is 35 cents. The fee is 60 cents for up to 24.99, but $1.20 if you make it $25.00. If you are not willing to take less than $25, then pay the higher fee. If you are willing to take less, then set the opening price at the minimum you will accept. If the item doesn’t sell, you will have a higher cost with a higher initial price. The reserve fee this price range item is $1.00. It is refunded if the item sells. It’s generally used with higher ticket items. That extra penny between $24.99 and $25.00 costs you an extra 60 cents. You might want to get familiar with fee structure. — Tony Cooper Orlando, FL
Response:
The first bidder comes along and bids 99-cents. Fine. Fair enough. But why should the BIN option now disappear? Why can’t a subsequent bidder do just as you described … *Click* on "Buy it Now", pay the $21.00 … and dispense with the whole bidding process? I thought that was the whole point of BIN.
if you want the BIN to remain, then try a fixed-price listing. otherwise, you’re just asking for someone to BIN-stomp your auction. especially with such a big difference between opening bid and BIN price. personally, i would have done the same thing. (if i’d wanted OC DVDs – i don’t know why anyone would.) david — http://groups.yahoo.com/group/amoephoto/
Response:
I thought that’s what the "Buy it Now" option was all about. It would seem to me that you could have bids *AND* "Buy it Now" all running concurrently and I don’t really see what the "reserve price" has to do with it … logically speaking. Obviously, the seller isn’t going to set a BIN price beneath the "reserve price". David Emerling When all else fails, RTFM. http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/bin.html — Joanne
I thought this was too obvious (and logical) to have to read the manual. Clearly I was wrong. I haven’t read the manual on my car and somehow I get to work each day. I haven’t read the manual for replacing the toilet paper roll. Nor have I read the instructions for "cooking" Pop-Tarts. Things that are *supposed* to be simple are not *supposed* to have manuals. If something is inherently complicated, then it needs a manual. If something is not inherently complicated, yet *has* a manual, then it calls into question whether that something is actually more complicated than it should be. I thought this fell into the "don’t need to read the manual" category. Oh well, no big deal. If there’s one thing I’ve discovered about ebay, no matter what your starting price, the product always tends to migrate toward its market value. Which, makes me wonder why even have a "reserve price." If you are not willing to sell something for less than $25, why not just start the bidding at $25? David Emerling
Response:
What’s the logic in that? Perfectly good logic, actually. The BIN price is generally higher than the starting price. As a bidder, I have the option of trying to win the item at a lower price than the BIN (but having to wait for the auction to play out and perhaps having it won by someone else)…
I’m starting a new feature on my auctions. "Invoice it Now" If there are no other bids, or if the reserve has not been met, the buyer may invoice himself and edit/change the amounts for shipping, discounts etc. If you agree with me please respond. If you don’t you’re an AOL troll. Craig
Response:
It only remains in certain categories, iirc houses, cars, and the like. Well that’s news to me! You mean, that as soon as the first bidder opts *NOT* to "Buy it Now", the option completely disappears? What’s the logic in that?
it’s called BIN-stomping. five cents wasted. wasn’t that fun!? david — http://groups.yahoo.com/group/amoephoto/
Response:
I thought that’s what the "Buy it Now" option was all about. It would seem to me that you could have bids *AND* "Buy it Now" all running concurrently and I don’t really see what the "reserve price" has to do with it … logically speaking. Obviously, the seller isn’t going to set a BIN price beneath the "reserve price". David Emerling
When all else fails, RTFM. http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/bin.html — Joanne
Response:
Illogical!
