If everyone was like you there would be no eBay. eBay has to have bidder to survive. Ebay can survive without Snipers. If bidder didn't bid often then seller would not list their product. The only way sellers would list a product or item would be with a reserve. I speak from experience having listed over 500 items on eBay for sell. Over 300 of these items were gold coins being listed with no reserve, unless you call a starting price of $9.95 a reserve on a $350.00 gold coin. If my auction had had no previous bidders bidding numerous times then I would not have listed the gold coins for sale on eBay. Sure there were snipers on a few of the auctions but they were not the reason I continued to list items for sale on eBay. It was because of the individuals who continued to bid until they considered the item had reached it value and they were no longer willing to bid. These type of eBayer are the ones who keeps eBay a open and properous market place so that most everyone can have a place to buy and sell. If all eBayer were like you, a sniper then it would fail. As I stated earlier in my previous posting I don't codemn sniping but without the regular bidder you wouldn't have anything to bid on.

By the way a "TOP GUN" is a Navy term for the very best. It has nothing to do with gun collecting. When I referred to Jeff Stein as a "Top Gun" collector and expert, it meant he is one of the best Heuer Collectors and Expert. I only used that term because I thought everyone knew what a Top Gun was. Evidently not.

Good Collecting, Charles

: Actually if you collected Heuer Monaco, which
: you don't and you have also made it
: perfectly plain that you don't care for
: them, I don't usually get very excited
: about Monaco's... I find Carrera's or
: Pasadena cased models to be more my cup of
: tea. I haven't ruled out ever considering
: one or buying/owning one. I kinda like the
: Slate Gray Dialed 7736's. And I certainly
: cast my net far further afield currently
: than I did three or four years ago... No one
: knows what the future may bring... In a
: couple of years, who knows?
:

: then you wouldn't consider it a good buy.
: No, that is not entirely correct.

: I would not consider it a good buy for me ,
: at this time .

: For all I know, it may been a good or even a
: great buy for someone else, perhaps even as
: far as what the market will bear on resale.
: I grant that I am not particularly
: knowledgeable about the complexities of
: market price ranges on Monaco's at the
: moment. So I don't consider it any flavor of
: a buy. I do not follow the going rate for
: Monaco's anywhere near closely enough to
: make a value judgement on if it was a
: awful/poor/fair/good/great deal.

: My only real thoughts with regards to this
: specific Monaco was that by in large the
: Valjoux 7740 and 7741 are pretty much
: forgotten calibres these days when compared
: to the 773x series. And that may have had an
: effect as to why this Monaco went for the
: bid it did and not higher. This one didn't
: make a strong impression on me enough to
: make me feel it should have commanded quite
: so high of a price and still be considered a
: good/great deal... Others seem to have felt
: similarly.

: I have "watched" some of the Monaco
: Automatic Blue Dial goes for over $5,000.00
: lately. This was a rare Monaco which brought
: a reasonable price and I am sure the
: purchaser can make money on it if he decides
: to sell. Once again a watch is worth what
: someone is willing to pay for it and not
: what someone says that it is worth. I
: don't follow Monaco's to be able to say I've
: seen Monaco's selling $5k+ lately.

: As for if the 7740 Monaco in question was
: obtained at a reasonable enough price to
: sell at a profit, time will tell. I just
: hope the watch finds a good home and I hope
: the eventual owner gets many years of
: service and enjoyment out of ownership. I
: think that is a sentiment we all share here
: in the forum.

: I may not bid on more Heuer on eBay than some
: other collectors but I most definely would
: think that I am in the top five bidder on
: vintage Heuer and I would put my collection
: of 250+ Heuer watches and timer up against
: anyones Heuer Collection. The reason I
: mention this is not to brag but to make a
: point. Uh-huh... Speaking for myself
: when it comes to collections (of watches or
: anything else), The items I pursue in order
: to add to my collection I do so for my
: collection, not to compete with any one
: else, their collection or to be on some top
: five bidder list.

: A person's collection should reflect one's
: personal tastes and interests. My collection
: hopefully reflects mine, your collection
: reflects yours, and everyone else's reflects
: theirs.

: I am not afraid to bid before the last minute
: because someone might think that I am a
: "so called expert", therefore they
: would intentional bid against me thinking
: that I knew something that they didn't or
: that it was a bargain. Nor am I afraid to
: bid prior to the last minute. However for me
: it is a better strategy not to bid early
: and often, regardless of what anyone else
: thinks about me. I'm not typically going to
: bid in a manner that is disadvantageous to
: my chances to prevail. That's common sense.
: I wouldn't expect anyone else to bid in a
: disadvantageous manner either.

