H o b b i e s
by Dave Gee
Model kits need long shipping cartons and plenty of packing material. Boxes can be
reused or custom-made from salvaged cardboard. Notice timesaving self-inking
address stamper.
Apparently a well-organized computer area is not required to have big fun on the eBay Web site. Avoid “auction fever” or
you’ll end up like the author.
STATE OF THE SPORT
EbaY
The hobby
shop we always
wanted—but
different
44 MODEL AVIATION
01sig2.QXD 11/24/08 2:52 PM Page 44
January 2009 45
Part of the author’s collection of old FF kits. All were acquired via eBay, mostly at rock-bottom prices because he’s too cheap to
bid them up.
This mass launch was made possible by an eBay auction. A case of balsa models was
listed under “toys, wholesale lots” and had enough for everyone at the club picnic.
Photos by the author
didn’t pay attention to the “Confirm Bid”
screen.
The adrenaline started to flow and this
little auction had gotten really exciting. If I
had to explain my goof to Sweet Diedra (my
wife), I would not only have been the target of
her wifely wit, but she would also have been
justified in bidding $61 on some Tupperware
auction.
Drat! Some other bidders had found the
propeller lot and were waiting for the
final minutes to pounce. Lucky for me,
THERE I WAS, the big-time
experienced eBayer, swooping
through cyberspace, looking for
bargains on model airplane items.
The eBay Web site is loaded with
hobby items that sometimes go
for rock-bottom prices.
It’s not that I’m a cheapskate; it’s just
that—okay, I’m a cheapskate! Buyers love a
chance to win an auction item for a low price,
and sellers love it when prices are bid through
the roof. That’s why eBay uses an auction
format.
Suddenly I spied a batch of old rubberpower
propellers. Some were balsa, some
were plastic—right up my alley and listed
under toys rather than RC, so maybe nobody
else would find them. (The FF and CL stuff is
listed under RC on eBay; deal with it.)
I carefully decided that $15 was my limit
on this lot, but I bumped it up to $16.09 to
stay ahead of the “round-number” bidders. I
confidently typed in my price, knowing that
eBay would open my bid at 99¢ and use the
rest only if needed to overcome other bidders.
With practiced ease, I clicked “Enter” and
watched as my account was updated to show
the $61.09 bid. Sixty-one dollars? Yikes! I
must have transposed the digits and then
01sig2.QXD 11/21/08 3:31 PM Page 45
they couldn’t see what my true top bid
was. Even so, the price rose to $29 before
time mercifully ran out. Okay, it could
have been worse.
I used PayPal (an electronic alternative to
paper payment methods such as checks and
money orders) to settle my bill and vowed to
be more careful next time. It is possible to
retract eBay bids under extraordinary
circumstances, but “being a doofus” is not
covered.
A few days later, the propellers arrived
from a dealer who never knew how much
money he almost made. We finished the
transaction by leaving positive “feedback” for
one another so that eBayers can consult our
records before they do business with us.
The auction format is only one of the factors
that has helped eBay—called “The World’s
Largest Online Marketplace”—grow so
quickly since it was created in 1995. The
federal government has kept its hands off and
winning bidders seldom pay tax on interstate
transactions.
Pure capitalism and an understanding of
human nature have given the online auction
business $59 billion yearly in gross sales.
Shippers have profited, dealers have profited,
and our hobby has benefited.
Despite its 276 million registered users,
there are still plenty of people who have never
ventured into the vast global marketplace of
eBay. Out of 113 million item listings at any
given time, using “model airplane” as a search
term usually brings up roughly 4,000 auctions.
Bidders can narrow their searches by using
brand names, aircraft names, or other terms to
get an exact item or kit. The site divides
aeromodeling stuff into categories for electric,
gas, helicopters, etc. A search for bargains can
be fun and challenging, because sellers who
are not modelers often incorrectly categorize
hobby listings.
How you use eBay will depend on what
you want to accomplish. I love to acquire old
kits and accessories on the cheap, and I’ve
even made money reselling items to other
modelers.
Engine collectors do lots of business on
eBay. If you collect a certain brand of kit or a
favorite aircraft, eBay provides a shopping
venue that didn’t exist a few years ago, when
old hobby items ended up in garage sales or
trashcans.
If you want a particular model or
accessory that is no longer in production,
eBay is the place to find it. New and used
items are listed side by side, and browsers can
get a good idea of what the going price is on
any given hobby product. I’ve seen current
production kits go for more than the retail
price to buyers who evidently do not check on
such things before bidding.
As with any auction, it is vital to decide
beforehand how high you are willing to bid.
Don’t get sucked into a bidding frenzy,
although this is exactly what the seller wants.
Topping someone else’s bid can get
expensive—especially if they want to do the
same to you.
The big action happens on the weekends,
when many people are home to watch the
beginnings and ends of seven-day auctions.
Final prices are usually a bit lower in auctions
that end on quiet weekdays.
Auctions with end times that coincide with
major sporting events or holidays often bring
lower prices, since many bidders are occupied
elsewhere. This can be an opportunity for
bidders to get a deal and a pitfall for sellers.
Conversely, dealers like to list an auction
during bad weather, because bidders are stuck
indoors at the computer, pushing the bid
button.
