Damn and blast you, eBay!

*Sigh*, I’m getting consistently sniped anytime I bid on things on eBay. This time I’m extra-sad because the item that got sniped from me at the last second now was this:

ames-catalog-1

Ames General Catalog No. 9, which is very likely the same or a newer edition of source #11 for the Typewriter Database. It’s a source we need pretty badly, and I’m crushed to have it slip from my fingers. ):

Updated: February 1, 2013 — 7:32 pm

9 Comments

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  1. Oh shoot. That would have been a good thing…

  2. I know there is an ongoing debate on sniping vs. max bid, but I come down on the max bid side. A sufficiently high max I feel would have won the day. My suggestion is a kickstarter to support twDb acquisitions. I would support it so you could secure these resources, and I bet others would too.

    1. I think next time I’ll announce it when I find something like that on eBay. Apparently securing the literature directly is out of my financial reach, maybe some better-heeled collector that I know will grab it and make the information available for the project.

      Now I’m beset by woulda-coulda-shoulda. :P

      1. Definitely let us know. I’m not particularly well-heeled either but throwing in with a group we could make a useful pile of resources. How much did this go for?

  3. Gee, I too wish you would have gotten the book.

    I wonder if snipe software would help. You enter your maximum and hope it is not above anything already bid or on someone elses snipe software. I never used it. I just place my max or have the wife watch until the last few seconds if it is something I really want and I need to be at work.

    I wonder if starting a typosphere pool for getting/sharing resouces would help. I know asking others not to bid on somehthing in the email groups does not seem to help.

  4. If I remember correctly, Ames shut down (at least refurbishing platens) a couple of months ago. Shouldn’t they have an archive of their catalogues? So, why not give it a try and ask them. If someone still picks up the phone, they might be happy to help out the typosphere.

    1. Ames phone numbers are disconnected. (630-964-2440 or 800-848-8780)

  5. Was this listed on ebay.com or one of the foreign sites? I couldn’t find it. I wondered what it sold for.

    On the Max-Bid vs. Snipe discussion: I agree that the higher bid of the two will always win, but if you use the ebay max-bid, you are telegraphing your interest to other bidders. Other bidders can continue to increase their bid until they exceed your maximum. By using snipe, your maximum price can be the same, but you will likely pay less because you don’t show your interest in the item until the auction is nearly over and other bidders don’t have time to raise their bid.

    1. Oh, I found it. It had a typically vague ebay description that makes it hard to find:
      “Antique Typewriter Parts Platens Tools Catalog w Diagrams Underwood Royal 1950’s”
      It sold for $37.02 plus shipping.

      Here’s the listing: http://www.ebay.com/itm/221180907378

      This same catalog was previously listed on ebay in the middle of January with a starting bid of $9.00 with NO BIDDERS and a “buy-it-now” price of $150.00. I’m sure the seller was disappointed to only get $37.02 for it since they thought it was worth $150.00.
      Previous listing: http://www.ebay.com/itm/221179225357

      It’s tough to get outbid by only $1.00, but an alert buyer could have had it in January for $9.00 plus shipping. It’s all about timing. Ames must have printed lots of these and hopefully another will surface.

      I’ll just be hopeful that someone in the typosphere bought it and will scan it so everyone can benefit from it.

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