One of my ebay "rule of thumbs"...

[messier2]

If a card is listed that I want and I know others want, I am "forced" to contact the seller to try to buy it off ebay...or else someone else will and you will lose out by just bidding or putting it on your wantlist.

Anyone else follow this? What other "rules of thumb" do you use?

[yankeesfan24]

I do that all the time. I had a few cards get ended early while collecting DeMarco, and was never sure why.

Especially for basketball cards, if a 1/1 of my guys gets listed, the seller is getting a message. As long as I am comfortable paying the price, it is worth it to me to ensure getting the card.

[kevinh1919]

If a card is listed that I want and I know others want, I am "forced" to contact the seller to try to buy it off ebay...or else someone else will and you will lose out by just bidding or putting it on your wantlist.

Anyone else follow this? What other "rules of thumb" do you use?

I do that all the time. I had a few cards get ended early while collecting DeMarco, and was never sure why.

Especially for basketball cards, if a 1/1 of my guys gets listed, the seller is getting a message. As long as I am comfortable paying the price, it is worth it to me to ensure getting the card.

Two listings on my watch list just ended early. I contacted sellers and both told me card was no longer available. Whether someone else contacted them through eBay, or they sold it off eBay, I lost out on my chance by not contacting them the moment the listing popped up. I agree with this "Rule of Thumb".

I'll have to disagree with the logic here, gents.

:cool:

[Joshtastic]

Two listings on my watch list just ended early. I contacted sellers and both told me card was no longer available. Whether someone else contacted them through eBay, or they sold it off eBay, I lost out on my chance by not contacting them the moment the listing popped up. I agree with this "Rule of Thumb" as long as the listing is a "Buy it Now" and/or "Best Offer" style listing only. If the listing is a auction style and has bids I will not contact seller.

[messier2]

Believe me, I prefer to bid or put in my best offer and hope I win. But, if someone else is going to do it, I have to as well.

As a seller, I get that sometimes (don't really have high end cards that people want-want) and I try to keep it on ebay but if the offer blows me away, I have no choice but to end it.

So, I see it from both sides.

[Branesergen]

LMAO! :doh:

[SanAntonioSpurs]

If a card is listed that I want and I know others want, I am "forced" to contact the seller to try to buy it off ebay...or else someone else will and you will lose out by just bidding or putting it on your wantlist.

Anyone else follow this? What other "rules of thumb" do you use?

Can't stand people who pull this crap. When I watch a card for several days that has bids then all the sudden it's ended and sold off eBay? Waste of time. I'd love to see eBay ban people caught doing that, both the seller and the bidder.

[ThoseBackPages]

Nothing i really collect warrants having to have to do this, thankfully :)

[JohnRyno]

I paid a Ukrainian immigrant to illegally install cable TV. Also, I rent my username/passwords for porn sites to underage kids around the neighborhood.

[sportzluvr1]

If a card is listed that I want and I know others want, I am "forced" to contact the seller to try to buy it off ebay...or else someone else will and you will lose out by just bidding or putting it on your wantlist.

Anyone else follow this? What other "rules of thumb" do you use?

Thank you.

And the list continues to grow... :coffee:

[zonacats8]

That's interesting, as we have similar, yet drastically different views on this.

I will message sellers about cards they have up for auction all the time, except my "rule of thumb" is that I will only do it if it still has 0 bids on it. But if there are any bids on it, or any bids get placed before the seller gets back to me, then I won't have the seller end the auction to sell directly to me (and sellers have offered it before but I turn them down)

The way I see it, a seller who starts an auction can then just add a BIN to it anytime before a bid is placed and I'll lose out on it if I just put it in my watch list, so asking them to add a BIN before any bids are placed is equally fair game.

Most times I do that it's because of a card I just don't want to risk losing out on, but one I know I'm likely to be the high bidder on in the end, and many times will overpay just to get the deal done then and to not stress for a week about it being at auction.

Works out sometimes, others it doesn't

I once offered someone something crazy to add the BIN to not deal with the auction, even told them nobody was going to outbid me on this and they should take my offer as it was way more than it will go for at auction (think I offered around $100 to just get the deal done) and I ended up winning the auction for like under 25 bucks.

[IronMonkey415]

Don't ever contact me outside of ebay YOU HEAR ME?

[chasacar86]

Thank you.

And the list continues to grow... :coffee:

Add me to the list too. Thanks.

[ensbergcollecto]

I will contact the buyer and state the following. "I fully intend to bid and try to win this card. I know someone may contact you to sell off ebay. I am not doing that but if someone does, please let me know before you sell it."

May be viewed as the same thing, but 90 percent of the time the auction finishes.

[Branesergen]

Can't stand people who pull this crap. When I watch a card for several days that has bids then all the sudden it's ended and sold off eBay? Waste of time. I'd love to see eBay ban people caught doing that, both the seller and the bidder.

They actually will. If you see something with bids on it then report it. Selling off ebay will get them suspended if proven, and most people do it thru the messaging system lol

[byronscott4ever]

Here's how you play fair and avoid having auctions end: message the seller and ask if they end auctions early. No matter what they say, tell them you are selling cards, getting a bonus check, cashing a lotto ticket, etc in a few days and are planning to bid a large amount on whatever the last day is and then have a buddy do the same with a different reason and say you have to win the card. Then sit back and see if it gets ended early or somehow ends up going to the end.

[ncpaddler]

Love the integrity here

[Stat Monsters]

If / When I sell on eBay, if anyone ever contacts me to do a deal offline to end the auction early, it's generally an indicator that the item is "hot" (popular) enough where it might be foolish to sell direct, and wiser to roll the dice and let the marketplace dictate the final value and let the bidding war commence and may the strongest dollar prevail.

