posted 12-15-2014 03:23 PM               

Our revamped Astro-Auction is still scheduled to go live Jan 1.

posted 12-17-2014 12:53 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by dss65:
Gonna need to watch the budget, though, because there is so much to want, especially when you know you can trust the authenticity of the product.

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When dealing with an auction interface where one buys directly from the seller (and not from the auction house), I would suggest that people still adopt a "buyer beware" approach and do their own research before bidding. Astro Auction might be "vetted" periodically, but that doesn't necessarily guarantee authenticity. Ultimately, if you end up buying a bad item (such as a well-made copy of an authentic signature), you may be left chasing down the seller for a refund.

posted 12-18-2014 11:02 PM               

No commissions were previously charged for sellers or buyers though I believe the site had that capability. Will that remain the same or will fees be charged like eBay?

Will previous feedback be restored for those prior approved sellers or will former sellers have to be re-approved and start from scratch? Some of us had 100% positive feedback with hundreds of transactions on Astro-Auction (as I have on eBay). I am of course assuming I will be allowed to sell once again.

posted 12-31-2014 05:24 PM               

If you want your feedback restored you have to remember your former username and password. Use them.

posted 01-08-2015 03:54 PM               

I also see many items with the opening bid just a few dollars under the buy it now price.

posted 01-08-2015 05:20 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Chuckster01:
I am trying to clarify the purpose of Astro-Auction's format. I spent a good bit of time today looking threw the listings and it would seem to me (in my opinion) that most of the items listed are at or over what I would expect as a full retail market price, i.e. being sold at the Kennedy Space Center gift shop or other retail outlet.

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Perhaps one solution is requiring the auction price and buy it now price to be at least a certain percentage apart (like ebay). Of course, as more sellers list on AA, the market may well drive the price down as sellers undercut each other to sell items.

posted 01-09-2015 08:26 PM               

As a long-time eBay seller (and buyer), I agree with Jeremy's comments — if AA is going to make it, they need to offer items not readily available on eBay (astronaut garage sales, anyone?), and encourage sellers to start auctions "below" full retail — otherwise, there's no excitement, and no reason to break from eBay or informal exchanges here on cS... My $.02.

posted 01-10-2015 02:10 AM               

AA is a great place and the only true alternative to eBay.

By the way, it's fairly boring going through 40000 eBay offers, too, with the majority of $500 shuttle autographs by one seller.

posted 01-10-2015 03:41 AM               

Recently I sold a model aircraft on eBay. I wanted to recoup my $150 out of it. I listed it with a $150 Buy it Now and it failed to sell. No interest what so ever. A month later I listed it for $1.00 and it sold for $456.00 Item 141327452162 on eBay.

On all my $1.00 eBay auctions right away I can detect a higher interest level by the number of watchers and usually the folks hoping to pick up my item for a steal with stink bids. Those stink bids are like throwing chum into the ocean to attack sharks. The more sharks that arrive the more interesting it is in the shark cage.

Action attracts action at auctions. If they are bidding on that item what am I missing out on? When I see an item with 22 bids I get curious and open it up. Sometimes my curiosity gets the best of me and I join the frenzy. There's a whole human psychology at work at auctions. Some people just have to win at almost any cost. To beat out other bidders or they convince themselves they just have to have an item.

posted 01-12-2015 04:29 PM               

We offer reserve pricing and allow the sellers to set their own bid increments to give them flexibility in their offerings.

Auctions generally serve one of two purposes:

1. to liquidate overstock items at below retail, or
   
2. to get the best price possible for the seller of truly rare items.

I wouldn't want to see the same items with no bids listed forever. Limiting the number of items concurrently listed by any one seller isn't too tricky. Limiting the number of relists is problematic — the seller can change the title and upload new images and we'd have a tough time finding out.

For now, we may ask certain sellers to slow down on listing.

The $1 opening bid strategy for sellers is a pretty good option for most sellers, but I can't expect a seller of a flown flag to list with an opening bid of $1.00. We need to leave a lot of options open.

The previous incarnation of Astro-Auction sold over $2 million in space autographs and collectibles.

posted 01-12-2015 04:43 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Randy@astro:
The $1 opening bid strategy for sellers is a pretty good option for most sellers, but I can't expect a seller of a flown flag to list with an opening bid of $1.00. We need to leave a lot of options open.

