8mm Forum: What the BLOODY HELL is going on with Super 8mm?!!

This is topic What the BLOODY HELL is going on with Super 8mm?!! in forum General Yak at 8mm Forum.

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Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on February 08, 2008, 10:37 AM:

I did my usual look at Super 8mm this morning, (on ebay), and I saw a print of "Empires Strikes Back" part 1 400ft.

Now get this ...

She says that it is faded, she says that it is missing part of the titles ...

and at last look it had 100.00 dollars in bids on it!!

The only thing that I can imagine is that this seller, (catsmeow) whom I have personally bought from before, must have a lot of people who buy from them, as anybody who knows this title knows that you can get this specific title, in good shape, off of ebay for 10 or 15 dollars. Either that, or they are idiots.

... and where are these money happy idiots when I'm selling?

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on February 08, 2008, 11:48 AM:

Osi

I agree with your last comment.

If I'm buying on eBay, all bids seem to go upwards quite quickly, but when I'm selling it's a different story. Any prospective buyers are hiding away!

I always hope that the last minute of auction will bring up the bids, usually it doesn't. The watchers who have been watching for days suddenly shut down about a hour away. Very disappointing.

I prefer to deal direct and now seldom view eBay sales.

Maurice

Posted by Claus Harding (Member # 702) on February 08, 2008, 03:40 PM:

Talk about fool's gold...
I can't help but feel there are a number of folks who still go by "make-believe" when they bid on well-known titles, as in:
films with titles like "Star Wars", "Superman" and the like that have such strong collective memories that the very idea of 'getting them home on film' blows away any common sense of what is actually being offered.

The market seems polarized on EBay right now. I see complete A+ features for $400-600 and a whole lot of bottom-of-the-barrel 200ft reels, or the 400-footers with ghastly color that can go for $10 or for 'crazy money' like Osi's example.
Not a lot in between.

I followed the EBay auction for a complete S8 print in A+ condition of "The Wizard of Oz" that had been run only a handful of times. As I recall, the hammer fell around $950.

No matter how good the print is, with Super-8 basically now getting into 16mm print pricing, one certainly can ask 'What the bloody hell.....", let alone the poor sap who will be waiting for the Empire to strike back...with bad color and missing titles.

Claus.

Posted by Tony Stucchio (Member # 519) on February 08, 2008, 07:41 PM:

There must be a lot of shill bidding going on. I frequently see 2 auctions of the same title, with similar descriptions and seller feedback, going for amounts that differ greatly. And often these auctions are ending within a day or two of each other.

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on February 08, 2008, 08:52 PM:

I'm not sure I understand what "shill" means, what is shill bidding?

Posted by Robert Wales (Member # 502) on February 08, 2008, 11:21 PM:

Shill bidding is when the seller (or one of their friends ) places bids on an item in order to drive the price up from the bidders who genuinely want the item.

Posted by Winbert Hutahaean (Member # 58) on February 09, 2008, 03:54 AM:

Two weeks ago, a seller listed a 400 reel of Bruce Lee (german dub, damaged condition) in Ebay Australia by putting $500 for starting price and $1000 for buy it now. I kindly sent him a message that a bunch of the same title was offered in Ebay german with usually ended at EUR 12. I gave him some links for completed items.

For that week, the seller did not get any bidder.

But he relisted, and last week I saw it has erached $200 on the bids. I was thinking that I was wrong.

But then a day before the auction end, he cancelled the list by putting the reason that he had placed wrong amount of reserve price.

Now he relisted it again for $5!....

A lot of scam here. I believe, whythe list reached $200 because he asked his friends to do bid wars in order to attract (to trap) a silly bidder. Whe he found no one was trapped then he cancelled it a day before the time (where Ebay still permits it) to avoid sale fees.

Clever and here is the list now: http://offer.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBids&item=320215901286 (now he has bidders again....)

cheers and just meant to warn you guys!,

Posted by Douglas Meltzer (Member # 28) on February 09, 2008, 09:44 AM:

I realize Osi stated that he had bought previously on eBay from Catsmeow, and that he isn't implying any wrongdoing on the seller's part, but I'd like to add that I've had numerous transactions with this seller. Her descriptions of the film's condition are always accurate (including color fade) and she is one of the few eBay sellers I trust completely.

Doug

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on February 09, 2008, 10:21 AM:

Correct Doug, I'm not implying any wrong doing by this seller. What I was struck by is that her description IS HONEST, and yet people STILL bid it up!

Bizarre.

You know I have done something similar in the past, but not on purpose ...

I will see something I want, and somebody will put a bid on it, already higher than i can go,

sooo ....

My first word is "JERK!!" and then, even though I know that I can't buy it, I'll purposely bid it up because, by Gawd! If I can't have it, then that jerk is going to pay out the wazzoo for it!

So, at any rate, the seller, whoever the lucky person is, sells thier item for a lot more than they may have expected. But I have never, in cooperation with the seller, bid something up. That would be wrong.

Ummm, I wonder if I've made a fellow forum member pay a lot more for something they wanted? I hope not, but then, if they didn't really want it, they didn't really have to bid on it, eh?

Posted by Bill Brandenstein (Member # 892) on February 09, 2008, 10:28 AM:

But Star Wars attracts a little more attention and bidding more often than not. Other than the possibility of shilling, how else can you explain $65 for the 200' Star Wars digest (link posted in the "Ebay Oddities" thread)? Star Wars = $$.

Posted by Tony Stucchio (Member # 519) on February 09, 2008, 07:33 PM:

$107.50 for JAWS?
JAWS

I realize it is a desirable title, and I was thinking of bidding on it. But the price seems a bit high.

Posted by Jonathan Sanders (Member # 478) on February 10, 2008, 02:27 AM:

My guess is that - as with Titanic-related films - the bidders are general "Star Wars" collectors who cannot even project 8mm. Of course, it won't happen every time but it takes only two barmy bidders to drive up the price a lot!

By the way, I think I must be the only film buff (and a middle-aged one at that) who has never seen "Star Wars" or any of its sequels!

Posted by Lee Mannering (Member # 728) on February 13, 2008, 01:55 PM:

Osi.. When I lived in London I think we called this sort, Chancers.

Posted by Lee Mannering (Member # 728) on February 16, 2008, 03:47 AM:

High price for Jaws is prob due to Roy passing away. As with these flicks they become highly collectable when the star has just departed.

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