Are people on eBay completely mad....?

[Zerogee]

The answer to that somewhat-rhetorical question is, of course, yes.
An old LGB 55020 decoder chip has just finished on eBay for over 46 quid!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221132048918?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2648 < Link To http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm...ksid=p3984.m1423.l2648
Are eBay buyers totally bonkers, or just badly informed? You can get a brand-new Massoth L, which does exactly the same job but better, for less than that....
I recently sold a 55020 on the sales forum here for around £20, which I think is a fair price for it as a low-cost chipping job on something like a Stainz or Schoema (and I have another one going spare that I'll put up here soon, at the same sort of price) - maybe I should have eBayed it instead, but I really don't like taking advantage of the gullible....

Jon.

 

[ntpntpntp]

Yes some buyers are simply mad, ill informed or just don't bother to check the market price. I bet the seller is happy!

On the other hand, I just won an N gauge loco offered as "new" for £14.50 inc. postage. It was mis-listed. Gaugemaster want £109 for one (yeah I know they're top whack but it sounds better! Elsewhere I can get one for 72 euros + PnP). We shall see what it's like when it arrives.

 

[tramcar trev]

The bigger question is "why would someone bid higher than the BIN Price????"
Recently I bid on an item that was on @ $20 with a BIN of $65, I was outbid at $65 so thought to myself, "just how much will some cretin pay for this" so kept bidding and was outbid untill I gave up at $92.14.... Me thinks some shill bidding may have been going on..................... Mean while identical items from the same seller are on at $65 BIN only. I did send a note to eBay and await a reply......
Having said that I always end up happy with purchases via ebay, I have had some cowboy sellers but eBay invariably sorts it for me and as I pay via Paypal I either get a replacement mailed or a refund.....
I proved conclusivley that you can sell anything on eBay, remember my listing consisting of threaded rod, washers and nuts to make DIY track laying gauges. I sold 2 and I could have sold a 3rd set to Pugwash but he is Ebay smart....

 

[dutchelm]

I'm the one that's mad. I gave 2 away!

 

[philkelly]

Yes some buyers are simply mad, ill informed or just don't bother to check the market price. I bet the seller is happy!

On the other hand, I just won an N gauge loco offered as "new" for £14.50 inc. postage. It was mis-listed. Gaugemaster want £109 for one (yeah I know they're top whack but it sounds better! Elsewhere I can get one for 72 euros + PnP). We shall see what it's like when it arrives.

I have been approached by friends to help them dispose of HO stuff. It is quite clear that smaller gauge trains lose their value at an amazing rate - 80-90% price drop against new for the same models, still on sale new, even top-of-the-range stuff from Marklin and Fleischmann

 

[funandtrains]

In my experience some of the most mad are people who buy 32mm gauge 16mm scale as they often pay as much or more than the new price for a battered old model!

In the past I've listed items at reasonable Buy-it-Now prices several time and then relisted a few days later with an auction and the item sold for a lot more than I originally wanted - funny how people think!

 

[Rob s]

Yes some buyers are simply mad, ill informed or just don't bother to check the market price. I bet the seller is happy!

On the other hand, I just won an N gauge loco offered as "new" for £14.50 inc. postage. It was mis-listed. Gaugemaster want £109 for one (yeah I know they're top whack but it sounds better! Elsewhere I can get one for 72 euros + PnP). We shall see what it's like when it arrives.

I recon some e-bay bidders are truly mad or may be just lazy, i have watched
3 seperate Second hand LGB point motors (untested) go for over £22 each, with
£3-4 p&p.

When 'Dragon G Scale' has then up for sale at £24.70 inc p&p brand new Go Figure.

Mind as Nick said some times you get lucky
I put a one off bid on an Aristo Set, as I have a number of their switchers that need
broken bits replaced and one a new motor block (well the drive wheels actually)
Never looked at it again till i got the message i had won it for £45
(should have checked the P&P mind as it was £16)
Still the total was a lot less then the part's would have cost, wondered what was
going to turn up, expected a real pup.
But no - nearly perfect and no real wear on any of it, except one piece of track.
All works and it runs better than any i have already, now it does seem a shame to break it up just for the parts- :thinking: