Second Highest Bidder......again

[rapidfire10ring]

Sigh, a beautiful custom 52 with an Eric Johnson barrel. I had, what I thought, a good bid. I could just about cry.


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[comfisherman]

Sweet looking setup.

Last few months have been tough on the auctions, can feel your pain on that. Take a solid offer + what I'm willing to overpay cause I want it...... still get outbid.

[NWFRS]

Yup. And I’ve noticed they’re usually newbs with zero auctions/feedback to their names. I don’t think a lot of these people really know what they ought to be paying. I think that’s driving some of it. I lost a recent auction when someone clicked BIN, which was $300 more than several other NIB examples had just gone for, and $400 more than my highest bid. They didn’t even feel around to see what my bid was. I ended up snagging another NIB example for $400 less.

[justinp61]

Bid what you're comfortable with, but know someone else's comfort level may be higher than yours. Auctions have been this way forever.

[JOKER708]

Gunbroker ???what was final winning bid ?? Inquiring minds would like to know - thx

[rapidfire10ring]

Originally Posted by JOKER708

Gunbroker ???what was final winning bid ?? Inquiring minds would like to know - thx

Winning bid was $2,070 and I am not certain if that is including the premium. I should have went for the moon, as this one would be a premier addition to my collection.

[rapidfire10ring]

The good news is that I have somewhat of a consolation prize on one that I did win.

https://www.rockislandauction.com/de...n-target-rifle



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[ghgs]

I had an eye on that Johnson rifle myself, but bought a new house instead. Just bad timing...
Congrats on your consolation prize. I think you did well on that one.

Glen

[comfisherman]

Originally Posted by NWFRS

Yup. And I’ve noticed they’re usually newbs with zero auctions/feedback to their names. I don’t think a lot of these people really know what they ought to be paying. I think that’s driving some of it. I lost a recent auction when someone clicked BIN, which was $300 more than several other NIB examples had just gone for, and $400 more than my highest bid. They didn’t even feel around to see what my bid was. I ended up snagging another NIB example for $400 less.

The current situation has pushed in a lot of new users. We've eliminated fairly large segments of places to spend expendable income.

My FIL called me early last week asking about a rifle that his dad had way back when in a very specific caliber. They usually trade 550-700 with really clean specimens going a bit higher. I sent him a link of one that had popped up on gun broker. Pointed out that it was a fair bit over and if he shopped around a few weeks would likely find one from gun broker/guns international etc.... he had it bought for a little over a grand in a bidding war. Offered an extra 100 to ship it overnight and managed to take it hunting that weekend. This week two have popped up for 3-400 leas... but he didn't care it went to hunting camp for nostalgia purposes and the little extra for the memory and nostalgia didn't phase him a bit.

Can think of at least one other situation almost identical. Bidder was willing to overpay for reasons way outside of collector value or otherwise.

[Artd]

The internet has made the world very small. Where once auctions were local events, now thousands are bidding at every price-point. As a collector with an establish collection, it is easy to say something sold for way more then it's worth if you already have one or two examples in your collection. Lord knows I say it all the time. However, I have and will pay some crazy prices for the perfect missing piece to my collection. Like dollar cost averaging, I just hope why great deals average out my crazy ones.

Art

[carbineone]

Do not feel too bad. I am usually about tenth place in the bidding wars. End game is is we both lose. Placement position of said loss is not important,LOL

[azshot]

I've lost 4-5 obscure winchesters the past 3 weeks, not because they went too high, but because my internet would crap out right at the second I needed it, or their site would want a "re-login" with seconds to spare.

My consolation is at a Winchester auction I then decided to do a "test bid" on a Colt that was about 10 items before mine. It was priced lower than any sane person would expect it to go for. No other bids....I got it for that.

[usmc69]

Originally Posted by rapidfire10ring

Sigh, a beautiful custom 52 with an Eric Johnson barrel. I had, what I thought, a good bid. I could just about cry.


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Where do you live? A friend who lives in NW PA. has found a couple at gun shows in his area.

[dbuffington]

Originally Posted by Artd

The internet has made the world very small. Where once auctions were local events, now thousands are bidding at every price-point.

+1

Indeed, current events may have expanded the number of interested buyers, but the internet has made it possible for a much, much higher percentage of buyers to find and effectively attend auctions.

Gunbroker is the obvious example of that, but even "local" auctions my offer a wide array of attendance options including in-person, absentee, phone and internet.

For bargain hunters, like me, the challenge has been to find auctions that don't offer all of those options. In that regard, I'm lucky. I live in gun-rich central Pennsylvania, and there are simply a lot of auctions with guns.

Yesterday, I attended an auction a rural area about an hour north of Harrisburg. The primary attraction of the auction was a massive collection of peanut butter glasses and other glassware. (One milk bottle sold for $1,500!)

But ...

There were also 10 NIB Brownings and Winchesters. There was no internet bidding and no indication of any phone or absentee bidding. You had to be there.

And when the dust settled, I had two NIB, Fajen-stocked Winchester 52B reissues. I didn't steal them, but I paid probably $500 under current retail.

So there are auction bargains to be found. But you have to work harder to find them.

Enjoy!
Dave

[Johnymango]

Just because someone doesn't have feedback doesn't mean they are new to auctions.
More people sitting at home combined with the current political environment is probably contributing to the higher prices.