Unknown machine

[azlew]

Naw I wouldn't be watching this one.... :wink:

[Tulsa]

So how's the bidding going on it?

[RHertlein]

zip...zero...nada...aught, blank, bottom, cipher, duck egg, goose egg, insignificancy, love, lowest point, nadir, naught, nil, nix, nobody, nonentity, nothing, nought, nullity, oblivion, ought, rock bottom, scratch, shutout, void, zilch, zot

Thats how many bids... I've only ever done one other auction for my practically new Pocket PC and that failed miserably (incidentally... it's still for sale). If this auction fails I think I'll have lost a little faith in the power of eBay.

[Tulsa]

It would appear the market isn't ready to support a hybrid machine like this at that price then. If you're really wanting to sell it, I would suggest dropping the price. I'm sure a lot of people skimming the slots section see that starting bid and just keep right on surfing. Remember most of these machines don't have a starting bid like that and no one in particular is out there looking for this model since it is a hybrid.

Otherwise I would keep it. Although, I doubt age is going to increase it's value.

[gwarzin]

If this auction fails I think I'll have lost a little faith in the power of eBay.

Don't give up yet. It's not over 'til it's over. This is a machine that will only sell if there's someone out there that is seriously interested it. It won't go to the casual buyer. Anyone that is a serious collector knows enough to not tip their hand by bidding early. If I find a machine that I want and no one else is bidding, I might put in the minimum bid just to lock-in the auction, that is to make it more difficult for the item to be withdrawn. But at your $700 minimum bid, you've pretty much eliminated any chance of that. If I was interested I wouldn't be bidding until the last 7 seconds.

That said, I don't think a failure of this auction would say anything about the power of eBay. It might say that eBay works exactly like it should. Consider the things working against this auction. Since there were probably only a small number of these machines made, and it appears not to have been an "official" model, there's no reference material available on the web for people to use to help set it's value. It's being sold by a seller with a very low feedback number. Not that a low feedback number implies anything wrong with the seller, it just doesn't give anyone additional confidence. (I got my Dragon Dice for only $75 because the seller had a low feedback number - and I think it was 35, which is considerably higher than yours). Add in a very high starting price compared to other pachislos (and even real Vegas slots), and this auction has a lot going against it. And you have to figure that there are only a few hundred people out there that would even realize that having a pachislo that would go up to 99 credits is unique.

If this auction does fail, it would be interesting to see what would happen if you could convince one of the well known, high-feedback, dealers to list it for you. Who knows, they might be interested in doing that for a small cut plus the chance to get to examine this rare machine. Of course you'd also probably have to be willing to list it with no reserve and take your chances.

[RHertlein]

I realize that the starting bid is a bit high for some people but I was counting on the unique nature of the item to help with that. Also, if I can't get at least my current asking price then I'd rather just hold on to it for a little bit. As I said before, I spent a good bit of money to purchase it without knowing the nature of the actual machine and it's value (I've since changed the way I go about buying things) and I'd like to make some of it back to fund some Christmas shopping for my son.

[gwarzin]

I don't think the price is unreasonable for such a unique machine. The problem is, starting at that price makes it difficult to get any action started.

I know someone at a company that sells $10,000,000 a year on eBay. They measure everything. What days and times are best to end auctions on, etc. They say that the average price they get is higher when then start an auction at 1 cent with no reserve, than when they start with a minimum bid or a reserve. But, even though you end up making more this way, there is a risk. In their case, they sell so much that what they are interested in is the average selling price. When you are only selling one item, it's not as easy to take that risk.

[dlowrey]

What days and times are best to end auctions on, etc.

What do they say ARE the best times?

I like to have mine and around 10PM Eastern time. That way the folks on the Left Coast have time to get home from work and bid it up.

I had a friend that said her stuff, arts and crafts crap, sold well on Sunday afternoons because the women were on the computer while the guys were watching football on TV.

[gwarzin]

The best time to end auctions actually depends on the type of item and price. Generally they find that weekdays are better than weekends. Of the weekdays, Mondays and Fridays are the worst. Moderate to low priced items (like Pachislos?) tend to do better if they end in the evening. Expensive items do better if they end in the afternoon - at a time when people on both coasts are still at work. It seems that the real high-rollers do most of their bidding from work.

Personally, I could care less when an auction ends. I schedule all my bids. So I guess I actually like the auctions more that end at the bad times, 'cause that gives me a better chance of getting something at a good price.

[azlew]

.............. Also, if I can't get at least my current asking price then I'd rather just hold on to it for a little bit..

If you can afford to hold on to it, then you should.

[Davis]

Wonder whatever happened to this gem of a machine, soooo long ago, I barely even remember this thread at all!

[biffripple]

I know that this post is very old. Is there any way that the coin mech in the photo is for sale? I have been cooking for this one.

[Card Shark]

I would suggest starting a new thread with the part you are looking for. I think there would be a better chance of someone coming across your it. Good luck.