8mm Forum: Way out West

This is topic Way out West in forum General Yak at 8mm Forum.

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Posted by Terry Sills (Member # 3309) on March 28, 2017, 03:23 AM:

Why would anyone pay £65 for a part film, especially as it has not been viewed and is unchecked? I have this film on 16mm and it comes on two full 1600' reels so this is definitely not complete.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/162438404380?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Posted by Kevin Clark (Member # 211) on March 28, 2017, 05:03 AM:

Hello Terry - looks like the seller has the remainder of the feature for sale as well and they may not be aware themselves:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/162439761565?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageNam e=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

I've sent the seller a message recommending they tell the buyer of part one about this second reel they have for sale.

My print is on a 2,200ft Tuscan spool with a running time of about one hour and six minutes so I would hope this and the previously sold part is the whole film and it is eventually purchased by the same bidder.

Kevin

Posted by Terry Sills (Member # 3309) on March 28, 2017, 06:22 AM:

Yes looks like that is the rest of the film, but it still doesn't answer the question- why pay that much for a part film. It wasn't just one bidder (unless it was run up) just doesn't make sense to me.

Posted by Kevin Clark (Member # 211) on March 28, 2017, 08:08 AM:

Why bid so much for a part feature is an answer only the winning and other bidders can provide you with as they will all have their own individual reasons.

I would hope that the part one footage is all they need just in case they don't win the part two reel - I would reckon £120 is about right for Way Our West 16mm Blackhawk as a full feature but buying it this way is really pot luck.

I also asked the seller if they would amalgamate their two part listing of Laurel & Hardy's Laughing 20's into one auction but she won't budge - one I would like but I am reluctant to bid on part one in case I can't win part two.

Kevin

Posted by Terry Sills (Member # 3309) on March 28, 2017, 11:49 AM:

Kevin
It will be interesting to see what the second reel of Way out West goes for and your very reasonable request being denied confirms my suspicions of this seller.

Posted by Kevin Clark (Member # 211) on March 29, 2017, 03:31 AM:

The two parts of Way Out West appear to have been won by the same bidder looking at the partially hidden I.D. and matching feedback numbers so at least that means it is (hopefully) a full feature now for someone to enjoy.

I am wary about the seller too Terry even though she has 100% feedback over a high number of sales it seems like a sales technique to get higher bids in by splitting up the features into separate parts. Their Laurel & Hardy's Laughing 20's feature may even be spread over three lots now from looking at the other items so it is unlikely I will bother to bid it is just too much hassle for an un-checked print.

Kevin

Posted by David Hardy (Member # 4628) on March 29, 2017, 04:21 AM:

Yep I would never bid on an unexamined print either.

What a crazy way to sell a feature on Ebay or any other place.

I mean its not like Derann's buy a reel at a time scheme they
used to have in the good old days. [Wink]

Posted by Kevin Clark (Member # 211) on March 29, 2017, 04:57 AM:

I've bought quite a few good ones from sellers who genuinely didn't have a clue about the films condition over the years David but yes also have received some duds it is just a gamble one way or the other. An example was a 3 Stooges short I bought for £20 that was mint when received along with a list of other films some of which I bought from the same seller also in mint condition. Just depends on where they got them from and in that case it was a recently passed away family member who obviously looked after their films.

I think the main concern with this seller is that good features split into parts allows the possibility of shill bidding to up the price obtained for part one of the feature when the desperate winner tries to buy the other parts.

It will be interesting to see if the same happens with the Laughing 20's feature film spread three ways but as they say on a certain UK TV show 'I'm out!'.

Kevin

Posted by Mathew James (Member # 4581) on March 29, 2017, 07:19 AM:

I am the same as Kevin here.
I feel i have been SUPER fortunate on ebay to date. Out of about 50 films i've carefully selected, i only have maybe 2 or 3 that I am not very happy with.
One was a little rascals that must have water damage or something as the sound drops ever second as if the mag stripe was wet and damaged in areas... Another film had white 'specs' on one side. I still don't know what or why, but i don't like that one film.Another has a good film but bad box. After that, the rest were great prints with good boxes.
You just have to be careful.
For example, there is a a 88 year old collector who left his stuff one fella who is dispersing now on ebay many good films with excellent boxes, which is rare...
You longer-term collectors are fortunate to have what you have, but us newer fellas have to collect what we can get...and ebay remains a source for me. A good source in fact.
I bought way out west from a collector on this forum. It is blackhalk original 4 reeler in GREAT shape. I would love to move it to one or two reels eventually, and maybe sell it for astronomical amounts [Smile]

Posted by Andrew Woodcock (Member # 3260) on March 29, 2017, 08:23 AM:

I have a had a mixed bag from ebay Uk in recent years particularly.
Nowadays I'm particularly put off by items which, for whatever reason, cannot be fully verified in the advertisement, either by photograph or even some kind of verbal assurance.

Several years ago, i went through a spell of having the kind of fortune that Mathew and Kevin describe, where the prints were from a deceased relatives estate, but they themselves knew little surrounding the hobby.

In one such example. based on the small amount of photographic evidence there was in the advertisement, I took a gamble on the film being good.
Not only was it good, it looked like it had never been projected. I believe other films sold from the very same collection were on equal parity.

So to sum up from my own individual perspective here in the UK, films can show up in superb shape from ebay still, and not necessarily by people who have the knowledge or equipment to verify them, but in more recent times here, I am experiencing that this is becoming less frequent for the kind of film I am particularly interested in.

I suppose that is only to be expected given the age most prints are getting to nowadays.

Posted by Tom Photiou (Member # 130) on March 29, 2017, 04:09 PM:

It is very much hit and miss. I have purchased a couple but have to say would never spend hundreds on ebay unless it was one of the lads on here or other forums that we know. (Or Ladies for that matter).
I would say i have been lucky so far with only two duffers but all i did was sell those on again. I simply use it to raise dosh for new purchases.
[Wink]

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on March 30, 2017, 12:00 PM:

NEVER under-estimate the stupidity of SOME buyers on ebay!

I've been amazed as to what will sell on there, no doubt due to a complete lack of info on what they are interested in, time and time again. [Frown]

Posted by Terry Sills (Member # 3309) on March 30, 2017, 02:43 PM:

Absolutely agree with you Osi. But I would also counter that you should never under estimate the conniving practices of SOME sellers. Ebay is a minefield and a perfect platform to rip off the unwise,trustful and unsuspecting.

Posted by Tom Photiou (Member # 130) on March 31, 2017, 06:35 AM:

Very True Terry, fortunately we should all have our wits about us on here
[Wink]

Posted by David Hardy (Member # 4628) on March 31, 2017, 07:25 AM:

Being a Scot I am by nature suspicious and sceptical about
everything. Especially E-bay sellers.

Am affa canny and dinna like ti be swikit ! [Big Grin]

Posted by Terry Sills (Member # 3309) on March 31, 2017, 12:28 PM:

Got it all David apart from Swikit! I can pretty much guess what it means, but what is the translation?😉

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