You’re right but it’s not based on logic. It’s based on eBay’s income. In order to keep the BIN there you have to specify and pay for a reserve. Ed
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – It only remains in certain categories, iirc houses, cars, and the like. Well that’s news to me! You mean, that as soon as the first bidder opts *NOT* to "Buy it Now", the option completely disappears? What’s the logic in that? David Emerling
Check the dictionary meaning of "now". You can defer BIN stomping by using a low reserve. — Many thanks, Don Lancaster voice phone: (928)428-4073 Synergetics 3860 West First Street Box 809 Thatcher, AZ 85552 Please visit my GURU’s LAIR web site at http://www.tinaja.com
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I just listed an item and included a "Buy it Now" option. My email verification correctly indicated this option. I just got my first bidder – who elected to participate in the auction, not the "Buy it Now". I just noticed that the "Buy it Now" option has now disappeared from the listing! I’ve never used "Buy it Now" option before and I don’t understand why it would disappear just because there is a bidder. Is there something I’m misunderstanding about this option? I thought that the option would remain for the duration of the listing. David Emerling BIN is only available until getting bids that meet or exceed the reserve price. No reserve? BIN is available to the first bidder only. Yours just got "Stomped". Rob
Thanks for the explanation. I still don’t see the logic in it, however. It seems to me that the BIN option should be a way for the bidder to bypass the auctioning process and not wait for the closing deadline. For example: Let’s say an item has an opening bid of $1 (no reserve). And the seller places a BIN option for $25. What logic would cause the BIN option to disappear once somebody bids $1? Couldn’t somebody come along and think, "I *really* want this item. I don’t have the time, nor the inclination to haggle over this for 5 days. I think $25 is a fair price and I’ll just pay it now!"? I thought that’s what the "Buy it Now" option was all about. It would seem to me that you could have bids *AND* "Buy it Now" all running concurrently and I don’t really see what the "reserve price" has to do with it … logically speaking. Obviously, the seller isn’t going to set a BIN price beneath the "reserve price". David Emerling
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – It only remains in certain categories, iirc houses, cars, and the like. Well that’s news to me! You mean, that as soon as the first bidder opts *NOT* to "Buy it Now", the option completely disappears? What’s the logic in that? Perfectly good logic, actually. The BIN price is generally higher than the starting price. As a bidder, I have the option of trying to win the item at a lower price than the BIN (but having to wait for the auction to play out and perhaps having it won by someone else) or of paying more than the starting bid but assuring myself of winning the item *and* not having to wait around for auction to close. — Ty
You just made my point! Here’s the deal. I am selling a 7-DVD box set of "The O.C. – The Complete Season", 5-day auction. The opening bid is 0.99 but I placed a BIN for $21.00. No reserve. The first bidder comes along and bids 99-cents. Fine. Fair enough. But why should the BIN option now disappear? Why can’t a subsequent bidder do just as you described … *Click* on "Buy it Now", pay the $21.00 … and dispense with the whole bidding process? I thought that was the whole point of BIN. But, now, the BIN option has completely disappeared. It’s a straight-up auction. Illogical! David Emerling
Response:
It only remains in certain categories, iirc houses, cars, and the like. Well that’s news to me! You mean, that as soon as the first bidder opts *NOT* to "Buy it Now", the option completely disappears? What’s the logic in that?
Perfectly good logic, actually. The BIN price is generally higher than the starting price. As a bidder, I have the option of trying to win the item at a lower price than the BIN (but having to wait for the auction to play out and perhaps having it won by someone else) or of paying more than the starting bid but assuring myself of winning the item *and* not having to wait around for auction to close. — Ty Who is mostly just a slightly skewed Donna Reed Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~~Voltaire, 1767
Response:
I just listed an item and included a "Buy it Now" option. My email verification correctly indicated this option. I just got my first bidder – who elected to participate in the auction, not the "Buy it Now". I just noticed that the "Buy it Now" option has now disappeared from the listing! I’ve never used "Buy it Now" option before and I don’t understand why it would disappear just because there is a bidder. Is there something I’m misunderstanding about this option? I thought that the option would remain for the duration of the listing. David Emerling
Response:
It only remains in certain categories, iirc houses, cars, and the like.
Response:
It only remains in certain categories, iirc houses, cars, and the like.
Well that’s news to me! You mean, that as soon as the first bidder opts *NOT* to "Buy it Now", the option completely disappears? What’s the logic in that? David Emerling
Response:
I just listed an item and included a "Buy it Now" option. My email verification correctly indicated this option. I just got my first bidder – who elected to participate in the auction, not the "Buy it Now". I just noticed that the "Buy it Now" option has now disappeared from the listing! I’ve never used "Buy it Now" option before and I don’t understand why it would disappear just because there is a bidder. Is there something I’m misunderstanding about this option? I thought that the option would remain for the duration of the listing. David Emerling
BIN is only available until getting bids that meet or exceed the reserve price. No reserve? BIN is available to the first bidder only. Yours just got "Stomped". Rob
Response: