So if it hasn't sold, reappraise and raise the price?

[Lula]

I've been noticing a trend on ebay and DB and I'm wondering if others have noticed it, too. A seller lists a piece, and it doesn't sell, and so they re-list it (rinse, repeat). After a few re-listings, the seller lowers the price 10%. It still doesn't sell. They keep re-listing it, never coming down in price, for six months or more. One day you notice that the price has tripled! Seems the seller had the piece re-appraised, and the new price is based on the new appraisal. What is the logic in this? If it hasn't sold at the old, way less expensive price for six months or more (there's a ring I've been watching on ebay for over a year, that tripled in price right before Christmas) why would it sell at the new price? What am I missing?

 

[MyDiamondSparkles]

I've noticed this as well. I have sen the same rings For sale for two years. I mean, if someone hasn't bought it in two years I'd think it would alert the seller to the price being too high. Truthfully speaking, if eBay would charge to list each item it was stop the nonsense of me having to look thru all of the same rings for months on end.

 

[Lula]

I've noticed this as well. I have sen the same rings For sale for two years. I mean, if someone hasn't bought it in two years I'd think it would alert the seller to the price being too high. Truthfully speaking, if eBay would charge to list each item it was stop the nonsense of me having to look thru all of the same rings for months on end.

Great idea. Or if there was a way to filter out old listings in searches. Setting my search to "new listings" helps some, but not enough.

 

[iLander]

I think with jewelry, since diamonds and gold have gone up so much in the last six months, everybody feels like they can justify it.

I don't get the triple price, though.

 

[Rhea]

Sometimes pieces do sell faster when the price is raised. Perceived value kicks in at some point. It's a funny thing, this perceived value. DH sells restored furniture. Sometimes after the piece is completed there is plenty of space to sell it for a song to someone, say a vintage dining table for £100 and he'd still make money. However we've found that if we raise the price then the buyer is often more likely to buy it. At £100 someone is looking to find the fault, figure out why it's so inexpensive, and they pass on it, sure that something is wrong. At £900 it's too expensive. At £400, it's just right. That correct level of pricing where the buyer thinks that it's a good buy but isn't questioning what's wrong with it. I'd imagine that's part of why prices are sometimes raised.

 

[TristanC]

At 3 times the price maybe they are hoping that if you offer 50% of the asking, they still make 1.5times what they hoped...

Don't forget inflation is 5% per annum... so those sitting around for 2 years... wow! More money earned!

 

[decodelighted]

I've noticed this as well. I have sen the same rings For sale for two years. I mean, if someone hasn't bought it in two years I'd think it would alert the seller to the price being too high. Truthfully speaking, if eBay would charge to list each item it was stop the nonsense of me having to look thru all of the same rings for months on end.

And OH JOY -- they'll bump it everyday so it shows up as a "new listing" --- FRAUDSTERS.

 

[MyDiamondSparkles]

I honestly don't know if anyone really saves any money even when they do seem to get a steal on EBay. Take the hours spent searching on EBay and give yourself minimum wage for those hours and I think that combined with the steal price, the aggravation in looking thru all of the junk and old listings disguising themselves as new listings and you could have used the time doing something more enjoyable and just bought a seemingly higher priced ring from a reputable dealer for less. Just my honest opinion.

 

[VRBeauty]

I honestly don't know if anyone really saves any money even when they do seem to get a steal on EBay. Take the hours spent searching on EBay and give yourself minimum wage for those hours and I think that combined with the steal price, the aggravation in looking thru all of the junk and old listings disguising themselves as new listings and you could have used the time doing something more enjoyable and just bought a seemingly higher priced ring from a reputable dealer for less. Just my honest opinion.

I understand that viewpoint, but... I've yet to find anybody willing to pay me for that ebay search time, or for my aggravation! Still, when searching for bargains on ebay you have to get some satisfaction from the hunt, or it just isn't worth it.

(I don't do much ebay buying anymore because, well, too much stuff is too much stuff, even when it's bought at a bargain price. So I'm just not buying much anymore. Until I decide I'm ready to try my hand at selling on ebay, that is!)

 

[Dreamer_D]

I surf ebay while I watch TV, or watch my baby eat a block. By your logic MDS, if I get a "deal" and then add to it minimum wage for my time, and the result equals retail... well then I just got paid to watch TV. So far, I have not found anyone else willing to pay me to do that!

