Kevin, Don't lose heart....just put a reserve on the auctions next time. I've used ebay a dozen years and used Rec.bicycles.marketplace before that and swap meets/ word-of-mouth before that. Decide what you want or what you may reasonably expect and go from there. Timing is about the most important aspect of online sales after the desirability of the object for auction. Marketing/research is needed to understand the market and present the auction. I used to buy/sell on a large scale and now I am mostly selling....it's a *PITA to do it right but that is necessary. Take great/clear pictures and off you go. you may try 10 or 30 day auctions....longer the auction the longer the exposure. I too don't want to sound like a know-it-all and agree with John Barron. ebay is now and has been the world spot market. 90% of my sales went to USA buyers years ago but
now it can be 50% or less. Either way it's not always specific buyer/country that is committed to a heavy bidding hand. I also use a few bike brothers to check prices to make sure I'm on the right track. Used the advanced search for closed auctions to check the relative value of your item.
On a vintage bicycle note I spent the weekend so far sorting out a pile of Bluemels fenders, assorted hubs, cranks, and rims soon for sale. Now it's time for a spin on our Baylis Tandem now that the chores are done.
Matt Gorski Milano Cycling Club Long Beach, California United States of America
*PITA=Pain in the A**
On Sun, Feb 28, 2010 at 7:15 AM, kevin sayles <kevinsayles@tiscali.co.uk>wrote:
> I sold my first ever items on ebay today........might be the last!!
>
> I know now why I have enjoyed getting some real bargains with ebay for my
> vintage stuff......I know sometimes certain stuff goes for a very high
> price, but usually you can pick something up for a reasonable amount.
>
> Today I sold a frame I'd made for myself [sorry Dale its off topic, as is
> the tri bars and Colnago saddle] but I was disapointed to only get £144 for
> the frameset, and only £20 for a virtually unused Colnago titanium railed
> saddle......although I was reletively pleased to get £80 for the tri
> bars.......now I know why I have got so much stuff....might as well keep it
> as give it away!
>
> I'd say definately a buyers market on ebay.........
>
> cheers
> Kevin..not as rich as hoped. Sayles
> Bridgwater. Somerset UK
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Barron" <john@velostuf.com>
> To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
> Sent: Sunday, February 28, 2010 2:57 PM
> Subject: Re: [CR] Amazing Price for 1970 Raleigh (White) Pro (Used
>
>
>
>> This auction is a great example of how eBay can tell us almost exactly
>> what the *real price* of something is- If I counted correctly, there were
>> 22 bids from 12 different bidders. The progression of bid amounts was
>> orderly, and all of the last 10 bidders had a lot of eBay experience.
>>
>> I see plenty of posts on the CR list that seem to imply that people are
>> paying too much for items on eBay. Don's post stops short of that, but he
>> seems very surprised... that's OK. Here's what I see:
>>
>> 1) Raleigh is one of the most popular marques ever
>> 2) The Professional was their top model
>> 3) Its size is smack-dab in the middle of a bell-shaped curve
>> 4) Pretty much all of it's components were exactly what all the
>> professional racers were using at the time
>> 5) In particular, the rear der is special, and the wheelset is really nice
>>
>> I have been messing around in this game for more than 15 years, and my
>> opinion is that:
>>
>> a) For the last 10 or so years, in general, our beloved high-end vintage
>> racing bikes and parts have appreciated in value faster than our savings
>> accounts, mutual funds, and homes. (I'm NOT saying that's good or bad
>> -because most people don't do this as an investment- I'm simply saying that
>> it's a reality)
>> b) I believe that these bikes are still undervalued (could continue to get
>> more expensive) because more and more people are interested in things from
>> the past, like pro-quality bicycles that embody the romance and grit of, for
>> example, the Tour de France. Lance has raised the visibility of bicycle
>> racing and racing bicycles to the highest level ever in america, if not the
>> world.
>> c) There's a "flight to quality" whether people know they're doing that or
>> not. There's not a whole lot of "quality" perceived in the US dollar right
>> now... and there's no practical reason to be holding Euros or Yen either.
>>
>> Summary:
>>
>> * Sorry for sounding like a no-it-all junior economist
>> * I just work in a print shop
>> * If more and more people are as passionate as I am about vintage bikes
>> and parts, then it's predictable that prices will go up over time...
>> * With some notable exceptions, I believe that eBay should be viewed as
>> the *actual* state of affairs (vis a vis values), rather than a venue to see
>> off-the-chart transactions. (LIKE IT OR NOT, EBAY IS THE MARKET)
>>
>> I'm done, thanks for reading
>>
>> John Barron
>> Minneapolis MN USA
>> http://www.velostuf.com
>>
>>
>> Don Gillies wrote:
>>
>> Date: Sat, 27 Feb 2010 13:37:55 -0800
>> From: donald gillies <gillies@ece.ubc.ca>
>> Subject: [CR] Amazing Price for 1970 Raleigh (White) Pro (Used)
>> To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
>> Message-ID: <20100227213755.4FA357EC6A@lvs1-r2.ece.ubc.ca>
>> Content-Type: text/plain
>>
>> Well, at least it was a happy valentine's day for SOMEONE ...
>>
>> http://ebay.com/
>>
>> $1351 + $90 shipping. I think this is definitely a record price for a
>> Raleigh that's NOT NIB/NOS (note that two NOS/NIB mid-70's bikes were
>> sold in the $2000-$3000 range a few years ago on ebay.) Wowie !!!
>>
>> - Don Gillies
>> San Diego, CA, USA