Re: ebay

[Roger Furneaux]

ebay Not strictly relevant, but does anybody know if ebay are having problems???
I have not been able to get beyond the search page for two days now, and am losing out on bids (but saving money!)
Its 7.30 pm here so just after lunch in New York and you guys in California are probably finishing off breakfast, so I would appreciate some info in the next couple of hours.

thanx, & happy MotorinG !

Roger Furneaux

[Eugene F. Gillam]

Roger,

I've had no problems getting in - I almost wish I was though - cause unlike you, I'm not saving money on bids.

Gene









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[Roger Furneaux]

Thanks to all you guys who tried ebay for me, seems there could be a problem
with ebay.co.uk which is what we have to dial up here. They are back, sort
of, since some images take for ever to arrive, i.e.they don't.

Meanwhile, anybody know how I can buy U.S. money orders from the U.K.? Tried
bidpay.com but they only like American customers!

This could be M.G. related, if I bought from ebay, but so far nothing of
interest (did not even see that "Blower" on there) .

Roger Furneaux

[Geoffrey WHEATLEY]

Roger, may be I can help re US money transfer what exactly did you want
or need.
I am back and forth across the pond on a regular basis and may be able
to advise or arrange!

Regards Geoff

[Stan Kurzet]

To those that jumped Mark's case over his remarks about ebay: Mark has a legitimate squawk. The problem with the way ebay operates lies in the fact that more often than not, the item being offered has no established value, or if it has, such may simply be unavailable to all bidders. Moreover, some bidders may be familiar with the condition of the item and others not. Further, some bidders may have prior experience with the seller, which experience may influence their offer. As a very experienced buyer at public auctions, I know several thing to be gospel. Firstly, the amounts bid and their incremental increases and the rate at which these come in, tell all bidders a lot about the probable value of the item. Although, at times this is skewed by an uninformed bidder or an ego contest between two particular bidders, more often than not, the bidding process itself is the most authoritative indicator of the value of the item being sold. Ebay's procedure is more akin of a sealed bid or silent auction type of sale rather than a true public auction. As such, it deprives all bidders of gaining insight into the true value of an item because bidders have no way of knowing how many different bidders are active or where each of them quit raising their bid and who the are. Things that tell other bidders a lot about the probable value of an item. The dilemma of losing an item upon which one has been high bidder for 5 days, by 1/4% of bid, a half second prior to close is merely the injury added to the insult of the way ebay works. The sop that one should have bid as much as one is willing to pay for an item may work for someone who sells more than he buys this way, but for me, principally a buyer, it is unreasonable and unappreciated. I'm always willing to pay what an item is worth, its just that when one buys a pig in a poke, which incidentally accurately describes almost every ebay sale, one cannot very well know how good a pig it is and hence cannot know what it is worth to him. A true public auction, such as one sees on u Bid where bidding ends ten minutes after the last bid is placed, is far preferable to most buyers. Ebay is slanted to benefit the seller. No two ways about it. Moreover, ebay does not want to hear from anybody about anything. It has no email address, it has no phone number and it has no postal address. If it does, it is not anywhere to be found on their website. Ebay clearly wants to stay aloof from any criticism or even suggestions. Yes, I buy things on ebay. Some purchases have been good and others disasters. I don't use ebay because I like it. Indeed, I don't like it for the reasons stated. I use it because the sellers of what I need are there. The moment another site starts up and offers what I need on a true public auction format, ebay will lose this buyer and, I am certain, also many others for the reasons stated above. Merry Christmas, and a happy new year to all the list, Including those with whom I here disagree. Stan Kurzet Two TC's

[RonMGTC@aol.com]

Stan:

