I've got the idea that ebay quad reel prices are inflated by certain members of this board who are able to cover their high bids by selling illegal dts copies of the tapes. Those of us who want to enjoy the analog recordings are being denied the opportunity of doing so for any sort of reasonable price. Even the Famley Guitar Band can bring in $30 and forget about buying The Doors -- there's just no way.
Inflated Q4 prices
- Thread starter cupboy
- Start date
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Um, I don't think so. Once a DTS version of a Q4 starts circulating, there is no need for someone to buy it to do another conversion. Let's be real. Tab's conversions are top-notch, and nobody is going to be able to do one that is sufficiently better to justify the time it takes.
People who are bidding on the tapes are people who want the tape for their collection, not to do a DTS conversion and then dump it back on eBay (unless it is a tape that hasn't been converted yet).
People who are bidding on the tapes are people who want the tape for their collection, not to do a DTS conversion and then dump it back on eBay (unless it is a tape that hasn't been converted yet).
Q4 prices have been high, but clearly for collectors. I can tell you for a fact that if there is a reel I want, I will usually go in excess of $100, and you know why? I can afford it! 
(And not from selling "illegal" DTS CDs)
Many times I am outbid by people who do not do conversions. For instance, member "rustyandi" usually outbids me, and he clearly is aquiring for his own collection. "lbrenner", "quadg", "philco5556", "CD-4guy","tomjenkins" and many more are Q4 regular bidders. Let me tell you this, if "quadtrade" or "cshimada" want a Q4, forget it, for they bid like me.
I never bid until the last minute, because I do not want to get in a bidding war. Then, with 30 seconds or so, I bid a ridiculous amount (sometimes in excess of $250) just to insure I get the bid. Sometimes I do, and sometimes someone else does.
Don't forget <em>If someone wins a reel for $99 on eBay, that means that at least one other person bid $98!!</em>
Ebay is a free market, and these reels are rare and collectible. They are the best quad medium ever created until the dawn of SACD and DVD-A. I would be thankful that Tab and others have preserved them via "illegal" DTS CDs, as that may be the only way many people have to hear them.
Values of the reels change with time, and currently they are high. There was a time when I could not afford them either. Same goes for many of the above bidders. A by product of being around for the first go around of "quad" is that we are now old, and with age usually (hopefully) comes a time when you do not have to live paycheck to paycheck.
:-jon
(And not from selling "illegal" DTS CDs)Many times I am outbid by people who do not do conversions. For instance, member "rustyandi" usually outbids me, and he clearly is aquiring for his own collection. "lbrenner", "quadg", "philco5556", "CD-4guy","tomjenkins" and many more are Q4 regular bidders. Let me tell you this, if "quadtrade" or "cshimada" want a Q4, forget it, for they bid like me.
I never bid until the last minute, because I do not want to get in a bidding war. Then, with 30 seconds or so, I bid a ridiculous amount (sometimes in excess of $250) just to insure I get the bid. Sometimes I do, and sometimes someone else does.
Don't forget <em>If someone wins a reel for $99 on eBay, that means that at least one other person bid $98!!</em>
Ebay is a free market, and these reels are rare and collectible. They are the best quad medium ever created until the dawn of SACD and DVD-A. I would be thankful that Tab and others have preserved them via "illegal" DTS CDs, as that may be the only way many people have to hear them.
Values of the reels change with time, and currently they are high. There was a time when I could not afford them either. Same goes for many of the above bidders. A by product of being around for the first go around of "quad" is that we are now old, and with age usually (hopefully) comes a time when you do not have to live paycheck to paycheck.
:-jon
If you define "rich" as going massively in debt, then yeah, you're right!
Considering the amount of time I've spent on DTS conversions and the amount of money that endeveour has brought in, I've made substantially less than minimum wage. Somebody call the labor control board!
Considering the amount of time I've spent on DTS conversions and the amount of money that endeveour has brought in, I've made substantially less than minimum wage. Somebody call the labor control board!
<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>I've got the idea that ebay quad reel prices are inflated by certain members of this board who are able to cover their high bids by selling illegal dts copies of the tapes.[/quote]
You've got to be Kidding me ! Right?
Right from the start your wrong ...It's supply and demand , and since there are far fewer Q4 recording, YES they are Higher.. Just compare regular 8 track tapes to the Q8 and for that matter any regular recording to any Quad format and on it goes .. and up and up! Most of us Doing the "illegal" d.t.s. conversions put the recordings back out there, For the Masses! Reading some of your prior post it seems to me you like to stir up some arguments , and that's fine with me ..You have the right to speak your mind , but Hey ! We are Quaddies and like to own them and some are collectors. So Don't Accuse the converters of such a ridiculous remark!
All's Fair in the bidding ... !
Rob
You've got to be Kidding me ! Right?
