Full Set of FSM on evil bay - What do you think this will go for?

Bill;

It is a good thing to have. I have been scavenging for years to obtain all of them and finally found the final ones to complete all volumes from test issue to the current. I would be interested to see what this will go for.

Cheers;

Gregory

I always laugh when I hear "Evil Bay".  My answer to the why is it called evil bay has to do with many different reasons:

1.  Modelers see many things that they want but can't afford

2.  Some people will sell models at ridiculusly high prices...like the Tamyia Sheridan for US $115

3.  At times bidders will wait to the last minute to bid on something that you have bid on thus out bidding you for a dollar.

I do happen to have a love-hate relationship with E-bay.  I have bought several kits that I could not get locally and for less that from a catalog (even including shipping and handeling).  But I see so many things that I would like to get but I don't have the money plus the getting outbid at the last minute thing.

Grizz

Grizz;

I have found the easiest way to avoid the "bid sniper" (last minute bids) is to never end your bid in even common numbers i.e. .25,.50,.75 or similar common values. I always bid in off the wall amounts i.e $13.79, $17,82, $26.88 etc. I have found that most bidders bid on items in even amounts and the "snipers" come in at the end with the .50 cent shots.

Another way I have found is the "distraction bid". I find the bidders who are bidding on item(s) I want and throw a few low bids on the item(s) they are bidding on which forces them to mind those items to the end while I buy the one I truly want.

I have found a lot of great buys on eBay. I picked up a mint in the box photoetch machine from Auto Etch for $20.00, two Mattel Vac-U-Form units for $35.00, a complete series 1974-1998 Military Modeler Magazine for $50.00 and the gem of all 3 mint condition copies of the Test Issue of FSM from 1982 for $2.00 just a few of the highlights. My best buy yet though were 65 1/35 armour kits for $125.00 shipping included. Now that's a bargain one of the kits alone retails for $65.00 so the rest are peanuts in dollar value.

The only thing I have found outrageous in price is a copy of R.P. Hunnicutt's SHERMAN book. Something about paying $500.00 + for a book that retailed for $35.00 is criminal. I just keep scouring the used book shops and shows one will turn up eventually. I found my first edition of Hunt For Red October that way it sells on eBay for $300.00 + and I paid $6.00 for mine in a little bookshop where I grew up. It was tucked away on a shelf with the others. I grinned the whole way home and read it from cover to cover again that night.

Best of luck on eBay. I will try not to bid on items that you bid on as long as you stay away from mine.

Cheers;

Gregory

Hey Gregory tell me somthing how to do find out items that some one else is bidding on?  I guess I  could go look on e-bay but, I am how do you say...lazy.  I believe that this idea has merits.  It wouldn't work well on me because I generally only bid on one item at a time.  O the joy of E-bay.

Grizz

Grizz;

To find out what someone else is bidding on is quite simple. Copy the user ID of the person. Go to Advanced Search. Select "By Bidder" enter the user ID and hit search. This will give you any items that user is bidding on. You can also search by "Completed Items" to see what they bid on other items to give you an indication as to how much they will pay for certain items.

Another tip I forgot to mention for searching for items is the spelling of a listing i.e. "FINESCALE MODELER" "FINE SCALE MODELLER" etc. etc. Some sellers contract the two words to form one or add an extra 'L' to modeler. As well I have found that some listings are done without completing a spelling check. I found items by actually spelling words incorrectly. "Military" is a very common one spelled 'Miltary' and numerous items come up.

Hopefully these will help you win a few more bids.

Cheers;

Gregory

Hey thanks I'll have to try it.

Grizz

bilbirk;

Not necessarily... It just means you know how the game is played.

Cheers;

Gregory

grizz30_06 wrote:

I always laugh when I hear "Evil Bay".  My answer to the why is it called evil bay has to do with many different reasons: 1.  Modelers see many things that they want but can't afford

That's true of anywhere. The local Porsche dealer was showing the $500,000 Carrera GT. I can't afford that. Does that make HIM evil? Okay, the thePontiac dealers putting a huge mark-up on the new Solstice border on evil. (Not that I'd want one having read a bit about them. I'd feel like I was slumming after my S2000.)

2.  Some people will sell models at ridiculusly high prices...like the Tamyia Sheridan for US $115

Some people are willing to pay ridiculously large sums for something they really want. The seller who starts his auction too high will not sell his stuff. Ever watch the Barrett-Jackson auto auction? Cars that sold new for under $5,000 routinely sell for more than $100,000. IIRC, about a year ago, there was a Chevelle SS-454 that sold upwards of $150,000.

3.  At times bidders will wait to the last minute to bid on something that you have bid on thus out bidding you for a dollar.

