Silliest ebay auction for Atari 2600 you've ever seen

[H.E.R.O.]

So I'm cruising the 'bay and just for fun, organize the going 2600 auctions by highest price first and begin to chuckle. There's a Combat for $200 bucks, an original 2600 boxed with 9 boxed games for $1000 and an Imagic Atlantis standup for $10,000. Ok, I can't say I know the going prices off the top of my head but some prices just seem damn silly.

 

What's the silliest 2600 auction you ever saw and how much did they want for the item?

[Cebus Capucinis]

I think the craziest I saw was that Atari 2600 Activision Dactar clone for $67,000 or so, but that wasn't an "actual" auction , per se, that was djpubba listing it for added publicity for the extra auctions he had listed, so it doesn't really count.

[Miss 2600]

that was djpubba listing it for added publicity for the extra auctions he had listed

 

That's a interesting strategy. Did it work?

[Cebus Capucinis]

I believe so, he said he got quite a bump in traffic to his other eBay auctions because of it. I do recall one of the Q&A being "What are you smoking" and his answer was "A big fat hit of the publicity bong and it appears to be working.."

[homerwannabee]

That was me who listed the stand-up. Did it mainly so people could check out my other Buy It Now Atari 2600 games. I have over 617 views on that auction. An auction in which I basically say to check out my other auctions. I probably have sold 4 or 5 more games than I would normally sell because of this auction. By the way, as far as I can tell, I am the only one known to have one, and so there is always the very slim chance that someone would actually buy it at $9,999. But of course I know those odds are absurdly low.

[Buyatari]

That was me who listed the stand-up. Did it mainly so people could check out my other Buy It Now Atari 2600 games. I have over 617 views on that auction. An auction in which I basically say to check out my other auctions. I probably have sold 4 or 5 more games than I would normally sell because of this auction. By the way, as far as I can tell, I am the only one known to have one, and so there is always the very slim chance that someone would actually buy it at $9,999. But of course I know those odds are absurdly low.

 

One might debate the effectiveness of this tactic. On one hand you may get more hits but if potential buyers think you are off your rocker then they might avoid buying something from you. If your auctions are all BINs then buyers might assume that all of your auctions are overpriced. I'm not saying it helps or it doesn't but that standee has been up for some time now so was it up while you were selling your Donkey Kong arcade game?

[homerwannabee]

That was me who listed the stand-up. Did it mainly so people could check out my other Buy It Now Atari 2600 games. I have over 617 views on that auction. An auction in which I basically say to check out my other auctions. I probably have sold 4 or 5 more games than I would normally sell because of this auction. By the way, as far as I can tell, I am the only one known to have one, and so there is always the very slim chance that someone would actually buy it at $9,999. But of course I know those odds are absurdly low.

 

One might debate the effectiveness of this tactic. On one hand you may get more hits but if potential buyers think you are off your rocker then they might avoid buying something from you. If your auctions are all BINs then buyers might assume that all of your auctions are overpriced. I'm not saying it helps or it doesn't but that standee has been up for some time now so was it up while you were selling your Donkey Kong arcade game?

Yep, but Donkey Kong 3 has absolutely nothing to do with Atari 2600. One is a console, the other is Arcade. Donkey Kong 3 was never made on the Atari 2600, and Atari had nothing to do with the arcade game. And there was no Buy It Now on the Donkey Kong 3. It was highest bidder gets the item. Now my Starpath games going for cheap may be a better argument.

[nofrills100]

this one has been on Australian ebay for ages:

eBay Auction -- Item Number: 140431692438

[Buyatari]

That was me who listed the stand-up. Did it mainly so people could check out my other Buy It Now Atari 2600 games. I have over 617 views on that auction. An auction in which I basically say to check out my other auctions. I probably have sold 4 or 5 more games than I would normally sell because of this auction. By the way, as far as I can tell, I am the only one known to have one, and so there is always the very slim chance that someone would actually buy it at $9,999. But of course I know those odds are absurdly low.

 

One might debate the effectiveness of this tactic. On one hand you may get more hits but if potential buyers think you are off your rocker then they might avoid buying something from you. If your auctions are all BINs then buyers might assume that all of your auctions are overpriced. I'm not saying it helps or it doesn't but that standee has been up for some time now so was it up while you were selling your Donkey Kong arcade game?

Yep, but Donkey Kong 3 has absolutely nothing to do with Atari 2600. One is a console, the other is Arcade. Donkey Kong 3 was never made on the Atari 2600, and Atari had nothing to do with the arcade game. And there was no Buy It Now on the Donkey Kong 3. It was highest bidder gets the item. Now my Starpath games going for cheap may be a better argument.

 

I wouldn't say that are totally unrelated. One could argue that many collectors of classic arcade games have some interest in classic videogames and vice versea but I'll leave that one alone. I will say it is possible that people seeing a high priced BIN make an assumption that all BIN from that person are over priced. It is also possible that someone seeing an auction that makes them think the seller is a little off will also avoid anything from the seller because you might have a problem. I've made both of those assumptions before myself. Sometimes I'll look at completed auctions and the highest priced auctions for a game have a blank description. Just nothing.

