The Knuckle Heads on Flebay

[Down South]

I rarely go to Flebay anymore but I’m in the market for a new Dillon RL 550B. Well, there was a NIB 550 up for bid without any dies or caliber conversion kit which is just what I needed since I already have all of the dies and conversion kits. My bid was the winning bid up till the last hour of the auction and wasn’t too far below what I could buy the machine from Brian Enos. Someone bid higher than what I could buy the machine from Brian delivered to my door at the last minute. This ain’t the first time I’ve had something like this happen to me at Flebay. It just makes me shake my head and wonder about some folks.

[jmorris]

I know what your talking about, I’m still kicking myself for not liquidating all of my primers a few months back and buying a nice summer home and boat.

[1hole]

Ebay! Gag. But Lordy, I hope the fools are still there when I finally get so old I sell my reloading stuff!

As P.T. Barnum once famously said, "There's a sucker born every minute." Meaning no one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the people. (Want more proof? Look at what we have in DC and the "winners" current determination to take over our lives, aka our "health care" and the foolish "green weenie" stuff, no matter how much we don't want it!)

[kostner]

I was lucky twice on flebay and got two Dillon Square Deals. Have seen 550's and 650's lately but bidding was very high. Good luck. Have you tried GunBroker.com?

[cabezaverde]

I put a used set of Dillon 223 dies on there. They sold for more than the new price in the Dillon catalog.

[Down South]

I was lucky twice on flebay and got two Dillon Square Deals. Have seen 550's and 650's lately but bidding was very high. Good luck. Have you tried GunBroker.com?
Yup, Got a bid in on one there now. the bid ends 6 days from now so I will keep an eye on it.
I'll most likely wind up buying new from Brian since bids on GB get out of hand a lot too.

[TNshawn]

Yup, Got a bid in on one there now. the bid ends 6 days from now so I will keep an eye on it.
I'll most likely wind up buying new from Brian since bids on GB get out of hand a lot too.

I hope you have good luck with your GB bid. I found a press listed on GB that I was interested in but had a question. So I sent a PM 3 days before the auction was over, never got a reply. [smilie=b:

[mdi]

Crazy, I just bought a back up powder measure, Lee, from Midway. for $20.00 plus shipping. I routinely see the same powder measur going for $30 or more. Same with a lot of other equipment too; I once saw a Lee Loader (hammer type), used, go for double the price of a new one!

[.30/30 Guy]

Welcome to fleabay, evil bay or whatever! Actually it is sniper land. Most of the winning bids are placed with seconds left.

[462]

Some people have more money than brains. Also, common sense is a trait that seems to be lacking in more than just a few ebay bidders.

[hooverjeep]

I typed a long, drawn out answer to these posts on why they shouldn't dog eBay. But for some reason, it told me I couldn't post and to log back in. I'm not typing all that again, so, in short: Quit whining! So what if you didn't get the price you wanted eBay? Go buy it retail and you won't have to worry. READ THE ADS AND CHECK THE FEEDBACK BEFORE YOU BUY! Yes, I know, Paypal is antigun. Its antiporn, too.

[shotman]

looks like the hot TX sun or the jeep has gotton to the new guy

[hooverjeep]

Definitely not a tree hugger. Just get tire of people complaining about eBay when they're not forced to use it. I think in a conservative manner, that is, I am responsible for me. I don't expect others to look out for me. I've got more good deals on eBay than I ever have on Gunbroker. Some of the stuff on Ebay does go for ridiculous prices, but I don't pay it, just like I don't pay it at the gun shows. So what's the problem with eBay if it drives the value, but not the cost, of your equipment up? Yeah, its hot here, but we haven't had our brains frozen down here, which is probably why we don't expect someone to 'look out' for us. We take care of ourselves.

[hooverjeep]

On the Lyman 45... you mean 'brazed,' not "braised," right? Thanks for the offer, but I bought a 450 ON EBAY for around 70.00, which is fair, from what I've seen. However I'm not going to cry about the "ones that got away..."

[klcarroll]

The problems with Ebay are well known; ....And are always good for a laugh. (God knows, with the current "Team" in control of Washington, we need a good laugh from time to time!)

.....But the one thing that ALWAYS makes me jump to the next thread are those posters who can't add a comment without making a personal remark about another poster!

That is just not how it's done! If your point is valid, ....you don't NEED to belittle the other guy!


Kent

[doubs43]

Ebay is what it is. IF you know what you want AND you're current on values AND you know how to read between the lines or ask the right questions, there's a good chance that you'll get what you want and maybe even at a bargain.

I've bought hundreds of items from ebay and in 98% of cases I've been completely satisfied. That doesn't make me an ebay "lover" either..... just someone who is careful and can walk away from less than a good deal. FWIW, it's been close to a year since I last bought from ebay as my interests have shifted but I would have no qualms about using ebay again.

Ebay is not for everyone, especially those who have a tendency to get caught up in bidding madness. A good rule to follow is to establish a maximum price you're willing to pay and then bid in the final 5 or 10 seconds of an auction. You either win or lose. Whatever the outcome, don't dwell on it or get upset if you miss out. There's always more to be had 99% of the time.

If you absolutely MUST have an item, buy it new unless used is your only option.

[50 Caliber]

I firmly believe that there is ALOT of friends helping friends drive bids higher on Ebay, they avoid "shill bidding" that way. There is no way there are that many idiots in one web site.
I wont go there anymore. I bid on a set of walkie takies for my son's Christmas, They retailed new for $74.97 @ the local Wal Mart, so I placed a bid@ $50.00.
The next day the bidding was well over $90.00!!!
With shipping the price would have been well over $100.00 in the end. Sorry dont want them that bad.

[Rocky Raab]

Not a new guy here, but agree with hooverjeep (and he didn't rip anybody, as far as I could tell.) If you want something on eBay, make a reasonable bid late in the auction. If some idiot or shill bids you out of the water, let them have the thing. There's always another similar item.

It's no different than any other auction. Never bid high early, never go beyond your pre-established limit for an item, and do your homework to set that limit. You can only get cheated if you allow yourself to be.

[jimkim]

I've gotten some pretty good deals on there, but I'm kinda stingy and look for off-brand(brands other than RCBS, Lee, Lyman) stuff. I put in(literally at the last minute) what I am willing to pay for it and that is it.

Some of the prices I've seen blow my mind. I believe I could have a press built at a machine shop for what I've seen some people pay. I used to complain about the high bids(I still do sometimes), until I had a buddy from OZ explain that even when paying that much, it was still better than they could do down there. If you ever get the chance, check out an Ozzie or European reloading site.

I'm not a great fan of eBay, but I don't hate it either. I just don't like their policies.

[mdi]

I posted my thoughts about ebay because I thought it was funny! I've bought a lot of reloading stuff from ebay but if the price is more then a few dollars I'll check normal retail and decide whether or not to bid. As stated earlier "Ebay is what it is". I've been to Customs Auctions at the Port of Los Angeles and see the same "bidding mentality", and I think it's silly...


By the way JimKim, how do you pronounce "Ocmulgee"? and where is it?

[doubs43]

By the way JimKim, how do you pronounce "Ocmulgee"? and where is it?

Here's the low down on the Ocmulgee River: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocmulgee_River

[Down South]

When I started this thread it was not meant in an angry manner. It was mostly for the comical side of today’s Ebay. I’ve been an Ebayer for a good many years now and have won many auctions. I’ve even made decent deals at buy it now prices.
But over the past few years Ebay has gradually changed and the good deals are harder to find. Buy it now prices are almost always more than retail and many times the shipping is higher than buying retail too.
As I said in my first post, I rarely visit Ebay anymore or any of the other auction sites.
The point that I was trying to make is that some Knuckle Heads either don’t have enough sense to know that they can get a brand new item cheaper from a known retailer or they have something weird going on in their head that they just have to win the bid regardless of cost. It really doesn’t matter to me which or whatever is going on with people that bid too much. I’ll not bid more than I think that an item is worth to (ME).
If I don’t win the bid, it will not hurt my feelings nor make me angry. It does bring a chuckle from time to time such as the bid that I described in my first post. It sort of reminds me of the saying “A fool and his money are soon parted.”

Ya’ll have a good day now, and for the guy with the jeep that’s been in the sun too long… Welcome to CB and no, I didn’t take offence to your post.

[Flinchrock]

looks like the hot TX sun or the jeep has gotton to the new guy

Yep,,,sure looks like it,,Iain't anti either one of 'em

[azrednek]

As far as I'm concerned Ebay has been like a gold mine for me. My complaint with Ebay is gun show sellers using Ebay as a pricing guide. When I try to beat a gunshow vendor down on his price they often respond with "do you know what these are selling for on Ebay". 10 years ago one could find great buys on used moulds and reloading tools at gunshows. Now they take them to Ebay where somebody with more money than brains is willing to pay more than what it is worth.

[jeff423]

I'm not sure this is a problem, after all we live in a democracy. If someone wants to overpay - let them.
Since I've been selling more reloading equipment recently than buying I'm happy if someone pays me 110% of what I paid.

Jeff

[kopperl]

EBay is like smoking-a personal choice.

[evan price]

The prices people will pay amaze me. I'm stocking up on Lee 6-cav boolit moulds and I see them listed at what you pay for new ones for well used ones.


I feel lucky that I managed to snag two 6-cav moulds with handles for $30 plus shipping each.

There's folks trying to get $50 for a Lee 6-cav, no handles. You can buy them all day on line for less than $40 from the big dealers.

I did score some good deals on linotype and bar solder but just barely. Basically same cost as Rotometals but the seller ate the shipping. Oh well.

[hooverjeep]

Down South, I do apologize, I totally misintepreted your first post. I had a flashback to the lady I saw bawling on TV after Katrina, "What's the government gonna do?" ( I yelled back at the TV, just like Grandma, "Screw that lady! What are you gonna do?" I just see a lot of people dogging it [eBay] on gun related sites, which I don't get. I think its the single greatest capitalist market ever invented. Sure, there are idiots and miscreants, but those are at WalMart and gun shows, too. However, there seems to be a higher ratio of idots at the gun shows BEHIND THE TABLES.

[ETG]

Concerning the last minute out bidding - sorry, I'm guilty. I use auction sniper - I decide what I'm willing to pay for an item, set it up on auction sniper and forget about it. I don't plan on getting involved in the last minute bidding frenzy and at the same time I don't want someone to know what I'm willing to pay so they can shill bid me up. I mostly buy endmills and machine tools/materials - since I'm still learning and cringe at shattering an expensive bit! I detest their anti gun policy and get a real kick out of selling/buying assult gun stuff through paypal knowing they hate it :lol: If I buy a tool that I need to build a gun it feels like a small victory to use their own system against them - I maybe totally out to lunch - but if you don't like it don't fall into the libertard ban it mode - just change the channel.

