PENTAX FIT Sigma OS APO DG HSM 50 - 500 mm F/4.5-6.3 Lens + HOOD + BAG + BOX

Has this one had the mount conversion done so it will go on a K1? I have been avoiding them for that reason so far.

I have to agree with the others about reserve prices. How will someone "just snap it up" if it is an auction starting at (say) £550? If there is a hidden reserve then (a) you must pay a premium for it and (b) most people will skip it automatically, knowing it's a waste of their time. It's a lose/ lose job!

How come it's ROCKETED to £399.00 with just one BID Surely Ebay aren't beginning to feel sorry for all the Pentax bidders getting fleeced

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Sellers have "friends" who can "help"

Now £550 with 3 bids. Looks like the reserve was £399 ..... far too low He could have got £700.

Is the £399 bidder about to have his hands chopped off

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Interestingly, when you now look at the list of bidders, you see that the £399 bid has disappeared completely!

Then, "another person (?)" bid it up first to £450 and then £540 before someone else popped up and bid £550 - and that is with 5 days still to go, and so £700+ might not be an unreasonable estimate of what it will finally make.

We used to have a general consensus that we wouldn't discuss or promote eBay auctions, the reason being that it undermined the possibility of anyone finding a bargain. In other words, pointing a spotlight on something that isn't getting bids easily and suddenly puts up the price. Sometimes bidders were quite aggrieved.

It hasn't arisen for a while but it's a thought.

eBay is an interesting beast, it's nearly impossible that the lens would sell for £399 since people will always be keeping an eye on the lens. Early bids and watchers usually mean the price will make its way up steadily, while I find something with no bids tends to end up lower with a snipe attempt in the last minute.

This one will probably sell for a healthy price since it's got early bids and a bit of activity around it already. Reserve prices and starting prices don't really have much bearing on what the final price will be (unless they're too high in which case nobody is interested).

Reserve prices especially do control the price paid especially when at least two buyers start coming back and forth piggybacking each other OR a stealth bidder gets a big shock at the end of an auction when the reserve triggers a big hike in price. A lot of bidders put big bids on but always hope that they will get if for a lot cheaper than their max. They also allow the seller to come back later with a second chance offer if the reserve isn't met.

I've seen many auctions where someone has been stung for more than double the 2nd highest bid due to a high Reserve price.

It also happens that when a bidder puts on a FIRST bid that is quite high... knowing that automatic top-ups will keep the price... just high enough to win. With a Reserve the price will shoot straight up to the reserve... if the FIRST bid is high enough.

That's why the general rule is ... Only put in one bid and make it equal to the maximum you will be happy paying.
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With reserve prices I just get myself to think it's another bidder. I simply pop my reasonable price bids in and if I've met the reserve then great. If not, then I just move on. I still limit my latest bid to just above the reserve price, then come back nearer to the ending time if someone else has been bidding.