 

Without a control group you will never know for sure if your crazy auctions help or hurt or are a waste of time. You would have to start a new ebay ID and then get one of the more conservative members here to form another new account so feedback and time on ebay would be the same. Then sell the exact same games at the same time with the same shipping. Only offer stupid crazy items on the one account for a few months and compare the results.

 

We all know you well enough to know this isn't about more money or more sales but another chance to toot the Atlantis II horn.

[homerwannabee]

That was me who listed the stand-up. Did it mainly so people could check out my other Buy It Now Atari 2600 games. I have over 617 views on that auction. An auction in which I basically say to check out my other auctions. I probably have sold 4 or 5 more games than I would normally sell because of this auction. By the way, as far as I can tell, I am the only one known to have one, and so there is always the very slim chance that someone would actually buy it at $9,999. But of course I know those odds are absurdly low.

 

One might debate the effectiveness of this tactic. On one hand you may get more hits but if potential buyers think you are off your rocker then they might avoid buying something from you. If your auctions are all BINs then buyers might assume that all of your auctions are overpriced. I'm not saying it helps or it doesn't but that standee has been up for some time now so was it up while you were selling your Donkey Kong arcade game?

Yep, but Donkey Kong 3 has absolutely nothing to do with Atari 2600. One is a console, the other is Arcade. Donkey Kong 3 was never made on the Atari 2600, and Atari had nothing to do with the arcade game. And there was no Buy It Now on the Donkey Kong 3. It was highest bidder gets the item. Now my Starpath games going for cheap may be a better argument.

 

I wouldn't say that are totally unrelated. One could argue that many collectors of classic arcade games have some interest in classic videogames and vice versea but I'll leave that one alone. I will say it is possible that people seeing a high priced BIN make an assumption that all BIN from that person are over priced. It is also possible that someone seeing an auction that makes them think the seller is a little off will also avoid anything from the seller because you might have a problem. I've made both of those assumptions before myself. Sometimes I'll look at completed auctions and the highest priced auctions for a game have a blank description. Just nothing.

 

Without a control group you will never know for sure if your crazy auctions help or hurt or are a waste of time. You would have to start a new ebay ID and then get one of the more conservative members here to form another new account so feedback and time on ebay would be the same. Then sell the exact same games at the same time with the same shipping. Only offer stupid crazy items on the one account for a few months and compare the results.

 

We all know you well enough to know this isn't about more money or more sales but another chance to toot the Atlantis II horn.

But I did have a control group of games. I think it was about 2 years ago. I put up a similar number of games when the economy was much better, around the same prices. But with no auction to draw people in. This time I sold more games this time around than last time around. So because of that I inferred that I sold more. I am not the only person to use this tactic. Ask DreamTR. He has done this a ton of times. He had a Sega Genesis BlockBuster World Championship cart up for $50,000. Marco has also preceded in this tactic. If this does not work, why are other well established sellers doing it?

 

P.S. About the Atlantis II. My world records mean so much more to me than this game. Don't get me wrong the game is awesome, but to have two different world records in two of your favorite games of all time is just awesome. I get a ton of enjoyment out of playing both games, and it is awesome that I was able to hold world records in both games for a period of time. See this is something that money can not buy. And because of that it means so much more to me. These are something that Bill Gates can't get. He can't just wake up one morning, and proclaim, I want to buy the Galaxian, and Donkey Kong 3 record. In order for Bill Gates or any other billionaire to get these records, they are going to have to work their tail off. It is something you have to earn, not something that you can buy.

[Buyatari]

That was me who listed the stand-up. Did it mainly so people could check out my other Buy It Now Atari 2600 games. I have over 617 views on that auction. An auction in which I basically say to check out my other auctions. I probably have sold 4 or 5 more games than I would normally sell because of this auction. By the way, as far as I can tell, I am the only one known to have one, and so there is always the very slim chance that someone would actually buy it at $9,999. But of course I know those odds are absurdly low.

 

One might debate the effectiveness of this tactic. On one hand you may get more hits but if potential buyers think you are off your rocker then they might avoid buying something from you. If your auctions are all BINs then buyers might assume that all of your auctions are overpriced. I'm not saying it helps or it doesn't but that standee has been up for some time now so was it up while you were selling your Donkey Kong arcade game?

Yep, but Donkey Kong 3 has absolutely nothing to do with Atari 2600. One is a console, the other is Arcade. Donkey Kong 3 was never made on the Atari 2600, and Atari had nothing to do with the arcade game. And there was no Buy It Now on the Donkey Kong 3. It was highest bidder gets the item. Now my Starpath games going for cheap may be a better argument.

