Anyone in the market for a 3215HST?

[matt701]

I see ebay now has listed a 4500 with fel and only 14 hours with a buy it now price of $13,500, which seems pretty reasonable. Located in Texas.

[Dougster]

Originally Posted by matt701

I see ebay now has listed a 4500 with fel and only 14 hours with a buy it now price of $13,500, which seems pretty reasonable. Located in Texas.

No question about it... but it's 1,500+ miles away and 2WD I believe... plus it's about the same HP as what I've got now (I want my second/backup machine to be either somewhat bigger or smaller to address a wider range of jobs) so no real interest on my part.

On the other hand, I probably should have jumped on that dang 3215HST... even at $12,700 or a bit more. It was much closer (PA) and would have done a sweet job on some of these delicate "patio prep" jobs that are now coming in.

Dougster

[dfkrug]

Originally Posted by Cacinok

dougster a method a lot of my friends use when they really want something off of ebay is to get 5 or 10 people, who, towards the end of the auction bid on the item on behalf of the person who wants it, doesn't guarantee you'll get the item, but it does increase your chances. usually, the one who wants it will tell the group the maximum he will pay so nobody bids too high. seems to work well for them.

I don't see how that helps. It is not just about WINNING an auction, it is
about getting the item for the price you want. Any smart buyer on Ebay
should bid the max amount they want to pay and then ignore the
last minute bidding frenzy that may or may not happen. Joining the last
minute bidding frenzy only makes a buyer determined to WIN, overpay in the
end. That same frenzy exists in live auctions, which is why I no longer
go to those.

I have sold several big-ticket items on Ebay and I LOVE it when last
second bidders are determined to win and forget about the maximum
amount they wanted to pay.

BTW, I am in the boonies with only dialup access, yet I am just a few
miles from the Silicon Valley, the cradle of technology, and the original
home of Craigs List. I like CL better than Ebay, but I can generally get
a higher price for a big ticket item off Ebay. When I use Ebay for these
non-shippable items (like tractors), I still end up getting a local buyer.
Even if I try CL first and the item does not sell.

[Dougster]

Originally Posted by dfkrug

I don't see how that helps. It is not just about WINNING an auction, it is about getting the item for the price you want. Any smart buyer on Ebay should bid the max amount they want to pay and then ignore the last minute bidding frenzy that may or may not happen. Joining the last minute bidding frenzy only makes a buyer determined to WIN, overpay in the end. That same frenzy exists in live auctions, which is why I no longer go to those.

The psychology of eBay can work in very different ways depending on how badly a potential buyer wants a particular item. While your scenario is certainly true in many auctions, I have seen the reverse work (in fact it has worked against me) wherein there is so much late interest or headstrong determination on the part of the lead bidder that one figures it's not even worth trying. The latter recently cost me the loss of a very nice machine (I still cry at night about it). Turned out it was all faked by a very smart & crafty bidder.

Not everyone has the money or guts to go in with their absolute top price on an item right from the start. I certainly don't. Folks who do that leave themselves open to being "punished" by other bidders who can see what they've done and make them pay for it. Heck, I'll admit it... I've even done that myself... but I did go to church afterwards and confessed my sin.

Originally Posted by dfkrug

I have sold several big-ticket items on Ebay and I LOVE it when last second bidders are determined to win and forget about the maximum amount they wanted to pay.

Correct. Happens all the time. Definitely has happened to me and most of my friends at one time or another.

Originally Posted by dfkrug

BTW, I am in the boonies with only dialup access, yet I am just a few miles from the Silicon Valley, the cradle of technology, and the original home of Craigs List. I like CL better than Ebay, but I can generally get a higher price for a big ticket item off Ebay. When I use Ebay for these
non-shippable items (like tractors), I still end up getting a local buyer.
Even if I try CL first and the item does not sell.

Two different venues for two different kinds of sellers and buyers. I love them both and have done well with both. Lately, however, eBay seems to have the best bargains in used tractor and construction equipment. In some cases by as much as 50%!!!

Dougster

[Cacinok]

Originally Posted by dfkrug

I don't see how that helps. It is not just about WINNING an auction, it is
about getting the item for the price you want. Any smart buyer on Ebay
should bid the max amount they want to pay and then ignore the
last minute bidding frenzy that may or may not happen. Joining the last
minute bidding frenzy only makes a buyer determined to WIN, overpay in the
end. That same frenzy exists in live auctions, which is why I no longer
go to those.

