Interpreting EBay Sold Data

WallyF

Member
I've never bought or sold anything on eBay. Therefore, don't know much about it. Have pulled "sold" information on various items. However, I'm not sure how to use/interpret it.

So, if an item is "sold" and there was only 1 bid, what does that mean to you? Is that a "valid" data point?

If an item was sold and there were multiple bids, e.g. 7, how do you use that to determine the "value"? Seems to me a 1 bid is questionable wrt to being a valid data point. The multiple mid seems to indicate interest and the high big won. Unfortunately, we don't know the individual data points to come up with an average or mean or median or whatever.

Suggestion please.
 
It's not necessarily as simple as looking at several sold prices for the same/similar item and taking an average. Multiple bids could result in an artificially high final price if the winner and other bidders let emotion come into play. Conversely, a single bid in an auction style listing taking the item at the starting price could indicate that there was an issue other viewers noticed that the buyer didn't. All that subjectivity can make for a daunting task. Sometimes the best you can do is try to spot a trend in the selling prices and then decide what you're willing to spend.
 
Once sold you can "View original item" which gives you
"Winning bid: US $41.00 [ 20 bids ]"
Click on "20 bids" and you can see how many Bidders there were.
 
also, the item sold with only 1 bid might have had a relatively high starting price... so there was no 'bidding' getting it up to that point... the seller knew what they thought it was worth and a minimum they were willing to accept... and only one other person bid. that is just as valid as the item where someone set the starting price or minimum bid at $1 and it took 40 bids to reach the final selling price... both valid sales... ending price might even be the same if the two items were comparable. just different ways to reach a similar conclusion.
 
At most times this question is hard to give a straight answer.

First you have collectors
Dealers
Folks that do not know what they are purchasing
Folks that do not know what they are selling
Folks that just want to push up the price for well maybe a friend??
And some other types.

Collectors - will pay what it is worth to them, value goes out the door. I have been known to do this, but I end up with something that I might never see another in its condition. I have some things that I have never seen before I purchased on eBay and have never seen since, yup that belong in a museum but they do not like to pay (most times).

Dealers - Know what they are looking at and for and have a limit because they have a resell price, most times. Sometimes a dealer will have a buyer with deg pockets, so price goes out the window. Case & point; Went to an auction on Sat for some CI, one piece being Griswold #19 PN 966 Gem V3 Being a dealer I have a resell price. Looking at what has sold on eBay $130.00 - $170.00. With someone asking $325.00 now. Note the values set in the CI books are not set in gold, $500.00 - $600.00 maybe back in the late 90s Anyway I bailed out at $250.00, my limit, and spent my $ on things that will bring me more $$

Folks that do not know what they are purchasing - Thinking that what they see is one of a kind, very rare. Only to find that it is not as rare as they hoped. Not knowing what to look for, marks, PN, brand names. Ever go to a live auction you see them, first time they saw one must have it now. All logic goes out the window. Not knowing how to look for issues, sound for cracks in CI, etc.

Folks that do not know what they are selling - They have a very nice piece and set a low By it Now price, Boom Gone for less that its value. I grab them all the time online and live auctions. Right place right time.

Folks that just want to push up the price for well maybe a friend?? - SHILL BIDDER - Google is your friend look it up. I have been to a live years ago where some less than honest folks were removed for the right reasons.

Along with all this you have the way folks list the sale - Make an offer, By it now, Auction. Well, there are a few things but this should give you something to chew on with Interpreting eBay Sold Data.:headpop:
 
I probably personally knocked down the 'avg' price on a few griswold pieces in the last couple of months alone...

got the griswold sun dial on ebay for $60
got the #7 slant erie roaster for like $46 + shipping
got a smooth bottom large block #10 with fully marked lid for a buy it now of $96...

looking at those sales you would think the values for those items is pretty low... but I'm pretty sure I could double my money on every one of them.
 
I probably personally knocked down the 'avg' price on a few griswold pieces in the last couple of months alone...

got the griswold sun dial on ebay for $60
got the #7 slant erie roaster for like $46 + shipping
got a smooth bottom large block #10 with fully marked lid for a buy it now of $96...

looking at those sales you would think the values for those items is pretty low... but I'm pretty sure I could double my money on every one of them.


Right place right time.Yes, that is what I am saying.:biggrin:
 
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