xpc316e
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- Nov 28, 2022
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- Name
- David Daw
- Country
- United Kingdom
- City/State
- Bury St Edmunds
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I am retired and wish to pursue my photography hobby while paying as little as possible for my equipment. I also wish to use what I consider to be gear of top quality. The two aims are quite possible to simultaneously achieve and eBay is my usual happy hunting ground. For me, it simply isn't vital to have the absolute latest, must-have, camera as last year's model usually does 99% of what the new model does but at a much lower price.
My auction site of choice is eBay. My tactics are to never use the Buy It Now facility until I have been watching an item for at least a couple of days, because on quite a few occasions the seller has made me a reduced price offer when I have been sitting on their item for a while.
I also aim to do a bit of research by seeing what other platforms are charging for similar items. I have even found new items for sale at prices below what used ones are fetching on auction sites. I also check out whether the same item is available in other auctions and in a recent example I was looking to buy a used Sigma 50mm DG HSM f1.4 lens. I found one with just one bid of £150 and a couple of days left to run. I also found another example of the same lens with a Buy It Now price of £375. I sometimes use MPB for buying things and they wanted the thick end of £500 for the same lens. My research led me to believe that they usually went for around £400 on eBay.
I bid in the last, dying seconds of the first auction, but lost out and the lens eventually sold for £393. I held off buying the other one for £375 and decided to keep it in my watched list. After letting my ardour cool overnight, I went off to work and then returned home to find that the seller had reduced the Buy It Now price of the second lens to £300. Guess what? Yes, I leapt in and pulled the trigger on it.
So the moral of the tale is to hold your horses and don't get emotionally involved in an auction when the same item might well be available at a lower price, using the Buy It Now facility. Even when it is available, just sit back and let the item stew in your Watch List for a while and see what happens - you may be pleasantly surprised by the results. Even if you lose out on an item, don't fret as there will be another one listed shortly.
When selling on eBay I always include as many decent photos of an item as is possible. I usually insert links to the maker's webpage for the item when it was new, in order that buyers can get as much information as possible. I have found that a very low starting price, no reserve, and no Buy It Now price gets me the best possible result. I also like to let the auction run for 10 days and time it to end at around 8pm on a Sunday evening. There is plenty of research around that states the auctions ending then get the best prices.
By the way, I cannot remember when I last bought a major piece of photographic equipment that was not used. I have always found that eBay sellers with a decent track record are more than honest when describing their items, so do check out the seller's history before jumping in.
Happy hunting.
My auction site of choice is eBay. My tactics are to never use the Buy It Now facility until I have been watching an item for at least a couple of days, because on quite a few occasions the seller has made me a reduced price offer when I have been sitting on their item for a while.
I also aim to do a bit of research by seeing what other platforms are charging for similar items. I have even found new items for sale at prices below what used ones are fetching on auction sites. I also check out whether the same item is available in other auctions and in a recent example I was looking to buy a used Sigma 50mm DG HSM f1.4 lens. I found one with just one bid of £150 and a couple of days left to run. I also found another example of the same lens with a Buy It Now price of £375. I sometimes use MPB for buying things and they wanted the thick end of £500 for the same lens. My research led me to believe that they usually went for around £400 on eBay.
I bid in the last, dying seconds of the first auction, but lost out and the lens eventually sold for £393. I held off buying the other one for £375 and decided to keep it in my watched list. After letting my ardour cool overnight, I went off to work and then returned home to find that the seller had reduced the Buy It Now price of the second lens to £300. Guess what? Yes, I leapt in and pulled the trigger on it.
So the moral of the tale is to hold your horses and don't get emotionally involved in an auction when the same item might well be available at a lower price, using the Buy It Now facility. Even when it is available, just sit back and let the item stew in your Watch List for a while and see what happens - you may be pleasantly surprised by the results. Even if you lose out on an item, don't fret as there will be another one listed shortly.
When selling on eBay I always include as many decent photos of an item as is possible. I usually insert links to the maker's webpage for the item when it was new, in order that buyers can get as much information as possible. I have found that a very low starting price, no reserve, and no Buy It Now price gets me the best possible result. I also like to let the auction run for 10 days and time it to end at around 8pm on a Sunday evening. There is plenty of research around that states the auctions ending then get the best prices.
By the way, I cannot remember when I last bought a major piece of photographic equipment that was not used. I have always found that eBay sellers with a decent track record are more than honest when describing their items, so do check out the seller's history before jumping in.
Happy hunting.
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