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If there''s a bid on something you''re listing to sell on eBay..

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Phoenix

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..and it''s too low, it doesn''t mean you''ll have to sell the item, right?

Just wondering, since I''ve never bought or sold anything on eBay.

I''m listing some jewellery items for sale, just the ones I''m not wearing often enough. I''m not desparate and do not want to sell just at any price, only if they go up to a certain price(s). If they don''t sell, I''m not fussed, but would like to sell (at my own "reserve" prices).

I may try Pearlman''s instead. Anyone has experience selling there? Care to share?
 

April20

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If you're listing on Ebay, as long as you set a reserve price, it won't sell if the bids are lower.
 

arjunajane

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Well, if you set a reserve, than no one can win without bidding at least the reserve or higher.
If you don't, than yes it can go for $1, or 50 cents, just whatever is the lowest bid (and its a binding contract).
 

Phoenix

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Date: 4/1/2009 4:51:16 AM
Author: April20
If you''re listing on Ebay, as long as you set a reserve price, it won''t sell if the bids are lower.
Sorry to sound really stupid, but is the "reserve" price set on eBay the same as the "But it now" price?

Thanks.
 

Phoenix

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Date: 4/1/2009 4:55:23 AM
Author: arjunajane
Well, if you set a reserve, than no one can win without bidding at least the reserve or higher.
If you don't, than yes it can go for $1, or 50 cents, just whatever is the lowest bid (and its a binding contract).
I'm being incredibly stupid here, but if I don't remember setting a reserve price, does that automatically mean I didn't set it and therefore would have to sell it to the highest bidder (even though it doesn't meet my own min selling price).

How do I find this reserve price and more importantly, how do I set it?

Thanks.
 

NovemberBride

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Phoenix, A reserve price is not the same thing as a buy it now price. A reserve price is the minimum price for which you are willing to sell an item. For example, you might be selling a pair of earrings and started the bidding at $500. But if you set a reserve price for $1000(which you would do during the auction set-up process, they ask if you want to set a reserve), you would not be obligated to sell the earrings until the bids went above $1000. A buy it now price means that if someone bids that price, the auction is automatically over and they get the item for that price (i.e. no one has an opportunity to bid higher). If you do not set a reserve, and someone bids $1, you are legally obligated to sell that item to them, regardless of the value. It is a legally binding contract and you can''t just change your mind because you did not get as much money as you hoped. It sounds like you may be selling some higher end items and I would hate for you to end up legally bound to sell them for much less than you expect so I would advise you not to list any auctions (hopefully you haven''t yet done so) until you carefully read all the tutorials and rules on Ebay. All of what I have posted here is very clear if you read their terms carefully. If you aren''t comfortable with these terms, you may want to explore another avenue such as Pearlmans.
 

Phoenix

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Date: 4/1/2009 5:44:16 AM
Author: NovemberBride
Phoenix, A reserve price is not the same thing as a buy it now price. A reserve price is the minimum price for which you are willing to sell an item. For example, you might be selling a pair of earrings and started the bidding at $500. But if you set a reserve price for $1000(which you would do during the auction set-up process, they ask if you want to set a reserve), you would not be obligated to sell the earrings until the bids went above $1000. A buy it now price means that if someone bids that price, the auction is automatically over and they get the item for that price (i.e. no one has an opportunity to bid higher). If you do not set a reserve, and someone bids $1, you are legally obligated to sell that item to them, regardless of the value. It is a legally binding contract and you can't just change your mind because you did not get as much money as you hoped. It sounds like you may be selling some higher end items and I would hate for you to end up legally bound to sell them for much less than you expect so I would advise you not to list any auctions (hopefully you haven't yet done so) until you carefully read all the tutorials and rules on Ebay. All of what I have posted here is very clear if you read their terms carefully. If you aren't comfortable with these terms, you may want to explore another avenue such as Pearlmans.
Thanks very much for that. I've been on eBay just now and I've found the reserve price, so know I know it's not the same as the buy-it-now price but am still having problem finding out how to set the reserve price. The item unfortunately has been listed but it's not expired yet, so hopefully I can still go back and revise the listing (which it appears to allow me to do).