[doubs43]

Concerning the last minute out bidding - sorry, I'm guilty. I use auction sniper -

Some people feel that "sniping" is somehow dishonest or unethical. IMO, sniping, like playing poker, is just not showing your hand until the last possible moment. I won't show what I'm willing to bid until the final few seconds while knowing that I have one shot at it and no chance of bidding higher than the price I've settled on. It's no different than a live auction where I establish a value I'm willing to pay and will not exceed.

Often people on ebay will get into a bidding war and go above what I'm willing to pay and I simply drop that auction from consideration.

The one thing that a bidder should NEVER do is take losing an auction personally. Forget about the loss and know that another of the same item will become available and usually very quickly. It's not worth losing sleep over.

[Geraldo]

Posted by 50 Caliber:


There is no way there are that many idiots in one web site.


You're grossly underestimating the number of idiots in the world.

[Rocky Raab]

hooverjeep, as a guy who spent 15 years behind a gun show table, I might take offense at your comment. But I won't. I've seen them, too.

Of course, I've seen them on BOTH sides. Greedy dealers who want more than NIB prices for used guns - and greedy patrons who want NIB prices for used guns. You may substitute any object for the word "guns" there. It's still true.

I buy and sell on eBay, as I mentioned earlier. I have a 100% approval rating as both buyer and seller, so I must be doing something right. Whatever it is, I'll continue doing it.

[thenaaks]

One thought as to why people might spend more on ebay than purchasing online retail is that a person selling on ebay may ignore shipping restrictions to certain cities that large retailers may not get away with. so the ebay shoppers are spending a little more, but getting around the "law."

[leadman]

Some people may only need a certain item and do not want to spend the time looking for it. They bid, pay by Paypal, and it is delivered to their door.
Some also have more expendable income than I do so a little extra cost does not bother them.

I'll have to see what I can sell to them!

[Rio Grande]

Paypal...what a ripoff. That's why I don't shop ebay.
Even if I could get a deal there, which is about as likely as BMW's raining down from heaven.
Is it true the owner of ebay also owns paypal?
Oh yeah, expendable income - what's that?

[mtnman31]

Rio grande,
Yes, Paypal is owned by eBay. So, the sellers really get taken to the cleaners. As a seller you pay to list your item and then Paypal also takes a percentage of your money when you get paid via Paypal, which by the way, you are REQUIRED to accept Paypal. They more or less force you to use Paypal and in doing so you end up paying twice to sell an item. It is part of the reason why some sellers have such high shipping costs, to make up for the percentage that eBay takes from you.

I buy things off eBay often, though not nearly as often as I used to. I agree that using eBay is a choice but I absolutely can't stand their antigun policies and other draconian policies that are designed to "protect" their customers. i.e. hiding the identities of bidders, making it impossible for you to protect yourself from shill bidders.

I don't sell much on there because of the way they fleece the sellers. Typically the only items I sell on there are things that I would just as soon throw away or donate to Goodwill, i.e. items I could care less about recouping any money I have in them.

[corvette8n]

I sold on fleabay twice when I got a larger pot I sold my old one for more than I paid for it and also more than you could buy a new one mail order. I also sold a 1 cavity Lee 8mm mold when I got my RD .32 cal one, it went for what I pad for it from Midway.

[50calshooter]

Hello 50 caliber, I sell alot on Feebay and Gunbroker. Never seen the "Shill Bidding" people are that dumb to pay a stupid price. I sell all the extar reloading equipment I get on these two site with Feebay bringing a higher return. I buy anything I can make money on at gun auctions sell off what I don't want, to pay for what I keep. The only thing Feebay is good for is finding something rare, not many bargins if you figure your time looking to be worth anything. Keep you eye on the target and have a good Day David

[rattletrap1970]

I have a Dillon 550 RL with 3 calibers (actually 5) for sale. The only reason for selling is I have another one and I want to get a better bulls eye gun. Here's my ad for it.

http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/ac51/rattletrap1970/Dillon550RLForSale.jpg

[Kevin Rohrer]

I have found that Ebarf is NOT the place to go to buy anything still in production.

It IS the place to go for stuff no longer in production.

[1hole]

Rocky: "You can only get cheated if you allow yourself to be. "

Roger that. I used to get a few unique or cheep items on eBay, that was about 8-10 years ago. Now I look maybe a couple-three times a year to see if it's changed back to reasonable; not yet it hasn't!

But, recognizing the truth of "a fool and his money are soon parted", I see the sellers are doing well and I can be happy for them. Can't acuse the seller of cheating anyone, can we? I mean, fools WILL lose their money one way or another, buyers actually will stand in line to lose it on an auction "bargain", so why not let them do it on used loading gear that can be bought new for less? I think it's FUNNY!

[Roundnoser]

I get some good deals on E-bay once in awhile, but I laugh at those people who spend well above retail for used equipment! Its already been said...set a limit for yourself and make your bid. If some fool wants to pay 110% of retail for it, let him! You can walk away LAUGHING! -- Once, I watched a bidder win a used Star lube-sizer for 275 bucks (without extras!) He could have purchased a NEW Star from Magma, DELIVERED for that price.

