Is this sword gimei?

[Surfson]

A sword just went for $5300 on ebay, and it looks gimei to me. The tada and yoshi characters don't seem to match any of the generations that I found examples of. Any opinions?

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 500wt_1156

[Mark]

i did not bid, but maybe i was foolish, If you check the bidding it is a bit strange, a lot of no feedback bidders battling it out (not sniping). i do not want to say i know there are issues but.............

[Surfson]

You are absolutely right Mark. It was a zero feedback bidder that won the high bid, so I suspect that we may see it again unless the underbidder gets a "second chance" offer. B

[Icepic]

Hello friends, I have never sold anything on e-bay ( have bouhgt about 300 items) however I don't understand this zero feedback bidder thing I see all the time. If the bidders money is good whats the big deal? Maybe someone could explain that to me? About the sword; $5,300 USD is a big risk for that sword. For that kind of money a person can pick up a really nice sword from one of the members right here on NMB. On a side note I saw a tsuba up for sale on e-bay the other day for a buy it now price of about $1300. USD. The seller said it was guaranteed to be the real thing, however, does not accept returns or a inspection period.

[Brian]

Mark,

Fraud. You have no idea how much fraud goes on with eBay. I can show you 100 fraudulent auctions right now where people are going to pay, and never receive items. The opposite is true too. Bidders with no feedback are very often shill bidders set up for that purpose, or newcommers to eBay that will jerk you around for weeks before paying, and then moan about something.

No..it is not always the case of course. Everyone has to start somewhere. But if you are going to sell, you wouldn't prefer someone with zero feedback. And you don't usually want to buy from someone with zero feedback. eBay...it's not just a game :lol:

 

Brian

[Mark]

Mark,

 

I have sold (well listed) several swords on eBay only to have a bidder with zero feedback place a bid toward the end and then not pay. It sort or ruins the whole auction as the second bidder may not want to accept a second chance offer as the fraudulent bidder has driven his bid up to his maximum... I am happy to have a new person bid on my items but i would appreciate them contacting me, especially if their first purchase on ebay and an expensive sword

[Turbo storm]

As for the large # of bids.

 

From what I have found is that a seller will establish new usernames, and bid on his own item to drive the price up. The point is to make people think there is something special about this item, and entice an impulse buy. If no one takes the bait, the seller relists the item as a non paying buyer. E-bay suspends the fake non paying buyer, and the seller continues the fishing contest. Think of it as remote controlled fish (under your control) nipping at your bait. Eventually you may get a real fish swim by, see the other fake fish nipping at the bait, and take it for himself. Bad day for poor fishy.

 

Don't be that fish!

[Curgan]

There was someone with 33 or so feedback that would pay 5199 bucks and a zero feedback bidder overbid him...

 

Must be a totaly void fisher...

[Turbo storm]

There was someone with 33 or so feedback that would pay 5199 bucks and a zero feedback bidder overbid him...

 

Must be a totaly void fisher...

If it is the price run up scheme, the person just got a little greedy and was trying to edge the real bidder up on the price. I seen it in person at auctions. Some people bid on their own stuff to drive the price up at live auctions. If it's your stuff, you just don't want to be the one with the final bid.

[Icepic]

Over the past 40 years I have collected many things, over 250 collectable knives alone, I am at the stage where I have been thinking about thinning out my collection. I have never sold anything on e-bay so I been thinking about going thru a e-bay seller for hire insted of attempting my self, I can't take very good pictures anyway. Has anybody tried this method ?

[Turbo storm]

I have never sold anything on e-bay so I been thinking about going thru a e-bay seller for hire insted of attempting my self, I can't take very good pictures anyway. Has anybody tried this method ?

I have checked into it and figured out that I'm too cheap to let someone have a cut of my items selling price. Just my opinion, if you take a sword to them, they would not know what to photograph. You surely don't want them to pop the peg, and remove the tsuka, seppa, and tsuba to show signatures/details. Then you have to worry about them touching the blade and putting fingerprints on it.

Try craigslist or another local venue for amateur photographers. They ususally have good equipment and will work for next to nothing, just to gain experience in their craft.

 

Good luck with your sales!