I've seen the topic come up a couple of times on various forums and I'm curious as to what the general thoughts on this topic is - so hence a poll. For fun. (Note: If you're a Tapatalk user there's a poll posted with this thread that you might not be able to see through Tapatalk). The scenario is as follows: You're browsing your favorite online auction site and you happen to spot this really rare, rather valuable razor that is up for sale (think something like a mint Deluxe Darwin in box) - BUT it's apparent that the seller doesn't know what he is selling as the description simply reads "Old razor". The auction ends in two days and right now the bid is at 5 bucks. Out of these four options what would YOU do? (Pick the one closest to how you would act). Option A If it's a razor I want I'd keep my mouth shut and bid on it and hope it doesn't gets 'discovered'. The seller should had done his research. Option B I'm not personally interested in the razor and/or won't bid for whatever reason but also can't be bothered to contact the seller to let him know what he is selling. C'est la vie. On to the next razor. Option C I contact the seller right away telling him what he has and gives him a fair price estimate and recommends he should re-list it. It's the right thing to do I think. Karma and all that. I should clarify that there is no 'judgement' intended here - we all do what we feel is best and no one should be blamed for what he or she feels is the right course of action.
D - try to get it cheap and flip it by listing it properly. Use money to get other hw/sw or have a nice dinner out.
I'm not voting because I would need to pick 2. A and B. Because whatever I'd do, it's not my job to educate the seller. It's also not necessarily my job to profit from the seller. If I wanted it, I'd bid. If I didn't, I wouldn't. I have sent sellers information about what they're selling when it was obvious they didn't know, and I've gotten mixed results with that. So mixed that most of the time it's not positive, so I learned it's none of my business. Also, just because there's 2 days left doesn't mean people aren't paying attention to it too. I've had plenty of my own auctions sit at around $3 until the final few hours where it's gone triple digit. If it was someone I knew, I'd tell them for sure.
I'd just buy it, if I wanted it. no different than picking It up at a garage sale. albeit a garage sale with millions in traffic. Prolly selling grandad's belongings anyways.
A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. Instant gratification? Yes. I will hop on a deal when I see it. If someone list it they want to sell it any how and I'll be the guy who can politely take it off his hands.
I've had great success in putting into play Option A. As Mr. Shaverman noted, it isn't the buyer's job to educate the seller. I have, however, contacted sellers with information that was needed to correct the listing (we've all seen auctions where old Gilette super speed razors are listed as 'Fat Boys'). I recently contacted a seller who was selling a Civil War straight razor, "dated 1886!" After I sent the correction, I opted to buy the razor anyway. Another seller advertised a 'rare Ostenhol' straight razor—which was receiving NO attention. The seller didn't realize the built up gunk had obscured the name, 'Wostenholm & Sons' on the razor's tang–which certainly would have garnered more attention. I only discovered this with 7 minutes to go in the auction and wound up buying it for a great price. Had there been more time (several days), I would have notified the seller.
If I had a nickel for every Durham razor out there that is listed as "Urham" due to the large D in the logo I'd surely have 50 cents or more.
We live in a time where a good deed is far and few, it doesn't hurt every once in a while to do the right thing.
Ethics make my head hurt. A It's not often that something uber rare goes unnoticed. I'm watching it at minimum. If one is goint to dive in to the big pool and auction something off, they should make an effort to determine an item's value. I shan't be responsible for correcting and or educating a seller. On the other hand, if I was said seller, I would have to blame myself for my own ignorance.
Option A and Option B are not mutually exclusive. I would pick one of those depending on whether or not I wanted the razor. A lot of sellers are simply widget movers. They buy a widget, razor or otherwise, at one price and sell it for a higher price. In such a scenario, maximizing profit means maximizing the number of widgets sold. That precludes doing a lot of research on each item. Karma has nothing to do with it, as eBay auctions are transactions and not morality plays. I don't troll auction sites looking to educate sellers any more than sellers have a presence there to educate buyers. If both the buyer and seller are happy at the end of the day, then all is well.
So I spied this auction this morning while perusing the 'vintage straight razors.' The auction was entitled, "Burger Bros Vintage Straight Edge Razor" Burger Bros? Who the…? Looking at the photos, the razor is actually NOT a "Burger Bros" —nor a "Buerger Bros" as the razor case in the photo implied, but an early 20th century Wade & Butcher engraved 'Gentleman's Razor No. 1' with some decorative scales. Interesting shape with the extended tail and thumb notch. With less than an hour to go (35 minutes), I put my bid in and wound up winning this unique W&B for about $20 + shipping. The razor is a good candidate for restoration. Now had it been several days out, I might've sent the seller a note regarding the misidentification. But seriously— 'Burger Bros'?—when the razor clearly states the maker?
I guess I lied. A seller had a frankenrazor. Tech head and bar handle from a new in a 40s superspeed box. I had to tell him the truth.
I'm finding more and more that in general, people don't want to be educated or informed by others about anything. They often take the offer of information/advice/counsel as an insult, and an affront to their intelligence. (or lack thereof...) It hasn't been but a few months ago that a not too distant member of my family purchased what appeared to me to be an engagement/wedding ring set at a not well attended "junk/farm" sale. She showed the set to me, and remarked that she had paid less than $200 for it, and she was contemplating putting it up for sale on an online auction site. As they appeared to me to have several medium sized stones set in them, and were in excellent condition, I urged her to take these rings to a friend of mine who has been a jeweler for nearly 50 years and have him appraise them. That way, she would know what a reasonable reserve price on the set would be. Lord, was that ever a mistake. She immediately flew into a rage that would have scared Godzilla himself half to death. She informed me that she was no idiot, and could tell without help from anyone that the stones were not really diamonds. In addition, she claimed that there was in fact no such thing as "white gold" and the rings were in fact made of silver. She also told me straight away that she has always thought me to be an ignorant and arrogant buffoon (not the exact words she used, but you get the idea....) and that I needed to keep my stupid opinions to myself. Our conversation ended right then and there, with her leaving my home in a storm of cursing you'll likely never hear in the filthiest of saloons anywhere in the world. Luckily, before she blew up, I had presence of mind enough to take some very close up pictures of the ring set, and I sent them to my jeweler friend. A few days later, I received a phone call from him. As it turns out, that ring set was custom made by his father in the 1950's. At the time of their crafting the selling price was nearing $10,000. (in 1950's dollars mind you...) He asked me if I had these rings, and of course I said no. He said that as his father had constructed the set, that the rings were very dear to him, and he would very much like to have them back. When I asked him exactly how dear they were, he simply responded, "very dear." I found out several weeks ago that my enraged female relative eventually traded that ring set for a debt owed on the rebuild of a farm tractor transmission amounting to $2,800. She informed my wife that she was very happy about the trade, and that she was absolutely certain that she had very much gotten the better of "that dumb mechanic". I also found out that the "dumb mechanic" had taken the ring set to my friend the jeweler immediately after accepting it as payment for the transmission work. He would not tell me exactly what my friend the jeweler paid him for the set, but he did say it amounted to more than 10 times the bill owed on the transmission repair. Lessons learned: 1. Don't offer advice unless you are asked to do so. (most people won't accept it anyway) 2. If a seller quotes an incredibly low price for an item, and your conscience allows you to pay that price, do so and move on. (you just don't know. The seller may looking at you and be saying under his/her breath, "dumb mechanic") 3. You just can't fix stupid. @Darkbulb It's sad in a way, but I guess my vote would have to be "A" Happy Shaving everybody!!