The eBay feedback system has recently
undergone a big revision. Because of some
sellers’ retaliatory use of the opportunity to
post comments, the system now allows buyers
to leave positive or negative comments for a
seller, but dealers can leave only positive
marks for their customers.
Feedback points are a vital record of an
eBayer’s conduct, and having a low feedback
score makes it harder to buy or sell. The new
changes are controversial, and some sellers
have threatened to move to other auction sites.
The Web site is so vast that certain
sections have become unique communities. I
sometimes recognize familiar eBay names
bidding against me, and I know that it is a
modeler with interests that are similar to mine.
Sweet Diedra is familiar with the
Tupperware and craft section. She says that
Tupperware bidders are used to paying high
shipping charges, while craft purchasers
expect much lower rates.
Model hobby auctions sometimes request
only the postage charge for shipping, and the
seller supplies the packaging material for free.
I recycle boxes or make them from cardboard
to keep the shipping charges low on my
auctions.
Larger dealers can’t do this, so small-time
sellers sometimes have an advantage. Watch
out for dealers who sell an item for $1 but ask
$75 to ship it. If there is a problem, they will
refund the purchase price but not the shipping
fee.
So, are you ready to try an eBay transaction?
The Web site will walk you through buying or
selling, which makes it simple for new
members to find success. It is much easier
than you might think, but following are a few
things I learned the hard way.
1. Know what you’re buying. The auction
item’s description and photographs will give
you clues, but you are taking a bigger risk than
necessary if you are unfamiliar with the item.
An example is the old Scientific Sky
Master kit I bought for $10. It came with a
genuine Paulownia-wood propeller that is
worth much more than the rest of the kit. The
seller didn’t know that and missed out on a
much bigger profit.
2. Accuracy counts in an auction
description. Good sellers make an effort to
describe their items in exact terms so the
buyer will be pleased and not surprised. A
product that differs substantially from the
description is grounds for a formal eBay
dispute. Know the grading terms for your item
and try to see it through a purchaser’s eyes.
And please use the spell checker. Auctions
with misspelled words make the seller look
like a doofus.
3. Use the site’s tools. Feedback ratings let
you use other people’s experiences to judge
whether an eBayer is a flake or a gem before
you deal with him or her. You can ask the
dealer a question about an auction, and the
answer can tell you plenty about the item as
well as the seller.
The site also has a dispute-resolution
system. Although I have been pleased and
frustrated at various times, it is much better
than small claims court for dealing with an
interstate issue.
4. A deal is a deal. Follow through even if
you get clobbered. I love to win an auction for
the lowest of opening bids, but as a seller I’ve
occasionally had to take my lumps on a low
final price.
A disappointing ending bid is no excuse
for shoddy service. If I win an extremely lowpriced
auction and the seller comes through, I
make sure to leave exceptionally glowing
feedback comments.
The reason for low starting bids is that,
statistically, an auction will bring a higher end
price if it has a lower start price. Buyers hope
for a steal and get caught up in the excitement,
so both sides are making a gamble.
5. A word about E-mail. Brief E-mail
messages almost always look harsher than
intended and are notoriously prone to
misinterpretation. Write your E-mail with a
soft tone, and never send a “flame” message
without letting it cool for a rereading. I make a
habit of ending with “best wishes, Dave” to
make sure the reader knows I want to be
friends.
I once sold to someone who sent E-mail
withoutusingpunctuationcapitalsorspacing,
and I could hardly decipher it. The whole
point of written language is to have the other
person understand your message.
6. Time is of the essence. Keep an eye on
your E-mail messages and respond quickly.
Once the auction ends, get things moving. If
the post office delays a package, it is great to
be able to show that you mailed it pronto.
Quick payment and fast shipping are
frequently mentioned in good feedback. Have
items prepacked if possible. I bought a little
self-inking address stamp, and it saves me
lots of time and writer’s cramp by printing
my address wherever I need it.
7. You’ll meet a nut eventually. Most of
the people who use eBay are reliable, and my
experience is that aeromodelers are the best
of the best, but sooner or later some goofball
will make trouble for you. I’ve had three of
them throughout the years. Irrational
demands or groundless complaints are
irritating, but don’t let it spoil your fun.
The feedback system limits the amount of
damage that any one person can do. An
eBayer who habitually causes problems will
soon be gone, and there will be a dozen good
ones in his or her place.
All in all, eBay is a business resource.
There are those who don’t follow the rules,
but most do. It’s practically a free market
space, or what some people might call the
“black market.”
Stories have been told about copyright
fraud and items stolen out of a club member’s
trailer that were seen on eBay soon thereafter.
Always practice the “let the buyer beware”
rule.
Thanks to the good, ole American
entrepreneurial spirit, modelers have the
hobby shop they have always wanted.
Granted, eBay isn’t the same as walking
through double doors off of Main Street, but
this virtual store’s shelves are constantly
stocked with items that are fresh from the
factory or recently unearthed from someone’s
dark closet.
A trip through the model listings on eBay,
or any other auction source, will captivate a
user of any age. The community that has been
spawned from this resource is a proud
membership of people, such as that of the
Academy of Model Aeronautics. MA
Dave Gee
[email protected]
Sources:
eBay
www.ebay.com
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/01
Page Numbers: 44,45,46,48
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/01
Page Numbers: 44,45,46,48
H o b b i e s
by Dave Gee
Model kits need long shipping cartons and plenty of packing material. Boxes can be
reused or custom-made from salvaged cardboard. Notice timesaving self-inking
address stamper.