Right from the start your wrong ...It's supply and demand , and since there are far fewer Q4 recording, YES they are Higher.. Just compare regular 8 track tapes to the Q8 and for that matter any regular recording to any Quad format and on it goes .. and up and up! Most of us Doing the "illegal" d.t.s. conversions put the recordings back out there, For the Masses! Reading some of your prior post it seems to me you like to stir up some arguments , and that's fine with me ..You have the right to speak your mind , but Hey ! We are Quaddies and like to own them and some are collectors. So Don't Accuse the converters of such a ridiculous remark!
All's Fair in the bidding ... !
Rob
Q
quadgdiaz
Guest
hi Jon
i'm with you i'm a hard core quad collector and sometimes just bid to see if i win the Q8 or Q4 if the title is elevator music and i don't have it i don't bid high, but if it is a good title then i bid kind of high!!!!. but if i win it fine it just mean a mark on my quad collecting book, and i don't sell my DTS transfer stuff besides i haven't done that many yet i just barely started. by the way i have some that i need to send you with my new "noise reduction" set up ,so you can tell me how are they !!!!! i don't use the computer for that so i'm saving 2 hours on each title!!!! and if anybody want's one email me at [email protected] i just did the 3 paul simon titles i think they came out good???? thanks Gerardo
i'm with you i'm a hard core quad collector and sometimes just bid to see if i win the Q8 or Q4 if the title is elevator music and i don't have it i don't bid high, but if it is a good title then i bid kind of high!!!!. but if i win it fine it just mean a mark on my quad collecting book, and i don't sell my DTS transfer stuff besides i haven't done that many yet i just barely started. by the way i have some that i need to send you with my new "noise reduction" set up
,so you can tell me how are they !!!!! i don't use the computer for that so i'm saving 2 hours on each title!!!! and if anybody want's one email me at [email protected] i just did the 3 paul simon titles i think they came out good???? thanks Gerardo This seller, centxbearscub, has a few quad reels
not advertised as quad in the title. There's even one by
101 Strings (quadg will be interested in this!). They
should go cheaper than usual. Auction ends tomorrow,
Monday.
not advertised as quad in the title. There's even one by
101 Strings (quadg will be interested in this!). They
should go cheaper than usual. Auction ends tomorrow,
Monday.
I'm suspecting ebay user tomjenkins1 made an
off-ebay deal to snag the quad Mantovani Golden
Hits reel I was hoping to bid on. The seller told me
he no longer has it. It seemed to have disappeared
when this tomjenkins1 was the high bidder on another
Mantovani quad reel I had no interest in. If tomjenkins1
is on this forum I'd be curious to know why you're
such a loser you can't compete on ebay like
eveyone else, by outbidding the rest of us. Of course,
if I'm wrong let me know. Thanks.
off-ebay deal to snag the quad Mantovani Golden
Hits reel I was hoping to bid on. The seller told me
he no longer has it. It seemed to have disappeared
when this tomjenkins1 was the high bidder on another
Mantovani quad reel I had no interest in. If tomjenkins1
is on this forum I'd be curious to know why you're
such a loser you can't compete on ebay like
eveyone else, by outbidding the rest of us. Of course,
if I'm wrong let me know. Thanks.
Um, there's this thing called a free market, and, um, uh, oh nevermind.
These things that you call "unfair practices". They're really just a mental block for you. Learn to play the game and you too can start raking in those Mantovani reels.
It's not just quad reels. Under the table dealing goes on all the time on eBay, for everything imaginable. Anyway, you basically have three choices: be the high bidder and win, not be the high bidder and lose, or get over your mental block and learn how to play the game within the game (where you might win, or you might lose, but you will never be the worse for wear for trying).
BTW, I'm Tom Jenkins and so's my wife!
(a little Python reference there for those in the know)
These things that you call "unfair practices". They're really just a mental block for you. Learn to play the game and you too can start raking in those Mantovani reels.
It's not just quad reels. Under the table dealing goes on all the time on eBay, for everything imaginable. Anyway, you basically have three choices: be the high bidder and win, not be the high bidder and lose, or get over your mental block and learn how to play the game within the game (where you might win, or you might lose, but you will never be the worse for wear for trying).
BTW, I'm Tom Jenkins and so's my wife!
(a little Python reference there for those in the know)
J
jobucks
Guest
Master Cai, please forgive a question from a "newbie" but would you Please enlighten us pilgrims?<img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/images/emoticons/embarassed.gif ALT="
"> What is the "under table dealings" and the "game within the game" as pertains to ebay?
Please explain so that "we to" can, or might have the chance, to play!
Hey rolleyes, I kinda like that "Master Cai" thing!
Alright boys and girls, gather 'round while uncle Cai reads a few passages from his best-selling "eBay for Dummies". None of these tactics are new. Whether you feel any of these are "cheating" or not is a moral issue for you to contend with.
- Contact the seller of an auction where you are currently high bidder or there are no bids and make an offer if he is willing to end the auction early.
- Related to above, search for items on a regular basis and pounce using above tactic as soon as something cool gets listed.
- After winning an auction for a prized item, ask the seller if he has anything more like it. Sellers generally like bulk sales where they don't have to deal with eBay.
