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'49er 500 just listed BIN $1500 - Gone in a NY minute!!!

Started by RotarDad, April 02, 2016, 11:09:58 PM

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Dave F

Quote from: paul-f on April 02, 2016, 11:49:37 PM
I agree with you on the price. January 1950 500s seem to be virtually identical. Is the magic 1949 date really worth that much more?

How do others feel? Is $1500 reasonable, too high or too low?
A '49 500 set is nice, and I certainly would be happy to add one to my collection; however, if I was going to spend $1000 or more on a phone, I can think of many other items I would much rather spend it on.  Different strokes for different folks.

DF

Doug Rose

If it had been mine and I wanted $1500 for it, I would have had that as the starting price as podor mentioned. If it didn't sell, there is always next week. That is just me.

I do agree with Dave, it is cool but....Doug
Kidphone

Dan/Panther

It says best offer accepted, I wonder what the accepted offer was. The guy obviously did not have a clue what he had.

D/P
I bet it was a foreign speculator probably from Japan.

The More People I meet, The More I Love, and MISS My Dog.  Dan Robinson

andre_janew

I've often heard that the first and last of a particular model are the most valuable.  1949 was the first year for the WE 500.  What year was the last WE 500 was made?  Has anyone seen a 500 from that year sell?

Dan/Panther

I contcated the seller, HOLD ONTO YOUR SEAT. He accepted $400.00.
D/P

The More People I meet, The More I Love, and MISS My Dog.  Dan Robinson

oldguy

I guess lowballers sometimes win! A lot of Craigslist ads say no lowballers but if you don't mind rejection, it must pay off sometimes. I have tried best offer on eBay & been countered with almost the listing price, so I gave up on the idea, I guess I was wrong again ;) This guy had some nerve offering only $400 but it payed off, I think any of us would pay $400!
Gary

poplar1

#21
Here is one possible scenario: the seller -- not someone experienced with phones -- listed it with a $14.99 starting price at 17:25 P.D.T.....a collector (or just a dealer?) sees it, and makes a $400 offer, if the seller will only end the auction right away. The buyer knows it may go for $1000. He tells the seller to list it at $1500 BIN with a "Best Offer Accepted" option, just to scare off any other buyers, who will, in any case (unless the "automatically accept offers above $x" option has been activated),  have to "get in line" behind the guy offering $400. The telephone is relisted at $1500 BIN, buyer offers the pre-agreed on $400, and seller accepts offer -- only 17 minutes after the original $14.99 listing.

It's possible that the seller on his own decided to cancel the $15 auction, to replace it with a $1500 BIN if  he meant to start it at $1,499 but hit 14.99 --- not likely. I just don't think he knew it was worth more than the usual $25-$50 black 500s sell for, and was happy to get 10 times the usual selling price for common 500s.

This did show up right after the auction as sold for $1500 (incorrectly), but it did say "best offer accepted." However, today, doing a search of completed items, and sorting by "highest first", it does show that it sold for $400. This search can be used to estimate the final selling price of a best offer accepted, though usually it will be a range (somewhere above the next lowest sale and below the next highest sale.)


http://www.ebay.com/sch/Telephones-/38036/i.html?LH_Complete=1&_sop=3&_pgn=10&_skc=450&rt=nc
--------------------------------------------------------------------
   

 
Vintage 1st Payphone Sign Original 1965 Israel w/ frame

    $400.00
    Buy It Now

    +$30.00 shipping   
    View similar active items
    Sell one like this


    Apr-02 01:38
    From Israel
    Seller: mendymocher(1,940) 100% View seller's store: N-E-THING-WORLDWIDE
    Item: 111924344259
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bell systems western electric model 500 11-49 black

  $1,500.00
    Best offer accepted

    +$13.45 shipping   
    View similar active items
    Sell one like this

    Apr-02 19:42
    Seller: hollisterlaser(405) 100%
    Item: 162026842102
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Automatic Electric 2-Line AA-24/26 Black & Brass Telephone

    $400.00
    Buy It Now

"C'est pas une restauration, c'est une rénovation."--François Martin.

JimH

There is another scenario that is possible that I recently discovered.  If a buyer sends you a message with an offer to end the auction and sell it to them for a fixed price, there is a button for the seller to "send a member an offer", where you put in the price the person offered, and an "offer" message is sent to that person, and only that person.  This way, if you're the buyer, you don't have to worry about hitting the new "buy it now" button before anyone else sees it.  When they accept your offer (which is really the buyer's offered price), the item is marked sold and the auction is over. I'm not sure if this is for regular auctions though, the item I was selling was a "buy it now" with no "make offer" option. It's possible the seller changed it to a "buy it now" for $1500 first, and then sent the buyer an offer.  In my case, the original "buy it now" price was still listed after it was sold.

Jim

Jim H.

RotarDad

#23
Thanks Dan (D/P) for following this one up, and Poplar1 for doing the detailed research.  It sounds like I did have an opportunity to hit the BIN at $1500 and buy the phone.   I certainly could have been first to see it, as I kept hitting the refresh button on new listings for that seller to see if he would relist after ending the "$14.99 start" version.  I always try to "choose without regret", and Ebay helps hone that practice.   If it were listed again at $1500, I would not be a bidder.   However at $400-500, I would have hit the button immediately.....
Paul