Andre81 Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 I used to have a full watch list on eBay and almost every day an auction ended on which I was bidding on. I also used to stay up longer (we are 6 hours ahead of the east coast) to check for newly listed items and often it was rewarding, especially on weekends. Also often there were so many nice items on eBay at the same time that I had to set priorities to not overstretch the budget. But that has totally changed, my watch list is completely empty. I no longer enjoy eBay. I think there are several reason for this. Most of the listings are BIN now. If you search for "atari" 90% of the listings are BIN. Almost everything I've bought in the last months was BIN. So if you aren't really quick someone else buys it. And there are many resellers and guys who have nothing else to do than to click on reload every 3 minutes. So if you don't check eBay frequently the good BIN listings are gone.This wouldn't be too bad, if it at least would be rewarding. But the overall "quality" of the listings is going down. Not many rare or interesting items lately. Seems the good stuff is now mostly in collectors hand. When I have a look at the completed listings there isn't really anything that I've missed. So a lot of competition for nothing. And BIN listings aren't half as fun as auctions. No thrill of anticipation of the end of the auction. Checking eBay every hour for just one item per week isn't worth the time anymore. I guess I'll only check eBay once or twice per day now, maybe stop looking on eBay at all. Not sure what is the driving force here. eBay promoting BIN listings over auctions? Less new old stock finds and only mediocre stuff left in the attics and basements? Maybe my impression is biased because the larger an collection gets the less stuff you need. How about you? Do you still enjoy eBay? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhomaios Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 I don't think I ever enjoyed eBay per se. Local = better every day. Too bad that local sources are largely dried up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariBrian Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 You would check ebay every hour of the day ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NIAD Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 I completely understand where you are coming from and have felt the same way at times, but I think a lot has to do with having a large/almost complete collection and needing fewer and fewer items. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cvga Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 You would check ebay every hour of the day ? And he's worried about the guys who check every three minutes lol. No wonder I don't find great BINs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariLeaf Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andre81 Posted October 20, 2014 Author Share Posted October 20, 2014 And he's worried about the guys who check every three minutes lol. No wonder I don't find great BINs! Well, when I click on an item listed within the last hour it always says at least "5 people are viewing this item per hour". And you have several resellers that bid on anything within 30 minutes after it has been listed. Always the same who put the first bid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPUWIZ Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Roadrunner seems to have the time. Back in the day when I was a re-seller, I had a dedicated laptop, running an ebay window with new listings and it would "F5" every few minutes. Got some great deals that way. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NE146 Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 I used ebay to buy some cheap replacement rear windshield wipers the other week. Erm.. i guess that was semi-enjoyable, or does that not count? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cvga Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Well, when I click on an item listed within the last hour it always says at least "5 people are viewing this item per hour". And you have several resellers that bid on anything within 30 minutes after it has been listed. Always the same who put the first bid. Of course you don't enjoy it. You've turned it into a job! There aren't as many auctions (at least compared to BINs) but it doesn't make sense to go through the auction process for common items that would end at about the same price anyhow. It's good if you're looking for something specific to be able to just go to ebay and buy it without waiting for an auction to end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osgeld Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 (edited) I never enjoyed ebay, I only go there for things I know I want buy it now no out of country crap... back when it was still fairly new I spent a lot of time trying to bid on a CPU and got snipped at the last second and instantly saw the exact same CPU photos and everything get re listed by someone else within a half hour, thought to myself "this is bullshi+" have not bidded ever again Edited October 20, 2014 by Osgeld Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Fleabay is a tool and service to be used.. just like any other online shopping venue. If they have what I want at a reasonable price I will buy it. If it is a bidding auction, I only bid (using my bid bot) at the last 1 or 2 seconds at the maximum price I'm willing to pay. Sometimes you win sometimes you lose. I never fret a loss or a miss. I also understand the fleabag culture. And if I sell something I ask a fair price, make the sale, and don't bother looking to see if it shows up again as a flipped item. People that track items and refresh every 10 seconds are just obsessive compulsive. People that let one "bad" experience prevent them from using the(a) service are just one dimensional. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pangasinan Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Not lately,not enough rare PAL games for sale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 (edited) And BIN listings aren't half as fun as auctions. No thrill of anticipation of the end of the auction. My opinion is that auctions suck. If it's something rare or uncommon, I can guarantee someone wants it more than you. There's sniping, waiting, etc. I lose sleep and stuff wondering if I'll still be the high bidder when it all ends. Also sometimes it defies logic, but I often see auctions sitting with a half dozen bids already, and if the item has multiple listings, the auctions often get higher than BINs. Honestly it makes no fiscal sense to bid on an item when another item in similar condition is available for a few dollars less as a BIN. With BIN, I can just buy it immediately, and rest easy knowing that the item will be in my posession in fairly short order. True I still have to wait for the post, but it's nothing compared to the wait on a live auction, not knowing yet if I'll win the item or not. Another thing, I don't collect high dollar collectibles, so I consider myself mostly safe from fakes and forgeries, but for items exceeding $100, it can be a real issue. After a few thousand, the trolls come out and shill bid stuff up for schitz and giggles, especially if it circulates news sites or social media. The un-minty NWCs (the gray ripped Mario label, and the labelless gold) which both "sold" for $99k come to mind. Edited October 20, 2014 by stardust4ever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tickled_Pink Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 I don't have time to look for auction listings these days. 99%+ of my eBay purchases are BIN. I don't 'enjoy' eBay. It's become a necessary part of life. That's it. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+GoldenWheels Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 I enjoy buying cool stuff on there for a good price. Maybe that happens less than it used to, I dunno. But I do enjoy "shopping" or browsing ebay. It's not like I'm stumbling over too many TG-16 games out here, and crazy prices or not it is an interesting place to just find weird things. Maybe you guys are all awash in awesome retro games stores every block with great selection and pricing...but I'm not. I've got two options for B&M game stores that carry anything before, say, ps3: one 30 mins east, one over an hour south. Ebay beats both on price regularly. Since most everyone prices by ebay anyway. I brought a Master System into the one south of me a few weeks ago and you might have thought I was bringing in an NWC cart or something. The clerks came over and were...impressed. By a SMS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Gemintronic Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 I've enjoyed "buy it now" but never proper auctions. Too much sniping both automated and staged. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccc--- Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 (edited) I enjoyed buying on ebay in the early 2000s. Only auctions, loads of rare items for reasonable prices. Today I don't like ebay anymore. 95 % of the items are overpriced BIN. Oh and the Global Shipping Program sucks donkeyballs, it's a scam, I don't bid on auctions with GSP and because of that, many of the US auctions are a no-go for me. Sad story ... Edited October 21, 2014 by ccc--- 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+wood_jl Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 I've always thought of Ebay as a means to an end (stuff I can't get elsewhere, or stuff I can get cheaper on Ebay than elsewhere). So I've never enjoyed Ebay and I think it gets a little worse with time, but I do enjoy a lot of stuff I got there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+stupus Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 Yes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 Well I needed a one 320GB MK32565GSXN HDD to fix a kid's laptop. Ebay had it for the cheapest price. I bought it. There were no emotions involved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Algus Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 I don't like auctions, though I do BINs from time to time. The best deals I have found have been on private forums. One thing I love about a place like Atari Age is that you mention you are looking for something and often times you can meet up with a seller just like that. I got my old Mac that way after giving up from looking on eBay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Weis Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 YES! just don't spend as much time as I used to on eBay Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zwackery Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 From a collecting point, not really (anymore). Dreams still come true every once in awhile, but I'm using eBay more to acquire convention exclusives for things like comic books and toys and far less when it comes to video games. A lot of buyers (collectors, (re)sellers) are/have been drinking from the same pool, and supply has dried up as time has gone on (at least with the rarities that I'm looking for). I still have over 100 searches set up between 2 accounts, but lately I've just been deleting the emails unless I get a hit on something I haven't gotten a hit on in a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 Actually I find eBait to be a cheap way of getting electronic components. Just type in the part number, and up comes a Chinese company willing to sell you 12 or more of what Rip Shock will sell you one for... and shipping is usually included. You just have to be patient as it does seem to come over on a slow boat... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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