My friend John Miles and I both have a gambling addiction. Some people call it Ebay, but I don't sugar coat it, it's gambling pure and simple. I'm trying a new experiment this week. Recently I purchased several films off of Ebay that ended up having faded color. I hate faded color, however, I"m probably too picky. IB Technicolor prints go for thousands of dollars. I end up bidding on films that don't have a complete or detailed description hoping to find that hidden gem. Somebody selling something they have no idea what it's worth. Don't get me wrong, overall I'm breaking even on 16mm, but I do get discouraged when the poor quality prints start piling up.
See, the problem is, that I'm trying to establish a reputation on Ebay is an honest seller. So, I buy a print that doesn't have a very detailed description, but if I sell the same print, I feel obligated to describe every flaw in the print in exacting detail. That's fine. Most people who sell prints do themselves a disservice by not describing it in detail and including photographs. In general, a print that is accurately described and has high quality photographs will always sell for a lot more than a two line description.
The experiment I am trying on these two auctions is to offer them for a lot less money than I paid for them, and with no reserve. That means there is a legitimate chance I *will* lose money on them. Of course, with all of my one dollar no reserve auctions from a few weeks ago, I ended up generally having very high closing prices. Today I got my feedback from the guy who bought the "Paddington Bear" short for $30. He was thrilled with the print. Lots of happy customers, that's what I want.
I have employed an interesting technique with the auction I just posted. I am trying to sell a film by picking up the the devastated losers of the another sellers auction. There is an IB-Technicolor copy of "War of the Worlds" on Ebay right now asking at least $3,500! The auction is already up to $2,500 and has 5 days to go. Well, I accidentally impulse bought a copy of "War of the Worlds" a week or so ago. My copy is a near mint print, but has faded color. So, I created an auction that closes almost immediately after the expensive one, hoping to get a dissillusioned buyer who lost that auction to bid up my copy as a replacement. It's a very good print, and has plenty of color left in it, so I hope I will make my money back. Of course, as I pointed out before, I could take a loss. I even paid an extra $20 to list the auction in the features section so it will show up side by side with the $3,500 print. I hope somebody gets the humour in this besides me.
I can tell right away that I'm going to get an awful lot of enjoyment out of visiting Dave Barry's blog every day. He put up a link referring to a Grammy outrage that this performance was not recognized. I must point out that the video clip in this link is somewhat homophobic, and might be offensive to some. However, that said, it's very funny in the sense of pure, raw, stream of consciousness, nonsense. This is some 12 year old child with a webcam literally exposing himself in a way that is more voyeuristic then five lesbian college coeds in a shower. Here is the link. You will 'get the point' after a few seconds, but in a surreal and absurd way it gets funnier if you force yourself to listen to the entire thing. I honestly believe this is a completely unscripted piece and was not necessarily intended to be hateful. More comical than anything else. If any of my non-straight friends are offended, I apologize.
See, the problem is, that I'm trying to establish a reputation on Ebay is an honest seller. So, I buy a print that doesn't have a very detailed description, but if I sell the same print, I feel obligated to describe every flaw in the print in exacting detail. That's fine. Most people who sell prints do themselves a disservice by not describing it in detail and including photographs. In general, a print that is accurately described and has high quality photographs will always sell for a lot more than a two line description.
The experiment I am trying on these two auctions is to offer them for a lot less money than I paid for them, and with no reserve. That means there is a legitimate chance I *will* lose money on them. Of course, with all of my one dollar no reserve auctions from a few weeks ago, I ended up generally having very high closing prices. Today I got my feedback from the guy who bought the "Paddington Bear" short for $30. He was thrilled with the print. Lots of happy customers, that's what I want.
I have employed an interesting technique with the auction I just posted. I am trying to sell a film by picking up the the devastated losers of the another sellers auction. There is an IB-Technicolor copy of "War of the Worlds" on Ebay right now asking at least $3,500! The auction is already up to $2,500 and has 5 days to go. Well, I accidentally impulse bought a copy of "War of the Worlds" a week or so ago. My copy is a near mint print, but has faded color. So, I created an auction that closes almost immediately after the expensive one, hoping to get a dissillusioned buyer who lost that auction to bid up my copy as a replacement. It's a very good print, and has plenty of color left in it, so I hope I will make my money back. Of course, as I pointed out before, I could take a loss. I even paid an extra $20 to list the auction in the features section so it will show up side by side with the $3,500 print. I hope somebody gets the humour in this besides me.
I can tell right away that I'm going to get an awful lot of enjoyment out of visiting Dave Barry's blog every day. He put up a link referring to a Grammy outrage that this performance was not recognized. I must point out that the video clip in this link is somewhat homophobic, and might be offensive to some. However, that said, it's very funny in the sense of pure, raw, stream of consciousness, nonsense. This is some 12 year old child with a webcam literally exposing himself in a way that is more voyeuristic then five lesbian college coeds in a shower. Here is the link. You will 'get the point' after a few seconds, but in a surreal and absurd way it gets funnier if you force yourself to listen to the entire thing. I honestly believe this is a completely unscripted piece and was not necessarily intended to be hateful. More comical than anything else. If any of my non-straight friends are offended, I apologize.
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