Watching eBay items with no intention to buy - pros/cons?

[MansGame]

I'm just curious, how many of you watch eBay items with no intention to bid or purchase?

Let me first say that I'm not talking about a well known auction going on or a once in a lifetime item and you're just a curious on-looker...

I'm talking about cards of your favorite player or a card you'd love to have/own but you just won't be able to afford it or it's at a BIN which is WAY too high.

Here is where I come out on it...

I personally don't watch Belle cards unless I'm going to make a serious pass at getting them. I'll note them mentally and maybe check back later at what it sold for but if I'm not going to buy it or if it's priced too high, I just keep moving and don't watch it.

Why you ask, two reasons really....

1. It would drive me insane "watching" an item that I either can't afford or can't get because of price the seller has on it

2. I personally believe some sellers look at how many watchers there are and derive interest for the card, therefore not feeling any pressure to lower the price or change their strategy for selling

Anyways, just curious what some members thoughts are here and what they personally do.

I do know there are some members who have like a 100 items on their watch list... that just makes my head spin :lol:

 

[byronscott4ever]

I've seen cards with no bids get lowered as a result. If you aren't watching it already, you won't know if the price goes down. I think eBay even messages you when that happens.

 

[ASTROBURN]

I add a few here and there to my watch list. Cards I know I want to get down the road. And also to see if they sell or not. I've let completed listings that havent sold sit, and after a while I will check the relisted item. Turns out just last night something ive had in my watch list for months was put on sale. So I picked it up. So there is a perk to letting stuff sit even after it ends and didnt sell.

 

[Hendersonfan]

I watch Henderson items I want but can't afford at the time. That way I can see if they do sell and (used to be) who got them. By keeping them on my watch list, I can find them easily without searching.

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[michaelstepper]

I have about 20 items on my list I've found just for the purpose of knowing what's out there that fits my criteria or I'd like to pick up at some point. Usually something else comes along and I've had the same items on there for about a month now, some longer


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[Topnotchsy]

I watch a ton of items. Market research I guess...

 

[Hawk8]

I currently have 188 (183 active and 5 ended) items on my watch list. I watch items that I will not be bidding on and there could be several reasons for this. It could be priced too high and I am hoping they lower the price which does happen some times. The item might be priced too high and I want to know when the auction ends so I can be one of the first to see the item relisted and if it has been lowered. I watch some items just to see how much they are going for, a prime example of this is graded rookies. It could be a card that is priced too low and I just want to see if someone bids on it and if no one does then I will grab it regardless if I have it or not since I collect doubles. Sometimes I just want to see who is bidding on an item. I suppose if I never left the hobby and did not have a 7 year gap to fill in then my watch list probably would be about half as big.

 

[D-Lite]

I have a number of reasons I do this:
- monitoring sales of a card/player to see market trends (my #1 is Greg Bird for this, along with other prospects I'm in on)
- cards I'd be interested in if the price came down (common theme, and eBay does notify you of price change)
- cool items I just want to see ending prices on

As a seller you definitely check the watchers for interest. I had a Will Clark Masterworks card getting NO action, but had a decent number of watchers. For weeks. Thought for sure a player with the following of Will Clark would've had at least an offer. So I changed the title (to drop Jay Pangan's name first of all as I wondered if that was a negative search result, then to add Giants and Rangers) and lowered the price a bit. BOOM, reasonable offer within a couple days. Seems that one of those changes likely worked a watcher or searcher.

 

[IUjapander]

I'm talking about cards of your favorite player or a card you'd love to have/own but you just won't be able to afford it or it's at a BIN which is WAY too high.

75% of the cards I watch fit into this criteria

I've seen cards with no bids get lowered as a result. If you aren't watching it already, you won't know if the price goes down. I think eBay even messages you when that happens.

And I continue to watch them because of this

 

[UMich92]

I watch a ton of items. Market research I guess...

Same. Both for cards I may want to purchase in the future or for cards I may want to sell. Every so often, the "research" becomes a bid because the auction is well under what I believe the market to be.

 

[Topnotchsy]

Same. Both for cards I may want to purchase in the future or for cards I may want to sell. Every so often, the "research" becomes a bid because the auction is well under what I believe the market to be.

Same here! Maybe a little too often lol.