Apparently a well-organized computer area is not required to have big fun on the eBay Web site. Avoid “auction fever” or
you’ll end up like the author.
STATE OF THE SPORT
EbaY
The hobby
shop we always
wanted—but
different
44 MODEL AVIATION
01sig2.QXD 11/24/08 2:52 PM Page 44
January 2009 45
Part of the author’s collection of old FF kits. All were acquired via eBay, mostly at rock-bottom prices because he’s too cheap to
bid them up.
This mass launch was made possible by an eBay auction. A case of balsa models was
listed under “toys, wholesale lots” and had enough for everyone at the club picnic.
Photos by the author
didn’t pay attention to the “Confirm Bid”
screen.
The adrenaline started to flow and this
little auction had gotten really exciting. If I
had to explain my goof to Sweet Diedra (my
wife), I would not only have been the target of
her wifely wit, but she would also have been
justified in bidding $61 on some Tupperware
auction.
Drat! Some other bidders had found the
propeller lot and were waiting for the
final minutes to pounce. Lucky for me,
THERE I WAS, the big-time
experienced eBayer, swooping
through cyberspace, looking for
bargains on model airplane items.
The eBay Web site is loaded with
hobby items that sometimes go
for rock-bottom prices.
It’s not that I’m a cheapskate; it’s just
that—okay, I’m a cheapskate! Buyers love a
chance to win an auction item for a low price,
and sellers love it when prices are bid through
the roof. That’s why eBay uses an auction
format.
Suddenly I spied a batch of old rubberpower
propellers. Some were balsa, some
were plastic—right up my alley and listed
under toys rather than RC, so maybe nobody
else would find them. (The FF and CL stuff is
listed under RC on eBay; deal with it.)
I carefully decided that $15 was my limit
on this lot, but I bumped it up to $16.09 to
stay ahead of the “round-number” bidders. I
confidently typed in my price, knowing that
eBay would open my bid at 99¢ and use the
rest only if needed to overcome other bidders.
With practiced ease, I clicked “Enter” and
watched as my account was updated to show
the $61.09 bid. Sixty-one dollars? Yikes! I
must have transposed the digits and then
01sig2.QXD 11/21/08 3:31 PM Page 45
they couldn’t see what my true top bid
was. Even so, the price rose to $29 before
time mercifully ran out. Okay, it could
have been worse.
I used PayPal (an electronic alternative to
paper payment methods such as checks and
money orders) to settle my bill and vowed to
be more careful next time. It is possible to
retract eBay bids under extraordinary
circumstances, but “being a doofus” is not
covered.
A few days later, the propellers arrived
from a dealer who never knew how much
money he almost made. We finished the
transaction by leaving positive “feedback” for
one another so that eBayers can consult our
records before they do business with us.
The auction format is only one of the factors
that has helped eBay—called “The World’s
Largest Online Marketplace”—grow so
quickly since it was created in 1995. The
federal government has kept its hands off and
winning bidders seldom pay tax on interstate
transactions.
Pure capitalism and an understanding of
human nature have given the online auction
business $59 billion yearly in gross sales.
Shippers have profited, dealers have profited,
and our hobby has benefited.
Despite its 276 million registered users,
there are still plenty of people who have never
ventured into the vast global marketplace of
eBay. Out of 113 million item listings at any
given time, using “model airplane” as a search
term usually brings up roughly 4,000 auctions.
Bidders can narrow their searches by using
brand names, aircraft names, or other terms to
get an exact item or kit. The site divides
aeromodeling stuff into categories for electric,
gas, helicopters, etc. A search for bargains can
be fun and challenging, because sellers who
are not modelers often incorrectly categorize
hobby listings.
How you use eBay will depend on what
you want to accomplish. I love to acquire old
kits and accessories on the cheap, and I’ve
even made money reselling items to other
modelers.
Engine collectors do lots of business on
eBay. If you collect a certain brand of kit or a
favorite aircraft, eBay provides a shopping
venue that didn’t exist a few years ago, when
old hobby items ended up in garage sales or
trashcans.
If you want a particular model or
accessory that is no longer in production,
eBay is the place to find it. New and used
items are listed side by side, and browsers can
get a good idea of what the going price is on
any given hobby product. I’ve seen current
production kits go for more than the retail
price to buyers who evidently do not check on
such things before bidding.
As with any auction, it is vital to decide
beforehand how high you are willing to bid.
Don’t get sucked into a bidding frenzy,
although this is exactly what the seller wants.
Topping someone else’s bid can get
expensive—especially if they want to do the
same to you.
The big action happens on the weekends,
when many people are home to watch the
beginnings and ends of seven-day auctions.
Final prices are usually a bit lower in auctions
that end on quiet weekdays.
Auctions with end times that coincide with
major sporting events or holidays often bring
lower prices, since many bidders are occupied
elsewhere. This can be an opportunity for
bidders to get a deal and a pitfall for sellers.
Conversely, dealers like to list an auction
during bad weather, because bidders are stuck
indoors at the computer, pushing the bid
button.
