Custom Muggs Ebay question

[Pumpkin King]

Guessing this should go here....

Why do some people who sale custom Muggs on Ebay always start the bidding out at some crazy amount? Like $75-125 dollars to start! Why not start it real low (and save yourself some money) and let the public decide how much it is worth? You could always put a reserve on it if need be. I find it a bit egotistical to ask for that much on the first bid cause I gotta tell ya, most are not that good to start with. Thoughts?

[DarthIndianaBond]

I've always wondered about that too.
It seems so much sometimes.

[Kire von Banhammer]

Guessing this should go here....

Why do some people who sale custom Muggs on Ebay always start the bidding out at some crazy amount? Like $75-125 dollars to start! Why not start it real low (and save yourself some money) and let the public decide how much it is worth? You could always put a reserve on it if need be. I find it a bit egotistical to ask for that much on the first bid cause I gotta tell ya, most are not that good to start with. Thoughts?

Any specific listings in general? I usually start mine at $75 then it goes up depending on the amount of accessories the mugg has. Though I see your point, there are some that are definitely not worth 75 starting out

[sosimpo2000]

I saw some that I really like, but unfortunately, I can't shell over $100 bucks for a custom mugg. I guess if it IS one of a kind, and it's done very well, I can understand why they would want to get paid for their efforts/talents.

[Grak]

More than half of the custom Muggs on eBay are terrible. I wouldn't display them in my collection if I got them for free.

[Kire von Banhammer]

More than half of the custom Muggs on eBay are terrible. I wouldn't display them in my collection if I got them for free.
Aint that the truth lol

[Ninja Mugg]

well....I would say a certain customizer got lucky with a few high dollar sales early on in the customizing game, but most of his high dollar muggs havent sold since. In a sense setting the bar for custom mugg ebay prices. Many other customizers watched and wanted a piece of the pie...therefore setting their own prices upwards of $100 or more.

While I dont disagree/question how much you want to charge for your muggs, if you think its worth a million bucks, by all means good luck getting your money out of it. but from what I have seen, most customs sell for about $40-$60. some more, some less, but about $40 is average and is much more affordable to buyers. And the $30 customs almost always sell...granted your going to get varying levels of quality...but its all about what you like as a buyer and how quickly a customizer wants to sell a mugg.

So while you think you may have a masterpiece on your hands, its only worth what someone will pay for it and many more people can afford the $40 price then the $100.

[Run L1ke H3LL]

Yea, I agree with the OP. Too many people start the bidding way to high, they scare away bidders doing that.

[Pumpkin King]

Any specific listings in general? I usually start mine at $75 then it goes up depending on the amount of accessories the mugg has. Though I see your point, there are some that are definitely not worth 75 starting out

Not to worry, you do awesome stuff. So, it wasn't just a question of whether it is good work or not. It is more as to why start the bidding so very high? $75 is still high. I think for a Mugg I really wanted, that I knew had no chance of being made by Hasbro and was done very well....I would spend $50 tops.
I am thinking, start it lower and encourage more bidders is all. I was wondering if there was a point to starting the bid so high.

[Kire von Banhammer]

Well, with as much time and effort I put into my work, I wouldn't bite the bullet and sell it for less than I wanted. I know my work is one of a kind and so is my styling I put into the mugg. I'm always willing to cut deals with people like any other guy but I know what my art is worth and if people are too scared to bid, oh well, someone else will eventually come along to buy it. I'd rather keep a custom on my shelf than sell myself short. What we customizers do takes time and a great amount of skill that isn't very common. Most muggs take an average of 8 hours worth of work, now if we figure out time and base it off an hourly wage... we dont make near enough that should cover a specialty skill.

$50.00 - average custom cost
-11.00 - for mugg
-5.00 - for materials used
--------------
$34.00 profit / 8 hours of work = that is $4.25 an hour. A ex con flipping burgers at mcdonalds makes almost twice that. So I think it is totally fair to ask $75.00 or even more. I guess its just my view as a customizer who DOES the work and sees how much its really worth.
But that's my opinion and of course you have yours :)
We can still be friends right?

[Pumpkin King]

Very nice explanation. I appreciate the input there. Still, most people cannot afford those prices. I know I cannot. As much as I would love a Hellboy Mugg, $50 would have to be tops for me. No offense of course. So, why do people not start the bidding low and put a reserve on it?

[Kire von Banhammer]

^ haha because setting a reserve price is extra on ebay lol customizers are broke as it is

[Pumpkin King]

But isn't a high starting bid extra money as well?

[Kire von Banhammer]

Its some weird percentage of the final selling price... the listing usually costs like 2.50 to put in then it takes like 1% or something from the final sale... I dunno ebay is weird

[Pumpkin King]

True. Thanks for all the great feedback. I had always wondered about this....like I said, you do great work. Jigsaw is one of my favorite Muggs you have done.

[Kire von Banhammer]

Sweet! Thanks alot!

[dimarino50]

i agree your customs are pretty bad ass. I love the lizard

[Rice923]

eBay also has some ridiculuous fees associated with their auctions. They nickel and dime you almost to the point where it's not worth it to sell something at a relatively low price. Adding on to Lestat's list of fees, they charge the final value fee, Paypal charges a three percent transaction fee, you pay for gas to buy your materials, your stress of perfecting the mugg, etc. There's way to many factors to consider, but $75 is a reasonable price nonetheless. However, I personally still would not pay even $35 for a custom (unless it looks as good as Olivia Munn:p). $35 is too much for me to buy what is basically a peice of plastic that serves no useful purpose besides to satisfy your ego... but I might be making my own customs in the near future so...:D

[cinq]

I really love some of the customs listed there, as well as those for sale on this board....but shipping will kill me!