Shillers, Shenanigans & Shibboleths - The Elusive Underbidder

[pbspelly]

I think psychology and bidders getting caught up in the moment has a lot to do with it. I used to sell old restored telephones on eBay. So-called "Lucy" phones from the 1940s, mostly. I would usually only put one or two up for sale per week, even if I had more than that in stock to sell, because if I put more than two at a time, the ending auction price for each one was lower. So a number of times, after a phone had sold to a high bidder, I would contact one or more of the underbidders and offer them another phone I had in stock. Same exact phone, sometimes nicer than the one they had just bid several times on. No one ever took me up on it. Not once.

[commishbob]

I don't know the answer but I'm impressed that you could work "Shibboleths" into a Net54 thread. :::captip:::

[Leon]

You can probably add alcohol as an ancillary explanation.

Originally Posted by pbspelly

I think psychology and bidders getting caught up in the moment has a lot to do with it. I used to sell old restored telephones on eBay. So-called "Lucy" phones from the 1940s, mostly. I would usually only put one or two up for sale per week, even if I had more than that in stock to sell, because if I put more than two at a time, the ending auction price for each one was lower. So a number of times, after a phone had sold to a high bidder, I would contact one or more of the underbidders and offer them another phone I had in stock. Same exact phone, sometimes nicer than the one they had just bid several times on. No one ever took me up on it. Not once.

[frankbmd]

Originally Posted by Leon

You can probably add alcohol as an ancillary explanation.

I suppose alcohol could be considered a shenanigan or a collector’s shibboleth.

Cheers!!!