The eBay feedback system has recently
undergone a big revision. Because of some
sellers’ retaliatory use of the opportunity to
post comments, the system now allows buyers
to leave positive or negative comments for a
seller, but dealers can leave only positive
marks for their customers.
Feedback points are a vital record of an
eBayer’s conduct, and having a low feedback
score makes it harder to buy or sell. The new
changes are controversial, and some sellers
have threatened to move to other auction sites.
The Web site is so vast that certain
sections have become unique communities. I
sometimes recognize familiar eBay names
bidding against me, and I know that it is a
modeler with interests that are similar to mine.
Sweet Diedra is familiar with the
Tupperware and craft section. She says that
Tupperware bidders are used to paying high
shipping charges, while craft purchasers
expect much lower rates.
Model hobby auctions sometimes request
only the postage charge for shipping, and the
seller supplies the packaging material for free.
I recycle boxes or make them from cardboard
to keep the shipping charges low on my
auctions.
Larger dealers can’t do this, so small-time
sellers sometimes have an advantage. Watch
out for dealers who sell an item for $1 but ask
$75 to ship it. If there is a problem, they will
refund the purchase price but not the shipping
fee.
So, are you ready to try an eBay transaction?
The Web site will walk you through buying or
selling, which makes it simple for new
members to find success. It is much easier
than you might think, but following are a few
things I learned the hard way.
1. Know what you’re buying. The auction
item’s description and photographs will give
you clues, but you are taking a bigger risk than
necessary if you are unfamiliar with the item.
An example is the old Scientific Sky
Master kit I bought for $10. It came with a
genuine Paulownia-wood propeller that is
worth much more than the rest of the kit. The
seller didn’t know that and missed out on a
much bigger profit.
2. Accuracy counts in an auction
description. Good sellers make an effort to
describe their items in exact terms so the
buyer will be pleased and not surprised. A
product that differs substantially from the
description is grounds for a formal eBay
dispute. Know the grading terms for your item
and try to see it through a purchaser’s eyes.
And please use the spell checker. Auctions
with misspelled words make the seller look
like a doofus.
3. Use the site’s tools. Feedback ratings let
you use other people’s experiences to judge
whether an eBayer is a flake or a gem before
you deal with him or her. You can ask the
dealer a question about an auction, and the
answer can tell you plenty about the item as
well as the seller.
The site also has a dispute-resolution
system. Although I have been pleased and
frustrated at various times, it is much better
than small claims court for dealing with an
interstate issue.
4. A deal is a deal. Follow through even if
you get clobbered. I love to win an auction for
the lowest of opening bids, but as a seller I’ve
occasionally had to take my lumps on a low
final price.
A disappointing ending bid is no excuse
for shoddy service. If I win an extremely lowpriced
auction and the seller comes through, I
make sure to leave exceptionally glowing
feedback comments.
The reason for low starting bids is that,
statistically, an auction will bring a higher end
price if it has a lower start price. Buyers hope
for a steal and get caught up in the excitement,
so both sides are making a gamble.
5. A word about E-mail. Brief E-mail
messages almost always look harsher than
intended and are notoriously prone to
misinterpretation. Write your E-mail with a
soft tone, and never send a “flame” message
without letting it cool for a rereading. I make a
habit of ending with “best wishes, Dave” to
make sure the reader knows I want to be
friends.
I once sold to someone who sent E-mail
withoutusingpunctuationcapitalsorspacing,
and I could hardly decipher it. The whole
point of written language is to have the other
person understand your message.
6. Time is of the essence. Keep an eye on
your E-mail messages and respond quickly.
Once the auction ends, get things moving. If
the post office delays a package, it is great to
be able to show that you mailed it pronto.
Quick payment and fast shipping are
frequently mentioned in good feedback. Have
items prepacked if possible. I bought a little
self-inking address stamp, and it saves me
lots of time and writer’s cramp by printing
my address wherever I need it.
7. You’ll meet a nut eventually. Most of
the people who use eBay are reliable, and my
experience is that aeromodelers are the best
of the best, but sooner or later some goofball
will make trouble for you. I’ve had three of
them throughout the years. Irrational
demands or groundless complaints are
irritating, but don’t let it spoil your fun.
The feedback system limits the amount of
damage that any one person can do. An
eBayer who habitually causes problems will
soon be gone, and there will be a dozen good
ones in his or her place.
All in all, eBay is a business resource.
There are those who don’t follow the rules,
but most do. It’s practically a free market
space, or what some people might call the
“black market.”
Stories have been told about copyright
fraud and items stolen out of a club member’s
trailer that were seen on eBay soon thereafter.
Always practice the “let the buyer beware”
rule.
Thanks to the good, ole American
entrepreneurial spirit, modelers have the
hobby shop they have always wanted.
Granted, eBay isn’t the same as walking
through double doors off of Main Street, but
this virtual store’s shelves are constantly
stocked with items that are fresh from the
factory or recently unearthed from someone’s
dark closet.
A trip through the model listings on eBay,
or any other auction source, will captivate a
user of any age. The community that has been
spawned from this resource is a proud
membership of people, such as that of the
Academy of Model Aeronautics. MA
Dave Gee
[email protected]
Sources:
eBay
www.ebay.com
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/01
Page Numbers: 44,45,46,48
H o b b i e s
by Dave Gee
Model kits need long shipping cartons and plenty of packing material. Boxes can be
reused or custom-made from salvaged cardboard. Notice timesaving self-inking
address stamper.
