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#1
06/22/2004, 07:50 PM
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Auctioning off livestock
Hi guys,
anybody see anything wrong with auctioning off livestocks? I'm just confused because I don't think it's any different than selling them at a fixed price online, but please chime in.
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Josh |
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#2
06/22/2004, 08:07 PM
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I'm sure people are going to argue that inexperienced people buy items on auction sites without proper setup or knowledge whereas an online sale - the reefer has to be searching for your item (i.e., saltwater forums).
Although this theory presumes that the person buying with a fixed price online has more knowledge than the auction buyer and as we see from the forums here on reef central, that is not always true. (This especially seems to be the case with anenomes). Another argument could be that the sellers are not always as experienced as they should be either. Some personal experiences with ebay have taught me that some people don't know how to properly package or forget that the heat index is 100 degrees or its below 30 degrees outside. Ice pack or heat pack anyone? Or they try to ship fragile corals two day. I honestly had an anenome shipped to me with less than 1/4 cup of water. Talk about inhumane. By the way, that was from a reef forum sale (another site). However, the argument is that if a reefer is experienced (I'll leave that to the rest of you to define  ) they can usually spot those kind of problems in the ad listing. Although, truth be told, once in a while you can get burned by someone you THOUGHT was experienced in reefkeeping and shipping. I guess unless someone else presents a valid argument how it differs for the livestock, I don't see a problem with either as a generalization. It's still the age old argument of ethical treatment - and you can't seem to control that no matter how hard you try. emerson
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_____________________ I'm not addicted...... I can quit anytime I want to....... |
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#3
06/22/2004, 08:18 PM
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I suppose there's truth in that. (especially on really expensive auctions
 ). I think as a pure financial venue though, there's no ethical difference right?I've had success selling on ebay, and for me, that seems to be the best way to sell my stuff (I'm just a home-grown hobbyist, not a full time dealer). I don't have that much stuff, and I'd like to get as much money for the stuff I have, but I don't have the heart to charge people as much as they're willing to bid on my auctions . I did though, enter the shipping endeavor with trepidation. I first start with shipping chaetos. Then I added zoos as bonus to the chaetos. when I'm comfortable that the zoos made it alive on USPS priority, then I went to real zoos auction. Nowadays, I'm much more comfortable shipping zoos, and I think I have a pretty good handle on what to expect.
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Josh |
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#4
06/22/2004, 08:30 PM
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The only difference between auctioning corals and selling online is the price, In the auction you get exactly what the market will bear (if the coral goes for $1 or $1000 the price that it goes for is the exact market value), with the online retailers you have a fixed price but still run the risk of poor shipping or exaggerated colors (as in Photoshop), at least with eBay you can read feedback profiles and decide if the person is trustworthy or not. Just my two cents>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>GEBC
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#5
06/22/2004, 08:41 PM
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You know I have no problem with the price going nuts. The idea of auctioning is fine by me. It's this..
Quote:
How I read it.."Oh hey, no dogs or cats or any animals the SPCA/ASPCA can check up on. Only the ones we don't care about or that you can eat" They basically know that if it falls into the wrong hands no one will get them in trouble with poor publicity. No one cares. That sends the wrong message. Either allow the sale of pets (all of them) or do not.
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-Amy- |
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#6
06/22/2004, 08:46 PM
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LOL,
Ok, so NOW I understand what you're talking about Amy . so it's with EBAY itself, not necessarily the auction process . It's true that these creatures are probably not as "loveable" as the cats and dogs alike... actually, this is more about Gvt regulation (that's a WHOLE other thread and discussion). as a company though, ebay is just covering their butt. I think if the SPCA / ASPCA (I don't know what they stand for btw ) doesn't exist, all pets would be auctionable.Josh
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Josh |
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#7
06/22/2004, 08:55 PM
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Thanks Josh! I think I must have worded myself in the other thread poorly.