I have to respectfully disagree with you about a few points. I have called
ebay on the phone with no problem.
Ebay has opened up a whole new venue for items that we "need" or like. Before
that, outside of the local club, there was only Hemmings for the most part.
Or one had to go to a show and hope the seller of what you were looking for
was there, brought the item, and last but not least - no one else got to it
first.
Ebay is certainly not perfect but where else would one have access to a
worldwide MG (or Jaguar or Porsche) swap meet without incurring any travel
expense?
Like any other auction the final price determines the value of THAT item on
THAT day. No more, no less. It also helps the buyer because if one looses out
on an item there will probably be another one soon.
I have looked high and low for 42 DCOE carbs, for about 15 years and couldn't
find a set. Placed ads, read all the mags, etc. Then Ebay came along and I
found a set within 6 months.
Sure I've been burned as both a seller and buyer, but things like this happen
and you just go on. I have sent money to sellers in Hemmings and have never
received the goods or they have been misrepresented. I have gotten "bad"
checks too. That's life and I don't like it any more than the next guy.
I just bid what I am comfortable paying and if I get it great, if not - well
if I REALLY wanted it I should have bid a higher amount or I take consolation
in the fact that someone else paid more than I thought it was worth, to me. I
look at it as saving money by not over paying.
Most things in life have a certain value them. It is up to us to determine
what that value is, to us, irrespective of what it may is to another person.
My most valuable item is a little matchbox toy I had when I was a kid. A good
$10 item on the best of days. If anyone offered me $1000. for MY toy I would
refuse as it's value to me is worth far more than the monetary value of the
$1000.

Regards,

Ron

[Badger]

The facts of life as regards ebay as well as other auctions and, in fact, all aspects of existence... 1). Life is not fair. Get used to it. 2). You will always have your winners and your losers. Get used to it (even if you're one of the latter). 3). Ebay auctions sell to the highest bidder - plain and simple. If you want to win, the means are as available to you as to anyone else. 4). Nothing on the face of the earth has an innate "value". The value of anything, especially items which involve the emotions such as old MG parts, are intensely personal therefore, if you are outbid on an item it doesn't mean you have been cheated, it simply means that the item had a greater personal value to somebody else. 5). If you are looking for a bargain, the last place you should look is an auction because the nature of any auction is that the particular item being auctioned will be sold to the member of the audience who is willing (and able) to pay a price that exceeds what any other member of the audience will pay. If a bargain is what you want, try searching through back garages, attics, basements, and old barns until you can locate a cache of the particular items which you want. Takes up too much of your valuable time you say? Oh well, perhaps the tremendous range of items made available at your fingertips on ebay are not such a bad deal after all, you may just have to pay a little more or try a little harder. 6). Of course, if the ebay experience is just too much for you or anyone else, if you object to it on moral grounds, if it is too high tech, or if you simply don't like it, you or anyone else is free to abstain. As both a buyer and a seller, I think it's absolutely fabulous. Derek (Badger) Durst

----- Original Message ----- From: skurzet@msn.com To: mg-tabc@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, December 24, 2001 1:19 AM Subject: [mg-tabc] Ebay
To those that jumped Mark's case over his remarks about ebay: Mark has a legitimate squawk. The problem with the way ebay operates lies in the fact that more often than not, the item being offered has no established value, or if it has, such may simply be unavailable to all bidders. Moreover, some bidders may be familiar with the condition of the item and others not. Further, some bidders may have prior experience with the seller, which experience may influence their offer. As a very experienced buyer at public auctions, I know several thing to be gospel. Firstly, the amounts bid and their incremental increases and the rate at which these come in, tell all bidders a lot about the probable value of the item. Although, at times this is skewed by an uninformed bidder or an ego contest between two particular bidders, more often than not, the bidding process itself is the most authoritative indicator of the value of the item being sold. Ebay's procedure is more akin of a sealed bid or silent auction type of sale rather than a true public auction. As such, it deprives all bidders of gaining insight into the true value of an item because bidders have no way of knowing how many different bidders are active or where each of them quit raising their bid and who the are. Things that tell other bidders a lot about the probable value of an item. The dilemma of losing an item upon which one has been high bidder for 5 days, by 1/4% of bid, a half second prior to close is merely the injury added to the insult of the way ebay works. The sop that one should have bid as much as one is willing to pay for an item may work for someone who sells more than he buys this way, but for me, principally a buyer, it is unreasonable and unappreciated. I'm always willing to pay what an item is worth, its just that when one buys a pig in a poke, which incidentally accurately describes almost every ebay sale, one cannot very well know how good a pig it is and hence cannot know what it is worth to him. A true public auction, such as one sees on u Bid where bidding ends ten minutes after the last bid is placed, is far preferable to most buyers. Ebay is slanted to benefit the seller. No two ways about it. Moreover, ebay does not want to hear from anybody about anything. It has no email address, it has no phone number and it has no postal address. If it does, it is not anywhere to be found on their website. Ebay clearly wants to stay aloof from any criticism or even suggestions. Yes, I buy things on ebay. Some purchases have been good and others disasters. I don't use ebay because I like it. Indeed, I don't like it for the reasons stated. I use it because the sellers of what I need are there. The moment another site starts up and offers what I need on a true public auction format, ebay will lose this buyer and, I am certain, also many others for the reasons stated above. Merry Christmas, and a happy new year to all the list, Including those with whom I here disagree. Stan Kurzet Two TC's
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[wwcordin]