Apparently a well-organized computer area is not required to have big fun on the eBay Web site. Avoid “auction fever” or
you’ll end up like the author.
STATE OF THE SPORT
EbaY
The hobby
shop we always
wanted—but
different
44 MODEL AVIATION
01sig2.QXD 11/24/08 2:52 PM Page 44
January 2009 45
Part of the author’s collection of old FF kits. All were acquired via eBay, mostly at rock-bottom prices because he’s too cheap to
bid them up.
This mass launch was made possible by an eBay auction. A case of balsa models was
listed under “toys, wholesale lots” and had enough for everyone at the club picnic.
Photos by the author
didn’t pay attention to the “Confirm Bid”
screen.
The adrenaline started to flow and this
little auction had gotten really exciting. If I
had to explain my goof to Sweet Diedra (my
wife), I would not only have been the target of
her wifely wit, but she would also have been
justified in bidding $61 on some Tupperware
auction.
Drat! Some other bidders had found the
propeller lot and were waiting for the
final minutes to pounce. Lucky for me,
THERE I WAS, the big-time
experienced eBayer, swooping
through cyberspace, looking for
bargains on model airplane items.
The eBay Web site is loaded with
hobby items that sometimes go
for rock-bottom prices.
It’s not that I’m a cheapskate; it’s just
that—okay, I’m a cheapskate! Buyers love a
chance to win an auction item for a low price,
and sellers love it when prices are bid through
the roof. That’s why eBay uses an auction
format.
Suddenly I spied a batch of old rubberpower
propellers. Some were balsa, some
were plastic—right up my alley and listed
under toys rather than RC, so maybe nobody
else would find them. (The FF and CL stuff is
listed under RC on eBay; deal with it.)
I carefully decided that $15 was my limit
on this lot, but I bumped it up to $16.09 to
stay ahead of the “round-number” bidders. I
confidently typed in my price, knowing that
eBay would open my bid at 99¢ and use the
rest only if needed to overcome other bidders.
With practiced ease, I clicked “Enter” and
watched as my account was updated to show
the $61.09 bid. Sixty-one dollars? Yikes! I
must have transposed the digits and then
01sig2.QXD 11/21/08 3:31 PM Page 45
they couldn’t see what my true top bid
was. Even so, the price rose to $29 before
time mercifully ran out. Okay, it could
have been worse.
I used PayPal (an electronic alternative to
paper payment methods such as checks and
money orders) to settle my bill and vowed to
be more careful next time. It is possible to
retract eBay bids under extraordinary
circumstances, but “being a doofus” is not
covered.
A few days later, the propellers arrived
from a dealer who never knew how much
money he almost made. We finished the
transaction by leaving positive “feedback” for
one another so that eBayers can consult our
records before they do business with us.
The auction format is only one of the factors
that has helped eBay—called “The World’s
Largest Online Marketplace”—grow so
quickly since it was created in 1995. The
federal government has kept its hands off and
winning bidders seldom pay tax on interstate
transactions.
Pure capitalism and an understanding of
human nature have given the online auction
business $59 billion yearly in gross sales.
Shippers have profited, dealers have profited,
and our hobby has benefited.
Despite its 276 million registered users,
there are still plenty of people who have never
ventured into the vast global marketplace of
eBay. Out of 113 million item listings at any
given time, using “model airplane” as a search
term usually brings up roughly 4,000 auctions.
Bidders can narrow their searches by using
brand names, aircraft names, or other terms to
get an exact item or kit. The site divides
aeromodeling stuff into categories for electric,
gas, helicopters, etc. A search for bargains can
be fun and challenging, because sellers who
are not modelers often incorrectly categorize
hobby listings.
How you use eBay will depend on what
you want to accomplish. I love to acquire old
kits and accessories on the cheap, and I’ve
even made money reselling items to other
modelers.
Engine collectors do lots of business on
eBay. If you collect a certain brand of kit or a
favorite aircraft, eBay provides a shopping
venue that didn’t exist a few years ago, when
old hobby items ended up in garage sales or
trashcans.
If you want a particular model or
accessory that is no longer in production,
eBay is the place to find it. New and used
items are listed side by side, and browsers can
get a good idea of what the going price is on
any given hobby product. I’ve seen current
production kits go for more than the retail
price to buyers who evidently do not check on
such things before bidding.
As with any auction, it is vital to decide
beforehand how high you are willing to bid.
Don’t get sucked into a bidding frenzy,
although this is exactly what the seller wants.
Topping someone else’s bid can get
expensive—especially if they want to do the
same to you.
The big action happens on the weekends,
when many people are home to watch the
beginnings and ends of seven-day auctions.
Final prices are usually a bit lower in auctions
that end on quiet weekdays.
Auctions with end times that coincide with
major sporting events or holidays often bring
lower prices, since many bidders are occupied
elsewhere. This can be an opportunity for
bidders to get a deal and a pitfall for sellers.
Conversely, dealers like to list an auction
during bad weather, because bidders are stuck
indoors at the computer, pushing the bid
button.