Thanks again.
 

arjunajane

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Phoenix,
in that case you may want to act quickly - as soon as someone bids on your item, you will not be able to change any
factor that impacts the price (including shipping etc).

I''m not even sure if you can add a reserve after starting the auction - I imagine you can, as long as no one
has bid. If you''re having trouble, use the Help function, it is very effective.

Also ditto Novemberbride - I think its a good idea for you to read some of the turorials before listing further items,
as there is somewhat of an "art" to ebay buying and selling.
 

NovemberBride

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Phoenix,

I don''t think that you can revise an active auction to list a reserve price, which may be the issue you are having. In this case, you may want to consider just canceling the auction and starting over. You can cancel an auction, but you''ll have to give a reason. I normally would not suggest this route because it''s not fair to the bidder and they do make it clear that you are entering into a legally binding contract when you list the item, but in this case it might be the best thing to do. Just make sure you understand the terms before you start your next auction.
 

iheartscience

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I know you can lower (and I think also raise) the reserve during an auction, so you may be able to add a reserve during the auction. If not, I would just cancel the item and start over with a new auction.
 

beau13

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Date: 4/1/2009 4:47:25 AM
Author:Phoenix
..and it''s too low, it doesn''t mean you''ll have to sell the item, right?

Just wondering, since I''ve never bought or sold anything on eBay.

I''m listing some jewellery items for sale, just the ones I''m not wearing often enough. I''m not desparate and do not want to sell just at any price, only if they go up to a certain price(s). If they don''t sell, I''m not fussed, but would like to sell (at my own ''reserve'' prices).

I may try Pearlman''s instead. Anyone has experience selling there? Care to share?
If the item is not selling for the price you''d like, simply end the auction. You don''t HAVE to sell anything you''re not comfortable selling. Just look up "end listing" in the help guide, and enter auction number, and delete listing at any time! You can then reslist at a higher starting price (or add a reserve). Good luck!
 

neatfreak

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Date: 4/1/2009 8:01:26 AM
Author: beau13
Date: 4/1/2009 4:47:25 AM

Author:Phoenix

..and it''s too low, it doesn''t mean you''ll have to sell the item, right?


Just wondering, since I''ve never bought or sold anything on eBay.


I''m listing some jewellery items for sale, just the ones I''m not wearing often enough. I''m not desparate and do not want to sell just at any price, only if they go up to a certain price(s). If they don''t sell, I''m not fussed, but would like to sell (at my own ''reserve'' prices).


I may try Pearlman''s instead. Anyone has experience selling there? Care to share?
If the item is not selling for the price you''d like, simply end the auction. You don''t HAVE to sell anything you''re not comfortable selling. Just look up ''end listing'' in the help guide, and enter auction number, and delete listing at any time! You can then reslist at a higher starting price (or add a reserve). Good luck!

I think this is the only thing you can do at this point. But this is not really allowed on ebay-so be aware that they may cancel your account if you do this too often.

If you are willing to sell only if it meets a certain amount either list it as a BIN item or with a reserve at the beginning of the auction.

It''s pretty crappy to keep pulling auctions (not to mention against ebay rules) if you don''t like the price it''s getting. It just isn''t right IMO.
 

NovemberBride

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Date: 4/1/2009 8:01:26 AM
Author: beau13
Date: 4/1/2009 4:47:25 AM

Author:Phoenix

..and it''s too low, it doesn''t mean you''ll have to sell the item, right?


Just wondering, since I''ve never bought or sold anything on eBay.


I''m listing some jewellery items for sale, just the ones I''m not wearing often enough. I''m not desparate and do not want to sell just at any price, only if they go up to a certain price(s). If they don''t sell, I''m not fussed, but would like to sell (at my own ''reserve'' prices).