I agree if the SPCA/ (Society for the prevention of cruelty to Animals) ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of cruelty to Animals) were not around, ebay would more than likely allow all animals. They are covering their butts but in a grander scale (IMHO) saying that tropical fish and coral are disposable creatures. I get all kinds of mad ethically with companies/people like that.
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-Amy- |
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#8
06/22/2004, 10:06 PM
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Amy, don't you know that corals are not alive!?! Well, at least that is ebay's take on it. They consider corals to fall under aquatic plants.
My opinion: As a seller, Ebay is a good tool for many reasons. I can't afford effective advertising. By putting something for sale on ebay, I can link to my own website. During the days of an auction, I get dozens, if not hundreds more hits on the site than on a non-auction day. Ebay also helps a seller determine realistic selling prices on their products for the website. For instance, I have two ORA A. torts on my website. One is multi-branched for $89, the other is a single spike for $84. It's been a week, and they have not moved. My price is slightly better or the same as other websites out there (ORA changed their sales policies, so less websites carry their stuff) Soon, I'll put one of these on Ebay, and Ebay members will tell me exactly what that coral is worth. Basically, Ebay is a good way to gauge market interest, and also to a good way to advertise. About dogs and cats; I doubt they would fit in my shipping bags. Even if they did, they would poke holes in the bag, water would leak out, and UPS would be upset about the box being all wet.
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Robert |
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#10
06/23/2004, 03:08 PM
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What about reptiles? Can sell those on ebay, yet SPCA doesn't care about them. Unfortunately, fish and such have always been looked at as disposable.
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I refrain from using the word "hobby". You don't refer to your dog or cat as a "hobby." |
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#11
06/23/2004, 03:12 PM
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To HE!! with those auctions, just send all of those unique zoos to me (for free of course) and that should take care of this problem.
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#13
06/23/2004, 03:19 PM
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.....I was following links earlier today and ran into "Super Pet Auctions"They had everything listed in there.I started to bid out of impulse,like was said earlier
 ......Mickey
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Don't back anything into a corner that is meaner than you! |
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#16
06/24/2004, 11:28 AM
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I like ebay. In terms of selling livestock I don't see a signficant difference between auctions and other on-line sources. Either way the livestock is sold. In terms of representation, credibility, and reliability ebay is much more of a "buyer beware" market.
Emersonaly sums it up well. I agree with his perspective. I would like to add that one problem with ebay is dishonesty. I have viewed quite a few auctions and over time I have developed a sensitivity to exagerations or white lies. It seems that a lot of people like to stretch the truth in an effort to make their items look more appealing. For example, in the PPE auction the following statement was made; "This is the largest frag I have ever been able to harvest of such rare zoanthids! I have never before been able to offer such huge frags of truly unique zoanthids." Perhaps the above statement is true. To me it seems like the truth has been stretched. I have seen this seller offer similar frags several times. Has he really been UNABLE to make larger frags or has he simply been unwilling? I'm not 100% sure but it seems like sensationalism to me. I also don't enjoy seeing sellers who claim to be "experts" or to have "years of experience" when they have only been in the hobby for 2-3 years. Of course false claims of rarity are everywhere on ebay. Roes Marine World has listed many auctions with lots of "rare" or "exotic" frags. My eyes just start to roll into the back of my head after reading too much of this stuff. |
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#17
06/24/2004, 12:13 PM
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I aggree with you KW. But I've noticed over the past several months that I've been selling on ebay is that ultimately it's the picture (and to a much lesser extent, the feedback) that really sells the zoos.
Case in point http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...308904127&rd=1 compared to the other PPE, this one remains at .99 What ebay adds that other fixed price doesn't have is a sense of urgency, which in some cases can drive up the price considerably.
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Josh |
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#19
06/24/2004, 01:41 PM
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When I do fedex calculations though, there's no difference from 1-5 lbs. Your shipping might be cheaper too because you have an account w/ FedEx.
Nevertheless, that auction is just bogus, because the same person posted on RC (Zoanthids forum I think) asking people whether his stuff is PPE or not, and he got a definite "No".
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Josh |
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