Possible Shill Bidding on Tinbids?
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I think that this artificially inflates prices outside of the natural market. If the price seems unnaturally high, avoid that bid. But, if you just have to try something that this is the only way to get it, then by all means... but... this all seems a bit ridiculous to me.
One of those "build it, and the morons will come" sorta things.
Everything I've ever sold there, no Penzance or Stonehaven just harder to get "other" things, has always ended up being sold to someone from China, never once has it gone to the US, somethings they will pay stupid money for and horde because of the name, I seriously doubt if it ever get's smoked, much like their buying up Cuban Davidoffs and some other Rare HTF vintage stuff it's purely a commodity to be owned and bragged about.
I completely agree, I know they are one of our sponsors and I know there is a sucker born every minute but c'mon.
I can't believe anyone is paying those outrageous prices that's why the same bag of $600 dollar Stonehaven just sits there for what like 3 months now? I mean if somebody with money to burn goes on there and buys it all up great but I've seen those same bags with supposed "bids" on them for months, don't make sense. Do they just keep relisting them every week thinking one of these days said mark is going to pull the trigger? At least we here and PipeStud knock down the prices when something aint moving. Hell if something sits on my board wall for a season I knock down the price till it moves, its just practical business.
Where are all of these Chinese pipe smokers getting all of this disposable income? Why aren't they standing in line for toilet paper?
I follow a jeweler/pipemaker in China on Instagram that makes pipes using sterling and gold and really nice briar, and pics of hist studio shows all of this state of the art, high end woodworking and metalsmithing tools. It conflicts with people saying that stuff from China is all full of lead, chemicals, and asbestos.
2 billion people, some of them are bound to have a lot of money, also it's only the shit they sell to us that is full of lead, chemicals and asbestos.
Not all Chinese are crooks (Red China fucking us over is a different story). I'm pretty sure there are plenty of good craftsmen doing honest day's work. But with billions of people, there has to be those who takes the advantage of the market. Same here in US.
They are millions and millions upon millions and millions. Although the economy has grown enormously, China considers it a success that people live on 1.52 dollars a day, which is not what is considered extreme poverty worldwide, which is 1.9. So for China there are no poor.
The reality is that real poverty could reach 80% (if you consider it at the average American standard of living).
The problem is that the other 20% are 280 million. If we assume that the top 5% live really well, we have 70 million people with money to spend and the intent to consume Western goods that sets them apart from their less fortunate compatriots.
Regarding the quality of the products that come from China, it is an indicator of the economy of the importing country, not of China. China can make a spaceship or a pen that only writes for 2 days, the problem is what the buyer can import.
Spending fortunes on tobacco cans seems ridiculous to me, I'm sorry..
Just go to your B&M tobacco shop and buy what you can get, or do it online.
Try, develop your tastes, make mistakes and learn.
Don't run after the hype of internet comments. Hopefully some are well-intentioned, but made by someone who may be very different from you.
The vast majority are made by people who have not tried tobacco, nor have they smoked that pipe, nor.....
Just go to your B&M tobacco shop and buy what you can get, or do it online.
Try, develop your tastes, make mistakes and learn.
Don't run after the hype of internet comments. Hopefully some are well-intentioned, but made by someone who may be very different from you.
The vast majority are made by people who have not tried tobacco, nor have they smoked that pipe, nor.....
I notice with younger people that if they can't find something online, it doesn't exist. I was talking with my daughter's friends about collecting vinyl records. They were all like, I can't find records of such and such artist for less than $100. I suggested a few places downtown, where they found what they were looking for, for under $10. But the idea that they would have to go somewhere baffled them.
Young people want the entirety of their world to exist online. But, there are B&M's that still have shelves full of this stuff somewhere. You don't want to call around or look... then pay $500, ha ha. The cost of laziness.
Young people want the entirety of their world to exist online. But, there are B&M's that still have shelves full of this stuff somewhere. You don't want to call around or look... then pay $500, ha ha. The cost of laziness.
I saw 3 bags of 2022 Esoterica on there for 580 something bucks.... I literally gave one of mine away to a friend for his 40th... I also didn't buy them all when I walked in and they were on the shelf, just one for me... I've had most of the ones I want to try and while they are good, I'll happily smoke 100 other blends for no hassle vs ringing my hands over that stuff.
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I have sold a lot of items on TinBids for a charity. But; I don't put a reserve price and my listings start at $10. I let the market decide what it's worth. I've never had an issue and 80% of what I have sold are US buyers.
Forgive me, I was not aware of how this site worked. So, people just use this site like a 3rd party vendor? Like Ebay?
If so, it is not necessarily the Tinbids people's choices as to starting bids, it's theweasels people who post that may or may not be shilling or posting the ridiculous starting bids.