 

I wouldn't say that are totally unrelated. One could argue that many collectors of classic arcade games have some interest in classic videogames and vice versea but I'll leave that one alone. I will say it is possible that people seeing a high priced BIN make an assumption that all BIN from that person are over priced. It is also possible that someone seeing an auction that makes them think the seller is a little off will also avoid anything from the seller because you might have a problem. I've made both of those assumptions before myself. Sometimes I'll look at completed auctions and the highest priced auctions for a game have a blank description. Just nothing.

 

Without a control group you will never know for sure if your crazy auctions help or hurt or are a waste of time. You would have to start a new ebay ID and then get one of the more conservative members here to form another new account so feedback and time on ebay would be the same. Then sell the exact same games at the same time with the same shipping. Only offer stupid crazy items on the one account for a few months and compare the results.

 

We all know you well enough to know this isn't about more money or more sales but another chance to toot the Atlantis II horn.

But I did have a control group of games. I think it was about 2 years ago. I put up a similar number of games when the economy was much better, around the same prices. But with no auction to draw people in. This time I sold more games this time around than last time around. So because of that I inferred that I sold more. I am not the only person to use this tactic. Ask DreamTR. He has done this a ton of times. He had a Sega Genesis BlockBuster World Championship cart up for $50,000. Marco has also preceded in this tactic. If this does not work, why are other well established sellers doing it?

 

P.S. About the Atlantis II. My world records mean so much more to me than this game. Don't get me wrong the game is awesome, but to have two different world records in two of your favorite games of all time is just awesome. I get a ton of enjoyment out of playing both games, and it is awesome that I was able to hold world records in both games for a period of time. See this is something that money can not buy. And because of that it means so much more to me. These are something that Bill Gates can't get. He can't just wake up one morning, and proclaim, I want to buy the Galaxian, and Donkey Kong 3 record. In order for Bill Gates or any other billionaire to get these records, they are going to have to work their tail off. It is something you have to earn, not something that you can buy.

 

Two years ago with a "similar number of games" is not a control group. Come on man. You majored in psychology right?

 

There are some differences with DreamTr and Marco. The items they have offered for $50,000 might actually be worth 10k 15k or 20k if they get lucky. What is your sign really worth in an open auction started at a penny? 500? 800? perhaps 1000 if Wonder really wanted it. Not sure on Marco but when Dream posts something for 50k he really is looking to sell it and has sold items for thousands of dollars outside of eBay skipping the fees. Those guys you mentioned also have other rare items to sell. If you had a ton of rare signs that you were selling and then posted one of them at a crazy price to advertise it then I could see it working. Someone clicking on your Atlantis II sign and then buying a common loose game well not so much so.

 

Perhaps if you took the humorous route like the Double Rainbow video guy. People click on his crazy youtube video and then buy his t-shirts.

[homerwannabee]

That was me who listed the stand-up. Did it mainly so people could check out my other Buy It Now Atari 2600 games. I have over 617 views on that auction. An auction in which I basically say to check out my other auctions. I probably have sold 4 or 5 more games than I would normally sell because of this auction. By the way, as far as I can tell, I am the only one known to have one, and so there is always the very slim chance that someone would actually buy it at $9,999. But of course I know those odds are absurdly low.

 

One might debate the effectiveness of this tactic. On one hand you may get more hits but if potential buyers think you are off your rocker then they might avoid buying something from you. If your auctions are all BINs then buyers might assume that all of your auctions are overpriced. I'm not saying it helps or it doesn't but that standee has been up for some time now so was it up while you were selling your Donkey Kong arcade game?

Yep, but Donkey Kong 3 has absolutely nothing to do with Atari 2600. One is a console, the other is Arcade. Donkey Kong 3 was never made on the Atari 2600, and Atari had nothing to do with the arcade game. And there was no Buy It Now on the Donkey Kong 3. It was highest bidder gets the item. Now my Starpath games going for cheap may be a better argument.

 

I wouldn't say that are totally unrelated. One could argue that many collectors of classic arcade games have some interest in classic videogames and vice versea but I'll leave that one alone. I will say it is possible that people seeing a high priced BIN make an assumption that all BIN from that person are over priced. It is also possible that someone seeing an auction that makes them think the seller is a little off will also avoid anything from the seller because you might have a problem. I've made both of those assumptions before myself. Sometimes I'll look at completed auctions and the highest priced auctions for a game have a blank description. Just nothing.

 

Without a control group you will never know for sure if your crazy auctions help or hurt or are a waste of time. You would have to start a new ebay ID and then get one of the more conservative members here to form another new account so feedback and time on ebay would be the same. Then sell the exact same games at the same time with the same shipping. Only offer stupid crazy items on the one account for a few months and compare the results.

 

We all know you well enough to know this isn't about more money or more sales but another chance to toot the Atlantis II horn.

