the word RARE

[briggs86]

Seriously, does the word "RARE" make people bid like crazy? How does a bob bowman, who I couldn't get $25 out of at a sports convention for, with a little less than two days left climb over $100? Doesn't make sense... I think as sellers we should all use the word RARE for even the most common of items, I LIKE EXCEEDINGLY RARE! Thats a big one i've been seeing recently

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RARE-Old-Antique-Early-1940s-Rawlings-BOB-BO-BOWMAN-Baseball-Glove-/190685735485?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c65c16a3d

Jared

[mikesglove]

Brett has brought this up before. Sometimes certain well known sellers gain a following and a buyer will bid whatever without doing research on the items value. I agree that the glove would be a hard sell at $25 in a lot of venues.

[vintagebrett]

I'm sure there are a lot of variables at work but, in the end, it's up to the buyer to determine the value they place on the item. If the word rare entices them, they are going to bid. A lot of time new buyers will get sucked in by the terminology and find out later that it wasn't what they thought it was. That's part of the process of being a collector and I'm sure everyone here has experienced it many times. Sellers use different keywords to entice bidders all the time and I know we've discussed the ones that bother us ("workman" for example). In the end, if the buyer is satisfied with the purchase that's really what it boils down to. If they are comfortable with the item and the verbiage, you can complain about the price all you want but it is what it is. In the long run though, the collector, after learning the hobby, might come to the realization that they don't want to spend money with that seller anymore. You play with fire long enough it's eventually going to burn you.