A Penny For A CD

Subject: A Penny For Your CD
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 30 Jul 02 - 11:27 PM

I'm laughing as I sit here typing this... There's a seller on eBay who gets attention by starting the opening bid on CDs at a penny. The bidding usually goes up at least to three or four dollars on the CDs, and often up over ten, depending on how desireable the CD is. I put a bid on one penny in on a CD of Early Country Music... 22 tracks. The bidding was closing in just a few minutes and no one else had bid on the CD. My wife and I went out to dinner and when we came back, I checked my e-mail and there it was... I was the "high" bidder for a penny! I was also the high bidder on another CD by Brother Phelps... a good country duet that grew out of the Kentucky Headhunters... paid a whole dollar for it.

If you haven't nosed around on eBay for CDs, maybe now's the time to try. I realize that in encouraging you, we might engage in a bidding war... I'll be forced to raise you a penny. But, I'll take my chances. :-)

Share the wealth..

Jerry

Subject: RE: A Penny For A CD
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 30 Jul 02 - 11:40 PM

O.k., the thread should have been A Penny For A CD. I'll see if this corrects it. I'm not really trying to buy YOUR CD for a penny...

Jerry

Subject: RE: A Penny For A CD
From: Mudlark
Date: 31 Jul 02 - 01:09 AM

Jerry....I'll see your penny and raise you two! Thanks for the tip...

Subject: RE: A Penny For A CD
From: michaelr
Date: 31 Jul 02 - 02:16 AM

Yes, but Jerry -- has the seller actually shipped you the CD you bought for a penny? It would cost him 8,000 to 12,000 % of his sale price.

Cheers,
Michael

Subject: RE: A Penny For A CD
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 31 Jul 02 - 08:23 AM

The way it works Michael, the best I can figure it out, is that people buy lots of 1,000 CDs on eBay for a couple of thousand dollars(those lots are also up for auction all of the time.) They do the same with lots of DVDs. They rely on the majority of the CDs selling for more than $2.00, and most of them do...even though one seller starts the bidding on all their CDs at $.01. At any one time, there are hundreds of thousands of CDs up for auction on eBay. How can you catch the attention of potential buyers, with that many being auctioned? Starting the bidding at a penny sounds like a smart idea to me, and I wouldn't be surprised if the seller wasn't doing far better than most other sellers. Once in awhile, they'll list a CD that doesn't eleicit any bids, or just a few. That's what happened last night. I don't think I've ever seen one of the penny CDs go for less than a dollar. Us Catters being who we are, with fairly esoteric tastes, every once in awhile, CDs are listed that no one else bids on. That means that you can get them at the minimum bid. I've picked up many CDs for under $5... some of them are no longer in print and I replace greatly treasured old records with pristine copies on CD. I've picked up two other CDs for under $5, recently.

Has it already been shipped? Yep. Of course, the person is losing money on the deal. But interestingly enough, the communication between us was immediate after I was the "high" bidder, and the seller gave me an excellent rating on their feedback.

When nothing catches my eye on Mudcat, I just wander over to eBay and see what's up for auction, ending that day. I've picked up great CDs, DVDs, even a lithographed metal monkey that climbs a string. :-)

Jerry

Subject: RE: A Penny For A CD
From: GUEST,nobby
Date: 31 Jul 02 - 12:59 PM

a lithographed what is that some kind of dinosaur???

Subject: RE: A Penny For A CD
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 31 Jul 02 - 01:16 PM

For your edification, Guest, in the 40's Marx toys made a brightly lithographed tin monkey wearing a red vest and a fez on his head. It had a string that ran through his front and his hind paws and if you held the top of the string in one hand and pulled a ring on the other end of the string with your other hand, his legs would squicnh back and forth and he'd scoot up the string. I always wanted one as a kid but they probably cost something exorbitant, like fifty cents and I never had one. I've seen them in antique stores on occasion for as much as $300, and not in great condition. I got one that looks fresh out of the box on eBay for $30.00 Not a penny, mind you, but proportionately, a real bargain. And he works fine. I have him hanging in the hallway going downstairs and today's kids are just as fascinated when they make him climb the string as I was. Some things never change. :-)

Jerry

Subject: RE: A Penny For A CD
From: katlaughing
Date: 31 Jul 02 - 05:02 PM

Oh great, Jerry, thanks a bunch, you are a real pal, a one of a kind, an enabler of the highest order, doncha know?!**BG** Now, I'll never get away from this infernal machine!!!

just bid on several cd's!!

Good stuff, if you can wade through the lots!

Thanks, I mean that, really!

kat

Subject: RE: A Penny For A CD
From: Ferrara
Date: 01 Aug 02 - 01:32 AM

Oh my gosh, Jerry, I remember those string climbing monkeys! How wonderful.

Rita F

Subject: RE: A Penny For A CD
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 01 Aug 02 - 07:39 AM

I've never got into this eBay thing - I'd always assumed that what you paid wold be what you bid, plus post and package, which means it hasn't seemed too relevant to me across the Atlantic.

But in any case, I like real auctions and boot fairs and cahrity shops and stuff like that, rather than the idea dealing with dealers over the net. And that way I've got plenty of good records that way for 10p or less.

Subject: RE: A Penny For A CD
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 01 Aug 02 - 09:09 AM

Hi, McGrath: Funny thing you should mention it. Many of my best buys of CDs have been ones that I've won from British Isles sellers... got a great 6 CD set of old black gospel and spirituals reissues, very few of which have been reissued in this country. The all came from England. I'm awaiting the arrival of a two CD set of one of my favorite jazz pianisits, Gene Harris, coming from England. The postage isn't all that much more... maybe a dollar, and the prices are often right. The only thing that I don't know is what the rate of exchange is, and whether CDs that are reasonable for us over here would be too expensive in Britain. Some of the stuff that they auction is identified as Great Britain prices. I pay through Paypal and most sellers either use Paypal or accept a credit card. As for records, you really can pick them up cheap. I was the high bidder on three Pennywhistlers albums... I didn't even known that they had a third album out. I owned two buy generously let my first wife have them when I got a divorce. It was a small price to pay. :-)

I'm not saying that eBay is good for everyone. This thread is just a suggestion to check it out and see if there's anything that catches your eye at a good price. I tend to bid at a real low level on most stuff, and figure that if I don't get it, it's no great loss, and if I do, I've picked up a great bargain...

Jerry

Subject: RE: A Penny For A CD
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 01 Aug 02 - 09:09 AM

Hi, McGrath: Funny thing you should mention it. Many of my best buys of CDs have been ones that I've won from British Isles sellers... got a great 6 CD set of old black gospel and spirituals reissues, very few of which have been reissued in this country. The all came from England. I'm awaiting the arrival of a two CD set of one of my favorite jazz pianisits, Gene Harris, coming from England. The postage isn't all that much more... maybe a dollar, and the prices are often right. The only thing that I don't know is what the rate of exchange is, and whether CDs that are reasonable for us over here would be too expensive in Britain. Some of the stuff that they auction is identified as Great Britain prices. I pay through Paypal and most sellers either use Paypal or accept a credit card. As for records, you really can pick them up cheap. I was the high bidder on three Pennywhistlers albums... I didn't even known that they had a third album out. I owned two but generously let my first wife have them when I got a divorce. It was a small price to pay. :-)

I'm not saying that eBay is good for everyone. This thread is just a suggestion to check it out and see if there's anything that catches your eye at a good price. I tend to bid at a real low level on most stuff, and figure that if I don't get it, it's no great loss, and if I do, I've picked up a great bargain...

Jerry