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posted 01-17-2015 08:50 AM               

As for listing items at $1 with no reserve... Well, that I think is crazy. How many viewers/bidders are their on AA compared to eBay? By and large, I list items on AA at the price I would be happy to sell it for. I do this also with eBay. Every now and then though I list with a low opening price on eBay and I've not noticed any increase in watchers/bidders over listing at the price I'd be happy to sell for.

It's supply and demand. If no one is interested in your items they won't bid. It's that simple.

posted 01-17-2015 11:51 AM               

I used to be associated with a brick and mortar auction company and I can tell you from experience if I held a Saturday auction and 97% of the items up did not receive any bids, then the auction house would not be in business for long. It was my job to turn away unrealistic sellers, unsellable items or to educate sellers how to be strategic with selling success in mind. Once the auction was in play it was the job of the auctioneers to keep lowering the asking price until they found the interest point to get the bids rolling.

Our efforts paid off. Over nine years our KPI stats showed 78% of the time we exceeded the sellers expectations; 12% of the time the sellers expectations were not met. The remaining 10% the sellers were neutral. That is the auction business.

A successful auction house/site understands the human psychology in play. You have a group of people hopefully all desiring the same item and in order to get it, they need to outbid and/or outsmart the other bidders. Auctions are about competition and being a winner while trying to spend as little as possible. Two things that are in conflict with each other.

Bidders develop an emotional attachment to the items up for bid. They envision it in their possession, in their display case in their collection or hanging on their wall. If you're going to declare how much you're worth in public by bidding, you'd prefer to be worth more than everyone else. When bidders reach their limit and stop bidding the fact is they still really wanted the item, but there was just not enough money in the bank to both feed the kids and take this item home. But for a short period they felt they had a legitimate shot at owning the item. This dream will motivate that bidder to come back with the same hopes for another day.

Bidders with the available funds are a different breed. This is where peer pressure and emotions take control. Those were the days when buyers let their hearts or egos rule their logic. Everyone wants to be a winner when the hammer falls. Often we saw such frenzies drive the highest bids way above market values. The dirty truth, this is what both auction houses and sellers want.

To support AA we need to either bid up the value of the items or select the Buy It Now. Most of the items now listed seem to have unrealistic opening prices for an auction or even a retail site. Buyers won't return to an auction unless they see some action (deals). Sellers won't return to an auction unless they see some action (bidding frenzies or Buy It Now). AA will not financially survive unless they see some action (sales).

Please understand I believe AA is a great opportunity with such a focused clientele. I truly want to see these good folks succeed.

My opinion, split the site into two. One side a retail site like Kijiji where sellers pay a fee upfront to list their items and they can sit and rot if they ask unrealistic prices. The auction house wins by being paid upfront for the listing.

The second side is a true auction site. Hold a weekly auction which opens on a Monday and ends the next Sunday evening. Items are vetted by AA and sellers are counseled regarding opening bids, and reserves prices to ensure auction success for both the seller and AA. Items are promoted for a week prior to the auction to spark interest before they go live for a week.

posted 01-17-2015 05:16 PM               

I agree the biggest prohibition to sales is the sheer number of items listed, with really high (and I believe) unreasonable expectations.

All of these listings makes it difficult for people to browse for potential items they may be interested in, having to sift through so many.

posted 01-18-2015 03:45 PM               

Editor's note: Specific examples removed; this topic is for discussing the Astro-Auction service, not individual listings.

The items in question have been active on Astro-Auction for a period ranging between 12 and 15 days. I initially held back from posting my concerns, as I thought it would be fair to give Astro-Auction staff some time to do their vetting of the auctions. But it seems that enough time has passed that any reviews should have been completed by now.

Quite honestly, these items weren't a huge worry to me, since none of the three appeared to be in danger of reaching the seller's asking price. But the more significant concern is that other similarly troublesome signatures could be listed and sold to trusting collectors in the future.

posted 02-04-2015 01:58 PM               

• Maximum 10 day auction
  
• Listing fee of $0.15 per auction
  
• $10 featured auction (showcase)