ebay grizzle
 

Hello (how TOCH has changed......;-) )

I am not usually a BAD loser - but I would like to grizzle a little about EBAY developments. It will make me feel better, and stop me from kicking the cat!

Like many others, I have often bid for - and less often won - photographic prints taken by (mainly) German military personnel during WW2.

The value in cash of such prints - is intrinsic - my own ebay 'area of interest' is mainly in photographs of French aircraft or tanks in varying states of distress during the 1939-1940 period.

It is hard to place a cash value on such prints. Recently however I have lost many auctions to a Canadian bidder (S?d?k-13) who seemingly has limitless finances -as well as a very efficient software program enabling last-minute killer bids. If I estimate his financial outlay over the last months - it is clear that he is a seller's dream.

Discrete enquiries suggest he may be buying on behalf of US publishers. If so - then I must anticipate a massive work on the Blitzkrieg from the USA sometime in the future.

Earlier this evening, this bidder won an auction for a 6 x 9 cm print of a very derelict Koolhoven FK 58. The skeletal remains of the plane had no markings enabling a positive identification - beyond a/c type - as well as suggesting that it had been destroyed on the ground. When I bid - seconds before the auction closed - the price was in the region of 15 Euros - my bid was rejected by ebay - and it was evident that the winner had paid Euro 249 for this print.

The same bidder has - I am informed - paid Euro 600 for a photo of a completely nondescript German Pz Kpfw. IV tank.

My own knowledge of his purchases shows that he is buying up almost anything- at such grossly inflated prices.

I cannot top his prices. One side of me says: forget ebay photos - the other side says - keep bidding and make him pay more for his pleasures.

This bidder is of course saving me a lot of money - but I do hope (despite the evidence to hand) that all these photographs will end up eventually in print......

Graham

Re: ebay grizzle
 

From my own experiences I would say, that behind this ebay-name (s****13) is not just a single person but probably a syndicate of several people with a big money pool. I have sold two times photos (achieved only a couple of Euros) to this member and got two persons to turn to with completely different names, however with the same adress (names and adress are available).

I don't know the policy of ebay, if this is allowed, perhaps this could be a point to be reported to ebay. If this member really uses a sniper software, this surely would be a point interesting to ebay, since this is forbidden, however difficult to prove.

Hopefully this member some day will have collected enough photos to stop buying at ebay......

Re: ebay grizzle
 

Graham and Robert, I too witnessed our beloved *****13 bidder and overbidding me on numerous occasions. If a picture is of high value to me I have no problem in bidding high but prices of 600+ Euro for one picture is ridiculous. I would like to know who this character(?) is.....John.

Re: ebay grizzle
 

I am the eternal second bidder to 'sudek13', my fellow Canadian eBayer(s). Certainly, he/they is/are cursed by many people, not only myself.

I quickly calculated that in the past year he/they spent more than 1 million Euros on photos (not only airplanes).
Yes, one million Euros!

Dénes

Re: ebay grizzle
 

The practise of "sudek13" (using of sniper software - forbidden on ebay) was reported to Ebay control and "he" is under observation. Let's waiting.

Re: ebay grizzle
 

A wonder has happened, s****13 has been topped :mh:

http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?...tem=6171437257

Re: ebay grizzle
 

It appears that lately 'sudek13' has either diminished greatly his activity, or vanished for good...:D

Re: ebay grizzle
 

He just bought a Bf 109G-14 picture for 314 Euro.....

Re: ebay grizzle
 

Well, apparently he did not retire, but definitely scaled down his operations.
He now lets little guys to scoop a few crumbs...

Re: ebay grizzle
 

I slowly get the feeling that Sudek13 is BORG. Bidding for nice pikkies on ebay is always like swimming naked among piranhas. After a while you learn how a shoal reacts - which have the longest teeth etc. Sudek13 is something else - either someone forgot to shut the Stargate - or somewhere in Canada the Borg have landed........

