Re: For Auction: Original Edition Akalabeth for Apple II

[Fortran <fortrandragon@hotmail.com>]

My glass typewriter shows Eric Shepherd pondering...
[Snip]
> I priced this copy's starting price and reserve after talking to a
> couple of people that told me that this is what they would consider to
> be a fair opening price for this item.

	The problem is that your opening price is four times the final 
price of the only other copy to be sold.  And that one was auctioned off 
by Origin at the first UO 'fair'.  In my opinion, whoever gave you that 
price grossly over estimated what this version of Akalabeth is worth.

	As a collector myself, I know high prices are a curse and a boon.  
A curse because high prices hurt the pocket book ;-) and a boon because 
high _successful_ prices usually bring out more copies.  By successful I 
mean auctions where the item actually sold.  

	Auctions where the items don't sell -- like the recent RG Akalabeth 
disk -- hurt the market because people tend to view this as "price 
fishing" (and, no, I'm not suggesting you are trying that -- I just 
think you got bad information from some people with more enthusiasm than 
good market sense) where the seller is trying to figure out what their 
item is worth without actually risking.  People tend to view the next 
items up for sale as more of the same.  Which is rough on the honest 
seller.

	For what it is worth, I think you've gone above and beyond the norm 
to make sure any potential buyer knows exactly what they would be 
getting unlike the last two RG Akalabeth disks that have turned up.  
Kudos to you for that.

	Then again, eBay can bring out the unexpected buyers.  I could 
easily be wrong and someone might just be dying to own an RG Akalabeth 
and be willing to push the price up to the reserve.  At that point you 
and the buyer will both be very happy.  :)

-- 

Fortran | "There isn't enough darkness in the world
  EDL   |  to quench the light of one small candle."