To get fed up with ebay sellers putting a starting price - then a reserve too? Why not just start at your reserve price?

[Howdydoody]

Am sure I will be shot down and told there is a very good reason - but it is soooo annoying!! Does it really cost a lot more to just start at your reserve than wasting people's time making them put in bids that you dont want?

(Ooh dont I sound annoyed!! )

Don't know much about ebay, but can you withdraw/lower a reserve price if the bids aren't getting anywhere near it? If you just put a reserve price, it might put people off bidding at all, if it was pitched too high. I think they may just be keeping their options open becuse they're not sure how much it's likely to fetch.

Ok Rustybear, you are probably right it's just so annoying to play a daft guessing game!

A) it would put people off possibly
B) you have to pay more fees the higher your starting price.

I've been wondering this for ages. If I was selling something and wanted at least a fiver, I wouldn't start the auction off at 1p, it seems bloody silly and I'd worry that it would put buyers off.
Of course even worse is when you've been winning something for a few days and then you're outbid in the last 21 seconds like I was the other night.. but that's probably irrelevant.

But you are charged much more for listing at a fiver than you would be for listing at 99p

You're not charged less if you put a reserve on, the listing fee is based on the reserve not the starting price.

It's so a too-high start price doesn't put buyers off. Apparently.

no different to a RL auction where an item may have a reserve price, but the bidding will start much lower