: Even if I bid at the last minute I have
: already put in a previous bid. If you wait
: until the last second it is nothing more
: than sniping. Sniping is perfectly legal and
: there is nothing wrong with it, Good to
: hear you say that.

: but don't claim that you are an expert and
: top gun collector (which you may very well
: be), I do not believe I said I was an
: expert. In fact I didn't. What I said was
: " I have a fairly high profile in
: watch forums ".

: Nor did I say anything about collecting guns,
: much less my prowess (or lack there of) in
: collecting firearms. Neither of which is
: really germane to the discussion in this
: forum. (anyone who wishes to discuss
: firearms, there are plenty of firearm
: discussion forums out there, or if you wish
: to discuss firearms with me personally, my
: email is easy enough to find! =) )

: which can only bid at the last second because
: you are afraid of the competition taking
: advantage of your knowledge and expertise.
: People have bid on items I'd bid on in
: the past after reading articles I've written
: and searching eBay for what I was bidding
: on. That hasn't happened recently, as I
: rarely bid on anything prior to the last
: moments of an auction. I'm not in a habit of
: making it easy for people to know what
: specific eBay items I am currently seeking
: or interested in. Nor would I recommend it
: to anyone else.

: I have no problems with people availing
: themselves of my articles or posts. If I did
: I would have password protected my web pages
: long ago and/or not posted 'em in the first
: place. People query me all the time... I've
: received and cheerfully replied to hundreds
: if not thousands of requests for information
: over the years... My eMail boxes are
: chock-a-brock full of watch related queries
: and replies.

: Nor am I " afraid " or ,,scared,,
: of people reading my articles/posts to make
: themselves a better consumer. I have a
: standing policy of allowing and encouraging
: eBay and Web sellers to link to my
: articles (rather than copy and paste them)
: so that their potential buyers know as much
: about the item as possible.

: On the other hand I see no need to bid on an
: item driving up the price for myself/someone
: else on unless I'm committed to a serious
: attempt at the end of an auction. At which
: point I will place my bid.

: The really easy way to avoid/minimize price
: escalation in an eBay bidding war is to not
: start or get entangled in one in the first
: place.

: On more than one occasion I have not bid
: because I have noticed that Jeff Stein was
: the high bidder (I would consider him an
: expert and top gun collector) on a auction
: and to offer my respect for him I did not
: bid. I've done the same on dozens of
: occasions... For Jeff and an number of other
: friends who I've been in contact with in my
: travels over the years...

: I know for a fact that he has done the same
: for me (he told me he did). I'm sure
: I've mentioned items I was serious about to
: Jeff (among others) and I'm sure he (they)
: have reciprocated in kind.

: If Jeff had not bid early and often I would
: not have known that he was after the Heuer
: he was bidding on. Most times, I mention
: what I'm interested in to Jeff or other
: friends I talk with regularly via email,
: AOL-IM, phone or via other means. Or if the
: friend was someone I was/am not currently in
: regular contact with but knew in the past, I
: would contact them directly if I was serious
: about an item and let them know. I also have
: directed friends and acquaintances to items
: that I'm not interested in but thought they
: might be.

: I have also done this to other Heuer
: Collectors that I had previously sold to or
: had previously purchased from. The majority
: of them never knew that I passed on raising
: the bid on which they were the high bidder.
: As far as I was concerned the only person
: who needed to know was me. I have done
: the same in consideration for other friends
: and acquantances as well. Not limited to
: Heuer, Omega or any specific brand either.

: Good collecting to all fellow Heuer
: Collectors, Charles. eBay isn't entirely
: unlike many other pursuits.

: In sports (Fencing, Football, Golf or Racing
: among others) or games (Chess, Monopoly,
: Bridge or Poker among others) different
: competitors have different approaches,
: styles, strategies, techniques, etc. they
: fashion in an effort to maximize their
: efforts and results.

: In the competitive arena that eBay is... use
: the combination(s) of those approaches,
: styles, strategies and techniques that are
: best suited to you in order maximize your
: results.

: Good Hunting Everyone!

: -- Chuck

: Chuck Maddox ( Article index @
:
: http://www.xnet.com/~cmaddox/cm3articles.html
: )