TheHistorian wrote in Interesting Items Currently on eBay:

Thunderdave wrote in Interesting Items Currently on eBay:My question is, why would a person spend 5+ minutes racking up dozens of bids?  Is this an auction strategy?  If so, to what gain?

Two possibilities:

1. They're trying to inflate the number of bids, which will make the auction a hot/popular auction, which might get it featured somewhere.
2. They're idiots.

H nailed it. Definitely trying to be cute via possibility number 1. That results in classification of possibility number 2.  

** expired/removed eBay auction **

JasonZavoda wrote in Interesting Items Currently on eBay:
** expired/removed eBay auction **

Interesting that appear to be pre-selling this via a bid, with an expected release date of mid November

Yeah, I'll believe this one when I see it. I'll be interested to see the reviews come in on the reprint, but can't say I'm in any hurry to purchase a copy in any case. Wasn't impressed with the "premium" 1st ed. hardcovers (though my kids utilize them occasionally when they play AD&D), due to the large number of OCR errors (and the fact that I seem to recall a claim by someone at WotC that OCR wouldn't be used). The LBBs are hard enough to read without extra issues being introduced.

Regards

Mars wrote in Interesting Items Currently on eBay:

Scalydemon wrote in Interesting Items Currently on eBay:Interesting that appear to be pre-selling this via a bid, with an expected release date of mid November

Amazon has a release date of Dec 17th and sells them for $101.  As usual, there are always uneducated buyers out there and sellers who are willing to take advantage of it.

OUCH!!  Don't consider myself "uneducated", but I know that I don't have time to search all avenues for a product. I thought I was getting a good deal (saving $27+ from the WotC listed price) and when I searched online, I did not see this Pre-Order Price, so not sure when they listed. In any event, I could have saved another $21.26, so it's not the end of the world. I might buy another one ... from Amazon this time MARS    ... as a Christmas gift for my friend who got me hooked on D&D 36 years ago ... whew that's an eye opener  

Thank you - Paul

Accepted payments policy

He can't not accept PayPal. And the fact that he's made this change is EXTREMELY shady. Not that I was going to bid on it before this, but, I sure would be cautious now.

Zen

Given the high quality reproductions out there, I'd be worried as a purchaser that this is a fake.  And if you pay cash or by bank transfer, there's no recourse.

I may be wrong -- and on this kind of thing, I usually am -- but I think he's just going to end up getting less for the ST1.  I wouldn't buy it without proof of legitimacy, which across the Atlantic is going to be pretty hard to obtain.

Zenfinite wrote in Interesting Items Currently on eBay:Accepted payments policy

He can't not accept PayPal. And the fact that he's made this change is EXTREMELY shady. Not that I was going to bid on it before this, but, I sure would be cautious now.

Zen

This page does not say he cannot refuse PayPal, but rather it is one of the methods EBay finds acceptable to use.

Now on the other hand, his requesting bank-to-bank or personal check is out of bounds. He can only offer these on the categories of Motors, Business & Industrial, Real Estate, or Adult Only items. Cash transactions can be made at pickup. He also can't put a method into a listing, then discourage its use.

Then he shouldn't have listed it on eBay.  He will probably get more for it by offering it that way, which will probably make up for the increase in fees paid.

I was interested in this, but am wary now that the payment conditions have changed.  Yes, it could be a means of limiting fees paid or ensuring that he doesn't get screwed over by someone, but trust works both ways.  For something like this, the winning bidder would, more than likely, have a good reputation and be known to the collecting community.

By removing some of the protection afforded by alternate means of payment, it does potentially effect the profit he can make.

The seller does seem to have good feedback.

Has anyone reached out to him yet on this?  He might change his mind if presented with the concerns, and the potential negative effect on the sale value, because of this decision.