Thoughts??? The joy of the 99 cent starting price auction......

[bobbyw8469]

I believe cause the seller would like to get higher than the reserve. When the reserve is the minimum bid, then everyone knows what that number is. Sometimes that number is best to stay hidden, especially if your item is rare, and more than one person wants it.

[Runscott]

Most sellers just want to make a living. The method they choose to sell an item on ebay depends on what they think will work best to get the price they need.

People here complain about the various methods sellers use, but for most sellers there's nothing nefarious about it - no attempt to "screw" or anything else - just make a living. You might love 99 cent auctions with no reserve, but that seems to only work for certain sellers, for reasons well-documented, if not hypothetical. Call honest sellers 'stupid' if you want, or call them 'bad businessmen', but a lot of the ones that we insult here are actually quite honest.

[phabphour20]

I just started 5 or 6 $0.01 auctions. I think $0.99 is so arbitrary and was likely based on original eBay fee pricing. Plus this way I get a few bids before it even gets to $0.99. Bid count is the best advertising I know.

Any way you list can have holes punched in it. I think the absolute worst is starting an auction at the lowest price you would take. So many times I have snagged a card below its value by being the only bidder on an auction like this. Either start it low and let it ride so it has a lot of bids when it approaches fair value, or list it BIN/BO and field offers if you can be patient.

[Beatles Guy]

I start all of my auctions at .99. I win some, I lose some. If I have a card that would hurt if it sold too low, I'll put it up as a BIN for a while and see how it goes.

[packs]

I wish eBay would do away with reserves entirely. If you're going to put a reserve on your item, then start it at the reserve price. I never bid on items with reserves, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't be interested in buying at the reserve price.

[DHogan]

I've seen and won auctions on Ebay where the seller had the starting bid of 1 cent. One auction where I was the only bidder. The seller had a fit. He tried everything he could to void the auction. I forwarded all the emails to Ebay. I finally did receive the item. And the person was gone from Ebay soon after.

[bobbyw8469]

Originally Posted by DHogan

I've seen and won auctions on Ebay where the seller had the starting bid of 1 cent. One auction where I was the only bidder. The seller had a fit. He tried everything he could to void the auction. I forwarded all the emails to Ebay. I finally did receive the item. And the person was gone from Ebay soon after.

I bet - although he probably quit on his own accord because he was forced out of business.