[RioRico]

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Well there you go.. A new cottage business. Get a box of generic lens caps and replace the original Pentax caps. Right after you sell each lens, list the real lens cap.

I felt bad paying $10 for authentic caps (the newer side pinch types).. Guess I got a bargain.

Ah, the joke will be on them when lens-cap (front) prices hit US$150 and rear caps go for US$99. THEN they'll be sorry they sold out cheap! THEN their SO's will turn on them and say, "What, you moron?!?!? You sold that stuff for only fifty bucks apiece?!? D'ya realize how much you've cost us?!?!? Fix your OWN damn chipped-beef-on-toast, you LOSER!!!" Or something to that effect.

I haven't had money for auction for awhile. I've bought a few adapter rings, cheap Chinese crud, BIN and free shipping, because I've no camera shops anywhere nearby and none could match those prices anyway. But the bay now is mostly, for me, just entertainment (or maybe sadomasochism), watching winning bids that are somewhere between the high nineties and hilarious. Or opening prices that are mere fantasies.

When does the bubble burst, please?

[Ira]

This is killing me:

I'm in the office now and can't link to eBay to see the above links.

[Blue]

What should happen and what does happen are 2 different things. I assume you didn't pay it. What should be done is it should be reported. That's really all you can do.

Still, the fact remains, if the second bidder didn't bid the $140, the price never could have reached $143 from the owner shill bidding. It is partially for reasons like this that I use a sniper to bid. I never give the lemmings something to chip away at. With 2 seconds left, my bid is placed. If it's enough then I win. If not, oh well, move on.

I reported it but nothing came of it. What happened to me is I would put in a $100.50 max bid for example and someone would bid from $51 to $101 in about 5 bids and then back out. The seller would then come and offer me a 2nd chance. I never would do that because even though it was my max, it seemed fishy. Plus, 2 of the 4 times I had already moved on to another item.

[Ira]

I reported it but nothing came of it. What happened to me is I would put in a $100.50 max bid for example and someone would bid from $51 to $101 in about 5 bids and then back out. The seller would then come and offer me a 2nd chance. I never would do that because even though it was my max, it seemed fishy. Plus, 2 of the 4 times I had already moved on to another item.

It only happened to me once for something I really didn't want anyway, but do you remember how long after the auction closed you got the second chance notification?

You have to backtrack to the seller's payment requirements, and sometimes, they can try to give you a second chance after 5 days, but the buyer didn't have to pay until 7--so that's totally fishy.

You can just call me Codumbo.

[hangu]

You have to backtrack to the seller's payment requirements, and sometimes, they can try to give you a second chance after 5 days, but the buyer didn't have to pay until 7--so that's totally fishy.

You can just call me Codumbo.

I've just had a non paying bidder for a bolex camera. You usually get the drift within 2-3 days. Non paying bidders tend to not communicate. Other bidders tend to pay either immediately or within a day or two, if not, they would let you know asap.

The Ebay links are of used Pentax caps that were sold for hilarious amounts. $17+$2 shipping for the plastic one with tabs and $20+$2 shipping for the metal cap. Awful.

[boriscleto]

I reported it but nothing came of it. What happened to me is I would put in a $100.50 max bid for example and someone would bid from $51 to $101 in about 5 bids and then back out. The seller would then come and offer me a 2nd chance. I never would do that because even though it was my max, it seemed fishy. Plus, 2 of the 4 times I had already moved on to another item.

It only happened to me once for something I really didn't want anyway, but do you remember how long after the auction closed you got the second chance notification?

You have to backtrack to the seller's payment requirements, and sometimes, they can try to give you a second chance after 5 days, but the buyer didn't have to pay until 7--so that's totally fishy.

You can just call me Codumbo.

My Sigma macro was a second chance. Definitely a different lens than the one listed as it was in poorer condition. Seller said it was a twin to the listed one. Probably overpaid by $20-30 but I don't think the seller was being fraudulent, just not completely honest.

[JeffJS]

I reported it but nothing came of it. What happened to me is I would put in a $100.50 max bid for example and someone would bid from $51 to $101 in about 5 bids and then back out. The seller would then come and offer me a 2nd chance. I never would do that because even though it was my max, it seemed fishy. Plus, 2 of the 4 times I had already moved on to another item.

