Buying Pipes on Auction for Immediate Resale?

[greeneyes]

I'm curious, but have any of you ever purchased a pipe at auction with the intent to immediately relist it for sale again at auction? I've just seen it done with an item I was following and wonder how commonplace the practice might be, and whether the community has any thoughts on the matter. Cheers.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

It is weird that someone would think that they could get more for a pipe than they paid for it. Maybe they think that they have a better following with deeper pockets? Not sure.
I don't think it is evil or nefarious. I think that ebay even makes it easy to repost something by... (they used to, not sure of they still do)... giving you access to just hit a button to relist the item you just bought.

I've never sold on ebay, so I can't say. But, it just seems like an odd gamble.
Maybe they got the pipe and didn't like it?

 

[greeneyes]

It is weird that someone would think that they could get more for a pipe than they paid for it. Maybe they think that they have a better following with deeper pockets? Not sure.
I don't think it is evil or nefarious. I think that ebay even makes it easy to repost something by... (they used to, not sure of they still do)... giving you access to just hit a button to relist the item you just bought.

I've never sold on ebay, so I can't say. But, it just seems like an odd gamble.
Maybe they got the pipe and didn't like it?

That might be true except these are two different auction platforms (the first wasn't eBay), so it's very likely they have very different audiences, and it's also very likely that the pipes will sell for approximately double on eBay. It certainly might be a 'flip' for purely monetary reasons.

 

[brut666]

It is weird that someone would think that they could get more for a pipe than they paid for it. Maybe they think that they have a better following with deeper pockets? Not sure.
I don't think it is evil or nefarious. I think that ebay even makes it easy to repost something by... (they used to, not sure of they still do)... giving you access to just hit a button to relist the item you just bought.

I've never sold on ebay, so I can't say. But, it just seems like an odd gamble.
Maybe they got the pipe and didn't like it?

That's what I did, until I found what I liked for now. Brought of eBay, if I didn't like it, put it back on there. Never with the intent of making money off the pipes, thou I have a couple of times got a little more than I paid but more often than not I loose a bit. Still better than paying 100 pound for a pipe I don't like to only get 50 for it.

 

[brut666]

That might be true except these are two different auction platforms (the first wasn't eBay), so it's very likely they have very different audiences, and it's also very likely that the pipes will sell for approximately double on eBay. It certainly might be a 'flip' for purely monetary reasons.

Maybe, I have a friend that buys cars and motorcycles off eBay and puts them on different sites and seems to make a little money.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I don't know, but I don't think there is anything dishonest, if that is a practice. It might suck if you were wanting to buy that pipe, but there is no set value to any pipe. Sometimes guys will get all butthurt is someone posts a Dunhill for more than they "think" it's worth, and the guy doesn't accept an offer for less. I've seen that on here before. But, really, if someone puts a CornCob up on ebay for $500, they probably won't sell it, but it is their right to do so.

 

[greeneyes]

I was the losing bid on the pipes, which would have found a permanent home in my collection. I think that from the perspective of a collector, ignoring completely any financial considerations, I was somewhat saddened to hear the winner bought it just to resell it.

In his/her words: "YES ! Hopefully at a huge profit."

My sentimentality is somewhat misplaced, as this is a domain where cash makes the rules.

 

[craig61a]

Not a very practical business model...

 

[jguss]

The pursuit of inefficiencies within and between markets has always been a source of profits.

 

[ashdigger]

I buy pipes to smoke them. If I do sell a pipe, I never contemplate making money, it’s just finding a new home.

A while back I sold some discontinued tobacco at what I felt was a good solid price. The buyer, flipped the tobacco for twice what I sold it for. Was I upset, hell no. I was happy for him. I got what I wanted and he got what he wanted.

Win Win.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Yeh, people still go to Mexico and load up on cheap goods, and then resell them here for more. I think this was the whole business model for places like Pier One and some other high end places.

 

[Ahi Ka]

I do this. Like @brut666 it helped me try a variety of styles of pipes, and also learn the ropes of restoring estates. However now that I know what I like, I either purchase pipes that call out to me or ones that I know I can sling a profit or trade from. It helps that I have an exchange rate advantage when selling and the monopoly on the NZ estate market.

 

[agnosticpipe]

Years ago I sold a pipe on ebay as a buy it now for an inexpensive sum which I figured was a fair price. A week later I see it listed here on the forum at twice the price and it sold immediately. Live and learn...?

 

[peregrinus]

I'm curious, but have any of you ever purchased a pipe at auction with the intent to immediately relist it for sale again at auction?

All merchandise based business is flipping in some sense. Buy low - sell high. On auction sites I’ve seen this done in the sphere of a few of my interests. Examples being various antiques and collectibles, primarily where there is not an accepted or standard retail price. To make some money is not too difficult but to make a living it takes someone with a shrewd eye, who knows the particular market very well and is relentless in their pursuit.
Although it has evolved far beyond, eBay began as the ultimate garage sale, a place to find bargains for personal use, or for others, a source of items to resale in a focused niche market they understand better than most.
That aside, I am sorry you missed the opportunity to purchase the pipe.

 

[mso489]

To expect to immediately resell at a profit sounds like a game of chance to me, unless there is some added value in actually taking delivery and cleaning the pipe, or adding a more snappy sales pitch, or otherwise changing the equation. Used car sales does this all the time, on the basis that they have invested in a car lot and have a forum for drawing in customers, and a selection of cars to lower sales resistance. "Well, look at this little coupe over here." Even they spruce up the cars and add banners and balloons overhead.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

Allow me to laugh out loud, selling on eBay, I have done that several times as of now,If I list my item on the format Buy it now, Ebay's deducting quite a significant sum of my final selling price, listing on an auction form, well I better refrain from commenting, here, I do not have any experience with the eBay U.SA but only with the German and British ones
yet because of high shipping costs and rather a strong euro currency, I haven't tried selling anything on the eBay U.S

 

[shanez]

I know people do this but unless you really know what you are doing I can't imagine it being enough to make a living at. If you have other income and do it more as a hobby I suppose it might work for a person.

I've never bought a pipe to specifically resell it. I have looked at some collections with the idea I could buy the whole thing, keep the pipes I actually want out of it, and then clean & resell the remaining pipes with the idea of making my money back and essentially getting the pipes I wanted for free as it were. This seems to be possible with some dumb luck and through more direct private sales rather than at auction.

 

[Ahi Ka]

Yes mine is completely for hobby reasons. Basically finances PAD and TAD. Most of the time I realise the ‘profit’ through being able to trade for pipes/tobacco for something I would prefer but could never afford to purchase outright

 

[kcghost]

It would seem foolish to me unless you recognized for having value but was so poorly listed by a guy with no real reputation for selling such an item. Maybe then you might get a pipe cheap enough to make a profit after offsetting for eBay fees for sale. But I don't think so.

 

[sablebrush52]

I don’t have an issue with buying something to flip it.
I’ve bought a few pipes with that intention but just couldn’t bring myself to sell them. I have sold pipes on eBay, but not for much of a profit.