But I did have a control group of games. I think it was about 2 years ago. I put up a similar number of games when the economy was much better, around the same prices. But with no auction to draw people in. This time I sold more games this time around than last time around. So because of that I inferred that I sold more. I am not the only person to use this tactic. Ask DreamTR. He has done this a ton of times. He had a Sega Genesis BlockBuster World Championship cart up for $50,000. Marco has also preceded in this tactic. If this does not work, why are other well established sellers doing it?

 

P.S. About the Atlantis II. My world records mean so much more to me than this game. Don't get me wrong the game is awesome, but to have two different world records in two of your favorite games of all time is just awesome. I get a ton of enjoyment out of playing both games, and it is awesome that I was able to hold world records in both games for a period of time. See this is something that money can not buy. And because of that it means so much more to me. These are something that Bill Gates can't get. He can't just wake up one morning, and proclaim, I want to buy the Galaxian, and Donkey Kong 3 record. In order for Bill Gates or any other billionaire to get these records, they are going to have to work their tail off. It is something you have to earn, not something that you can buy.

 

Two years ago with a "similar number of games" is not a control group. Come on man. You majored in psychology right?

 

There are some differences with DreamTr and Marco. The items they have offered for $50,000 might actually be worth 10k 15k or 20k if they get lucky. What is your sign really worth in an open auction started at a penny? 500? 800? perhaps 1000 if Wonder really wanted it. Not sure on Marco but when Dream posts something for 50k he really is looking to sell it and has sold items for thousands of dollars outside of eBay skipping the fees. Those guys you mentioned also have other rare items to sell. If you had a ton of rare signs that you were selling and then posted one of them at a crazy price to advertise it then I could see it working. Someone clicking on your Atlantis II sign and then buying a common loose game well not so much so.

 

Perhaps if you took the humorous route like the Double Rainbow video guy. People click on his crazy youtube video and then buy his t-shirts.

I put it up there to draw attention to my other auctions, simple as that. I say that it has helped, you say other wise despite the fact of me having the first hand experience. I say that others have done it, but you say others have done it for the right reasons. You really do need to get down off that high horse of yours. It is my standee, and I will do with it what I darn well please.

[Buyatari]

That was me who listed the stand-up. Did it mainly so people could check out my other Buy It Now Atari 2600 games. I have over 617 views on that auction. An auction in which I basically say to check out my other auctions. I probably have sold 4 or 5 more games than I would normally sell because of this auction. By the way, as far as I can tell, I am the only one known to have one, and so there is always the very slim chance that someone would actually buy it at $9,999. But of course I know those odds are absurdly low.

 

One might debate the effectiveness of this tactic. On one hand you may get more hits but if potential buyers think you are off your rocker then they might avoid buying something from you. If your auctions are all BINs then buyers might assume that all of your auctions are overpriced. I'm not saying it helps or it doesn't but that standee has been up for some time now so was it up while you were selling your Donkey Kong arcade game?

Yep, but Donkey Kong 3 has absolutely nothing to do with Atari 2600. One is a console, the other is Arcade. Donkey Kong 3 was never made on the Atari 2600, and Atari had nothing to do with the arcade game. And there was no Buy It Now on the Donkey Kong 3. It was highest bidder gets the item. Now my Starpath games going for cheap may be a better argument.

 

I wouldn't say that are totally unrelated. One could argue that many collectors of classic arcade games have some interest in classic videogames and vice versea but I'll leave that one alone. I will say it is possible that people seeing a high priced BIN make an assumption that all BIN from that person are over priced. It is also possible that someone seeing an auction that makes them think the seller is a little off will also avoid anything from the seller because you might have a problem. I've made both of those assumptions before myself. Sometimes I'll look at completed auctions and the highest priced auctions for a game have a blank description. Just nothing.

 

Without a control group you will never know for sure if your crazy auctions help or hurt or are a waste of time. You would have to start a new ebay ID and then get one of the more conservative members here to form another new account so feedback and time on ebay would be the same. Then sell the exact same games at the same time with the same shipping. Only offer stupid crazy items on the one account for a few months and compare the results.

 

We all know you well enough to know this isn't about more money or more sales but another chance to toot the Atlantis II horn.

But I did have a control group of games. I think it was about 2 years ago. I put up a similar number of games when the economy was much better, around the same prices. But with no auction to draw people in. This time I sold more games this time around than last time around. So because of that I inferred that I sold more. I am not the only person to use this tactic. Ask DreamTR. He has done this a ton of times. He had a Sega Genesis BlockBuster World Championship cart up for $50,000. Marco has also preceded in this tactic. If this does not work, why are other well established sellers doing it?

 

P.S. About the Atlantis II. My world records mean so much more to me than this game. Don't get me wrong the game is awesome, but to have two different world records in two of your favorite games of all time is just awesome. I get a ton of enjoyment out of playing both games, and it is awesome that I was able to hold world records in both games for a period of time. See this is something that money can not buy. And because of that it means so much more to me. These are something that Bill Gates can't get. He can't just wake up one morning, and proclaim, I want to buy the Galaxian, and Donkey Kong 3 record. In order for Bill Gates or any other billionaire to get these records, they are going to have to work their tail off. It is something you have to earn, not something that you can buy.