If so, it is not necessarily the Tinbids people's choices as to starting bids, it's the
For quite some time now, another website has set the price in aged tobacco tins. And previously wouldn’t accept anything less that 5 years old.
I’ve never looked at ‘Tinbids’, and I doubt I’ll be buying from them.
That said, I could care less what prices tobacco goes for… there are plenty of other goods and services brokered in the real world at what might be considered outrageous prices. You do have an option; don’t buy, or do some legwork and find a cheaper source or alternative. Griping on a web forum isn’t going to change anything.
I’ve never looked at ‘Tinbids’, and I doubt I’ll be buying from them.
That said, I could care less what prices tobacco goes for… there are plenty of other goods and services brokered in the real world at what might be considered outrageous prices. You do have an option; don’t buy, or do some legwork and find a cheaper source or alternative. Griping on a web forum isn’t going to change anything.
I have noticed some odd listing behaviors on tin bids. Once it was a couple of pipes listed by the same user name. The pipe would come up with a $0 starting bid and no "buy now" option, it would get to the end of the auction and would read "reserve not met". A few days or a week later it would be back up same exact listing and the same result. I must have watched it repeat at least 6 times. The highest I saw the one pipe hit was 475, it never hit that again, usually around 275 after that. Now, why would this person not either accept that they weren't going to get whatever their reserve was and take the next highest price, or set the minimum bid to their reserve? or any of the other options at our fingertips when using an auction site. 
What's the definition of insanity?
I think it is an interesting display of odd human behavior and not much more when you see stuff like that. I wouldn't say I put much thought or concern into it beyond that. I go "hunh what an odd thing to do, I wonder what this person is thinking, oh well" and keep on walking. Like many people have said there are many other options out there for how to get what you want at the price you want and it's likely not worth the stress of over-analyzing the situation when whoever is making oddball listings or bidding behaviors.
What's the definition of insanity?I think it is an interesting display of odd human behavior and not much more when you see stuff like that. I wouldn't say I put much thought or concern into it beyond that. I go "hunh what an odd thing to do, I wonder what this person is thinking, oh well" and keep on walking. Like many people have said there are many other options out there for how to get what you want at the price you want and it's likely not worth the stress of over-analyzing the situation when whoever is making oddball listings or bidding behaviors.
I've seen this a number of times on eBay as well. I attribute it to the sellers' absolute belief that they're right coupled with a stubborn streak. I've known people like that. Their world view is set in concrete and they have a host of mental defenses justifying it against all evidence or logic.I have noticed some odd listing behaviors on tin bids. Once it was a couple of pipes listed by the same user name. The pipe would come up with a $0 starting bid and no "buy now" option, it would get to the end of the auction and would read "reserve not met". A few days or a week later it would be back up same exact listing and the same result. I must have watched it repeat at least 6 times. The highest I saw the one pipe hit was 475, it never hit that again, usually around 275 after that. Now, why would this person not either accept that they weren't going to get whatever their reserve was and take the next highest price, or set the minimum bid to their reserve? or any of the other options at our fingertips when using an auction site.
I think it is an interesting display of odd human behavior and not much more when you see stuff like that. I wouldn't say I put much thought or concern into it beyond that. I go "hunh what an odd thing to do, I wonder what this person is thinking, oh well" and keep on walking. Like many people have said there are many other options out there for how to get what you want at the price you want and it's likely not worth the stress of over-analyzing the situation when whoever is making oddball listings or bidding behaviors.
So, did anyone offer up actual evidence of shilling on this thread, or just speculation?
I honestly haven’t paid that much attention. I did bid on one auction I didn’t win, but was concerned about getting more involved when I realized you have no idea who the sellers are or what their satisfaction rating might be. Maybe eBay spoiled me…
I also hate auctions with unstated Reserves and won’t participate in them.
Well, I'll tell ya.
I lived in Shanghai for 3 years, was working on a ship building project there.
Shanghai is a fabulous city, on one side of the Huangpu river, you've got the old city, Puxi, great architecture and history. On the other side, there's the financial district, Pudong, amazing modern architecture.
It is a fabulous city, where one can find anything.
But here's the thing. Whilst there's all this money in the city, there is also massive poverty, really poor folk, it couldn't be more polar, the wealth & poverty. Somewhere in the middle were us expats.
One Sunday, I went to get my groceries, and called into a bar for a beer. Sitting there, I heard the sounds of car engines, big & loud. Looked out of the bar and across the street, 2 young guys were getting out of a Lamborghini and another young guy was getting out of an Aston Martin, they couldn't have been more than 25.
By the same token, we would see poor people scooping up motor oil from the street, gutter, etc. cleaning as best they could and selling it for cooking. I kid you not.
So, whilst there is a huge amount of wealth, there is of course abstract poverty.
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