eBay Experiment, Redux

Awhile back, someone did an experiment to see if the market (eBay) would end up at the same price they thought their razor was worth. In other words - on eBay would it get bid up to the same price they would sell it for elsewhere?

I have been tossing that around lately, and decided to list a razor on eBay to see what the market thinks it's worth.
Wilbert Army Special - Antique Vintage Straight Razor - $0.99, No Reserve! | eBay is the item.

When the auction completes, I'll let you know how it did compared to my expectations.

I wonder how much posting here about your experiment will alter the results ?

The link takes me to ebay's home page?!? No razor to be found.

Very interesting idea!! I look forward to the results!

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Originally Posted by mainaman

I wonder how much posting here about your experiment will alter the results ?

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I somewhat agree with this statement but I also wonder if saying it's an experiment will alter the results. My thought would be that the results will differ depending on what's said in the post...i.e. If the experiment part hadn't been mentioned and it was just posted, if it hadnt been posted at all, if a different member had posted it or if it was posted "AWESOME eBay find!!!!!!" all that said I feel in the spirit of SRP AND science maybe our members, unless truly looking for and wanting this razor, will avoid skewing the results and, as I did, just place it in their watch list!

Again GREAT IDEA!!!

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Originally Posted by ReardenSteel

The link takes me to ebay's home page?!? No razor to be found.

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Link worked for me

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Originally Posted by mainaman

I wonder how much posting here about your experiment will alter the results ?

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For this, the idea is to see what the market thinks it's worth. Posting here gives it more visibility, for certain. The experiment is not about visible vs. less visible auctions - though sometime later if I have two identical razors, that might be fun too.

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Originally Posted by ReardenSteel

The link takes me to ebay's home page?!? No razor to be found.

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Item# 270890633913

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Originally Posted by BenjaminBarker

I somewhat agree with this statement but I also wonder if saying it's an experiment will alter the results. My thought would be that the results will differ depending on what's said in the post...i.e. If the experiment part hadn't been mentioned and it was just posted, if it hadnt been posted at all, if a different member had posted it or if it was posted "AWESOME eBay find!!!!!!" all that said I feel in the spirit of SRP AND science maybe our members, unless truly looking for and wanting this razor, will avoid skewing the results and, as I did, just place it in their watch list!

Again GREAT IDEA!!!

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Yeah. There are lots of confounding factors, so it's not a strict experiment. The idea, for me, is to find out if other people value it higher or lower than I do.

But if enough people place it on their "watch list" Ebay places it on the "See What Others Are Watching!" list, increasing its visibility a hundredfold!

It's beautiful, can we bid on it? I've resisted thus far. Been looking for a 6/8

nice razor!
here's a link that works for me Wilbert Army Special - Antique Vintage Straight Razor - $0.99, No Reserve! | eBay

If it's not to much of a pain try to see how many of the bids or from inside this forum meaning members or readers, this would drive up the bid. Then throwing those aside you may get a good idea of "outside" market worth. I was going to bid myself but that would be mean.

Why would it be mean? If something is for sale on the open market it is for sale, a lot of the straight razor buyers on ebay are either members or at least have visited this forum to do some basic research, if they haven't they're not too smart.
Myself, I don't care if somebody posts a link to an auction or not. If I want a razor I'm bidding on it what I want to pay, the only exception is if I have an agreement with somebody else not to bid on a particular thing.

The way I see it, advertising here on SRP probably doesn't make as big a difference as we tend to think. A great deal of the members here would have trolled the bay looking for razors anyway and would have found the razor on their own eventually. Just my opinion.

Yes! True, I saw both your points quqi and Theseus, both the man was try to get clean numbers from the outside market, I guess what I should have said, throw out the bids from us that know of the experiment, that would be the hard part but would give him the numbers.

Interesting. But this may be a bad time to do it. I've noted that the prices being paid since Christmas are very high. Not sure if this is a seasonal thing or that the 'markets' are up too!

I'd guess you need to do it about 30 times to find out how reliable one thing is vs. another (BIN vs. bid price).

I'm sure it varies some, though I don't generally look at BIN stuff at all, and I've bought my share of razors that are in similar condition to that one.

