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Posted By: Bottom of the Ninth

eBay started out as an auction site. Not sure when the auction format became synonymous with not retail. eBay now offers the straight sale price format as well. For the most part it has become the expectation of many ebay buyers that it is a flea market and is not a retail environment. That is not to say items do not sell for full retail but more times than not an item would sell for significantly more in a Mastro, REA type of setting.

The auction format, if not manipulated, allows bidders to determine the value on that given day. Because eBay has so many items being listed on a constant basis, collectors who do not have all day to do searches may not see items they need or they forget to bid, hence the item will sell for less. Catalog auctions, like Mastro and REA, are more likely to include all interested bidders because they happen on a certain day and lots are not always being added.

When I am buying I do not care if there is a reserve or a high opening bid to start.

Greg