Comments on: Jazz Vinyl Update: Blue Notes, The $1,000 Bin (& More)

By: London Calling

London Calling — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 17:23:51 +0000

I shall keep an eye on this, dog with a bone some might say. When 4188 Donald Byrd’s I’m Tryin’ to Find My Way Home – a hard record to like (and I have it)sells for $449, and its top Popsike price ever was $80 and the highest bidder was now $75, either someone’s not paying attention, or someone is trying to increase their annual sales volume clandestinely before the year end, or for some other reason.

Perhaps Nautiluso is back, and this time he has a different plan.He’s become a philanthropist.

By: Mike

Mike — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 23:55:23 +0000

I understand skepticism with prices like that and it is fishy. I’m interested in if you find anything else out. Rover-90 is probably in the top-10 of respected Jazz Vinyl dealers on ebay and if there is anything fishy I’d like to know. But I just have trouble believing it. Also, if it isn’t Roverd-90, I can’t see why anyone else would do it. I’ve seen a lot of suspicious stuff on ebay, and I no longer bid with a few sellers. But, since sniping software has been around, you do tend to see a lot of bids will come in at the same time. I use 5 seconds. If Al also uses 5 seconds, it would look suspicious even when it wasn’t.

By: London Calling

London Calling — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 20:51:37 +0000

Thanks for your explanations guys. I agree it is quite possible there are bidders seeking to build collections, and there is sometimes no sense I can see how some collectors behave.

However these two accounts bidding must be one person? The odds of two different people bidding on exactly the same records and no others at exactly the same time for exactly the same amount maximum amount from the same vendor must be a trillion to one? Common guys I’m a former statistician by profession.

Since the price is set by the second-highest bidder, whoever he is he is guaranteeing that he wins, but also that he wins at the highest possible price.

If I am right he is effectively bidding against himself. Kind of makes him a complete dummy, but you can’t legislate against human foolishness.

I shall watch with interest the buyer feedback on our roverd-90’s
profile.

Thanks for tolerating this intrusion. I’m a buyer not a seller, so I am happy to declare an interest in lower prices!

By: Mike

Mike — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 17:02:59 +0000

Also, Roverd-90 will have a whole lot of identical records to dump if there plan doesn’t work. Ive watched Roverd-90 for years and never seen them sell the same bunch shortly after.

By: Al

Al — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 14:55:19 +0000

London Calling — I understand your skepticism, but I think the bidding processes you are describing are legitimate, based on the way eBay works. As you note, any sophisticated buyer will having sniping software that will place an automatic bid at any point in the process, usually with less than 10 seconds left in the auction. I use this software and time my bids at 5 seconds before the close. If I know I am interested in sniping a record, I will never bid on it before the auction is ready to close. Why tip my hand? Often what bidders will do is place a set amount for a record, say $891. If there is a higher bid, say at $1,015, eBay will accept these two bids, take the $891 bid and automatically add $5 for the high bid so that the person who bid $1,015 will win the auction at $896. To get these high prices, all you need is two legitimate bidders with real interest in the record, money to spend and sniping software. It would be quite risky and probably unnecessary for a seller to be spiking bids at that high level because if there is no higher bid he would have to pay the eBay fees and would be unable to sell his record. My guess is that these two bidders are legitimate and they have money and they are interested in building M- collections of original Blue Notes. More power to them.

By: London Calling

London Calling — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 12:52:09 +0000

I have studied the results of twelve bumper price auctions on Monday December 27th,and one bidder (1***m) was behind almost all of them, personally pushing up prices by in many cases 50%

Some kind of impersonation is also clear with another ebay account(c***m (private) )almost certainly one individual running two accounts – as their bids were in all cases simultaneous with each other, each ocurring exactly six seconds before the close of each auction. Each of these accounts only ever make bids in <1hr, no exceptions.

By an extraordinary coincidence, all these records were being sold by one seller, roverd-90, Harry Hasbun of Gainsville Va.

Many of the winning bids were exactly $896 or $696.

Smith/Turrentine 4164 was bumped by the 1***m and c***m combo from $312 to $696 in the last six seconds

The Byrd BN 4188 was bumped from $75 to an improbable $449 by the 1***m and c***m combo in the last six seconds.

In just one case does it look like a real bidder won (Dorham 4181)because a higher bid was placed the day before by m***m, foiling the programmed six second snipe.

Gentlemen, a suspicious mind might suggest we are looking at ebay market rigging, shameless and clumsy to boot, by one individual. The bids were so high as to guarantee no postal cost, because they would not need posting, because they already had the record in their hands.

Perhaps with values on Popsike and elsewhere suitably inflated they will find their way back to market at a now bargain price. If they exist in the first place.

Of course this could all be just one massive coincidence, and collector, say "Goldfinger", has a dastardly plan to aquire the world stock of Blue Notes.

Is this sort of behaviousr within the rules of ebay? I'm still pretty new.

By: maarten kools

maarten kools — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 12:24:20 +0000

‘..all the things you could be if Jimmy Smith’s mother was your wife..” 😉

By: vinylmartyr

vinylmartyr — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 23:55:49 +0000

Pretty sure I have a sealed copy of Night dreamer as well as a couple of open copies. Maybe time to sell one.

By: Mattyman

Mattyman — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 21:29:38 +0000

Hey, London Calling, about the “Cool Blue” from 1958: “never was given a main Blue Note release” changed a few years ago. The full performance was finally re-released on CD in the RVG series. I wrote a bit about it in my guest column. Click the following link from my photopage and continue with the arrow that points to the right; then you can see all about it! 😉
http://picasaweb.google.com/manmatty/BNCDguestcolumn?authkey=Gv1sRgCMqioeui88rJDQ#5536414014356549378

By: London Calling

London Calling — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 18:41:31 +0000

ceedee
Yes I fell on the floor laughing. Two bidders pushed the price from a ridiculous $300 to just short of $700 in the closing six seconds.

I can only conclude one was Jimmy Smiths mother, the other Stanley Turrentine’s mother. No one else would put this price on a record like this.

I have only one Jimmy Smith, and its a wonderful record (as Jimmy plays very little) It’s “Cool Blue” from 1958, GXK 8186 King pressing 1981, mono, feat Tina Brooks,Lou Donaldson, Art Blakey, Eddie McFadden, Donald Bailey. Never given a main Blue Note release, paid $50, live recording – not one of Rudy’s best.

How many Jimmy Smith’s do you need? Rumaging London’s s/h stores Jimmy Smith’s are dime a dozen, RVG, Ear, 47W63rd, no difference, no takers. Same with Turentine.

Sigh.