I do have some experience selling tools, though, where the tool in question is something only one or two looker on ebay would want at a time - things like 200 year old panel raising planes, etc. In my experience with that, probably 2 times out of 3, I would get a higher price starting the auction at a penny and letting it go with no reserve. The times I didn't were easily made up by the times I did. Two cases, specifically:

* John Bell panel raising plane (to make door panels, etc - for the unitiated) - back when ebay charged to list, I listed the plane twice for $150. it was in used and typical worn condition, but nothing defective. Blew through about $7 or $10 of listing fees or something, nobody was interested. I took it off, and then a week later figured I didn't care what I'd get for it, put it up at a penny. The final bid was $175. I think with some things, the psychology that someone else finds it at least as valuable as an incremental amount from what you're bidding helps.

* Stanley 55 (this is not so uncommon, many for sale at once) - I had one in great shape, near perfect and with original box and absolutely complete. Tried like crazy to sell it for a flat rate of $400, then $375, then $350 and nobody wanted it. I listed it for a penny and it sold for $555 plus shipping. The guy who got it was ecstatic with the condition when he got it.

I've had other things, like a plane that should've gone for $125 go for $80, etc, but all in all, for the level of hassle that I can avoid by putting up an auction instead of a BIN (i.e., it sells no matter what), I'll go with the auction.

Good pictures - a picture can never be too good, but easily bad enough to affect the perception of something in a negative way - and a description that doesn't say negative things (unless they're warranted) is important, though with an auction. When I started on ebay, I wanted to be the "good guy" by pointing out ever condition issue on a tool I was selling out of my collection. People see a list of 5 good things and 5 minor cosmetic condition issues, and all they think is 5 condition issues and go to the next auction for a tool in worse shape, and buy that because nobody talked it down.

Instead now, if condition issues are cosemetic, I take very good close pictures of the cosmetic issues and mention to look at the pictures for condition and confirm that there are no other issues that may not appear in pictures, and that I guarantee a no questions return if there are. If there is a major condition or use issue, then I still mention it - but you expect to not get much for that kind of stuff, anyway.

All in all (i'm not a seller for income), I still buy 5-10 things for every 1 that I sell, but when I want to offload something, it's been nicer to do it with auctions and learn from what causes people to get the wrong idea when you comment on something minor (people interpret it for the worst).

Its a nice razor but i really think "shave ready" should be in the title for sure!! Thats a selling point!

Always go with auction! like you said ive sold a Stanley Everlasting chisel years ago i mean one chisel for $245 dollars
simple procedure the chisel was at $65 dollars 20 seconds from ending, one bid for $240 another for $245 both bidders wanted it
and put a huge number to make sure that they would get it, and i was the lucky seller!!! At that time you could buy a chisel like this one from 40 to 100 only takes two bidders!!

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Originally Posted by Martin103

Its a nice razor but i really think "shave ready" should be in the title for sure!! Thats a selling point!

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I personally stay away from almost all ebay auctions that call the razor "shave ready". My reasoning is that who knows what they did to the razor to make it "shave ready". For all I know, they didn't hone it past the 220 grit Norton oilstone they picked up at Home depot for $5. However, if a seller has a good reputation across multiple sources, i would consider buying "shave ready" from them.

I saw a razor on the bay last week and in the description the seller was saying something along the lines of I don't think this razor is shave ready but it's sharp it probably needs (he then quotes three or four grit sizes) and then stropping with chrome polish on some leather, he then said, but I don't really know anything about razors. No kidding mate!

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Originally Posted by Theseus

I personally stay away from almost all ebay auctions that call the razor "shave ready". My reasoning is that who knows what they did to the razor to make it "shave ready". For all I know, they didn't hone it past the 220 grit Norton oilstone they picked up at Home depot for $5. However, if a seller has a good reputation across multiple sources, i would consider buying "shave ready" from them.