I did get one sweet deal on e-bay. I bid on a Star sizer (in mint condition) for 215 dollars. It came with a couple of dies and base-first top punches I didn't need. So, I offered them for bid back on E-bay and (as you can imagine), a feeding frenzy occurred. I made back 105 dollars! So my net out-of-pocket on that mint condition Star was approx. 125 bucks including the shipping!

[fatelk]

I have definitely seen auction fever on ebay, but it has worked in my favor a few times. I always feel bad when I sell something and it goes for higher than new price ($100 for a .410 Lee Loader?). I hate the thought of ripping someone off, but I figure that so long as I have good photos and an accurate description, people will bid what they want to bid.

I have a few things to sell right now. Some of them are going on ebay. I would rather sell them here on the trader, but to be honest I couldn't in good conscience ask here what they will sell for there, and right now I really need every dime I can get.

It's been quite a while since I sold there, and what gets me is how they have the fee structure set now. It's all set up for the big sellers now, and the small sellers get reamed. I sold a $180 item, and between ebay and paypal paid $25 in fees. Maybe next time I should put it here first, for $25 less than I think I could get there, but it would still be high.

[Char-Gar]

Auctions, either online or in person are a bloodsport. Auction fever and sniping are part of the turf. In a bloodsport there are no rules, no whining and no crying. Long live Ebay!!!!!

[UNIQUEDOT]

I just don't get it! Why do gun collectors or shooters of any kind even buy or sell on ebay knowing they use the money they make off of you to support anti gun orgs. and political candidates hell bent on banning them?

[Ozark Howler]

I just don't get it! Why do gun collectors or shooters of any kind even buy or sell on ebay knowing they use the money they make off of you to support anti gun orgs. and political candidates hell bent on banning them?

Good point, but remember.....when a reloader or shooter buy/sells on Fleabay, they are usually upgrading and in the process also expanding the sport, sometimes to new shooters/reloaders.

Keeping the sport on the front page goes along way to keeping it alive and active.

My feelings toward Fleabay is that it actually promotes the shooting community (by keeping people involved) more than being a negative to the sport.

The key to buying on Fleabay is to ask questions and set a limit on what you want to spend for an item, don't get caught up in the buying panic at the final minutes of an auction.

[noylj]

You have to understand:
They beat you and they won! They then do happy dance because they are winners and you are a loser.
It is called psychology, and a lot of people have a lot of psycho.

[NoZombies]

I've used ebay to my benefit for both buying and selling.

In order to buy and get a good deal on ebay, you have to know what something is worth, or at least, what you're willing to pay for it (is there a difference?) and limit yourself strictly to that price. Ask questions wisely. Do your research.

To sell on ebay, there are a few keys to success:

Good and detailed description

Good high quality photos, and a lot of them

Knowing the target market

Using the best key-words to ensure traffic

Starting the bidding low enough to draw in multiple bidders before the bidding hits the price you'd like to get for it, more bidders = more frenzy

Good communication with buyers, answer those emails!

[UNIQUEDOT]

Good point, but remember.....when a reloader or shooter buy/sells on Fleabay, they are usually upgrading and in the process also expanding the sport, sometimes to new shooters/reloaders.

Keeping the sport on the front page goes along way to keeping it alive and active.

My feelings toward Fleabay is that it actually promotes the shooting community (by keeping people involved) more than being a negative to the sport.

The key to buying on Fleabay is to ask questions and set a limit on what you want to spend for an item, don't get caught up in the buying panic at the final minutes of an auction.

Well that kind of thinking (and as can be told from reading this thread) too many think this way, is the kind of thinking that allows you to lose your gun rights a little here, and a little there. There are gun friendly auction sites such as gunbroker that don't use a penny of your money to support anti gun agendas of any sort, and in fact do just the opposite. Gunbroker doesn't charge a penny for us to list auctions and we can list several pictures free as well as free auto relists.

As far as folks saying "but no one searches those sites for the stuff" is bull because i have read many descriptions where the seller said "i had this stuff on ebay, but they canceled the auction" point is, if you stop supporting the anti gun groups, and stop listing any of the stuff on ebay, then everyone will come to the gun friendly auction sites where portions of the profits are used for our own good.

Auctionarms is another great sight i have used for a few years as well.

[HollowPoint]

This is a pointless back and forth type of debate.

I use ebay when it suits me and I don't use them when it doesn't suit me.

I leave the extolling of pro's and con's and the for or against debating to those
with nothing better to do.

HollowPoint

[cabezaverde]

My problem with Gunbroker and Auction Arms is that they charge nothing to list an item. This serves sellers who don't really want to sell, they want a pie in the sky price for an item.

If these sites charged to list, sellers would get serious about selling. You keep seeing the same items coming up month after month at prices the market clearly does not want to pay.

[UNIQUEDOT]

This is a pointless back and forth type of debate.

I use ebay when it suits me and I don't use them when it doesn't suit me.

I leave the extolling of pro's and con's and the for or against debating to those
with nothing better to do.

HollowPoint

So you are saying you had nothing better to do. :bigsmyl2:

[UNIQUEDOT]

My problem with Gunbroker and Auction Arms is that they charge nothing to list an item. This serves sellers who don't really want to sell, they want a pie in the sky price for an item.

If these sites charged to list, sellers would get serious about selling. You keep seeing the same items coming up month after month at prices the market clearly does not want to pay.

You can always send a message and tell them what you are willing to pay (this is what i sometimes do) and they can either take it or leave it. As for me, if i can't afford it i won't even consider it, but i won't put a price on my freedom either by supporting the groups that want to take my guns away just to save a few cents. Besides i don't agree with you at all on the prices since just in the last couple of months i purchased a buy it now pro 1000 for $30.00 on gunbroker and a set of four carbide dies for $5.00. While everyone else is supporting the anti's looking for good deals (or simply selling out of greed) some of us are supporting our cause and actually getting the deals. BTW the auctions end on ebay at higher prices than the buy now auctions on gunbroker to begin with.

[Doby45]

Blah blah blah... I use Pay-Pal too, almost exclusively.

[UNIQUEDOT]

Blah blah blah... I use Pay-Pal too, almost exclusively.

And, Harry Reid thanks you for your support!

[Doby45]

I am sure he does. I also use BP gas in my car and I am sure I use MANY services that fortify the "enemy". If you think you don't, your living in a cave.

[felix]

It makes absolutely no difference about any of this. It is all entertainment any way you can look at it. Just like using this great board! Do you remember the recording "Moonlight Gambler", a Frankie Lane 1955 hit? The gist alludes to there might be no fun unless there is a gamble in the midst. ... felix

[UNIQUEDOT]

Well the thing is, the posters that try to justify the use of the services are the ones that put the **** on those sites, and they don't want the word getting out because they are afraid the stuff wont get bid through the roof! As i said before people bid the stuff up higher on ebay than buy it now prices on the other sites.

Within the last few months i have seen two dillon rl 550b's sell with lots of extras on gunbroker and one on auction arms for less than $200.00 all the while some sucker bid on similar items on ebay three times that much.

[Char-Gar]

Well the thing is, the posters that try to justify the use of the services are the ones that put the **** on those sites, and they don't want the word getting out because they are afraid the stuff wont get bid through the roof! As i said before people bid the stuff up higher on ebay than buy it now prices on the other sites.

Within the last few months i have seen two dillon rl 550b's sell with lots of extras on gunbroker and one on auction arms for less than $200.00 all the while some sucker bid on similar items on ebay three times that much.


Well, I would say the sucker is the guy who sold it for $200.00 when he could have gotten $600.00 some place else.

[NoZombies]

Well, I would say the sucker is the guy who sold it for $200.00 when he could have gotten $600.00 some place else.

I agree. The whole point of a free market economy is that the market is free to do what it will.

Remember, things are worth what people are willing to pay for them. If you're selling something in an auction format, and you're not trying to get the most for it, then you're stupid.

[home in oz]

That is why I gave up on them

[UNIQUEDOT]

I agree. The whole point of a free market economy is that the market is free to do what it will.

Remember, things are worth what people are willing to pay for them. If you're selling something in an auction format, and you're not trying to get the most for it, then you're stupid.

Once again. You can ask whatever you want for it and if people are willing to pay it they will, if not they will make an offer. By contradicting the statements that people want more on gunbroker does not prove wits.

I think anyone who sells out their freedom are stupid...i mean of the tons of money they pay paypal and ebay yearly to help their gun banning cause... i wonder if they donate at least the same amount to the NRA? i doubt it. then again i guess you have to defend your ebay store... BTW there are no such things as zombies.

[Doby45]

Well the thing is, the posters that try to justify the use of the services are the ones that put the **** on those sites, and they don't want the word getting out because they are afraid the stuff wont get bid through the roof! As i said before people bid the stuff up higher on ebay than buy it now prices on the other sites.

Within the last few months i have seen two dillon rl 550b's sell with lots of extras on gunbroker and one on auction arms for less than $200.00 all the while some sucker bid on similar items on ebay three times that much.



Sounds like someone is a little bitter that someone else did not want to simply give you a Dillon for the $200 price tag that you wanted and you just settled and actually bought the Lee equipment that was in your price range.

[UNIQUEDOT]

Sounds like someone is a little bitter that someone else did not want to simply give you a Dillon for the $200 price tag that you wanted and you just settled and actually bought the Lee equipment that was in your price range.

Nope i didn't bid on the Dillon stuff (i simply watched it) because i had bought all the Lee stuff, and as of yet i can't find anything wrong with the Loadmaster and can't justify the expense of a blue one. I did however give the pro 1000 that i got for thirty bucks to my brother whom turned around and sold it for $100 profit.
Still considering one of the slower blue ones though.

[NoZombies]

Once again. You can ask whatever you want for it and if people are willing to pay it they will, if not they will make an offer. By contradicting the statements that people want more on gunbroker does not prove wits.

I think anyone who sells out their freedom are stupid...i mean of the tons of money they pay paypal and ebay yearly to help their gun banning cause... i wonder if they donate at least the same amount to the NRA? i doubt it. then again i guess you have to defend your ebay store... BTW there are no such things as zombies.

Thank you for your opinion

[thx997303]

I wonder, can anybody provide a cite to source for e-bay or paypal donating money to anti gun groups or politicians?

I know all about their policies, but have never seen any proof that they actually donate money to these groups.

Update: After some searching, I have found two things that ebay has donated money toward.

Breast cancer research, and saving the rainforest.

I'm gonna keep looking.

Just found something about fuel cell research. Not sure whether they gave money or not.

[thx997303]

Just found two more things.

Recycling programs, and Haiti disaster relief.

Also seems they give you an option through them, called mission fish, that donates a portion of your sale to a charity of your choice. Nothing to fault them for there.

EXCEPT, it appears that they don't make it clear that it is more a monthly subscription/automatic donation. This I can fault them for.

My advice, don't use mission fish.

[NoZombies]

thx997303,

Yeah, I couldn't find it either, and I've been looking for years.

I don't appreciate their policies, but beyond them, I haven't seen them doing anything actively anti-gun.

I believe their policies are born from a fear of litigation, more than a disdain for guns. That's why they change their policies from time to time, 'cause their lawyers tell 'em they might get sued. I remember when you could buy all kinds of gun stuff on ebay. I always figured if they where really anti-gun, as apposed to gun shy, they would have set up the policies from the get go.

[grubbylabs]

If I want something on their I place my bid with the max amount I am willing to spend on something from their and walk away from it. If I get it, great if not I will try again later or go somewhere else. It seems like stuff on their goes in spurts and jerks.

[zxcvbob]

If I want something on their I place my bid with the max amount I am willing to spend on something from their and walk away from it. If I get it, great if not I will try again later or go somewhere else. It seems like stuff on their goes in spurts and jerks.

eBay has really gone downhill in the past few years and I seldom even look anymore. But if I see something I want, if nobody has bid yet I'll make a low opening bid. Otherwise I just make a note of what time the auction ends. In either case, 3 seconds before the auction ends I'll place one bid of the maximum amount I'm willing to spend for it -- assuming it's not already over my maximum. It the auction ends at 3:00 in the morning, I get up at 2:55 to check on it.

There are "sniping" services that will do all this for you, but IMHO that's cheating.

Placing a maximum bid early can work, but I don't like to tip my hand like that.

[UNIQUEDOT]

I wonder, can anybody provide a cite to source for e-bay or paypal donating money to anti gun groups or politicians?

I know all about their policies, but have never seen any proof that they actually donate money to these groups.

Update: After some searching, I have found two things that ebay has donated money toward.

Breast cancer research, and saving the rainforest.

I'm gonna keep looking.

Just found something about fuel cell research. Not sure whether they gave money or not.

You do vote don't you? and if you do, then i would assume you keep a close eye on the elections and where the money comes from right? then you should know. If you have followed any of the news on the auction site over the past ten years, you would know without even having to follow the elections.

[NoZombies]

Uniquedot.

Clearly you're privy to information that I am not, could you please give actual examples? Links?

Saying "you should know" doesn't help much.

I'd like to know, because if what you say is accurate it would affect my dealings with big yellow.

[UNIQUEDOT]

thx997303,
I believe their policies are born from a fear of litigation, more than a disdain for guns. That's why they change their policies from time to time, 'cause their lawyers tell 'em they might get sued. I remember when you could buy all kinds of gun stuff on ebay. I always figured if they where really anti-gun, as apposed to gun shy, they would have set up the policies from the get go.

I used to use them quite often when the items were allowed, and i even considered the same thing about their lawyers, but do the sporting goods stores get sued when a gun they sold was used maliciously? those cases are always thrown out. If that was the case then Gunbroker and auction arms, gunsamerica etc. wouldn't allow guns to be sold on their auctions sites and therefore could not exist...it doesn't hold water! The fact remains that they support the politicians on the dictators side of freedom. They are what they are.

[UNIQUEDOT]

Uniquedot.

Clearly you're privy to information that I am not, could you please give actual examples? Links?

Saying "you should know" doesn't help much.

I'd like to know, because if what you say is accurate it would affect my dealings with big yellow.

O.k. how about when they endorsed Rosie and her million mom march? or this past election when the former ceo wrote senator Harry a one hundred sixty million dollar personal check, higher than the normal donations provided. When i contacted them when they changed their policies they told me "guns cause the deaths of ebays customers, or at the very least potential harm" Well so does a pair of fists or a rock or an automobile etc. (i replied). I saved that email because it was so ignorant and anti gun, and i sent it out to eveyone in my address book, i will look and see if i still have that email saved somewhere.

[thx997303]

O.k. how about when they endorsed Rosie and her million mom march? or this past election when the former ceo wrote senator Harry a one hundred sixty million dollar personal check, higher than the normal donations provided. When i contacted them when they changed their policies they told me "guns cause the deaths of ebays customers, or at the very least potential harm" Well so does a pair of fists or a rock or an automobile etc. (i replied). I saved that email because it was so ignorant and anti gun, and i sent it out to eveyone in my address book, i will look and see if i still have that email saved somewhere.

Cite to source.

Provide a cite to source, and I will believe you, and never use ebay ever again.

Absent a cite to source, I will have to rely on the research I have been doing myself, and assume that they have not directly supported anti gun causes.

[BCall]

O.k. how about when they endorsed Rosie and her million mom march? or this past election when the former ceo wrote senator Harry a one hundred sixty million dollar personal check, higher than the normal donations provided. When i contacted them when they changed their policies they told me "guns cause the deaths of ebays customers, or at the very least potential harm" Well so does a pair of fists or a rock or an automobile etc. (i replied). I saved that email because it was so ignorant and anti gun, and i sent it out to eveyone in my address book, i will look and see if i still have that email saved somewhere.

I have no doubt eBay has some anti gun policies, but I think you have some wires crossed. The "former ceo" who supposedly wrote Harry Reid a 160 million dollar check is awful suspicious, considering she was busy spending $160 million of her own money to get elected as governor of California. Her name is Whitman and she ran as a Republican.

I can't comment on the e-mail, but you might want to check your sources. Even Obama's supposed top supporter only donated just over $1.5 million(at least what is on the books), so $160 million would have to be the largest political contribution ever. Not to mention that would mean she spent just as much on a political adversary as herself.

[twocool4u]

As someone who earns a significant portion of their daily bread using Ebay I will share a few things.

Ebay is one of the worst companies in the world. The reason is simple, they worship $$$ and nothing else. ANYTHING they can do to make a nickel, they will do. Words cannot express how much I loathe them. They have shafted the sellers to try to get more buyers. Now a seller cannot leave a buyer negative feedback for any reason!!!

That being said, to anyone who thinks ebay is overrun with shill bidders, I have some lube grooves you can purchase cheap. I was banned from ebay for a month about 6 years ago for having a shill bidder just because a good customer had bid on about 15 of my auctions. I have had 2 warnings since then because of customers bidding on multiple auctions. I do not know what threshold they use for watching shill bidding, but I do know it does not take much to cross it.

As for ignorant buyers, is there a retail sales business that does NOT have them?

Now bid sniping, that is an art, and I love it. I bid snipe 99% of the auctions I personally buy. The way I look at it is this, you can buy the smart way or the stupid way, I chose the smart way. This is real life, played using big boys rules, no whiners.

[felix]

Please explain the art of sniping that you do, TC! It seems to me if I want to purchase something, I'd just put in the maximum price I want to pay and be done with it. I would never buy anything that I NEED from ebay, just those things I'd take for "x" price. ... felix

[Reverend Recoil]

I got good deals on two classic cast iron C-presses. There are good deals to be had on obscure gadgets that most people do not need or understand, such as Compensating Polar Planimeters. There really is such a thing. I have two of them now. Used Starret tools seem to be fairly priced. Ebay is no different than typical gun shows and flee markets.

[starbits]

I used to sell $20K+ on eBay every year, even a firearm or two in the distant past. Haven't sold anything in a year or two though because they really don't like small time sellers and have worked to drive them away.

I still buy occasionally though. Just got a San Diego era H&G #50 mold @ handles for $95 shipped. Gifts for family members off ebay keeps me out of the stores which is always a plus.

Starbits

[twocool4u]

Felix,

I find something I want, maybe an old out of print book like this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/FIREARMS-CURIOSA-LEWIS-WINANT-/320616522285?pt=Antiquarian_Collectible&hash=item4aa63be22d

I would put in on my watch list and make a note of when it ends and decide how much it is worth to me. At about 5-10 minutes to auction end I would log into my ebay and open the auction. At 60 seconds to go I type in my maximum bid and at 9 or 10 seconds to go I click "bid". No muss, no fuss, I either win at a price I can afford or I lose and find another action at a later time. No one knows I am even interested in the item so anyone else who has bid or is going to bid is less likely to bid high.

The best I have ever done is a book that was last printed in 1917. It was worth between $700 and $900. I got it for $33 after shipping. It is the pride of my library.

[felix]

Thanks, TC. So, you enter the bid, hopefully the last one for the product, manually at the last second. That would be the way I'd do it too should I be in the resale business. Prolly, I would write a program to do the shooting if I had to make a living using these sites. ... felix

[a.squibload]

I rarely do fleabay any more, mainly due to their anti-seller bias, rules are tilted toward buyers.
You could easily lose if the buyer makes a fraudulent claim, for example
"box was empty" or "item significantly not as described". Buyer/crook wins,
then sells your item later.

I did list a 60's Dinky Toy car, no box, hoping to get 5 or 10 bucks, sold for $36.

If you're looking for small items for cheap (I got 3 bottles of Goo-Gone for $4 shipped, and batteries are usually cheap)
and don't want to drive around to find 'em,
it's just easy to order from someone who bought a few cases and is selling individual units.

Anything really cool will usually be overbid.

[Ozark Howler]

Recently purchased a "like new" C-H 444 4 station press on Fleabay for $43.99. this press was listed as a Adein USA press. Also the next day I picked up a Bair Brown Bear 3 station "H" press for $53.00

The deals are out there, you just need to be patient and know the item you are bidding on, the C-H was listed as a Adein USA press which actually was mis-read from the Made in USA base casting, it was obvious from the beginning that it was a C-H 4 station

Both presses were won in the last 30 seconds.

[Charlie Sometimes]

The Feebay seller knows how many people have looked at, and are watching their items.
As a buyer, you can look at the number of bids and bidders and figure how bad somone may want it or if it is near someones max bid- intuition somewhat.

A bid will keep an item from being withdrawn before an auction ends, too- provided it is above any established reserve.

"Sniping" is not only for resalers, but money savers, too. I do it to avoid spending more than I wish for an item I'd like to have/need, or to keep from loosing that item to those with more money than sense.

