P3D Re: eBay auctions

[Bob Wier <wier@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>It's part of the psychology of auction that can yield a better
>result for the seller if, say, a red-button Realist viewer is sold
>with a $1 starting price (and a hundred dollar reserve) rather
>than just having a $100 starting price.  Because people don't
>know the reserve, folk who wouldn't touch the $100 starting bid
>will start bidding, and once one has a personal commitment to
>WIN THAT ITEM, they'll go higher (statistically) than they would
>otherwise.

I'm sure Mike is right. It does take discipline about bidding (which
sellers don't want to encourage). Myself, on "normal" non-hidden
reserve auctions with a reasonable minimum bid, I just stick in
the maximum I'm willing to pay and don't check it again until the
auction is over and a notice is e-mailed to me that I "won".

--BW

              Bob Wier
     mailto:wier@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
   10:05 PM Monday, December 13, 1999
        Unix/Internet Administrator
   Rocky Mountain College, Billings MT.
 keeper of the Photo-3d and Overland-Trails
mailing lists and the USA GPS Waypoint server