 

Two years ago with a "similar number of games" is not a control group. Come on man. You majored in psychology right?

 

There are some differences with DreamTr and Marco. The items they have offered for $50,000 might actually be worth 10k 15k or 20k if they get lucky. What is your sign really worth in an open auction started at a penny? 500? 800? perhaps 1000 if Wonder really wanted it. Not sure on Marco but when Dream posts something for 50k he really is looking to sell it and has sold items for thousands of dollars outside of eBay skipping the fees. Those guys you mentioned also have other rare items to sell. If you had a ton of rare signs that you were selling and then posted one of them at a crazy price to advertise it then I could see it working. Someone clicking on your Atlantis II sign and then buying a common loose game well not so much so.

 

Perhaps if you took the humorous route like the Double Rainbow video guy. People click on his crazy youtube video and then buy his t-shirts.

I put it up there to draw attention to my other auctions, simple as that. I say that it has helped, you say other wise despite the fact of me having the first hand experience. I say that others have done it, but you say others have done it for the right reasons. You really do need to get down off that high horse of yours. It is my standee, and I will do with it what I darn well please.

 

get off your high horse -

to stop acting as if you are better or more intelligent than other people

 

Ok. Bill Gates.

 

I think the jury is still out on this tactic. I am not convinced it helps or hurts. Of course all who use it think it helps or they wouldn't try it. That doesn't mean it works.

 

To get back on topic I think it would be fun to see someone run 2 indentical sets of auctions from 2 "new" sellers. One of those sellers listing a single item priced at 2000% of market value and report the results of both sales and hit counts. Would all items be affected or just those closly related to the over priced item?

[horseboy]

That was me who listed the stand-up. Did it mainly so people could check out my other Buy It Now Atari 2600 games. I have over 617 views on that auction. An auction in which I basically say to check out my other auctions. I probably have sold 4 or 5 more games than I would normally sell because of this auction. By the way, as far as I can tell, I am the only one known to have one, and so there is always the very slim chance that someone would actually buy it at $9,999. But of course I know those odds are absurdly low.

 

One might debate the effectiveness of this tactic. On one hand you may get more hits but if potential buyers think you are off your rocker then they might avoid buying something from you. If your auctions are all BINs then buyers might assume that all of your auctions are overpriced. I'm not saying it helps or it doesn't but that standee has been up for some time now so was it up while you were selling your Donkey Kong arcade game?

Yep, but Donkey Kong 3 has absolutely nothing to do with Atari 2600. One is a console, the other is Arcade. Donkey Kong 3 was never made on the Atari 2600, and Atari had nothing to do with the arcade game. And there was no Buy It Now on the Donkey Kong 3. It was highest bidder gets the item. Now my Starpath games going for cheap may be a better argument.

 

I wouldn't say that are totally unrelated. One could argue that many collectors of classic arcade games have some interest in classic videogames and vice versea but I'll leave that one alone. I will say it is possible that people seeing a high priced BIN make an assumption that all BIN from that person are over priced. It is also possible that someone seeing an auction that makes them think the seller is a little off will also avoid anything from the seller because you might have a problem. I've made both of those assumptions before myself. Sometimes I'll look at completed auctions and the highest priced auctions for a game have a blank description. Just nothing.

 

Without a control group you will never know for sure if your crazy auctions help or hurt or are a waste of time. You would have to start a new ebay ID and then get one of the more conservative members here to form another new account so feedback and time on ebay would be the same. Then sell the exact same games at the same time with the same shipping. Only offer stupid crazy items on the one account for a few months and compare the results.

 

We all know you well enough to know this isn't about more money or more sales but another chance to toot the Atlantis II horn.

But I did have a control group of games. I think it was about 2 years ago. I put up a similar number of games when the economy was much better, around the same prices. But with no auction to draw people in. This time I sold more games this time around than last time around. So because of that I inferred that I sold more. I am not the only person to use this tactic. Ask DreamTR. He has done this a ton of times. He had a Sega Genesis BlockBuster World Championship cart up for $50,000. Marco has also preceded in this tactic. If this does not work, why are other well established sellers doing it?

 

P.S. About the Atlantis II. My world records mean so much more to me than this game. Don't get me wrong the game is awesome, but to have two different world records in two of your favorite games of all time is just awesome. I get a ton of enjoyment out of playing both games, and it is awesome that I was able to hold world records in both games for a period of time. See this is something that money can not buy. And because of that it means so much more to me. These are something that Bill Gates can't get. He can't just wake up one morning, and proclaim, I want to buy the Galaxian, and Donkey Kong 3 record. In order for Bill Gates or any other billionaire to get these records, they are going to have to work their tail off. It is something you have to earn, not something that you can buy.