 

[predatorkj]

I do it all the time for several reasons:

1. Items I may intend to buy either now, or at a later date.
2. Items that I'm also trying to win an auction of so I know that if the auction goes over that amount, not to bid but hit the BIN on the other card instead, or in case I forget to bid or something...I can still easily go get that card.
3. Just a general type of card I'm looking for but instead of having to remember I'm looking for that type of card, I just save a random one...could be from a set I'm working on, or just if I want, let's say an auto of a player, I might just save a random auto of that player and go hunting later.
4. To see what items I do want to get, go for.
5. To see what someone wants for an item and see if it sells for that or not so that if approached, I have leverage if somebody is looking to gouge.
6. To keep in my saved list so I can hit view similar items and see when another item is listed.
7. To monitor suspicious bidding activity. Like a recent Bagwell I won that seems like another seller bid me up to ensure his item would end high too. Doesn't look like it's worked out for him though. Nice try.
8. To see if a seller lists their BIN with a sale price(like Astroburn said, it happens all the time and you can really get a good deal).

As far as it affecting how a seller responds, either by shilling or by not lowering their BIN, I say let them do it. Just because I'm watching your item does not mean I'll get stupid with my bidding or offer. Been burned too many times for that now. You want a stupid amount, the card will sit. Trust me, there are Bagwell cards that have been on ebay since 2006 that have either been relisted every single time or get taken down and then relisted and taken down again. And they never sell.

 

[predatorkj]

Same. Both for cards I may want to purchase in the future or for cards I may want to sell. Every so often, the "research" becomes a bid because the auction is well under what I believe the market to be.

So you bid on it to win or you fluff the price up so yours sells for what you want? I don't agree with fluffing up the price although I know some respected board members do it. But it won't always work. Either the market is there or it isn't.

 

[TwinsWin]

I watch to see where the market is at one certain things. So I know what I can expect to pay when I can afford those items

 

[UMich92]

So you bid on it to win or you fluff the price up so yours sells for what you want? I don't agree with fluffing up the price although I know some respected board members do it. But it won't always work. Either the market is there or it isn't.

The bids are intended to win the item. That said, I bid the most I'm willing to pay for the item and if someone is will to go higher then I don't bid further. Though, this rarely occurs since I snipe and there is no time to bid further. Watching the market helps me to determine when to switch from a buyer to a seller and vice-versa.

 

[tchronis24]

Actually some good points. Im watching a Matt Kemp name plate card that has a bin price of 1000 that i know i cant buy. Still like to keep an eye on it though

 

[MansGame]

Actually some good points. Im watching a Matt Kemp name plate card that has a bin price of 1000 that i know i cant buy. Still like to keep an eye on it though

See, this is a prime example of what I don't do - There is an Albert Belle nameplate on eBay right now for a $400 BIN and I'm just not going to watch that damn thing. It's priced too high, the seller is a d!ck and I'm not going to give him the satisfaction of knowing someone is watching it. I hope no one is, he gets no messages and the price falls each time he relists.

But to everyone their own, just my ways on eBay but I love the comments gents! Great convo IMO.

 

[Hendersonfan]

Another thing if watching, I get an email if price is lowered (already mentioned) and each time it gets relisted. I like that so I don't have to search again, and I know if it sold.

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[onionring9]

I'm with a couple of you on this.

I only tend to watch items I know I need but are at a price I'm not willing to pay. I like to watch for a couple reasons:

1) The seller starts lowering the price - doesn't happen with McGwire's often. Most sellers with the cards I need are still looking for 1998 prices they most likely paid which is understandable.
2) See if somebody else I know got it so I can give 'em a virtual high five for the addition.
3) See if my expectations of price are off and if I need to adjust my ceiling.

 

[Juan Gris]

I watch Adam Dunn cards because:
1) I plan to bid on and buy the card.
2) I already own the card and am curious what they are selling at (market research even though I have no intention of selling my copy of the card).
3) I have no intention of buying the card at the listed price but want to see if it gets sold or, if set with a crazy BIN, relisted as an auction

If a card is BIN/OBO and I make an offer on the card I immediately stop watching the card. My theory is that one less person watching the card makes my offer look more reasonable (and I can still monitor action on the card because I made an offer). It pays to be sneaky on eBay.