You have the advantage there. A, You don't have to accept the offer. B, as you said, you can move on to something else. The advantage of A is if your bid was a little silly just to try and make sure you won, you're off the hook. The advantage of B is, whatever you were bidding on isn't likely to be unique.

I've always gone at selling on ebay with the attitude, ask for what I want for a given item, bury the fees into the price, charge a fair rate for shipping. If the item is something someone wants and is willing to pay my price, their one and only bid is good enough for me. Sometimes, I'll offer an item up at a 0 profit price meaning, I got a bargain to begin with. Then let the bidders bid it up.

When bidding, again, I use a sniper. If you put in an early high bid, that insures most of the times, you'll pay the maximum. If in your example, of bidding $100.50 (you should always go $100.51 or pennies over whatever the increment is if that's your absolute top offer), you've made an offer to pay that amount. If it sells for less, great. If you had gone the sniper route then chances are (if what you suspect is true) the seller would have nothing to chip away at to get you to that second chance offer point.

Reporting it sets up a paper trail history of sorts. If enough of them are combined with non paying bidder claims, flags are raised, and Maybe the seller will be booted. Ebay has taken a buyer is always right stance in the last couple years. I don't have a problem with that except there are as many shady bidders out there as there are sellers, if not more. Bidders who run up the price and then bail cost money because people rarely accept second chance offers.

[Lowell Goudge]

my experience with EBay is that it appears there are many out there who do use some form of self bidding to drive price. When I see this I simply walk away, and many times, I see the item relisted.

with all the transactions going on, E-bay does not have the resources to police it's sellers, and must , out of necessity rely on the buyers.

In the end, I have only ever won 2 bids, which I am sure I paid fair price for. All other items I have bid on, went beyond my limit of pain and I walked away

[Jewelltrail]

Ira: Look--when it comes to my cynicism and my little faith in the integrity of my fellow man, you got nothing on me. I grew UP on it.

Brooklyn--remember? Plus, every other year, my parents told me they loved me, only on my birthday, but I knew they were full of s***.

However, I also believe in the STUPIDITY of my fellow man--not to mention the machinations of how eBay works:

I've been studying ways to cheat and beat the eBay system for years, in case one day, I lost my faith in a higher power and just wanted to "make a buck"--the consequences of such action and the following eternal burning damnation in hell be DAMNED. Then I realized I could never pull it off, because I'm too stupid, like the stupidity I mentioned above.

So boys and girls, let's follow THIS little adventure, and see what happens!

My guess is that the shmuck who buys it lives in Maryland:

Minty M42 Super Takumar 50mm 1.4 with Extras! - eBay (item 290424826704 end time Apr-18-10 13:06:13 PDT)

What I find interesting is, though the Buy It Now price is $150, it only comes with one original cap. I like how the seller words it--he does not use the word generic cap:


"Included with this lens is the original rear lens cap and a Heliopan(Germany) UV filter and modern lens cap."

And yet he describes the lens in the opening sentence this way:

"This is one of the cleanest examples of this lens ever offered on eBay I assure you."

[monochrome]

Wow. I replaced an original chrome cap for my Auto Tak 35mm f2.3 which is a large cap for $10. Those are somewhat hard to come by. I got lucky I guess.

I think you did. its always the little OEM accessories that people want to charge an arm and a leg for. but these are usually targeted at collectors, so a lot of times, simple things could be worth more to some people. being a bit of a takumar and early pentax collector, I am familiar with these kinds of prices.

I recently considered buying buying several of those at BIN prices just because ethey are rare and the prices were good. I let it go since I am supposed to be in selling mode. Now there aren't any available.

[mikeSF]

darn, how come that kind of thing never happens in my auctions?!
There was also that $1,000 Cosina on eBay recently sold legitimately by one of our own forumites...impressive!

[hangu]

Which Cosina?

[jibbonpoint]

I saw one go for over 130UK pounds a few weeks ago & it had fungus. I should have bought a bucket full when I bought mine a few years back.

[Blue]

darn, how come that kind of thing never happens in my auctions?!
There was also that $1,000 Cosina on eBay recently sold legitimately by one of our own forumites...impressive!

Which Cosina?

If I spent $1000 on any Cosina, I'd have to check what I had been drinking. I know there are some stellar ones, but dang. The Tomioka lens are nearly in this price range and they have a strong following.

[mikeSF]

Which Cosina?

just do a search here. Cosina 55mm/1.2 sold for $1,000 on eBay...USED!