 

Two years ago with a "similar number of games" is not a control group. Come on man. You majored in psychology right?

 

There are some differences with DreamTr and Marco. The items they have offered for $50,000 might actually be worth 10k 15k or 20k if they get lucky. What is your sign really worth in an open auction started at a penny? 500? 800? perhaps 1000 if Wonder really wanted it. Not sure on Marco but when Dream posts something for 50k he really is looking to sell it and has sold items for thousands of dollars outside of eBay skipping the fees. Those guys you mentioned also have other rare items to sell. If you had a ton of rare signs that you were selling and then posted one of them at a crazy price to advertise it then I could see it working. Someone clicking on your Atlantis II sign and then buying a common loose game well not so much so.

 

Perhaps if you took the humorous route like the Double Rainbow video guy. People click on his crazy youtube video and then buy his t-shirts.

I put it up there to draw attention to my other auctions, simple as that. I say that it has helped, you say other wise despite the fact of me having the first hand experience. I say that others have done it, but you say others have done it for the right reasons. You really do need to get down off that high horse of yours. It is my standee, and I will do with it what I darn well please.

 

get off your high horse -

to stop acting as if you are better or more intelligent than other people

 

Ok. Bill Gates.

 

I think the jury is still out on this tactic. I am not convinced it helps or hurts. Of course all who use it think it helps or they wouldn't try it. That doesn't mean it works.

 

To get back on topic I think it would be fun to see someone run 2 indentical sets of auctions from 2 "new" sellers. One of those sellers listing a single item priced at 2000% of market value and report the results of both sales and hit counts. Would all items be affected or just those closly related to the over priced item?

By this time tomorrow this quote pyramid will be epic.

[homerwannabee]

That was me who listed the stand-up. Did it mainly so people could check out my other Buy It Now Atari 2600 games. I have over 617 views on that auction. An auction in which I basically say to check out my other auctions. I probably have sold 4 or 5 more games than I would normally sell because of this auction. By the way, as far as I can tell, I am the only one known to have one, and so there is always the very slim chance that someone would actually buy it at $9,999. But of course I know those odds are absurdly low.

 

One might debate the effectiveness of this tactic. On one hand you may get more hits but if potential buyers think you are off your rocker then they might avoid buying something from you. If your auctions are all BINs then buyers might assume that all of your auctions are overpriced. I'm not saying it helps or it doesn't but that standee has been up for some time now so was it up while you were selling your Donkey Kong arcade game?

Yep, but Donkey Kong 3 has absolutely nothing to do with Atari 2600. One is a console, the other is Arcade. Donkey Kong 3 was never made on the Atari 2600, and Atari had nothing to do with the arcade game. And there was no Buy It Now on the Donkey Kong 3. It was highest bidder gets the item. Now my Starpath games going for cheap may be a better argument.

 

I wouldn't say that are totally unrelated. One could argue that many collectors of classic arcade games have some interest in classic videogames and vice versea but I'll leave that one alone. I will say it is possible that people seeing a high priced BIN make an assumption that all BIN from that person are over priced. It is also possible that someone seeing an auction that makes them think the seller is a little off will also avoid anything from the seller because you might have a problem. I've made both of those assumptions before myself. Sometimes I'll look at completed auctions and the highest priced auctions for a game have a blank description. Just nothing.

 

Without a control group you will never know for sure if your crazy auctions help or hurt or are a waste of time. You would have to start a new ebay ID and then get one of the more conservative members here to form another new account so feedback and time on ebay would be the same. Then sell the exact same games at the same time with the same shipping. Only offer stupid crazy items on the one account for a few months and compare the results.

 

We all know you well enough to know this isn't about more money or more sales but another chance to toot the Atlantis II horn.

But I did have a control group of games. I think it was about 2 years ago. I put up a similar number of games when the economy was much better, around the same prices. But with no auction to draw people in. This time I sold more games this time around than last time around. So because of that I inferred that I sold more. I am not the only person to use this tactic. Ask DreamTR. He has done this a ton of times. He had a Sega Genesis BlockBuster World Championship cart up for $50,000. Marco has also preceded in this tactic. If this does not work, why are other well established sellers doing it?

 

P.S. About the Atlantis II. My world records mean so much more to me than this game. Don't get me wrong the game is awesome, but to have two different world records in two of your favorite games of all time is just awesome. I get a ton of enjoyment out of playing both games, and it is awesome that I was able to hold world records in both games for a period of time. See this is something that money can not buy. And because of that it means so much more to me. These are something that Bill Gates can't get. He can't just wake up one morning, and proclaim, I want to buy the Galaxian, and Donkey Kong 3 record. In order for Bill Gates or any other billionaire to get these records, they are going to have to work their tail off. It is something you have to earn, not something that you can buy.

 

Two years ago with a "similar number of games" is not a control group. Come on man. You majored in psychology right?

 

There are some differences with DreamTr and Marco. The items they have offered for $50,000 might actually be worth 10k 15k or 20k if they get lucky. What is your sign really worth in an open auction started at a penny? 500? 800? perhaps 1000 if Wonder really wanted it. Not sure on Marco but when Dream posts something for 50k he really is looking to sell it and has sold items for thousands of dollars outside of eBay skipping the fees. Those guys you mentioned also have other rare items to sell. If you had a ton of rare signs that you were selling and then posted one of them at a crazy price to advertise it then I could see it working. Someone clicking on your Atlantis II sign and then buying a common loose game well not so much so.

 

Perhaps if you took the humorous route like the Double Rainbow video guy. People click on his crazy youtube video and then buy his t-shirts.

I put it up there to draw attention to my other auctions, simple as that. I say that it has helped, you say other wise despite the fact of me having the first hand experience. I say that others have done it, but you say others have done it for the right reasons. You really do need to get down off that high horse of yours. It is my standee, and I will do with it what I darn well please.

 

get off your high horse -

to stop acting as if you are better or more intelligent than other people

 

Ok. Bill Gates.

 

I think the jury is still out on this tactic. I am not convinced it helps or hurts. Of course all who use it think it helps or they wouldn't try it. That doesn't mean it works.

 

To get back on topic I think it would be fun to see someone run 2 indentical sets of auctions from 2 "new" sellers. One of those sellers listing a single item priced at 2000% of market value and report the results of both sales and hit counts. Would all items be affected or just those closly related to the over priced item?

By this time tomorrow this quote pyramid will be epic.

Hey, horseboy, who invited you to this quote pyramid? Me, and BuyAtari, have made this nice pyramid home for ourselves, and we don't need or want any squatters!

[Omegamatrix]

Holy crap... why no negative rep points Al, why ???

[nofrills100]

consider this thread - hijacked!!!!

 

 

[Buyatari]

That was me who listed the stand-up. Did it mainly so people could check out my other Buy It Now Atari 2600 games. I have over 617 views on that auction. An auction in which I basically say to check out my other auctions. I probably have sold 4 or 5 more games than I would normally sell because of this auction. By the way, as far as I can tell, I am the only one known to have one, and so there is always the very slim chance that someone would actually buy it at $9,999. But of course I know those odds are absurdly low.

 

One might debate the effectiveness of this tactic. On one hand you may get more hits but if potential buyers think you are off your rocker then they might avoid buying something from you. If your auctions are all BINs then buyers might assume that all of your auctions are overpriced. I'm not saying it helps or it doesn't but that standee has been up for some time now so was it up while you were selling your Donkey Kong arcade game?

Yep, but Donkey Kong 3 has absolutely nothing to do with Atari 2600. One is a console, the other is Arcade. Donkey Kong 3 was never made on the Atari 2600, and Atari had nothing to do with the arcade game. And there was no Buy It Now on the Donkey Kong 3. It was highest bidder gets the item. Now my Starpath games going for cheap may be a better argument.

 

I wouldn't say that are totally unrelated. One could argue that many collectors of classic arcade games have some interest in classic videogames and vice versea but I'll leave that one alone. I will say it is possible that people seeing a high priced BIN make an assumption that all BIN from that person are over priced. It is also possible that someone seeing an auction that makes them think the seller is a little off will also avoid anything from the seller because you might have a problem. I've made both of those assumptions before myself. Sometimes I'll look at completed auctions and the highest priced auctions for a game have a blank description. Just nothing.

 

Without a control group you will never know for sure if your crazy auctions help or hurt or are a waste of time. You would have to start a new ebay ID and then get one of the more conservative members here to form another new account so feedback and time on ebay would be the same. Then sell the exact same games at the same time with the same shipping. Only offer stupid crazy items on the one account for a few months and compare the results.

 

We all know you well enough to know this isn't about more money or more sales but another chance to toot the Atlantis II horn.

But I did have a control group of games. I think it was about 2 years ago. I put up a similar number of games when the economy was much better, around the same prices. But with no auction to draw people in. This time I sold more games this time around than last time around. So because of that I inferred that I sold more. I am not the only person to use this tactic. Ask DreamTR. He has done this a ton of times. He had a Sega Genesis BlockBuster World Championship cart up for $50,000. Marco has also preceded in this tactic. If this does not work, why are other well established sellers doing it?

 

P.S. About the Atlantis II. My world records mean so much more to me than this game. Don't get me wrong the game is awesome, but to have two different world records in two of your favorite games of all time is just awesome. I get a ton of enjoyment out of playing both games, and it is awesome that I was able to hold world records in both games for a period of time. See this is something that money can not buy. And because of that it means so much more to me. These are something that Bill Gates can't get. He can't just wake up one morning, and proclaim, I want to buy the Galaxian, and Donkey Kong 3 record. In order for Bill Gates or any other billionaire to get these records, they are going to have to work their tail off. It is something you have to earn, not something that you can buy.