I may try Pearlman''s instead. Anyone has experience selling there? Care to share?
If the item is not selling for the price you''d like, simply end the auction. You don''t HAVE to sell anything you''re not comfortable selling. Just look up ''end listing'' in the help guide, and enter auction number, and delete listing at any time! You can then reslist at a higher starting price (or add a reserve). Good luck!

This is actually not true. You do have to sell something once you''ve listed it. You''ve entered into a legally binding contract. It''s true that EBay will usually let you get away with cancelling an auction once or twice, which is why I suggested it initially but followed up by saying Phoenix really needs to read the rules before she lists again. It''s wrong to keep doing this just because you don''t like the price your item sells for and Ebay or the buyer could actually come after you to enforce the contract if they wanted to do so.
 

mrssalvo

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I''ve ended auctions a couple of times for various reasons. I think as long as it''s not done repeatedly it''s fine. In your situation I would end the auction and relist it making sure you added the reserve you want or just go ahead and start the listing at your reserve price and see if anyone bids on it. If you are dealing with high end items though I would really think about at least contacting pearlmans and see what they think they could get for you. Let them deal with the possible unhappy customer/shipping etc. Most people buying on ebay are looking for and will usually get a killer deal so if you are wanting a great price than ebay may not be the best place. good luck!
 

purrfectpear

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If I had bid on an item and then the seller canceled the auction, and then relisted it, I would turn them in to eBay for investigation.

This is not fair to the buyers who bid.
 

diane5006

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Hi Phoenix...

If your auction ends wihth a winning bidder...you are obligated to sell for that price...or you can be reported for a variety of infractions...but eBay won''t put a gun to your head and make you sell it...the buyer however...might not be too pleased

However if you have a reserve, or the correct starting price...that is the least you will sell it for...you should be ok

If not you may have a problem...

If you need to cancel your auction (you can''t if there is less than 12 hours left)...you need to cancle all bids first before you end the auction or you will end up wiht a winning bidder...

If this is the first time you have listed high end items you are ripe for scammers...so be careful

I am going to post a link to the eBay answer center...kinda like a Pricescope for eBay problems...lots of good advice there

It would be a good idea to even just read around in there to learn about the in/outs of eBay

http://pages.ebay.com/community/answercenter/index.html?_trksid=m38

If the link doesn''t work....On the eBay home page...upper right corner...click on ''Community''....then ''Answer Center''

There are several categories...there is on called ''Auction Listings''...you should be able to get help there

Best of luck
 

Clairitek

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If it makes you feel any better, I had a hard time finding the Reserve option when I was doing my last listing. To get help I think I used the online chat help option.

I agree with Neat and Beau that the best option for you right now is to just end the auction. I''ve done this when I''ve had an item listed in CL AND eBay and I sold it through CL first. I never got a warning but I do feel that its generally frowned upon to do this a lot. People make mistakes so as long as you don''t make a habit of it I doubt eBay will know.

FYI Setting a reserve price does add a little bit more to the auction fee but its probably nominal compared to what you hope to get for the items you are selling.

Good luck!
 

gemgirl

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Date: 4/1/2009 10:54:19 AM
Author: Clairitek
If it makes you feel any better, I had a hard time finding the Reserve option when I was doing my last listing. To get help I think I used the online chat help option.

I agree with Neat and Beau that the best option for you right now is to just end the auction. I''ve done this when I''ve had an item listed in CL AND eBay and I sold it through CL first. I never got a warning but I do feel that its generally frowned upon to do this a lot. People make mistakes so as long as you don''t make a habit of it I doubt eBay will know.

FYI Setting a reserve price does add a little bit more to the auction fee but its probably nominal compared to what you hope to get for the items you are selling.

Good luck!
My husband and I have been selling all types of things on Ebay for the past three months. We''ve listed quite a lot and have sold quite a lot. You can cancel a listing until 24 hours before the end of the listing (and you have to watch your time if you''re in a different time zone, it''s 24 hours before Pacific Daylight Time).