- Contact your bidding nemesis and cut a deal. I've saved loads of cash this way.
- Use an auto-bidding service like eSnipe.
- Buy items from overseas sellers! These items generally get few bids since folks are afraid to pay the shipping. The shipping cost ain't so bad if you can get an overseas item on the cheap!
- Take a chance on sellers with low feedback ratings (as long as they don't have negative feedback yet). Some of the best sellers I've dealt with have been newbie.
- Bid on items that end on "off" hours and/or days.
- Check out seller's "my eBay" pages. They often have links to their own websites where you can buy stuff from them aside from eBay.
- Don't dismiss folks who contact you on the side. If you win on some quad tapes and someone who has tapes to sell notices that, they may contact you directly for an "outside" sale.
- Create your own "my eBay" page! Be sure it looks nice and friendly. List all the stuff you're interested in and be humorous and entertaining in your presentation. People will appreciate it and will contact you for side deals.
- Above all, be courteous and kind in all your dealings! Give generous and creative feedback.
- Be a repeat customer for good sellers. Giving someone repeat business and being generous and kind in your dealings may make them more willing to do side deals with you if they were not so inclined to do so before.
I'll stop here, but this shouldn't be anything revolutionary. eBay is a community, and you need to know how to be a contributing member to its general health in order to reap the greatest benefit. On the flip side, you need to know how the underbelly operates, and learn how you can lurk in the shadows to gain an advantage. You can choose to take advantage of one side or the other, but I have found the best approach involves a combination of "light" and "dark" tactics.
Alright boys and girls, gather 'round while uncle Cai reads a few passages from his best-selling "eBay for Dummies". None of these tactics are new. Whether you feel any of these are "cheating" or not is a moral issue for you to contend with.
- Contact the seller of an auction where you are currently high bidder or there are no bids and make an offer if he is willing to end the auction early.
- Related to above, search for items on a regular basis and pounce using above tactic as soon as something cool gets listed.
- After winning an auction for a prized item, ask the seller if he has anything more like it. Sellers generally like bulk sales where they don't have to deal with eBay.
- Contact your bidding nemesis and cut a deal. I've saved loads of cash this way.
- Use an auto-bidding service like eSnipe.
- Buy items from overseas sellers! These items generally get few bids since folks are afraid to pay the shipping. The shipping cost ain't so bad if you can get an overseas item on the cheap!
- Take a chance on sellers with low feedback ratings (as long as they don't have negative feedback yet). Some of the best sellers I've dealt with have been newbie.
- Bid on items that end on "off" hours and/or days.
- Check out seller's "my eBay" pages. They often have links to their own websites where you can buy stuff from them aside from eBay.
- Don't dismiss folks who contact you on the side. If you win on some quad tapes and someone who has tapes to sell notices that, they may contact you directly for an "outside" sale.
- Create your own "my eBay" page! Be sure it looks nice and friendly. List all the stuff you're interested in and be humorous and entertaining in your presentation. People will appreciate it and will contact you for side deals.
- Above all, be courteous and kind in all your dealings! Give generous and creative feedback.
- Be a repeat customer for good sellers. Giving someone repeat business and being generous and kind in your dealings may make them more willing to do side deals with you if they were not so inclined to do so before.
I'll stop here, but this shouldn't be anything revolutionary. eBay is a community, and you need to know how to be a contributing member to its general health in order to reap the greatest benefit. On the flip side, you need to know how the underbelly operates, and learn how you can lurk in the shadows to gain an advantage. You can choose to take advantage of one side or the other, but I have found the best approach involves a combination of "light" and "dark" tactics.
J
jobucks
Guest
Thank you master cai, verrrry interesting! But surely if we do such things won't we get a "knock on our door" from the "ebay police?!!"
But still a great site, this "quadraphic" place. It has a "master cai" and a "sensei of sansui", quadbob! An invigorating well of knowledge for us "newbies."
Again, whether you feel these tactics are right or wrong, breaking eBay's rule or not, is entirely up to you to decide. You asked for some specifics, so there you go. I used to be an eBay whore, but I've cut way back.
J
jobucks
Guest
Cai,
No disrespect/criticism meant. Asked your opinions/experience and you gave it. And honestly I expect.
Thanks
No disrespect/criticism meant. Asked your opinions/experience and you gave it. And honestly I expect.
Thanks
Some good points in this thread, so I bumped it up!
:-jon
:-jon
I always used a Kodak timer to count down the bid time and insert the bid within 15 seconds of the closing. The opposing bidder has no time to respond. Mwhoohoohoohaahaahaa!
The Quadfather
The Quadfather
Hmmm - Robotic Lawnmower or bodacious babe. Tough choice. I can see the value of the latter, but in the long run, the former may come with less overhead!
Q
quadzone
Guest
I'm listing The 25th Anniversary Album on Ebay soon, sorry no underbelly deals just strait-forward bidding. this has been fun to follow, more, more.
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