posted on November 13, 2000 03:01:51 PM
I agree with sg52. However, I would check to see what your bidder has bid on in the past and the prices she paid. That might give you some idea of how serious she is about your item. You can then make a more informed decision regarding whether to tell her your Reserve price or not.
posted on November 13, 2000 03:33:12 PM
I tell everybody that asks what my reserve is. I figure if they are interested they'll bid, if they aren't they won't.
posted on November 13, 2000 04:05:07 PM
It is a very personal decision. Myself, I have no problem with divulging my reserve. A well informed bidder will often (not always) have a good idea of what the reserve might be.
As to checking on what bidder normally buys, that does not always give seller an idea of the spending habits of that bidder. I have had bidders who never spend more than 100.00 maximum, bid a 1,000 item.
Go with how you would feel, were you to ask a seller for their reserve...Would you expect them to tell you?...Your call.. Good luck, either way.
******************** Gosh Shosh!
posted on November 13, 2000 04:45:02 PM
I don't see any reason not to tell them the reserve price since I don't personally feel it should be a secret. I use a reserve to indicate the lowest price I'm willing to take for the item and I also place the reserve price in my auction description.
Many of the RL auctions I attend have reserves on their merchandise and that's often where they start the bid or sometimes they start it lower but the reserve price is usually listed in the catalogue. If the item doesn't meet the reserve, it's passed.
The reason I need to use a reserve on eBay for my higher-end pieces instead of starting the bid at my lowest price is due to the fact that many folks won't bid if the opening price is too high. I've tried it both ways and it just doesn't work for me without using the reserve. But, again, I'm not ashamed of it so why should I hide it?
Also, I can't control how many will be interested in bidding on my auction and if I don't have AT LEAST two people bidding, I don't really have an auction. Everyone has different ways of running their business and the decision is really up to you. I just get annoyed sometimes by folks who think reserves are evil and deceiving because that isn't the case. If you deal in expensive items that you've spent a bit of money on, you may need to use reserves to save your ass. I don't think it's a good business model to sell for less than you paid and try to make it up in sheer volume.
Good luck, either way.