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Post by bichos on May 22, 2015 15:35:50 GMT -8
Is it just me or do or do others suspect this eBay seller of artificially raising item prices by bidding on their own items using multiple accounts.
Rare new species are advertised cheap and fierce bidding follows. Then large numbers of specimens are re-offered all selling at high prices. Then even more specimens at higher starting prices are listed.
Im not really sure at this stage, but it seems to me like there is a pattern of wrongdoings fuelled by greed.
If i cared enough, i would collect images and compare them to see if specimens are re-listed and follow auctions more closely.
Any thoughts?
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Post by bichos on May 22, 2015 15:36:46 GMT -8
These guys don't even know what they are selling, few items are identified. If a given specimen sells high, they use that price as a starting bid or reference for future auctions. Furthermore, even-though much of their feedback is private. That which is visible, does not reflect the supposed final selling prices for many of the high priced items I've seen over the past few weeks.   link |
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Post by nomihoudai on May 22, 2015 17:20:07 GMT -8
I think there is just a lot of people buying and they are readjusting their prices. I bought from them once, somehow the specimens were very stiff and hard to mount.
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Post by Adam Cotton on May 23, 2015 1:00:02 GMT -8
"somehow the specimens were very stiff and hard to mount"
That sounds like they were killed with formalin. It was a problem I had with local collectors here in Thailand back in the 1980s. You should tell the seller to pass on the information to his collectors/suppliers that they should not use formalin, but should switch to ethyl acetate if they need to use a killing agent or preservative. Tell him that if this problem continues it will adversely affect his business long term.
Adam.
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Joon
Full Member
Macrotomini
Posts: 141
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Post by Joon on May 23, 2015 7:35:37 GMT -8
I agree with nomihoudai. Just lot of rich buyers watching his listings. It is easy to get lot of rare materials at cheap price
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Post by wollastoni on May 24, 2015 12:47:11 GMT -8
vietnaminsects are reliable.
They are among the most successful ebay insect dealers currently.
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Post by precrush on May 24, 2015 18:56:50 GMT -8
They have always been honest and deliveries are professional. The fact that they are novices is apparent and they are not sure of how to price an item.
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Post by bichos on May 24, 2015 21:20:29 GMT -8
Excellent, thank you all for the feedback.
I've seen similar items on other ebay stores and they don't fetch the same prices, it must just be their reliability which people are willing to pay extra for...
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Post by wollastoni on May 25, 2015 3:12:55 GMT -8
And those people are right, reliability is key.
Always pay the extra price for good quality, collecting data and professional behaviour.
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Post by stapleton on May 25, 2015 17:54:01 GMT -8
If I "ALWAYS PAY EXTRA PRICE for good quality, collecting data, and professional behavior", WHAT DO I PAY THE REST OF MY MONEY FOR?
Should I also pay extra for a seller being honest and doing his job the way he is meant to?
And what about his "good" human behavior (apart from professional) - doesn't it deserve some extra bucks or euros?
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Post by bichos on May 25, 2015 19:53:23 GMT -8
It's a sad state of affairs. Insectsale for example is well renowned business and sells large volumes. However, their data is average to poor. Most Sumatran specimens are labeled just that "Sumatra" such poor labels devalue specimens.
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Post by joee30 on May 25, 2015 21:48:11 GMT -8
True, but if you ask nicely, and they can give you a town, forest, or any other tidbit, you can make new labels and add the bits and bobs of info. If the have elevation included, all you have to do if find a GPS coordinate and voila. That's what I do with purchased bugs.
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Post by stapleton on May 26, 2015 6:30:37 GMT -8
That's all right, but even if you "ask nicely", who can guarantee they give you the actual "town, forest," etc. instead of just giving you whatever place they know of... The same goes for altitude (elevation). I think too often there is too long a chain of "dealers" (rebuyers-resellers) all the way through from the original catcher to the final (re)seller you personally deal with. So, do you really believe all of these people care about true data? Invented or fake data make the whole love story senseless, you know, and sadly enough I've personally seen many specimens with obviously erroneous geo-data or even ID in the private collections of people who presumably are supposed to possess some elementary knowledge and common sense... The thing is, they just trust their suppliers too much, which the latter surely take advantage of...
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Post by africaone on May 26, 2015 7:56:52 GMT -8
I remember to have seen a Saturniidae from Africa (a gynanisa) for sale from Papua Guinea .. there many more like that easy to detect.
But if it gives locality at some dozens or hundreds kms, you can imagine how impossible is it to detect.
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Post by timmsyrj on Jun 1, 2015 3:02:19 GMT -8
Thanh (vietnaminsects) is relatively new to this, he is learning but is very reliable, I have had many of the Stichophthalma specimens on my website from him and this year he has been looking into new areas (for him) to try and get different species, yes some of his prices are high but that's because he has sold them for around that price in the past, for instance he sold a Papilio bootes xamunuensis for over $300 so he puts other on at a high price, I've told him the one he got $300 for was a very nice female ABB and he won't get anything new the with the others, also the Stichophthalma he is getting from Nghe An are new species for him and are selling for a very good price, however they are Stichophthalma louisa mathilda that you can pick up from insectsale when in stock at a fraction of his prices, the first stichopthalma eamsei he got went for around $300, now they are not selling at $14, his Stichophthalma fruhstorferi are quite high price in comparison to the Stichophthalma devyatkini he sold last year, the later only being descovered 3 years ago you would expect would sell for more than the former that's been around since early 1900's you can't fault him for trying to sell specimens at high prices when some are prepared to pay it.
I don't believe there is any deceit involved in trying to influence the price, but it's down to the bidder to pay what he feels the item is worth, I've just posted some photos of specimens taken off the boards today and the Graphium phidias specimens I got all for less than someone paid for 1 A2 specimen from him, that's the buyers choice.
Rich
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