Okay, this is frustrating, especially when bid-bots are invloved, but this is an auction. It's how on;ine auctions work. If there were no time limits, the price would go higher. Further, in using E-bay, you should always make you highest willing bid right off and ignore the auction. You may be outbid, but you won't be drawn into a foolish bidding war. In the real world, guy walks into the LHS and picks up the last item in stock that you want. Does that make him evil? Same principal.

bilbirk wrote:

I guess then that I am a bid sniper cause when I want to bid on something I'll watch till almost the end and if i think the price is right I'll bid within the last few minutes.

hehehe boy don't I feel the same way.  my bidding wars start at the last 40 seconds, enough time for me to log in if required cuz of the crappy browser, bid, confirm, re-bid if it didn't go over the last max bid amount, or simply bid with a large enough amount several bucks above what you want to pay/average price on ebay, confirm again n have about 10 seconds to spare n keep on watching till the bitter end.  LOL  of course there are occasions where you can get outbid in the last 2 to 5 seconds but the price is probably way beyond what you want the item for anyways.  it's a winning method and I don't see anything immoral about it (at least it's better than softwares like Final Bid, which I didn't trust enough to use).  in the end i am the one who's happily waiting for the UPS guy while the others aren't, so i guess i will stand by it regardless if one'd be seen as a shameless jerk by doing it n yap about it.

gburdon wrote:

I have found the easiest way to avoid the "bid sniper" (last minute bids) is to never end your bid in even common numbers i.e. .25,.50,.75 or similar common values. I always bid in off the wall amounts i.e $13.79, $17,82, $26.88 etc. I have found that most bidders bid on items in even amounts and the "snipers" come in at the end with the .50 cent shots.

I have lost bids by a nickle before, so I too learned to end my bids in weird amounts. It has paid off.

I got a Tamiya HUMVEE armaments carrier for only $10. A Dragon 15cm SiG 33 for $12 (I've seen some sell for over $40), and a Tamiya Marder III for only $12. Yes, ebay can be sweet. I buy most of my kits there anymore.

tigerman wrote:

gburdon wrote: I have found the easiest way to avoid the "bid sniper" (last minute bids) is to never end your bid in even common numbers i.e. .25,.50,.75 or similar common values. I always bid in off the wall amounts i.e $13.79, $17,82, $26.88 etc. I have found that most bidders bid on items in even amounts and the "snipers" come in at the end with the .50 cent shots. I have lost bids by a nickle before, so I too learned to end my bids in weird amounts. It has paid off. I got a Tamiya HUMVEE armaments carrier for only $10. A Dragon 15cm SiG 33 for $12 (I've seen some sell for over $40), and a Tamiya Marder III for only $12. Yes, ebay can be sweet. I buy most of my kits there anymore.

I have to say some of the sweetest pieces of kit on my workbench have come from eBay. The best buy I have had in awhile was the latest batch of goodies I posted under the heading "Did I pay too much" in the armor forum. Prior to that it was a tie race between an almost complete series of Fine Scale Modeler Magazines for $25.00 and a complete set of Military Modeler Magazine for $30.00 with shipping included (However when the seller went to ship them it cost him $70.00) the listing was a "Buy It Now" type and the cost of shipping killed the profit for the seller. Although I did split the additional costs of shipping in the interests of fairness.

Cheers;

Gregory

gburdon wrote:

tigerman wrote:  gburdon wrote: I have found the easiest way to avoid the "bid sniper" (last minute bids) is to never end your bid in even common numbers i.e. .25,.50,.75 or similar common values. I always bid in off the wall amounts i.e $13.79, $17,82, $26.88 etc. I have found that most bidders bid on items in even amounts and the "snipers" come in at the end with the .50 cent shots. I have lost bids by a nickle before, so I too learned to end my bids in weird amounts. It has paid off. I got a Tamiya HUMVEE armaments carrier for only $10. A Dragon 15cm SiG 33 for $12 (I've seen some sell for over $40), and a Tamiya Marder III for only $12. Yes, ebay can be sweet. I buy most of my kits there anymore. I have to say some of the sweetest pieces of kit on my workbench have come from eBay. The best buy I have had in awhile was the latest batch of goodies I posted under the heading "Did I pay too much" in the armor forum. Prior to that it was a tie race between an almost complete series of Fine Scale Modeler Magazines for $25.00 and a complete set of Military Modeler Magazine for $30.00 with shipping included (However when the seller went to ship them it cost him $70.00) the listing was a "Buy It Now" type and the cost of shipping killed the profit for the seller. Although I did split the additional costs of shipping in the interests of fairness. Cheers; Gregory

Nice deal Gregg, It sounds like the dealer didn't use Media mail to me. No wonder the guy lost money.