Timing is everything, too. If your item sells around game kick off time, or during the afternoon board meeting, quitting time on the East or West coast, or similar events, you can figure low profits. You have to think ahead- does it end on a weekday or weekend?

More power to a capitalist market and economy- it supports what it will support, and no more. It's up to the participants to decide what, when, where, how, and why things are done.

[Down South]

I remember once, I was bidding on a three passenger tube to pull behind my party boat. The same seller had a "Buy it for now" for the exact same item just a couple spaces down from the bidding link. I decided to bid and make my bid just below the buy it now price in the other link. Some bid idiot bid higher than the buy it now price. I laughed about that one and went to the buy it now and bought it.
Maybe they just get a kick out of winning the bid, who knows? Some folks just have more money than sense.

[dudel]

eBay - bad for buyers; great for sellers. I was thinking of a new Lee universal decapping die, so as not to have to move it from the RockChucker to the 550 toolhead.

Not one of them on eBay was cheaper than I could get it new from Midway. Just amazing.

OTOH, this week, I received a new improved swager rod for my RCBS pocket swager. It was better, stronger and cheaper than the RCBS replacement (which bent swaging .223 pockets).

Some deals out there; but they seem to be few and far between.

[Char-Gar]

Last week I bought a good Lyman 311291 4 cavity mold on Ebay. I thought the price was reasonable for this out of print four cavity mold. It is available from a custom small batch maker, but for quite a bit more than I paid for this one on Eaby.

[Down South]

Last week I bought a good Lyman 311291 4 cavity mold on Ebay. I thought the price was reasonable for this out of print four cavity mold. It is available from a custom small batch maker, but for quite a bit more than I paid for this one on Eaby.

Deals can still be found on Flebay. I use them as a source for price checking too.
I can find many common items for a much better price at a buy it now price compared to buying retail. The bulbs that I mentioned in an earlier post on this thread were $6 a piece at Lowes. I bought name brand bulbs on Flebay still in the original packaging for pennies on the dollar and I bought two dozen of them for $20 shipped.
I still wonder if Lowes had the correct price on those bulbes. I looked at them twice and kept thinking "WOW" that seems to be a high price.
I just went to Flebay to verify the price and number of those bulbs that I bought and it was correct, 24 for $20 shipped compared to $6 for 1 bulb.
The bulbs were Halogen 20 WATT JC G4 Base Light Bulbs 12V, Trisonic brand.

[a.squibload]

Well, maybe I'll check there more often, I usually only use Fleabay for small stuff.
Definitely will watch for those Adein USA presses!

[garym1a2]

Many gun related items on ebay are sold to people in other countries that cannot get the stuff in their country thru conventional means. Three years ago I needed money and sold off my extra stuf. Prices went much higher than I expected and most of the buyers where from Italy and France.

[chasw]

I bought an older Mitutoyo dial caliper from someone on ebay for about 25 bucks shipped. Pristine new ones were going for 60 dollars or more, but this one had a small scratch in the crown and the needle zeroed at about 3 oclock. Therefore, the snipers didn't want it. A simple accessory from Mitutoyo allowed me to reset the needle to 12 oclock and now I have a measuring instrument that puts the common RCBS and Lyman calipers to shame. - CW

[PAT303]

I just got a brand spanker lyman 257418 mold with handles for $53 Aust delivered,I love ebay. Pat

[bbailey7821]

I'm feeling and agreeing with the general disgust with the whole flebay situation. The good news was that last week I sold a $27 dollar Lee press for $46! Guess some people don't know about MidwayUSA...

[mtnman31]

Right now there is an Ideal/Lyman mold on there sitting at 500 bucks. It is a single cavity and looks like a Pope design. I am not a "collector" - I'm only interested in molds that I plan to use. For 500 bucks I could have custom molds made in a bunch of different calibers. I know if I was the seller of that mold I'd be pretty darn excited.

[Daddyfixit]

Right now there is an Ideal/Lyman mold on there sitting at 500 bucks. It is a single cavity and looks like a Pope design. I am not a "collector" - I'm only interested in molds that I plan to use. For 500 bucks I could have custom molds made in a bunch of different calibers. I know if I was the seller of that mold I'd be pretty darn excited.

Yea, untill he finds out the bidder ment to bid 50.00!

[pathdoc]

Midway and such other stores provide excellent prices, true, but it's no good to us non-US shooters to whom they will not ship ANYTHING. I'll use E-bay for things I can't get elsewhere and/or which aren't made any more.

I've found the discussion on E-bay psychology fascinating - and it applies to a whole lot more than just firearms stuff. The only thing I really find obscene about it is the shipping, which is sometimes many times higher than the final price of the item.

To all those who've offered their hints, tips and tricks - thank you. :)

[Johnny_Cyclone]

Hey, there is one good thing about this high demand time period.
It's that a bunch of folks are putting some pretty classic stuff up on the auction sites that would have normally been left to rot in a barn, wind up as scrap metal, or in the dump.

"Jeeze what are we gonna do with all Gramps weird garage junk?"
"Well someone at work said that folks are buying this kind of stuff like crazy on the auction sites. Let post it on there before we haul it to the dump"
"ok"

I don't think I've ever seen so many Pacific 366 reloaders for sale. Lyman Tru-Line Jr's, or Herter's presses. etc.

Now they're all back out there on the market, and when the new buyers need some cash or tire of'em we may have a shot at them for reasonable prices