DavidW
Well-Known Member
I have mixed feelings about ebay. Yeah, there is a lot of fishy stuff that goes on. Many sellers have bad cameras or just don't know how to post good clear pictures. A lot of sniping goes on. BUT realize that any bottle auction (or an auction for anything you are interesting in) could actually have pretty strong interest BUT you are not aware of it if the number of watchers are not displayed.
On most auctions on ebay, the watcher number is only displayed on the page when it goes above (I think) 5 watchers, and then the number is shown by ebay as a ploy to generate more interest and possible bids by other viewers!!!
Lots of bidders use automated sniping software. If you want to put in a bid, bid the ABSOLUTE HIGHEST AMOUNT you are willing to pay, and be done with it. Don't wait to the last minute. The bidding software programs can put in a bid a fraction of a second before the auction ends, while the bidder is sound asleep!!!! Let that sink in. An item may APPEAR to have no interest, but you can't see everything that is going on "behind the scenes"!!
I truly cannot understand why people say "I will NEVER buy anything on ebay, and ONLY go to shows" if they are still actively collecting glass.
That's your choice and I respect that, but the truth is, you have effectively eliminated yourself as a potential buyer of a good percentage of the bottles for sale in the US. There are gems that show up now and then, and you will be the one to miss out on the chance of bidding on them.
That might be OK if you are only looking for one-in-a-lifetime super rare bottles that only show up in fancy auction house catalogs, or only seen in museums. Otherwise you are limiting your chances of finding something for your collection if you cross ebay off the list of possibilities. Just my opinion!
On most auctions on ebay, the watcher number is only displayed on the page when it goes above (I think) 5 watchers, and then the number is shown by ebay as a ploy to generate more interest and possible bids by other viewers!!!
Lots of bidders use automated sniping software. If you want to put in a bid, bid the ABSOLUTE HIGHEST AMOUNT you are willing to pay, and be done with it. Don't wait to the last minute. The bidding software programs can put in a bid a fraction of a second before the auction ends, while the bidder is sound asleep!!!! Let that sink in. An item may APPEAR to have no interest, but you can't see everything that is going on "behind the scenes"!!
I truly cannot understand why people say "I will NEVER buy anything on ebay, and ONLY go to shows" if they are still actively collecting glass.
That's your choice and I respect that, but the truth is, you have effectively eliminated yourself as a potential buyer of a good percentage of the bottles for sale in the US. There are gems that show up now and then, and you will be the one to miss out on the chance of bidding on them.
That might be OK if you are only looking for one-in-a-lifetime super rare bottles that only show up in fancy auction house catalogs, or only seen in museums. Otherwise you are limiting your chances of finding something for your collection if you cross ebay off the list of possibilities. Just my opinion!