My suggestion is to either set a reserve price for your item -or- do as I did with one nice piece that I didn''t want to go for any less than a certain price. I started the bidding at that price. Yes, it costs more to list it that way, but you''re sure to get at least your personal minimum.
 

gemgirl

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Date: 4/1/2009 8:01:26 AM
Author: beau13

Date: 4/1/2009 4:47:25 AM
Author:Phoenix
..and it''s too low, it doesn''t mean you''ll have to sell the item, right?

Just wondering, since I''ve never bought or sold anything on eBay.

I''m listing some jewellery items for sale, just the ones I''m not wearing often enough. I''m not desparate and do not want to sell just at any price, only if they go up to a certain price(s). If they don''t sell, I''m not fussed, but would like to sell (at my own ''reserve'' prices).

I may try Pearlman''s instead. Anyone has experience selling there? Care to share?
If the item is not selling for the price you''d like, simply end the auction. You don''t HAVE to sell anything you''re not comfortable selling. Just look up ''end listing'' in the help guide, and enter auction number, and delete listing at any time! You can then reslist at a higher starting price (or add a reserve). Good luck!
Beau, I''m just curious..... did you ever sell your gorgeous five stone? I watched for a while, then forgot to check again. Sorry for the tiny threadjack!
 

beau13

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Why yes I did sell the five stone Gemgirl. I had a few offers on it before I listed it on E-bay (wanted to see what kind of bids it would get). I ended the auction early
2.gif
, since I had a better offer from someone on the Kijiji site. (similar to craigslist)
The lady who bought it was buying in on behalf of her son, for his girlfriend. When she received the ring, she e-mailed me to say if she didn't alerady have a similar diamond band, her son would have had to fight her for this one! She was amazed at the "brilliance and quality of the ring", and she was also pleased she got it for such a great price.
 

butterfly 17

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Hi Phoenix, if you don''t remember putting a reserve, then you didn''t, because it would have a specific box where you would put in that amount and also you would get charged a higher seller''s fee for having a reserve (based on the price of your reserve).

As far as just listing early if it doesn''t go as high as you want it to, it''s not a good idea. I had put up two bags for sale and decided that I no longer wanted to sell them and closed the auction early. There were no bids, so it was okay, but ebay automatically banned me from listing another item for sale for 3 months.

So, I had to wait to list other things I wanted to sell.

Just a heads up!
 

Phoenix

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Thanks so much, everyone, for responding and thanks especially to Diane for the link. It''s very helpful.

I did not manage to revise the original listing (it doesn''t let you) but eBay does offer you the option of "end your listing early" and sub-option "there was an error in the selling price or reserve price". So, that''s what I''ve done. Now, there''s a new listing with a reserve price.

If there are no new bids on the new listing and the original bidder insisted on me following through on the contract, then of course I''d have to honour that and chalk it down to a lesson learnt (expensive lesson though!
4.gif
).

I think I''ll contat Pearlman''s tonight to see if I can list my other items for sale there.

Thanks again, everyone.
 

LaraOnline

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If there is an error, why do you have to follow through on the original (now cancelled) auction?
Don''t give away your jewels for $15!!
 

Pandora II

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Date: 4/2/2009 9:24:55 AM
Author: LaraOnline
If there is an error, why do you have to follow through on the original (now cancelled) auction?
Don''t give away your jewels for $15!!
Although there are obviously genuine mistakes (such as in Phoenix''s case), there are also people that put items up hoping to get $x and when they don''t they just renege on the deal.

Often not having a reserve will encourage people to bid and sometimes they will get caught up in the ''bidding frenzy'' and spend more than they might have been prepared to had they been looking at a ''Buy it Now'' item.

I''ve bought items that the vendor has then told me they have ''dropped and broken'', that have ''got lost in the post and they can''t find the receipt'' etc. For some strange reason this nearly always happens with things that I have got a very good deal on...

It''s very frustrating when you have to go through all the hassle of contacting post-offices and waiting for refunds etc and drives me mad when perhaps I have purchased something as a gift (I often buy antique pieces as gifts for family members who collect certain things) and you have to start all over again.

If someone wants to sell for $x plus then that must be made clear at the beginning with a reserve or a fixed price, so that no-one wastes time or emotional energy.
 

diane5006

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Phoenix...glad the link helped...I like reading around in there...it is a great learning tool...and a lot of the posters are really knowlegable...FYI sometimes the tone of the posts can seem snarky at first...but the information is great...and you can learn so much...I have only bought on eBay...but have learned from the Answer Center...and that it has helped look more closely at the auctions I might bid on to avoid problems...

You can post any problem there and they will help you...

As I said in my last post because you are a first time lister...with a high end type item...you a open for scammers...etc...a common issue for first time (or newish) listers...is to have someone ask you to end your auction early and sell to them...you can do this (there are certain ways to do it to be eBay kosher) but is usually not in your best interest...they are just trying to get your item at a good price...OR they may be trying to lure the seller into an off-eBay transaction...for which you will have no protection...

There are lots of other scams issues...some so obvious you would be suprised anyone would fall for them and others more subtle...

Lots of info in the Answer Center in the Trust and Safety link...

eBay can be a fun place...but it helps to know what to look for....

Lara...eBay can get complicated (not too but enough)

The only way Phoenix would have a problem is if her auction ended (either naturally or cancelled) and she had a winning bidder AND that winning bidder meets the terms of her auction.

If she cancelled the auction and had no bidders....no problem...

If she had bidders she would have had to cancel their bids FIRST then cancel the auction...you can cancel a bid on your auction at anytime for any reason...(I am not sure about the last 12 hours though...I will check)

Say there is an auction...that is set up correctly has the reserve price in...there is a bidder...say the reserve is $100...but the bidder only bids $90...does not meet the reserve...the auction ends wiht NO winner because the reserve is not been met...no problem

So now....oops your forgot to put in the reserve...you really want $100...and you don't notice no reserve...you have bidders and the high bid is $65....technically you have a winning bidder and you are supposed to sell at that price...but the eBay police are not going to come to your house and put a gun to you head...your buyer will be pissed...and be able to leave you negative feedback (because you have a completed auction wiht them), and they can also report you to eBay as a non-performing seller (you get a bunch of those and eBay may/will ban you)

So this is where it can get complicated...just because you have a winning bidder...doesn't mean all is kosher in eBay land...the buyer must also meet the terms of your auction...the most problematic areas being shipping and payment....

If you say in your auction that you onlly ship to the US...and someone from France wins...they are technically an 'unwelcome bidder' and can be reported as such...and you don't have to sell to them...(there are ways to block bidders from outside your shipping area)

If you say you only take Paypal...but they don't have Paypal account...they either have to get one or you don't have to sell to them...and you can report them as unwelcome...they are ways to make your auction Paypal account required

Of course you can work out other arrangements with buyers if you chose...but you don't have to

Pandora

There are lots of honest mistakes made when listing...and there are people who actually break/lose the items before shipping...

and then there are those who claim broken/lost when they don't get enough money...they can be reported as a non-perfoming seller...and they can also be reported for fee avoidance (this on eBay cares about
4.gif
)

eBay make money off listing fees, reseve fees, buy it now fees, and final value fees (the amount based on the final selling price) etc.


The cheapest way to list is regualr auction with low start bid...

Some people are trying to avoid fees...some are trying to lure people to off eBay transactions...

eBay responds to reports...While eBay makes money everytime some lists...they make more if they do it with reserve or higher starting bid...if you report someone for Fee avoidance they will look into it...what happens after that ...if a problem they will do something...

There is a report link at the bottom of every auction

Sorry this was so long

Best of luck on your auction Phoenix
 

diane5006

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Here is a link the the managing buyer info from eBay....and info about what groups of people you can block (you can also block individual bidder throug a different process)

http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/manage_bidders_ov.html

It doesn''t state a time limit for cancelling bids...

and why they don''t recommend cancelling bids...you can do it for whatever reason you want...

This is different that a bid retration...

Sellers cancel bids (no reason needed)

Buyers retract bids (reson needed...and can be reported for invalid bid retraction, if reason not true)
 
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