I have sold several big-ticket items on Ebay and I LOVE it when last
second bidders are determined to win and forget about the maximum
amount they wanted to pay.

BTW, I am in the boonies with only dialup access, yet I am just a few
miles from the Silicon Valley, the cradle of technology, and the original
home of Craigs List. I like CL better than Ebay, but I can generally get
a higher price for a big ticket item off Ebay. When I use Ebay for these
non-shippable items (like tractors), I still end up getting a local buyer.
Even if I try CL first and the item does not sell.

as i stated, what my friend would do is tell all the people involved what his maximum price was so that nobody would bid too high. it's worked for him. i've actually never bought anything off of ebay.

on a different note, i too am in the boonies, but managed to find a wireless isp, that shoots me a wifi signal about 5 miles or so. i get 2mb up and down, non line of sight for $50/month. so far i've never lost service, even during the worst storms were the sat tv went out. definitely the way to go if you can get service.

[dfkrug]

Originally Posted by Cacinok

i too am in the boonies, but managed to find a wireless isp, that shoots me a wifi signal about 5 miles or so. i get 2mb up and down, non line of sight for $50/month. so far i've never lost service, even during the worst storms were the sat tv went out. definitely the way to go if you can get service.

I can get sat TV (Dishnet, but not DirectTV) and it is great. We have
SurfNet, a line-of-sight service that I think uses WiFi technology, but I
am blocked by large trees. WildBlue satellite is available, but I can not
access the sat. With all these options, the chance of Verizon ever
bringing in DSL is prob getting less and less. My dialup speed is usually
52K bps.

[Cacinok]

Originally Posted by dfkrug

I can get sat TV (Dishnet, but not DirectTV) and it is great. We have
SurfNet, a line-of-sight service that I think uses WiFi technology, but I
am blocked by large trees. WildBlue satellite is available, but I can not
access the sat. With all these options, the chance of Verizon ever
bringing in DSL is prob getting less and less. My dialup speed is usually
52K bps.

yeah, i doubt dsl will happen. from my understanding the telcos want a certain population density before they'll bring in dsl. you might have surfnet come out and see if they can pick up a signal, even a reduced one would likely be better than dialup. my wireless isp is line of sight for most of its customers, w/ others, like me, it's not. can you get a strong cell signal? it's a little expensive, but you might be able to use your cell as a higher speed modem. 52k is about double what i used to get when i languished in dial up he!!.

[dfkrug]

Originally Posted by Cacinok

yeah, i doubt dsl will happen. from my understanding the telcos want a certain population density before they'll bring in dsl. you might have surfnet come out and see if they can pick up a signal, even a reduced one would likely be better than dialup. my wireless isp is line of sight for most of its customers, w/ others, like me, it's not. can you get a strong cell signal? it's a little expensive, but you might be able to use your cell as a higher speed modem. 52k is about double what i used to get when i languished in dial up he!!.

WiFi (Surfnet) does not look feasible, given their statements about
access to their towers. Our cell phones (ATT/Cingular) get very poor
signal here and are unusable. I am in a dense redwood forest.

The interesting thing is that dialup throughput has gotten better, due
to the decrease in the number of users, no doubt. Some "broadband"
users in other areas only get a few times the speed I get.

[Cacinok]

Originally Posted by dfkrug

WiFi (Surfnet) does not look feasible, given their statements about
access to their towers. Our cell phones (ATT/Cingular) get very poor
signal here and are unusable. I am in a dense redwood forest.

The interesting thing is that dialup throughput has gotten better, due
to the decrease in the number of users, no doubt. Some "broadband"
users in other areas only get a few times the speed I get.

i would sacrifice internet speed in exchange for some redwoods and mountains, larger hills would even be nice.

[Dougster]

Originally Posted by Cacinok

i would sacrifice internet speed in exchange for some redwoods and mountains, larger hills would even be nice.

I keep wondering what I'm going to do for Internet once I move up to the great state of "Live Free or Die"... If all goes according to plan, we could be miles from anywhere. Folks keep calling the land we've been looking at "suitable for campsites"!!! Not a good sign!

We certainly hope that at least our cell phones work (at least on the tops of the hills)... and we can always generate our own electricity these days... but Internet??? Guess we'll just have to see once we get there! Can't give up TBN... that's for sure!

Meanwhile, to get back on topic... I sure do wish I had tried a lot harder on that dang 3215HST!!!

Dougster