Inky #1 Posted October 26, 2003 What am I doing wrong in my Ebay auction? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...egory=1247&rd=1 First one got 2 bids. Didn't even meet my low reserve of $20.00. THis one I have a pic, 20$ reserve, $50.00 BIN. Not a single bite. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CPUWIZ #2 Posted October 26, 2003 1.) Incoherency 2.) Number of feedback 3.) "Mouse port is a bit touchy.. May need a bit of soldering." 4.) Weigh it and activate the shipping calculator 5.) ..... 6.) ..... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nukey Shay #3 Posted October 26, 2003 The part about soldering in the description? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Inky #4 Posted October 26, 2003 The part about soldering in the description? ??? I'm supposed to lie? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CPUWIZ #5 Posted October 26, 2003 ??? I'm supposed to lie? Of course not but it might be better to do that work before you list it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sku_u #6 Posted October 26, 2003 It's a no frills system with no peripherals except a touchy mouse. What price would you like to get for this? Make that price your BIN. What is the lowest price you could live with? Make that your staring price and drop the reserve. Calculate shipping and include it in the listing. Possibly include a picture of the system in action. That sometimes helps sell electronics. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vb_master #7 Posted October 26, 2003 I could take a look at that mouse for ya... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bjk7382 #8 Posted October 26, 2003 Yeah, I think a lot of the new sellers are trying to get way too much out of thier stuff. As for the shipping calculator, I always quote a fair shipping and have never had anybody get mad. I rarely have an auction go without someone bidding. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Albert #9 Posted October 26, 2003 I don't think the tape on the mouse cable helps either. And the system could be a little cleaner. You know what looks odd, is that some of the keys look dirtier (nicotine stained?) than others. Usually they are pretty uniform in appearance. Did you replace any of the keys? ..Al Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vb_master #10 Posted October 26, 2003 Zippo lighter fluid my friend zippo lighter fluid... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
moycon #11 Posted October 26, 2003 1st impression after viewing the pic: Definately give it the once over with some windex or something. Also.... as stated, the mouse is a sight. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bjk7382 #12 Posted October 26, 2003 If you took the reserve off of it, I would bid 5.00 on it. Other than that.... not worth it. And that is one thing you need to think about when selling on ebay, People don't like reserves, people don't like unstated shipping costs, and one thing people love it a BIN that is too good to pass up. I don't use reserves unless it is something really expensive and you want people to bid on it but still have the bin showing. And if it something someone really wants they will inch thier way up to the reserve at the end of the auction. But for something that has a 20 dollar reserve on it, list it at a dollar with no reserve and it goes for what it goes for. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Inky #13 Posted October 26, 2003 I don't think the tape on the mouse cable helps either. And the system could be a little cleaner. You know what looks odd, is that some of the keys look dirtier (nicotine stained?) than others. Usually they are pretty uniform in appearance. Did you replace any of the keys? ..Al As far as the mouse goes... It works fine. It just so happens that its not the one that came with the computer... As far as the keys go,the CPU has been in my possession for.... 15 years or so, and it's never been in a smoking environment. I've seen the keys get discolored over time. I have a coleco adam keyboard with the same situation. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bryan #14 Posted October 26, 2003 When the keys come from different batches of plastic, you sometimes see a difference in how well the coloring agents hold up. I've got an XEGS with the same problem. It's not smoke, just cheap plastic. As for the auction... It does look a bit like it was saved from a dumpster, and ST's aren't worth that much to begin with. -Bry Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mindfield #15 Posted October 26, 2003 My ADAM is the same way... UV discoloration on some of the keys. Not a lot of people realize that, however; to them, it's just "dirty" -- or at the very least, unsightly. The mouse, too, is certainly a turnoff, with the tape around the cord. Overall it looks like a well-used system that has seen better days and may not see many more. Whether that's truth or not is irrelevant; looks are all buyers have to go on since descriptions are largely meaningless other than for providing an inventory and an account of its functionality; sellers can say anything they want and any seasoned (and therefore jaded) eBayer will probably ignore most of it. To anyone who knows Atari, too, a 520 and a mouse is as basic as it gets; half a meg of RAM, double-sided floppy, and input device = base, low-end model. Considering all of that, a BIN of $50.00 will strike most people as absurd. Throw in a monitor or some useful/entertaining software and it might sweeten the deal. Myself, if I saw it for $10 or $15 at a thrift, I'd nab it. Much more than that and I'd probably consider passing. Your mileage may vary. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oesii #16 Posted October 26, 2003 If you took the reserve off of it, I would bid 5.00 on it. Other than that.... not worth it. And that is one thing you need to think about when selling on ebay, People don't like reserves, people don't like unstated shipping costs, and one thing people love it a BIN that is too good to pass up. I don't use reserves unless it is something really expensive and you want people to bid on it but still have the bin showing. And if it something someone really wants they will inch thier way up to the reserve at the end of the auction. But for something that has a 20 dollar reserve on it, list it at a dollar with no reserve and it goes for what it goes for. I was about to write the same thing, thanks for doing it The reserve usually discourages bidders at first. And the ST market isn't too hot these days so a unit with no power cord, no RF cord, and a touchy mouse port is only worth the money for parts, less than $10 probably. Best recommendation is to clean it up and fix it before trying to ebay it, but a 520ST in perfect condition may only get you $25 anyways, I got a great one for $8 last year. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sku_u #17 Posted October 26, 2003 If you want to look at some recently completed 520 ST to compare to yours for pricing and selling, here's a link to some recently completed auctions: http://search-completed.ebay.com/search/se...10&BasicSearch= Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bjk7382 #18 Posted October 26, 2003 I always notice a lot of the ST stuff is from the UK. Were these systems more popular overseas? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Inky #19 Posted October 26, 2003 If it doesn't sell, I'm putting it back in the marketplace. I need to get rid of it, and I need the $$$ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites