I had a listing for a seven day auction that I put a reserve on and it also had a buy it now price.  A while ago I recieved an e-mail from someone wanting to know what my reserve was, and I told them I wasn't going to disclose that, and if I were to, I simply would have started the bidding at that price.  He rebuked me and said he's never heard of anyone not wanting to disclose their reserve.  Did I get it wrong?  Maybe I don't understand the idea of having a reserve. :-/  Any help?

I wouldnt have told them either.  

There is a reason for a reserve, buy it now, and regular bids.

I would have said if you would like to purchase the product right now I have a buy it now price.  

he is trying to see how low he can go on you.  He's fishing that is all.  Some people may disclose it.  Thats up to each individual.  I wouldnt.  Disclosing that price means thats the minimum you will take for it so there is no reason for a buy it now price.  Kinda like asking someone at a store what their wholesale price is compaired to what its priced.

IMO you did it correct.

Ignore the question.  He's looking for a number to put in his sniper service.

Ignore the question. He's looking for a number to put in his sniper service.

Second thought.  2 cents less then buy it now. ;D  I was alot wordier but you are correct.

WRONG!

Thanks for the come back guys, I've been with ebay for awhile, but have never sold with a reserve and buy it now.  Thought maybe I missed something.  Couple of questions.  You guys are talking about sniper service, what is it? and REBFLC, not sure what you meant, can you elaborate?  Do you think I was wrong, or him asking was wrong?  Thanks again everyone  

-ff15

To me a reserve is no ones business but yours.

To me a reserve is no ones business but yours.

Yep otherwise it would be automatically posted for all to see

 You should have told the guy "hey lets play poker and you show me your cards"

Better yet you should have told him to start bidding and keep it up and he would find out eventually.

 You did good he seems like a semipro scammer.

This was his reply to my answer:

"I have NEVER had anyone refuse to disclose their reserve price... I had no clue it was a secret, I had assumed it was merely the lowest price a seller would let an item go for. Oops my mistake, I guess I have been misinformed all these years. Thank you for taking time from your busy schedule to respond to such an obserd question!"

I thought for sure I had missed something, thanks again for everyone's input.

Personally, I don't see what the big deal is. Why keep it a secret? How does that benefit you in any way?

Personally, I don't see what the big deal is. Why keep it a secret? How does that benefit you in any way?

I agree....The question is , Do you want to sell ?

Not only is he fishing for the lowest price, but you are fishing for the highest price.

Personally, I don't see what the big deal is. Why keep it a secret? How does that benefit you in any way?

I agree....The question is , Do you want to sell ?

Not only is he fishing for the lowest price, but you are fishing for the highest price.

To me, having a reserve says that you want to sell but your not gonna take it in the shorts, ie, your willing to keep it if the bid isn't enough. As a buyer, how bad do you want it? Your gonna have to keep bidding until you feel your gonna pay too much. As a seller who has that reserve, I am wanting you to play the guessing game, I am not gonna lay down and cave. BTW,in this case my buy it now price was NIB that was $10 cheaper than any other. This is my idea on it, but I appreciate your thoughts guys.

I've bought and sold stuff on Ebay over the years and have never had someone be so bold as to ask me what my reserve was. Ludicrous for him to even ask.

For the most part that site turned into a joke with all the stores on there now. With rare exception do you get a great deal anymore and the fees for selling stuff have gotten out of hand.

As far as a sniper program, I use Ebay Genie and it's the SMARTEST way to buy stuff on there. By waiting until the last minute to bid, you lull others into thinking there's not much competition out there so they'll keep their bids at a minimum. A friend of mine who bids with DAYS left, always tells me 'if I put in the max I want to pay, I'll be fine!'. Well, when you bid with a lot of time left, you can almost guarantee you'll pay more than you COULD have. People may bid on something to see where others are at then stop bidding once they've driven the price up. It may even be the actual seller.

As far as a sniper program, I use Ebay Genie and it's the SMARTEST way to buy stuff on there. By waiting until the last minute to bid, you lull others into thinking there's not much competition out there so they'll keep their bids at a minimum.

That's exactly why I would have told them...  to get activity going.  

I know people who would get friends to throw low bids out there on the first day to get it moving.  They say it gets way more money if the bidding starts early...  

Shill bids are against the rules.  No way to enforce it, though.  Shillers are the reason I use a sniper service.

Personally, I don't see what the big deal is. Why keep it a secret? How does that benefit you in any way?

I agree....The question is , Do you want to sell ?

Not only is he fishing for the lowest price, but you are fishing for the highest price.

Exactly. He's probably just seeing if it's worth his time to bid on your auction. If your reserve is higher than what he's willing to pay, why should he waste his time bidding?

JMHO, but by not answering his question you lost a bidder and a potential sale.

I don't understand the "worth his time" statement.  What time?  He wants the item, names his price, and if it clears the reserve, it does.  If not, its too rich for his blood.  You guys are over thinking the "auction psychology."

Personally, if I see a reserve on an auction, I don't bid.  I don't ask what his reserve is.  I leave it for someone else.  