If only he/it/they would show a specific interest......sometimes it is tanks then Luftwaffe then French wrecks - I fart in his/her/its/their general direction

Graham

Re: ebay grizzle
 

Sudek13 got yesterday two unpublished photos of Anton Hafner (JG 51): http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=6174683458

In past month they have got 700 positive feedbacks. It means aproximately 20 won photos per day. Impressive management record.

Re: ebay grizzle
 

:tease:

I never bid on these photos, because 1. I can't afford it, and 2. I hate to lose. That said, however, I am quite literally in awe of this "BORG13" persona. I know from browsing Ed's links and doing a bit of searching on my own that BORG13 is virtually cornering the Ebay market on these photos... they're like some sort of maniacal Luftwaffe version of Micro$oft.

Thankfully, most of the sellers will post reasonably decent scans of the photos they're selling, so us "small fry" researchers have something to go on (except they keep obscuring the Hakenkreuz... an argument for a different day, though!). So here's my proposal... let's let BORG13 have it's fun, but get the sellers to post 300DPI scans of their offerings so the rest of the world will at least have decent digital copies! :)

Lynn

Re: ebay grizzle
 

Hey, finally succeeded in "scoring" a nice Fw 190 picture. Apparantly not noticed by many, at least not by BORG13.....!!!! Cheers, John.

Re: ebay grizzle
 

As someone who is usally getting beat because the price is too high would you care to post a link to the item you won so we can see?

Cheers

Re: ebay grizzle
 

Hello John,

I would rather not.....I use an alias for purchases on Ebay and I would like to keep it that way.....

John.

Re: ebay grizzle / deja vue
 

Still one thinks BORG13 is not too well read. He just paid 70+ Euros for ebay n° 6176939692

In the book published by LELA Press about the Latecoere 298 there are two far better colour photos of this a/c (also featured as a cover painting) and the whole book costs approx 30 Euros

meanwhile I have discovered an interesting method of bypassing the borg...

Graham

Re: ebay grizzle
 

Hey Graham, are you willing to share that method........?:D

Re: ebay grizzle
 

Sorry, but it makes for me no difference if it is bought by Sudek13, Z3M or John Manrho. I would say most of the photos are unaccessible for me, because most Lw collectors would like to exchange them for Lw subjects and all what I can offer is PAF. So, what the heck?!

Re: ebay grizzle
 

My gripe is the sniper software. I admit: I've sat at my PC until the last moment and then submitted a last-second bid for a book I wanted, but at least I am putting in the effort. I can accept being outbid - even at the last minute if it's by a human - but getting beaten by a program (and some lazy SOB who won't put in the time) is what frosts me - where's the sport in that? As for the prices, I gripe when I'm outbid for a book I really wanted, but I accept that because I set my upper limit - if someone wants to pay more, what can I say. And don't forget, if Mr. Moneybags has to bid 500 euros or dollars to win, that means someone else was willing to pay almost that amount too.

Re: szok & przerazenie!
 

Now look here Franek - NOBODY exchanges PAF for LW !
OK I am not into LW - but if I ever find out that you have exchanged PAF for LW then I shall be very disappointed in you!

The very thought makes me shiver....

Graham

;)

ps. now we have ebay.pl ....................... :)

Re: szok & przerazenie!
 

Apparently you have not seen the latest issue of Lotnictwo magazine with some stunning shots of Hammes' Me 110. And yes, I am interested in some German aircraft. ;)

Dissapointment. Allegro is much better.

Re: ebay grizzle
 

Hi,

Another thing to consider is that some photos on eBay, and possibly other items, are bought for reproduction purposes. One photo (nothing to do with anything military or WWII) was won for a high amount and one hundred copies of it made. The final profit the person netted was more than four times the cost of the photo and copy costs - and this wasn't done to fool anyone, it was just a popular subject not often seen in photos!

Imagine the same happening with LW photos, after a few months being handled it looks as original as the original, and it isn't long before someone buys it as such!

Regards

David

Re: ebay grizzle
 

Looks like ya'lls ebay friend sudek is now after AAF pictures. 885 transactions in the last 30 days and 3407 in the past year. WOW!!!

Re: ebay grizzle
 

From time to time he loses but price can be really high:
http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?...tem=6182418998