Badger - Could not agree with you more in regards to both life and ebay. I am having alot of fun with ebay, and have bought a number of items, parts and tools, that I am very satisfied with. I quickly learned the tricks of last minute bidding, and have been very successful (most of the time) with a slow phone line modem. WWC (I love my chrome) TC 6749

----- Original Message ----- From: mrbadger@home.com To: mg-tabc@yahoogroups.com ; skurzet@msn.com Sent: Monday, December 24, 2001 7:04 AM Subject: Re: [mg-tabc] Ebay
The facts of life as regards ebay as well as other auctions and, in fact, all aspects of existence... 1). Life is not fair. Get used to it. 2). You will always have your winners and your losers. Get used to it (even if you're one of the latter). 3). Ebay auctions sell to the highest bidder - plain and simple. If you want to win, the means are as available to you as to anyone else. 4). Nothing on the face of the earth has an innate "value". The value of anything, especially items which involve the emotions such as old MG parts, are intensely personal therefore, if you are outbid on an item it doesn't mean you have been cheated, it simply means that the item had a greater personal value to somebody else. 5). If you are looking for a bargain, the last place you should look is an auction because the nature of any auction is that the particular item being auctioned will be sold to the member of the audience who is willing (and able) to pay a price that exceeds what any other member of the audience will pay. If a bargain is what you want, try searching through back garages, attics, basements, and old barns until you can locate a cache of the particular items which you want. Takes up too much of your valuable time you say? Oh well, perhaps the tremendous range of items made available at your fingertips on ebay are not such a bad deal after all, you may just have to pay a little more or try a little harder. 6). Of course, if the ebay experience is just too much for you or anyone else, if you object to it on moral grounds, if it is too high tech, or if you simply don't like it, you or anyone else is free to abstain. As both a buyer and a seller, I think it's absolutely fabulous. Derek (Badger) Durst ----- Original Message ----- From: skurzet@msn.com To: mg-tabc@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, December 24, 2001 1:19 AM Subject: [mg-tabc] Ebay
To those that jumped Mark's case over his remarks about ebay: Mark has a legitimate squawk. The problem with the way ebay operates lies in the fact that more often than not, the item being offered has no established value, or if it has, such may simply be unavailable to all bidders. Moreover, some bidders may be familiar with the condition of the item and others not. Further, some bidders may have prior experience with the seller, which experience may influence their offer. As a very experienced buyer at public auctions, I know several thing to be gospel. Firstly, the amounts bid and their incremental increases and the rate at which these come in, tell all bidders a lot about the probable value of the item. Although, at times this is skewed by an uninformed bidder or an ego contest between two particular bidders, more often than not, the bidding process itself is the most authoritative indicator of the value of the item being sold. Ebay's procedure is more akin of a sealed bid or silent auction type of sale rather than a true public auction. As such, it deprives all bidders of gaining insight into the true value of an item because bidders have no way of knowing how many different bidders are active or where each of them quit raising their bid and who the are. Things that tell other bidders a lot about the probable value of an item. The dilemma of losing an item upon which one has been high bidder for 5 days, by 1/4% of bid, a half second prior to close is merely the injury added to the insult of the way ebay works. The sop that one should have bid as much as one is willing to pay for an item may work for someone who sells more than he buys this way, but for me, principally a buyer, it is unreasonable and unappreciated. I'm always willing to pay what an item is worth, its just that when one buys a pig in a poke, which incidentally accurately describes almost every ebay sale, one cannot very well know how good a pig it is and hence cannot know what it is worth to him. A true public auction, such as one sees on u Bid where bidding ends ten minutes after the last bid is placed, is far preferable to most buyers. Ebay is slanted to benefit the seller. No two ways about it. Moreover, ebay does not want to hear from anybody about anything. It has no email address, it has no phone number and it has no postal address. If it does, it is not anywhere to be found on their website. Ebay clearly wants to stay aloof from any criticism or even suggestions. Yes, I buy things on ebay. Some purchases have been good and others disasters. I don't use ebay because I like it. Indeed, I don't like it for the reasons stated. I use it because the sellers of what I need are there. The moment another site starts up and offers what I need on a true public auction format, ebay will lose this buyer and, I am certain, also many others for the reasons stated above. Merry Christmas, and a happy new year to all the list, Including those with whom I here disagree. Stan Kurzet Two TC's
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.