If the seller wanted me to know his reserve, he's have started the auction at that price.

When I auction, I put a fair "BIN" and start the thing at $.99.  My BIN price is usually 10% below the average selling price for all similar auctions ending in the past month.

A hidden reserve is for someone that is not willing to let go of an item for anything less than their arbitrary price.  Everything is "for sale," but if your not sure about seasonal pricing, actual value of the item, or whatnot, then a reserve gives you an escape hatch.

I'd be willing to bet some of the sellers I've dealt with wish they set a reserve, or knew how to spell, LOL.

I don't understand the "worth his time" statement. What time? He wants the item, names his price, and if it clears the reserve, it does. If not, its too rich for his blood. You guys are over thinking the "auction psychology."

I've spent a good bit of time studying "auction psychology" over the past 10-12 years, and it makes a big difference in a bidder's success rate.

Personally, if I see a reserve on an auction, I don't bid. I don't ask what his reserve is. I leave it for someone else.

If the seller wanted me to know his reserve, he's have started the auction at that price.

Start two listings for the same $100 item, one at $.99 and the other at $100 and see which one receives more bids. In general, more people will bid on the listing with the lower starting price, but they'll also typically bid the auction higher than the $100 opening bid on the second item.

Ebay users are a funny lot, and many have a hard time losing. They'll get involved in bidding wars, let their ego take over, and spend WAY more than they should.

When I auction, I put a fair "BIN" and start the thing at $.99. My BIN price is usually 10% below the average selling price for all similar auctions ending in the past month.

The problem with setting a BIN price without a reserve, is (unless something has changed) the BIN goes away once a bid is placed.

A hidden reserve is for someone that is not willing to let go of an item for anything less than their arbitrary price. Everything is "for sale," but if your not sure about seasonal pricing, actual value of the item, or whatnot, then a reserve gives you an escape hatch.

I'd be willing to bet some of the sellers I've dealt with wish they set a reserve, or knew how to spell, LOL.

Oh, my....Like I said, over thinking.  It took more time to ask the question and wait for a response than it would have to place a bid, or pop into your sniper service!!!  

I'd rather spend more time fishing than trying to flex my ebay IQ, LOL.

:

Oh, my....Like I said, over thinking. It took more time to ask the question and wait for a response than it would have to place a bid, or pop into your sniper service!!!

I'd rather spend more time fishing than trying to flex my ebay IQ, LOL.

:

I've spent thousands of dollars on NOS motorcycle parts in the past decade+. When the item you've been searching for comes up for auction, you need to be ready to swoop in and pick it up. Depending on the rarity of the part, you may never see another one.

Shill bids are against the rules. No way to enforce it, though. Shillers are the reason I use a sniper service.

Is it still a shill bid if the bidder would happily buy the item for the bid amount?  for example, I'll admit I have done it but for a bow that was worth a couple hundred bucks, I made a single bid like $50 and would have been thrilled if no one outbid me on it.    ;D

When I buy, I place a max bid of what it's worth to me and leave it at that...  if I win, great, if not- oh well.

Oh, my....Like I said, over thinking.  It took more time to ask the question and wait for a response than it would have to place a bid, or pop into your sniper service!!!  

I'd rather spend more time fishing than trying to flex my ebay IQ, LOL.

:

I've spent thousands of dollars on NOS motorcycle parts in the past decade+. When the item you've been searching for comes up for auction, you need to be ready to swoop in and pick it up. Depending on the rarity of the part, you may never see another one.

If I had the part, and you responded to my answer as shown above, I would have reported you to eBay, and blocked you out as potential buyer.  Sorry, that's how I feel.  Let me know if you want a referral for three free snipes, LOL.

If I had the part, and you responded to my answer as shown above, I would have reported you to eBay, and blocked you out as potential buyer. Sorry, that's how I feel. Let me know if you want a referral for three free snipes, LOL.

You lost me here. :-?

As far as sniping services go, I already use one. FWIW, the paid sniping services are much more versatile than the freebies.

ETA: The best sniping service in the world won't help you if the proxy bid is higher than your snipe.

I always ask as well....Most sellers are willing to give me their reserve price.If not that's fine...I'll bid and if it's too low,he loses out of the sale and his ebay money for putting the auction up in the first place...makes no difference to me.

Personally i think reserves are stupid,put a starting price up there and if it's too high people will just pass it by. There's no reason why you "have" to put a low price on a listing if you don't want to lose money on it.

I was talking about this response:

I have NEVER had anyone refuse to disclose their reserve price... I had no clue it was a secret, I had assumed it was merely the lowest price a seller would let an item go for. Oops my mistake, I guess I have been misinformed all these years. Thank you for taking time from your busy schedule to respond to such an obserd question!"

The dude is going to be a problem after the sale. I can pretty much guarantee it. His choice of verbiage indicates his attitude. As you know, the dispute resolution process favors the buyer heavily. In most cases, that is the way it should work, but others simply take advantage of this fact.