The eBay feedback system has recently
undergone a big revision. Because of some
sellers’ retaliatory use of the opportunity to
post comments, the system now allows buyers
to leave positive or negative comments for a
seller, but dealers can leave only positive
marks for their customers.
Feedback points are a vital record of an
eBayer’s conduct, and having a low feedback
score makes it harder to buy or sell. The new
changes are controversial, and some sellers
have threatened to move to other auction sites.
The Web site is so vast that certain
sections have become unique communities. I
sometimes recognize familiar eBay names
bidding against me, and I know that it is a
modeler with interests that are similar to mine.
Sweet Diedra is familiar with the
Tupperware and craft section. She says that
Tupperware bidders are used to paying high
shipping charges, while craft purchasers
expect much lower rates.
Model hobby auctions sometimes request
only the postage charge for shipping, and the
seller supplies the packaging material for free.
I recycle boxes or make them from cardboard
to keep the shipping charges low on my
auctions.
Larger dealers can’t do this, so small-time
sellers sometimes have an advantage. Watch
out for dealers who sell an item for $1 but ask
$75 to ship it. If there is a problem, they will
refund the purchase price but not the shipping
fee.
So, are you ready to try an eBay transaction?
The Web site will walk you through buying or
selling, which makes it simple for new
members to find success. It is much easier
than you might think, but following are a few
things I learned the hard way.
1. Know what you’re buying. The auction
item’s description and photographs will give
you clues, but you are taking a bigger risk than
necessary if you are unfamiliar with the item.
An example is the old Scientific Sky
Master kit I bought for $10. It came with a
genuine Paulownia-wood propeller that is
worth much more than the rest of the kit. The
seller didn’t know that and missed out on a
much bigger profit.
2. Accuracy counts in an auction
description. Good sellers make an effort to
describe their items in exact terms so the
buyer will be pleased and not surprised. A
product that differs substantially from the
description is grounds for a formal eBay
dispute. Know the grading terms for your item
and try to see it through a purchaser’s eyes.
And please use the spell checker. Auctions
with misspelled words make the seller look
like a doofus.
3. Use the site’s tools. Feedback ratings let
you use other people’s experiences to judge
whether an eBayer is a flake or a gem before
you deal with him or her. You can ask the
dealer a question about an auction, and the
answer can tell you plenty about the item as
well as the seller.
The site also has a dispute-resolution
system. Although I have been pleased and
frustrated at various times, it is much better
than small claims court for dealing with an
interstate issue.
4. A deal is a deal. Follow through even if
you get clobbered. I love to win an auction for
the lowest of opening bids, but as a seller I’ve
occasionally had to take my lumps on a low
final price.
A disappointing ending bid is no excuse
for shoddy service. If I win an extremely lowpriced
auction and the seller comes through, I
make sure to leave exceptionally glowing
feedback comments.
The reason for low starting bids is that,
statistically, an auction will bring a higher end
price if it has a lower start price. Buyers hope
for a steal and get caught up in the excitement,
so both sides are making a gamble.
5. A word about E-mail. Brief E-mail
messages almost always look harsher than
intended and are notoriously prone to
misinterpretation. Write your E-mail with a
soft tone, and never send a “flame” message
without letting it cool for a rereading. I make a
habit of ending with “best wishes, Dave” to
make sure the reader knows I want to be
friends.
I once sold to someone who sent E-mail
withoutusingpunctuationcapitalsorspacing,
and I could hardly decipher it. The whole
point of written language is to have the other
person understand your message.
6. Time is of the essence. Keep an eye on
your E-mail messages and respond quickly.
Once the auction ends, get things moving. If
the post office delays a package, it is great to
be able to show that you mailed it pronto.
Quick payment and fast shipping are
frequently mentioned in good feedback. Have
items prepacked if possible. I bought a little
self-inking address stamp, and it saves me
lots of time and writer’s cramp by printing
my address wherever I need it.
7. You’ll meet a nut eventually. Most of
the people who use eBay are reliable, and my
experience is that aeromodelers are the best
of the best, but sooner or later some goofball
will make trouble for you. I’ve had three of
them throughout the years. Irrational
demands or groundless complaints are
irritating, but don’t let it spoil your fun.
The feedback system limits the amount of
damage that any one person can do. An
eBayer who habitually causes problems will
soon be gone, and there will be a dozen good
ones in his or her place.
All in all, eBay is a business resource.
There are those who don’t follow the rules,
but most do. It’s practically a free market
space, or what some people might call the
“black market.”
Stories have been told about copyright
fraud and items stolen out of a club member’s
trailer that were seen on eBay soon thereafter.
Always practice the “let the buyer beware”
rule.
Thanks to the good, ole American
entrepreneurial spirit, modelers have the
hobby shop they have always wanted.
Granted, eBay isn’t the same as walking
through double doors off of Main Street, but
this virtual store’s shelves are constantly
stocked with items that are fresh from the
factory or recently unearthed from someone’s
dark closet.
A trip through the model listings on eBay,
or any other auction source, will captivate a
user of any age. The community that has been
spawned from this resource is a proud
membership of people, such as that of the
Academy of Model Aeronautics. MA
Dave Gee
[email protected]
Sources:
eBay
www.ebay.com
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/01
Page Numbers: 44,45,46,48
H o b b i e s
by Dave Gee
Model kits need long shipping cartons and plenty of packing material. Boxes can be
reused or custom-made from salvaged cardboard. Notice timesaving self-inking
address stamper.
Apparently a well-organized computer area is not required to have big fun on the eBay Web site. Avoid “auction fever” or
you’ll end up like the author.
STATE OF THE SPORT
EbaY
The hobby
shop we always
wanted—but
different
44 MODEL AVIATION
01sig2.QXD 11/24/08 2:52 PM Page 44
January 2009 45
Part of the author’s collection of old FF kits. All were acquired via eBay, mostly at rock-bottom prices because he’s too cheap to
bid them up.
This mass launch was made possible by an eBay auction. A case of balsa models was
listed under “toys, wholesale lots” and had enough for everyone at the club picnic.
Photos by the author
didn’t pay attention to the “Confirm Bid”
screen.
The adrenaline started to flow and this
little auction had gotten really exciting. If I
had to explain my goof to Sweet Diedra (my
wife), I would not only have been the target of
her wifely wit, but she would also have been
justified in bidding $61 on some Tupperware
auction.
Drat! Some other bidders had found the
propeller lot and were waiting for the
final minutes to pounce. Lucky for me,
THERE I WAS, the big-time
experienced eBayer, swooping
through cyberspace, looking for
bargains on model airplane items.
The eBay Web site is loaded with
hobby items that sometimes go
for rock-bottom prices.
It’s not that I’m a cheapskate; it’s just
that—okay, I’m a cheapskate! Buyers love a
chance to win an auction item for a low price,
and sellers love it when prices are bid through
the roof. That’s why eBay uses an auction
format.
Suddenly I spied a batch of old rubberpower
propellers. Some were balsa, some
were plastic—right up my alley and listed
under toys rather than RC, so maybe nobody
else would find them. (The FF and CL stuff is
listed under RC on eBay; deal with it.)
I carefully decided that $15 was my limit
on this lot, but I bumped it up to $16.09 to
stay ahead of the “round-number” bidders. I
confidently typed in my price, knowing that
eBay would open my bid at 99¢ and use the
rest only if needed to overcome other bidders.
With practiced ease, I clicked “Enter” and
watched as my account was updated to show
the $61.09 bid. Sixty-one dollars? Yikes! I
must have transposed the digits and then
01sig2.QXD 11/21/08 3:31 PM Page 45
they couldn’t see what my true top bid
was. Even so, the price rose to $29 before
time mercifully ran out. Okay, it could
have been worse.
I used PayPal (an electronic alternative to
paper payment methods such as checks and
money orders) to settle my bill and vowed to
be more careful next time. It is possible to
retract eBay bids under extraordinary
circumstances, but “being a doofus” is not
covered.
A few days later, the propellers arrived
from a dealer who never knew how much
money he almost made. We finished the
transaction by leaving positive “feedback” for
one another so that eBayers can consult our
records before they do business with us.
The auction format is only one of the factors
that has helped eBay—called “The World’s
Largest Online Marketplace”—grow so
quickly since it was created in 1995. The
federal government has kept its hands off and
winning bidders seldom pay tax on interstate
transactions.
Pure capitalism and an understanding of
human nature have given the online auction
business $59 billion yearly in gross sales.
Shippers have profited, dealers have profited,
and our hobby has benefited.
Despite its 276 million registered users,
there are still plenty of people who have never
ventured into the vast global marketplace of
eBay. Out of 113 million item listings at any
given time, using “model airplane” as a search
term usually brings up roughly 4,000 auctions.
Bidders can narrow their searches by using
brand names, aircraft names, or other terms to
get an exact item or kit. The site divides
aeromodeling stuff into categories for electric,
gas, helicopters, etc. A search for bargains can
be fun and challenging, because sellers who
are not modelers often incorrectly categorize
hobby listings.
How you use eBay will depend on what
you want to accomplish. I love to acquire old
kits and accessories on the cheap, and I’ve
even made money reselling items to other
modelers.
Engine collectors do lots of business on
eBay. If you collect a certain brand of kit or a
favorite aircraft, eBay provides a shopping
venue that didn’t exist a few years ago, when
old hobby items ended up in garage sales or
trashcans.
If you want a particular model or
accessory that is no longer in production,
eBay is the place to find it. New and used
items are listed side by side, and browsers can
get a good idea of what the going price is on
any given hobby product. I’ve seen current
production kits go for more than the retail
price to buyers who evidently do not check on
such things before bidding.
As with any auction, it is vital to decide
beforehand how high you are willing to bid.
Don’t get sucked into a bidding frenzy,
although this is exactly what the seller wants.
Topping someone else’s bid can get
expensive—especially if they want to do the
same to you.
The big action happens on the weekends,
when many people are home to watch the
beginnings and ends of seven-day auctions.
Final prices are usually a bit lower in auctions
that end on quiet weekdays.
Auctions with end times that coincide with
major sporting events or holidays often bring
lower prices, since many bidders are occupied
elsewhere. This can be an opportunity for
bidders to get a deal and a pitfall for sellers.
Conversely, dealers like to list an auction
during bad weather, because bidders are stuck
indoors at the computer, pushing the bid
button.
The eBay feedback system has recently
undergone a big revision. Because of some
sellers’ retaliatory use of the opportunity to
post comments, the system now allows buyers
to leave positive or negative comments for a
seller, but dealers can leave only positive
marks for their customers.
Feedback points are a vital record of an
eBayer’s conduct, and having a low feedback
score makes it harder to buy or sell. The new
changes are controversial, and some sellers
have threatened to move to other auction sites.
The Web site is so vast that certain
sections have become unique communities. I
sometimes recognize familiar eBay names
bidding against me, and I know that it is a
modeler with interests that are similar to mine.
Sweet Diedra is familiar with the
Tupperware and craft section. She says that
Tupperware bidders are used to paying high
shipping charges, while craft purchasers
expect much lower rates.
Model hobby auctions sometimes request
only the postage charge for shipping, and the
seller supplies the packaging material for free.
I recycle boxes or make them from cardboard
to keep the shipping charges low on my
auctions.
Larger dealers can’t do this, so small-time
sellers sometimes have an advantage. Watch
out for dealers who sell an item for $1 but ask
$75 to ship it. If there is a problem, they will
refund the purchase price but not the shipping
fee.
So, are you ready to try an eBay transaction?
The Web site will walk you through buying or
selling, which makes it simple for new
members to find success. It is much easier
than you might think, but following are a few
things I learned the hard way.
1. Know what you’re buying. The auction
item’s description and photographs will give
you clues, but you are taking a bigger risk than
necessary if you are unfamiliar with the item.
An example is the old Scientific Sky
Master kit I bought for $10. It came with a
genuine Paulownia-wood propeller that is
worth much more than the rest of the kit. The
seller didn’t know that and missed out on a
much bigger profit.
2. Accuracy counts in an auction
description. Good sellers make an effort to
describe their items in exact terms so the
buyer will be pleased and not surprised. A
product that differs substantially from the
description is grounds for a formal eBay
dispute. Know the grading terms for your item
and try to see it through a purchaser’s eyes.
And please use the spell checker. Auctions
with misspelled words make the seller look
like a doofus.
3. Use the site’s tools. Feedback ratings let
you use other people’s experiences to judge
whether an eBayer is a flake or a gem before
you deal with him or her. You can ask the
dealer a question about an auction, and the
answer can tell you plenty about the item as
well as the seller.
The site also has a dispute-resolution
system. Although I have been pleased and
frustrated at various times, it is much better
than small claims court for dealing with an
interstate issue.
4. A deal is a deal. Follow through even if
you get clobbered. I love to win an auction for
the lowest of opening bids, but as a seller I’ve
occasionally had to take my lumps on a low
final price.
A disappointing ending bid is no excuse
for shoddy service. If I win an extremely lowpriced
auction and the seller comes through, I
make sure to leave exceptionally glowing
feedback comments.
The reason for low starting bids is that,
statistically, an auction will bring a higher end
price if it has a lower start price. Buyers hope
for a steal and get caught up in the excitement,
so both sides are making a gamble.
5. A word about E-mail. Brief E-mail
messages almost always look harsher than
intended and are notoriously prone to
misinterpretation. Write your E-mail with a
soft tone, and never send a “flame” message
without letting it cool for a rereading. I make a
habit of ending with “best wishes, Dave” to
make sure the reader knows I want to be
friends.
I once sold to someone who sent E-mail
withoutusingpunctuationcapitalsorspacing,
and I could hardly decipher it. The whole
point of written language is to have the other
person understand your message.
6. Time is of the essence. Keep an eye on
your E-mail messages and respond quickly.
Once the auction ends, get things moving. If
the post office delays a package, it is great to
be able to show that you mailed it pronto.
Quick payment and fast shipping are
frequently mentioned in good feedback. Have
items prepacked if possible. I bought a little
self-inking address stamp, and it saves me
lots of time and writer’s cramp by printing
my address wherever I need it.
7. You’ll meet a nut eventually. Most of
the people who use eBay are reliable, and my
experience is that aeromodelers are the best
of the best, but sooner or later some goofball
will make trouble for you. I’ve had three of
them throughout the years. Irrational
demands or groundless complaints are
irritating, but don’t let it spoil your fun.
The feedback system limits the amount of
damage that any one person can do. An
eBayer who habitually causes problems will
soon be gone, and there will be a dozen good
ones in his or her place.
All in all, eBay is a business resource.
There are those who don’t follow the rules,
but most do. It’s practically a free market
space, or what some people might call the
“black market.”
Stories have been told about copyright
fraud and items stolen out of a club member’s
trailer that were seen on eBay soon thereafter.
Always practice the “let the buyer beware”
rule.
Thanks to the good, ole American
entrepreneurial spirit, modelers have the
hobby shop they have always wanted.
Granted, eBay isn’t the same as walking
through double doors off of Main Street, but
this virtual store’s shelves are constantly
stocked with items that are fresh from the
factory or recently unearthed from someone’s
dark closet.
A trip through the model listings on eBay,
or any other auction source, will captivate a
user of any age. The community that has been
spawned from this resource is a proud
membership of people, such as that of the
Academy of Model Aeronautics. MA
Dave Gee
[email protected]
Sources:
eBay
www.ebay.com