[Wiedemeyer]

Or stated even more simply......"There are those who curse the darkness, and those who light a match!!" Bob

Badger - Could not agree with you more in regards to both life and ebay. I am having alot of fun with ebay, and have bought a number of items, parts and tools, that I am very satisfied with. I quickly learned the tricks of last minute bidding, and have been very successful (most of the time) with a slow phone line modem. WWC (I love my chrome) TC 6749 ----- Original Message ----- From: mrbadger@home.com To: mg-tabc@yahoogroups.com ; skurzet@msn.com Sent: Monday, December 24, 2001 7:04 AM Subject: Re: [mg-tabc] Ebay
The facts of life as regards ebay as well as other auctions and, in fact, all aspects of existence... 1). Life is not fair. Get used to it. 2). You will always have your winners and your losers. Get used to it (even if you're one of the latter). 3). Ebay auctions sell to the highest bidder - plain and simple. If you want to win, the means are as available to you as to anyone else. 4). Nothing on the face of the earth has an innate "value". The value of anything, especially items which involve the emotions such as old MG parts, are intensely personal therefore, if you are outbid on an item it doesn't mean you have been cheated, it simply means that the item had a greater personal value to somebody else. 5). If you are looking for a bargain, the last place you should look is an auction because the nature of any auction is that the particular item being auctioned will be sold to the member of the audience who is willing (and able) to pay a price that exceeds what any other member of the audience will pay. If a bargain is what you want, try searching through back garages, attics, basements, and old barns until you can locate a cache of the particular items which you want. Takes up too much of your valuable time you say? Oh well, perhaps the tremendous range of items made available at your fingertips on ebay are not such a bad deal after all, you may just have to pay a little more or try a little harder. 6). Of course, if the ebay experience is just too much for you or anyone else, if you object to it on moral grounds, if it is too high tech, or if you simply don't like it, you or anyone else is free to abstain. As both a buyer and a seller, I think it's absolutely fabulous. Derek (Badger) Durst

[KEN PORTER]

Well said Derek:
If you really want something you must bid the highest price even if the price is ridiculous. The high bid becomes the current market value to the bidder. I just bid a very high price for some thing I wanted for years and have been unable to get. I won the item for less than half of what I bid and $1 more than the next highest bidder. What did I get, a pristine NEL 111 TC sales brochure. The only others I have ever seen were twice what I paid and well used. Is E-Bay a great deal. You bet it is. You must know what you are bidding on. Contact the seller if necessary. Be willing to pay what the item is worth to you. Not what you think the item should sell for. Last minute bidding doesn't win. The high bid does.
Ken TC 4147
Badger wrote:

The facts of life as regards ebay as well as other auctions and, in fact, all aspects of existence...1). Life is not fair. Get used to it.2). You will always have your winners and your losers. Get used to it (even if you're one of the latter).3). Ebay auctions sell to the highest bidder - plain and simple. If you want to win, the means are as available to you as to anyone else.4). Nothing on the face of the earth has an innate "value". The value of anything, especially items which involve the emotions such as old MG parts, are intensely personal therefore, if you are outbid on an item it doesn't mean you have been cheated, it simply means that the item had a greater personal value to somebody else.5). If you are looking for a bargain, the last place you should look is an auction because the nature of any auction is that the particular item being auctioned will be sold to the member of the audience who is willing (and able) to pay a price that exceeds what any other member of the audience will pay. If a bargain is what you want, try searching through back garages, attics, basements, and old barns until you can locate a cache of the particular items which you want. Takes up too much of your valuable time you say? Oh well, perhaps the tremendous range of items made available at your fingertips on ebay are not such a bad deal after all, you may just have to pay a little more or try a little harder.6). Of course, if the ebay experience is just too much for you or anyone else, if you object to it on moral grounds, if it is too high tech, or if you simply don't like it, you or anyone else is free to abstain. As both a buyer and a seller, I think it's absolutely fabulous. Derek (Badger) Durst ----- Original Message ----- From: skurzet@msn.com To: mg-tabc@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, December 24, 2001 1:19 AM Subject: [mg-tabc] Ebay To those that jumped Mark's case over his remarks about ebay: Mark has a legitimate squawk. The problem with the way ebay operates lies in the fact that more often than not, the item being offered has no established value, or if it has, such may simply be unavailable to all bidders. Moreover, some bidders may be familiar with the condition of the item and others not. Further, some bidders may have prior experience with the seller, which experience may influence their offer. As a very experienced buyer at public auctions, I know several thing to be gospel. Firstly, the amounts bid and their incremental increases and the rate at which these come in, tell all bidders a lot about the probable value of the item. Although, at times this is skewed by an uninformed bidder or an ego contest between two particular bidders, more often than not, the bidding process itself is the most authoritative indicator of the value of the item being sold. Ebay's procedure is more akin of a sealed bid or silent auction type of sale rather than a true public auction. As such, it deprives all bidders of gaining insight into the true value of an item because bidders have no way of knowing how many different bidders are active or where each of them quit raising their bid and who the are. Things that tell other bidders a lot about the probable value of an item. The dilemma of losing an item upon which one has been high bidder for 5 days, by 1/4% of bid, a half second prior to close is merely the injury added to the insult of the way ebay works. The sop that one should have bid as much as one is willing to pay for an item may work for someone who sells more than he buys this way, but for me, principally a buyer, it is unreasonable and unappreciated. I'm always willing to pay what an item is worth, its just that when one buys a pig in a poke, which incidentally accurately describes almost every ebay sale, one cannot very well know how good a pig it is and hence cannot know what it is worth to him. A true public auction, such as one sees on u Bid where bidding ends ten minutes after the last bid is placed, is far preferable to most buyers. Ebay is slanted to benefit the seller. No two ways about it. Moreover, ebay does not want to hear from anybody about anything. It has no email address, it has no phone number and it has no postal address. If it does, it is not anywhere to be found on their website. Ebay clearly wants to stay aloof from any criticism or even suggestions. Yes, I buy things on ebay. Some purchases have been good and others disasters. I don't use ebay because I like it. Indeed, I don't like it for the reasons stated. I use it because the sellers of what I need are there. The moment another site starts up and offers what I need on a true public auction format, ebay will lose this buyer and, I am certain, also many others for the reasons stated above. Merry Christmas, and a happy new year to all the list, Including those with whom I here disagree. Stan Kurzet Two TC's
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.