I think it's the right thing to do as a seller per the sellers agreement on eBay, it's the contracted rules and agreement, first of all. Then, it allows everyone a fair chance to secure the item.

It's so funny that the buyers always try to dangle this "you can save on eBay fees" pitch all while offering a dollar that could be truncated from the potential true value... So, in other words, even if you circumvent the eBay and Pay Pal approx. 15% fees, you may be taking 25% (or more) less $ than what the item could have brought you if you allowed bidding to continue to the end.

When a potential bidder asks the question via eBay, a seller would also be wise to reply professionally and allow eBay to post that message for others to see on the auction, thus letting the public know that there is interest in the card, creating a bit more vigor in the bids as well, now knowing others are vying for the item.

Simply write/respond:

"Thank you for your inquiry. Unfortunately, per eBay's rules, I can not end auctions early, and must allow the auction to run its natural course. I wish you well in your endeavors in bidding should you decide to participate. Know that I only have one of these items, so, once it sells, I do not have another to offer. With that I always encourage bidders to place their best offer bids, so they don't have regrets should they lose, knowing they put forth their top dollar and 100% efforts."

[trixstar]

I refuse to sell off of Ebay to people and I don't put sellers in a position I don't like being in so no I will never contact a seller to sell "off" ebay.

[blevins26]

If a card is listed that I want and I know others want, I am "forced" to contact the seller to try to buy it off ebay...or else someone else will and you will lose out by just bidding or putting it on your wantlist.

Anyone else follow this? What other "rules of thumb" do you use?

I think you are making things way to complicated and I think I know why (you're trying to get the card cheaply).

1. If the item is listed with BIN, just buy it at the BIN price. Easy fix there.

2. If the item is an auction, just bid on it. If there are 0 bids, putting in a bid makes it a lot harder for the seller to end early and not get caught by eBay.

The only reason you'd not follow 1 or 2 is that what your Original Post is really meaning is "whenever I see an item I want and I want to save money on it". Which, hey, that's ok we all want to save money. But acting like you HAVE to do this because someone else will is just silly.

[mfisher27]

Yeah once I have it listed on eBay I don't like ending it and doing a deal off eBay. Before I respond, I usually check to see if I can find them on blowout and do a deal that way. That's worked out a few times in the past. If I can't find them on blowout, I decline whatever deal they proposed.

[Whodey14]

I used to never contact on auctions but in the past year or so it has been bad. Numerous times big PC Cards got pulled and when I contacted they were sold. Ive been forced into their game.

[Art Vandelay]

Based in the title, I assumed this was going to be a thread about how you refuse to buy from any seller who uses a picture with them holding the card, and they have unkept finger nails. Now that is a rule I support and would get behind...

[FSUfan13]

If there is a bid and the seller ends it early, doesn't eBay charge a fee based on the highest bid? That's why I will put in a high initial bid. I'm pretty sure the seller doesn't know what the maximal high bid is though, unless shilling.

[ginge01]

eBay sent me an email warning about asking to buy outside of an auction. I had sent the buyer a question, would you close and sell to me, or do a BIN, above book value for a card I've spent years trying to find. The seller made it a BIN, eBay still wrote me!!!
It was a SP auto, eBay is aware it's happening.
The danger of the BIN, if I didn't get there first, I made it easy for someone else!!!

[chezball]

Love the integrity here

Gotta love this, why exactly did you get banned?
Wonder if it was an integrity issue.

[Chris Henderson]

What I don't understand is when people email me to try to get me to end an auction early and offer me less than the starting bid.

[shrevecity]

If a card is listed that I want and I know others want, I am "forced" to contact the seller to try to buy it off ebay...or else someone else will and you will lose out by just bidding or putting it on your wantlist.

Anyone else follow this? What other "rules of thumb" do you use?

That is a good way to find yourself on many BBLs and possibly banned from Ebay. Since I got stung with a 3 day selling suspension for simply responding to such a request with " I don't sell off Ebay." I just block and report those who message me.

[shrevecity]

If there is a bid and the seller ends it early, doesn't eBay charge a fee based on the highest bid? That's why I will put in a high initial bid. I'm pretty sure the seller doesn't know what the maximal high bid is though, unless shilling.

They are charged a fee, but its based on the current high bid showing.

[roc21]

So your "rule of thumb" is to do something that is against Ebay policy.. :)!

[Branesergen]

So your "rule of thumb" is to do something that is against Ebay policy.. :)!

"I'm just breaking rules and screwing over people who do it legitimately. Whats the big deal????"

:doh: lol

[chezball]

"I'm just breaking rules and screwing over people who do it legitimately. Whats the big deal????"

:doh: lol

Rule of thumb is, don't be scum.

[jewcer2k5]

Do you know what "rule of thumb" actually refers to?

[Ray27Ray52]

It is absolutely amazing that people out themselves, on their own, with no prompting at all. "Hey i'm shady as F, no big deal."

[cking]

It is absolutely amazing that people out themselves, on their own, with no prompting at all. "Hey i'm shady as F, no big deal."

No one ever claimed there was a whole lot of brain power in this hobby.

[OmertaReno]

Do you know what "rule of thumb" actually refers to?

That was my favorite scene in Boondock Saints...

[REGGIE206]

If it's a card I've been looking for and really want, I'll pull the trigger (Buy It Now) if it's close to the price range I'm willing to pay.

If it's a card I like, but don't really "need", I'll see if I can talk the seller to get the price more in the range I'll be happy to spend for it. If we don't meet at a price, it's easy for me to move on because I didn't "need" the card.

[jlzinck]

One of my golden rules on Ebay is I don't deal with people who have XX at the beginning or end of their user names.