Wow the price

[dantan]

... is amazing

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ErgoDox-Infinity-Ergonomic-Keyboard-One-of-A-Kind-Ice-Disco-Customisable-LEDs-/162400908509?hash=item25cfd934dd:g:6hkAAOSwImRYYvFE

[Findecanor]

It's a "Make offer" auction. You'll see this when the seller wants to keep it that way.

[dantan]

I don't think so. Most sellers don't go below 2/3 of their set price. But even this board should be worth no more than 1/7 of his asking.

[rowdy]

tp4 run out of ramen?

[Elrick]

For that price tag, it should be housed in Titanium or Magnesium Alloy.

Must be smoking something rancid whilst setting up the sale, typical aussie wanting easy moolah   ) .

[ander]

We should start special topic here where people can post about outrageously priced eBay auctions—just so we can keep them all in the same place.

I post about them too.  :?)  Really, though, there are always people who try to get outrageous prices for stuff—not just for keyboards, but for anything.

[fohat.digs]

My ebay technique is to start at the highest price that I could reasonably hope to get, and then lower it about 10% about once a week until it sells, or until it reaches the point where I no longer want to bother with packing it up and posting it off.

[xmagusx]

Must be smoking something rancid whilst setting up the sale, typical aussie wanting easy moolah   ) .

To your mind, who doesn't want easy moolah?

[dantan]

My ebay technique is to start at the highest price that I could reasonably hope to get,

I'm wondering what that seller had in mind as reasonable...

[Findecanor]

You are missing the point. It was never supposed to sell for the "Buy It Now" price!
The seller put that price high so that nobody would buy it outright. He wants to keep the bidding private for only himself to see.

[rowdy]

My ebay technique is to start at the highest price that I could reasonably hope to get, and then lower it about 10% about once a week until it sells, or until it reaches the point where I no longer want to bother with packing it up and posting it off.

But that sounds like common sense.  Hardly anyone uses that these days!

[Tuntematon]

My ebay technique is to start at the highest price that I could reasonably hope to get, and then lower it about 10% about once a week until it sells, or until it reaches the point where I no longer want to bother with packing it up and posting it off.

This is a good strategy. I would add that it is best to use short listing durations (5 days is nice) so you can bump the item back up into "Newly Listed." Using "Good 'til Cancelled" causes the item to get buried and so limits new exposure.

[dantan]

You are missing the point. It was never supposed to sell for the "Buy It Now" price!
The seller put that price high so that nobody would buy it outright. He wants to keep the bidding private for only himself to see.

But bids expire in 48 hours. So all the bidding merely tells him what the market is likely to accept. He can't spend 1 month watching the bids, and select the highest bidder at the end. Highest bidder will also probably have moved on to other things.

Then after figuring out what are the likely bids by having many bids expire on him, he will have to wait for more bids before someone gives him a price that is close enough to what he wants.

All that can be done by setting a price actually close enough to what someone in an extravagant mood might pay - $1k less than his current asking. It is normal for Make An Offer people to ask for more than they are prepared to accept, but a super high price is just very off putting.

[fohat.digs]

I would add that it is best to use short listing durations (5 days is nice) so you can bump the item back up into "Newly Listed." Using "Good 'til Cancelled" causes the item to get buried and so limits new exposure.

7 days is standard and does not incur additional ebay fees. They charge extra final fees for 10-30-until-it-sells items. I list on Thursdays so that items are ready for the weekend.

I think that lowering the price triggers a bump back to the top of the list, but I may be wrong.

[cribbit]

He's been trying to sell that thing for a loooong time.

He got really salty when I pointed out that RGB LEDs exist.

The guy it a total nutcase, from my limited interactions with him.

Yes, he actually expects to sell for this much.

[xmagusx]

I especially like the "40+ Spare Keycaps!" bit.

They're the extra caps from the set he put on the board. A lot of which won't fit on an ErgoDox.

[ander]

You are missing the point. It was never supposed to sell for the "Buy It Now" price! ... The seller put that price high so that nobody would buy it outright. He wants to keep the bidding private for only himself to see.

Aha, clever. So if someone had a highly specialized item they weren't familiar with—e.g., a MK—they could use this strategy to get an idea of what people were willing to pay for it. Then they could list it normally, starting around the highest offer they'd gotten. At least they'd avoid selling it for far below its value.

Here, though, it's been acknowledged that this particular seller's a nut, so all bets are off.

On the plus side, we got to use our MKs to to discuss this loon. Indeed, I use my MK's for discussing MK's as much as anything else—and I'm guessing some of you are the same. In this way, MKs are self-justifying.

I'll have to tell that to my wife the next time she threatens to leave me because I bought another one: "But honey, each MK a person owns can be used to discuss not only that MK, but other MKs as well! So what possible reason could there be not to own lots of them?" BTW, if anyone has a couch I could sleep on for a few nights, just in case, that'd be great.

[ander]

I also understand the seller of this ErgoDox also plans to release a series of novels about it, as well as a line of official souvenir merchandise, including special limited-edition cocktail napkins and swizzle sticks. (Some may even have little monster faces carved in them, which of course will make them really really valuable!) So be sure to call your credit-card companies and be sure your credit limit is as high as possible.

[rowdy]

I also understand the seller of this ErgoDox also plans to release a series of novels about it, as well as a line of official souvenir merchandise, including special limited-edition cocktail napkins and swizzle sticks. (Some may even have little monster faces carved in them, which of course will make them really really valuable!) So be sure to call your credit-card companies and be sure your credit limit is as high as possible.

I think I'll wait until the movie comes out.

[dantan]

I also understand the seller of this ErgoDox also plans to release a series of novels about it, as well as a line of official souvenir merchandise, including special limited-edition cocktail napkins and swizzle sticks. (Some may even have little monster faces carved in them, which of course will make them really really valuable!) So be sure to call your credit-card companies and be sure your credit limit is as high as possible.

I think I'll wait until the movie comes out.

I'll wait until the sequel comes out.

[cribbit]

I also understand the seller of this ErgoDox also plans to release a series of novels about it, as well as a line of official souvenir merchandise, including special limited-edition cocktail napkins and swizzle sticks. (Some may even have little monster faces carved in them, which of course will make them really really valuable!) So be sure to call your credit-card companies and be sure your credit limit is as high as possible.

I think I'll wait until the movie comes out.

I'll wait until the sequel comes out.

What about the prequels, with extra CGI?

[dantan]

I also understand the seller of this ErgoDox also plans to release a series of novels about it, as well as a line of official souvenir merchandise, including special limited-edition cocktail napkins and swizzle sticks. (Some may even have little monster faces carved in them, which of course will make them really really valuable!) So be sure to call your credit-card companies and be sure your credit limit is as high as possible.

I think I'll wait until the movie comes out.

I'll wait until the sequel comes out.

What about the prequels, with extra CGI?

Not until the 20th anniversary of the original movie. Then there will be all night Ergodox marathons and competitions and a dress up as Ergodox contest.