Lula I have seen that and it confounds me too. I think there is a payoff for the vendors in other ways in some cases, like traffic to a home site or some such.

 

[Imdanny]

It sounds like trying to buy a car from craigslist. You wouldn't believe the prices many of these people are asking. They do modifications or they recently did work on the vehicle and so they think kbb goes out the window! In what world? The good cars that are priced fairly are off the market in three days. These other people- I don't know what makes them think they can pull prices out of thin air.

 

[ForteKitty]

If I see something good, I'll save it to a list, and often times, they are relisted at a higher price and sold! So obviously that method works. Not everyone searches completed listings to see whether it was listed lower before, but if they did, they might find out that a $100 item could have been theirs for $75!

If you dont want to see items from a particular seller, you can always block the seller in your searches and save it. Sellers have the right to ask whatever they want and if you dont like it, you have the choice to ignore their listings. Ebay has great filters but so many people never use it, and then they complain about finding crap. When I was buying aggressively on ebay a few months ago, my daily searches wouldn't take more than an hour each day once I went thru the initial hard work. Considering I saved thousands each month, I say it's worth it... especially since I'd search while drinking my morning coffee at work.

 

[VRBeauty]

Sellers do know how many people are watching an item - maybe they factor that in somehow?

 

[ForteKitty]

Maybe. But they should also know that people will watch hundreds of items on their multiple lists and not buy most of it. I do that when I'm trying to track trends and costs on a certain item. Since completed items only stay around for a little while, it helps to know how Item X has been priced in the past 6 months. (Can you tell this is really fun for me?)

Also, I wonder if they just don't care if it doesn't sell. Say they paid practically nothing for an item, and it doesn't sell until a year later at 100x the original cost. It's not like the seller is losing out on much. Might be worth it to hold out for that one buyer. All it takes is one!

 

[ihy138]

Sellers do know how many people are watching an item - maybe they factor that in somehow?

I sell on e-bay on occasion...though not big ticket items. You can see how many views your item has gotten and how many people are watching it.


I read a book about the psychology behind decision making. Raising the price is an old business trick to move items that won't sell. I still don't completely understand how it works, but apparently it makes it seem as though the item is worth more. Exactly what a previous poster said about perceived value. I guess the human brain isn't perfect.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

I honestly don't know if anyone really saves any money even when they do seem to get a steal on EBay. Take the hours spent searching on EBay and give yourself minimum wage for those hours and I think that combined with the steal price, the aggravation in looking thru all of the junk and old listings disguising themselves as new listings and you could have used the time doing something more enjoyable and just bought a seemingly higher priced ring from a reputable dealer for less. Just my honest opinion.

For some people, browsing eBay and DB is a hobby so I don't think it can be compared to min. wage vs. money saved at the lower price because it's an activity a person does for fun. Some may have the money stashed for jewelry and be spending a lot of time browing for deals where others may have the money stashed, do scrapbooking or whatever during free time, and then when they decide to buy, look for something quickly and pay full price. I perceive that most who buy jewelry/stones at great prices as those who really enjoy looking around and it goes beyond the bargain. They like the bargain, but enjoy the window shopping aspect, as well.

For those who have items listed on DB for a LONG time and don't lower the price, my guess is they're not in a hurry to sell so don't mind the item sitting there. What I don't get is when a person is in a hurry to sell (as they'll state in an auction) yet list very high. That tends to be more common on CL (or at least where I live) as a person has an item listed higher than I could buy brand new, but then again, those are people who buy at the mall and aren't aware of lower internet prices.

 

[Lula]

Thanks for the replies! Yes, I browse ebay more as a hobby, and I browse while watching TV or drinking coffee in the AM -- just like some of you!

And my watch list is huge - that's how I compare prices and how I noticed this re-listing at a higher price trend. Interesting that sometimes it motivates people to buy. It does make sense that if something is priced too low, people will wonder what's wrong with it.

And Danny and MC, don't even get me started on Craigslist I don't even bother looking on our local CL - the prices are way out of line, sadly because people paid too much to start with (jewelry) and are basing their prices on inflated store appraisals.

I do use ebay's search functions, and they do help. If I'm looking for something specific, e.g., hardware for our vintage house, I set up a specific search which saves a lot of time. But sometimes I just like to browse, and people list their stuff in all sorts of nonsensical categories, so if my search is too narrow, I may miss some good stuff.