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Well when i first started using straights i got a razor shave ready from ebay from a reputable seller and it was great!
And it still is, ask questions, ask for more pics, and if your not sure just dont buy it. There is reputable seller on ebay,
that have straight razors in shave ready condition and if you did buy a razors that was shave ready and honed on a 220 grit oilstone,
you would leave a negative feedback for everybody to see!!!
Most shave ready razors on ebay look pretty good!

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Originally Posted by Theseus

I personally stay away from almost all ebay auctions that call the razor "shave ready". My reasoning is that who knows what they did to the razor to make it "shave ready".

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I am KINDA the same way. I just disregard the "shave ready" part, and if the pictures are good enough, and the edge looks ok, I can always hone it myself...which I usually do anyway :P

Too many people on there putting shave ready on there that know nothing about honing a razor. Got one razor that didn't have a flat bevel...the "bevel" was convex, and wouldn't even cut arm hair. But now, after a total bevel reset, that baby is one of my best shavers ;)

At the time it was coined the term "shave ready" meant exactly what it said, and then the usual happened, the term was abused by the subpar and now has no meaning whatsoever unless used by those "in the know".

It ended at $38.50, which is a fair amount below what I would have valued that particular razor at.
I think, for me, this auction is a good illustration of why appraisals are so difficult. Granted, for a valid study of prices vs. my expectations, I would need to do a lot more auctions...

The winning buyer sent me a really nice message. Thanks to him, and congrats on winning the auction!

That sucks, I'd have expected it to sell for more given the lack of hone wear, really nice and rare horn scales and the shave-ready edge on it, and especially given the amount of money worse razors sold at the same time, like say
Vintage Frederick Reynolds Shefield razor SHAVE READY | eBay
or Vintage, Short "King's Double Temper" Razor, XL shave, More Manuverable, NICE | eBay
or Vintage Otto Busch 137 World Master Solingen Germany Straight Razor Rare | eBay

In my limited experience selling on ebay, non honed straights seem to fetch about the same amount as honed (shave ready) straights.

Troubling times indeed. I found the prices vary amongst the str8s, not the best indicator of honeability, brand-name prestige, overall condition, etc. Of course, the stuff I've procured were entirely my fault. The prices on these items is looking more unbalanced. At a local antique "show" (small assortment of antique dealers within a mall) I found an "SSA" made in Eskilstuna that was unmarked (everything else was) and he said "ahh, eskilstuna, sweden, eh? Well.. that's gonna be around... twenty dollars." This guy had no idea about it's condition, the brand/rarity, etc. he just makes it up. W&Bs that sell for ungodly sums on the 'bay? 20. I was there the end of the first day (fri-sun), came in around 1pm of the middle day, saw it snatched up by a smart young member here, and knew the dealer was out some dough. Stupid prices on badly damaged razors, too.

This may be only one result in an experiment, but I don't have confidence that the bidding masses really value the work done on the razors, nor the individual particularities that make for easy re-honeability (i.e unwarped spines/bad grinds). Welcome to Loserville.

Significantly less than you'd have bid for it? Or significantly more than you expected to recieve for it? I've noticed in my own buying, and selling, I always expect more for something than I'm willing to give for the very same item. I'd have thought it'd go a bit higher myself, but that's the nature of an auction. You just never know. Now I wonder what would have happened if you'd have put a 40 dollar BIN. Likely it wouldn't have sold at all. But just as likely I'd have bought it with 6 days, 23 hours, and 58 minutes left on the auction. To the detriment of your experiment ofc, but not to my own.

This thread is very interesting. I have a razor I paid 44 bucks for on Eboy. I learned of it right here! Guys were all over it, Go Figure!:hmmm:

I would of bid more Eric, but I had my money riding on another auction before I knew about yours. I been wanting that particular Wilbert for quite some time.

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Originally Posted by nun2sharp

I would of bid more Eric, but I had my money riding on another auction before I knew about yours. I been wanting that particular Wilbert for quite some time.

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No worries. I am certain it went to a good home.

I will keep my eyes open for another one - if I find one, I'll be sure to let you know.

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Originally Posted by HNSB

It ended at $38.50, which is a fair amount below what I would have valued that particular razor at.

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There aren't many of them up there but yours closed highest of the ones that were. Where do you think it should have sold?