AE 35 on ebaY

[NorthernMan]

Wallphone ........ can we find the true identity of Mr Helpful  and ask him to cease and desist . Everyyear Ebay becomes less friendly for people looking to get bargains. Too many professionals chasing a limited supply.

I remember 5 years ago paying $135 for a box of junk pictured ... well when i went to pick it up the box it was overflowing with stuff they did not put in the picture. It was worth at least $600 . Too many pros on Ebay now. Not as much fun anymore.

[Wallphone]

I already told everyone who Mr. Helpful is but I don't have his email address and neither does the eBay Handles list.

[Phoniac]

Phoniac .... the $45 one had the auction ended early (thats why it shows no bids)and that same phone soon was relisted with the proper identifIcation of AE35 at a starting price of $200 and ended over $300.

I'm sorry NM, I didn't even notice that. I stand corrected.
And I know exactly what you mean by no more fun. If you aint got more money then the other guy you might as well not even bid. Most auctions I watch and don't even bid because by the 4th day there way over my head. And ya just don't find anything in the wild anymore. Most barn and garage, etc. sales are GARBAGE, toys and cloths. And as far as posting running auctions here on this site, well lets just say I don't approve of it.

[Kenny C]

They decided along time ago that you can post running auctions. Its up to you if you want to or not. Some people choose not to and some do to help others. I have posted some running auctions before. No one said anything about it.

[Dan/Panther]

Wallphone ........ can we find the true identity of Mr Helpful  and ask him to cease and desist . Everyyear Ebay becomes less friendly for people looking to get bargains. Too many professionals chasing a limited supply.

I remember 5 years ago paying $135 for a box of junk pictured ... well when i went to pick it up the box it was overflowing with stuff they did not put in the picture. It was worth at least $600 . Too many pros on Ebay now. Not as much fun anymore.

Good luck with that, I've been trying for the past couple years to stop it. In my mind it's buyer/seller beware, DO YOUR HOMEWORK BEFORE YOU SELL OR BUY.
D/P

[Phoniac]

They decided along time ago that you can post running auctions. Its up to you if you want to or not. Some people choose not to and some do to help others. I have posted some running auctions before. No one said anything about it.

Here's the thing Kenny, If you were watching an auction and you really wanted but knew if anyone else bid on it you would likely not be able to win it, would you want me to post it here so everybody could see it? I don't think so. No one needs more competition. Now there are a few out there that have bottomless pockets and don't care how high it goes, there going to buy it. Sadly I'm not one of them, so I DON'T appreciate people posting on going auctions because I don't need anymore competition then what I already have. And I'm considerate enough NOT post them either.
Now, Where's that bottle of Valium I had.

[Doug Rose]

This was discussed at length in the below thread. The concensus was the if you want to post an ongoing auction on the Forum, there would be no issue or hurt feelings. I agree with the concensus that it is absolutely no issue posting an auction for all to see. Its already out there on eBay as it is for all to see. If this helps one member get a phone that they want, then it is worth it to post the auction. If you are looking for a steal, well;  if you don't bid high enough, you will not win the auction....Doug

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=2160.0

[Telstar]

I already told everyone who Mr. Helpful is but I don't have his email address and neither does the eBay Handles list.

I agree with Northernman! I don't think I am out of line by saying that the people on this forum should not be giving a "heads up" information to a SELLER on EBAY that the phone they have listed is so valuable or unique that only a collector would care about a specific detail. They probably bought it  at a yard sale or junk store. If they paid $5 and got $40 for a WE 302 great, but don't tell them it's an early version, so they can get $200 for it. This is a MAJOR a turnoff to new and old collectors alike who do not have deep pockets to pay retail or above retail on something they have been looking for. There is nothing wrong with sharing  information on this website, but to share it with someone you do not know on eBay spoils the chances of other collectors getting a phone they might want. 
If you read the revised eBay listing that the seller posted after the AE phone was re listed, the tone is different, now there is a reserve, reserve will not be disclosed, and other propriety information now appears.

[AE_Collector]

This thread confuses me somewhat. It contains discussions about AE 35 vs AE 50's, discussions about the pros and cons of posting ebaY auctions (that are still in progress) to this forum AND things about "Mr Helpful" which is a name coined elsewhere on this forum for someone consistently emailing sellers with more info about the phone they are selling.

There is no doubt that I am the one who in all liklihood screwed up posting the then still current auction here. I saw it as an opportunity to educate those who were unaware that the AE 35 even existed since most would mistake it for an AE50.

Having reread this thread a few times I can't decide if it is being assumed by some that I am "Mr Helpful" as well. While I thought I was being Mr Helpful to those on this forum I am not "Mr Helpful" on ebaY. As Wallphone says, Mr Helpful has been identified (I'd bet he isn't the only "Mr Helpful" out there but he has been ID'd as "A Mr Helpful") and he isn't a member of either North American phone club and to the best of my knowledge isn't a member here.

Being A "Mr Helpful" might "tick off"us potential phone buyers but it likly does the opposite for phone sellers. Many phone collectors are phone sellers so this is an arguement that can't be won by either side. It is what it is.

I guess anyone who attempts to help out his fellow "forum-ites" through education runs the risk of annoying other "forum-ites" by giving out too much info. In all liklihood it isn't a good idea to post active auctions here as the consensus seems to be that it does more harm than good to phone buyers at least. I'll remember that in the future but that won't put an end to it ever happening again.

Terry

[NorthernMan]

Terry ... no one is picking on you ..... just Ebay's Mr. Helpful.

Terry i would like to help you find that rare AE set you want. So when i see it on Ebay, Kijiji or Craigslist i will PM you with the secret info and perhaps you will get it at a better price. Just trying to do my part !

BTW everybody, i collect Northern.

[Sargeguy]

I think you can educate forum members once the auction is over.  I think a heads up post is fine if the item is noteworthy and already has a few bidders and is fetching a fair price already.  There are a few bargains to be had on eBay but it takes work to dig them up.