 

Two years ago with a "similar number of games" is not a control group. Come on man. You majored in psychology right?

 

There are some differences with DreamTr and Marco. The items they have offered for $50,000 might actually be worth 10k 15k or 20k if they get lucky. What is your sign really worth in an open auction started at a penny? 500? 800? perhaps 1000 if Wonder really wanted it. Not sure on Marco but when Dream posts something for 50k he really is looking to sell it and has sold items for thousands of dollars outside of eBay skipping the fees. Those guys you mentioned also have other rare items to sell. If you had a ton of rare signs that you were selling and then posted one of them at a crazy price to advertise it then I could see it working. Someone clicking on your Atlantis II sign and then buying a common loose game well not so much so.

 

Perhaps if you took the humorous route like the Double Rainbow video guy. People click on his crazy youtube video and then buy his t-shirts.

I put it up there to draw attention to my other auctions, simple as that. I say that it has helped, you say other wise despite the fact of me having the first hand experience. I say that others have done it, but you say others have done it for the right reasons. You really do need to get down off that high horse of yours. It is my standee, and I will do with it what I darn well please.

 

get off your high horse -

to stop acting as if you are better or more intelligent than other people

 

Ok. Bill Gates.

 

I think the jury is still out on this tactic. I am not convinced it helps or hurts. Of course all who use it think it helps or they wouldn't try it. That doesn't mean it works.

 

To get back on topic I think it would be fun to see someone run 2 indentical sets of auctions from 2 "new" sellers. One of those sellers listing a single item priced at 2000% of market value and report the results of both sales and hit counts. Would all items be affected or just those closly related to the over priced item?

By this time tomorrow this quote pyramid will be epic.

 

Homer is a good guy and I like him but his need for praise knows no bounds. He has just gotten the better of me and worn out my patience. We had to hear about Atlantis II for years in just about every thread he even looked at. Then that died down when he started going for game records until this standee started poping up on eBay. His personal game records are a step up from simply owning a rare game but these are still personal goals without contribution. I am proud of him that he set some goals and didn't quit until he achieved them. Some people have never done this in life and there is something to be said for that. It may have even inspired others to try their own hand but if it is praise and recognition he longs for then he needs to step it up.

 

If he really wants recognition so badly then he needs to knock off a goal that makes a contribution and he won't have to ask for it. The work and dedication of Al for setting up and maintaining this website , or Curt for his lifelong pursuit of Atari hardware research or any number of homebrew authors are some of those with accomplishments that contribute. They don't do it for the recognition and they don't need to remind people of what they have done every other post. His comparisons to Bill Gates tells me he just doesn't get it.

 

Just as they said about the Shutruk Nahunte plaque in the movie The Emperor's Club - Great ambition and conquest without contribution is without significance.

[homerwannabee]

Hmm, things I have done for contribution to this website.

 

1. Maintain a list of people who own super rare games.

2. Run the Atari 2600 Winter & Summer Olympics threads.

3. Maintain an up to date list of the top 10 highest priced Atari 2600 games on Ebay.

4. Started, and maintained the Atari 2600 Collectors Hall Of Fame.

 

 

So BuyAtari, since you are talking about contributions, what exactly have you done for contribution to this website?

 

P.S. I am not trying to say that my contributions are super significant. Curt, Al, and the rest do 100 times more than me, I am just saying that BuyAtari's post could be read as that I do no contributions to this website. Which of course is wrong.

[Buyatari]

Hmm, things I have done for contribution to this website.

 

1. Maintain a list of people who own super rare games.

2. Run the Atari 2600 Winter & Summer Olympics threads.

3. Maintain an up to date list of the top 10 highest priced Atari 2600 games on Ebay.

4. Started, and maintained the Atari 2600 Collectors Hall Of Fame.

 

 

So BuyAtari, since you are talking about contributions, what exactly have you done for contribution to this website?

 

P.S. I am not trying to say that my contributions are super significant. Curt, Al, and the rest do 100 times more than me, I am just saying that BuyAtari's post could be read as that I do no contributions to this website. Which of course is wrong.

 

I am saying that if you are looking for recognition you won't get it without contribution. I have collected a long time (since the mid 90s)and in that time sure I've made small contributions to the video game community and continue to do so but this has nothing to do with me. I am not the one looking for recognition or validation. You have a fanatical passion perhaps bordering on obsession at times so I am sure you could do great things if you put your mind to it. I really do hope you get the recognition you long for but you won't get it by pushing it on people. They will have to see it for themselves and if you make significant contributions they will.

[nofrills100]

'Silliest off topic thread you've ever seen'

[Buyatari]

'Silliest off topic thread you've ever seen'

 

True.

 

Ugly to look at it but if it saves us from 100s of other highjacked threads then it is worth it.

[nofrills100]

'Silliest off topic thread you've ever seen'

 

True.

 

Ugly to look at it but if it saves us from 100s of other highjacked threads then it is worth it.

 

 

 

let it all out then!