Record sale of used Lobbs on eBay

[rnoldh]

Originally Posted by von Rothbart

Very moving. Can you write one for Vanity?

Let us all take a moment to reflect, to think back on gentler times, and to remember our friend, Vanity He's in a better place now, but when he was still on Style Forum, he brought more joy and fulfillment to those around him than any of us realized at the time. You know, it's true what they say: you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone. Well, that's certainly true of Vanity. Can any of you remember the first time you met him? You can if, like me, he made an immediate and delightful impression. And like any good friend does, he came back to see you, time and time and time again, sometimes expectedly and sometimes without calling. I remember one particularly bad day: I'd had a rough time at work, my children were particularly trying, and my wife (bless her!) had bought another useless thing...we've all had those days. Well, true to form, Vanity came around, and I just couldn't help smiling, ear to ear. I can see by the grins and nods that many of you have been there, too.

Well, those times are gone. But don't be sad, be happy for all that Vanity did for us. Be aware of the richness Vanity gave each and every one of us, and probably others too. Be glad for the times we had, not bitter for the time no longer available to us. Be happy to spread to others the joy Vanity gave you and me. But most importantly, be willing to relive those times by sharing fine, old stories of the good (and the bad!) that we all went through with our dear friend, Vanity. I hope that in happier days, you and I can do just that.

Go with peace, Vanity. my dear friend, Go with peace.


How's that? I sure miss Vanity and his wonderful contributions to the Style Forum!

 

[LabelKing]

Le sigh.

C'est la vie.

 

[Teacher]

Vanity's gone?

 

[StockwellDay]

forget it, not feeding trolls.

 

[EL72]

So you were right, they sold for more than anyone in their right mind would pay such an item - good for you! I was wrong and never thought they would sell for $1K+. More importantly though, did you get paid by the buyer?

Originally Posted by whomewhat

But what about all of the predictions that the boots would NEVER bring more than $50?

As to the cost of the pictures? Well, that shows a lack of knowledge as to how to use Ebay efficiently, with the exception of Andrew who figured it all out. None of those pictures was posted using Ebay's Insert Pictures program, rather, they were uploaded to a free image hosting site and then inserted, manually, into the listing. FREE! As to the cost of all those listing fees? Well, most of you missed the boat on that one too. The Lobb's were listed almost exclusively during Ebay listing sales and never cost more than a dollar to list. At times, the Lobb's received more than 2,000 hits. Those hits helped the other auctions and increased sales. As to the stress? One cannot buy the publicity that these sites provided for free.

The true measure of a man is not in his skill or ability to prove himself correct at all cost, rather, it is in being able to admit when he is wrong. The Lobb's sold, in spite of all of your learned predictions, and at a price well beyond anything any of you predicted. It is definitely time to get over it. I know I am.

 

[rnoldh]

Originally Posted by EL72

So you were right, they sold for more than anyone in their right mind would pay such an item -

I've got to disagree with you on that one. An item like the boots were worth what someone was willing to pay for them!

I was real surprised that whomewhat lowered the start price to $1000. Using the formula he laid out, (just keep relisting them on free listing days, with free photo hosting), will eventually work. There's a lid for every pot!

I think that he sold them too low. The kind of mullet that paid $1000 for them would probably have paid $2000 for them. Or someone like him. I say this in praise. Ebay is a buying and selling forum. Sellers look to sell high and buyers look for bargains! Did your buyer pay?

I also commend you on your hype. If you would be kind enough, could you ask your buyer if he plans to place these "Priceless Lobbs", in a museum, or perhaps use them for photo shoots as you once mentioned.

Congratulations on a wonderful example of capitalism. I hope your buyer is happy with his good fortune too. You won't find many buyers on SF and AAAC at your prices but Ebay is a big world!

BTW: Here is a seller that has NOS Victorian Boots for a $189 BIN. I believe whomewhat could sell them for at least a $1000 with his formula and hype:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...0044&rd=1&rd=1

 

[LabelKing]

The old beggar who bought them probably intends them as what they are: priceless museum exhibit.

 

[rnoldh]

Originally Posted by LabelKing

The old beggar who bought them probably intends them as what they are: priceless museum exhibit.


I don't know. The auction was private and I don't think whomewhat will reveal the identity of the fortuneate buyer.

There is a rumor that aportnoy and von Rothbart went partners and bought one boot each, but I guess we will never know!

Keep your eyes peeled and one day you might see the "Priceless Lobb Boots" in the Tate or the Getty!

 

[RJman]

Originally Posted by rnoldh

There is a rumor that aportnoy and von Rothbart went partners and bought one boot each, but I guess we will never know!

Keep your eyes peeled and one day you might see the "Priceless Lobb Boots" in the Tate or the Getty!
Or orphaned on a Persian rug...

 

[whomewhat]

It is true that I will not reveal the name of the Buyer because I would not want to subject him to what I was put through. I was willing to accept the ridicule as a Seller because it was a means to an end. The Buyer should not be subjected to the same standard.

He did promptly pay and the deal is finalized. Rnoldh is right that I could have sold them for more, and others will think that I am crazy for not doing so. There was so much speculation about my motives, but in the end, I did want them to go to the "right" person, as I saw it. Most who were willing to pay more were Buyers that I do not like to sell to, for various reasons, so I made a choice not to do so. This Buyer is a Hollywood producer and I believe his motives for making the purchase fit the ideal I had hoped for. The price was far less important than the person who got them, a point that some could not understand, which I do understand.

In truth, I did not want to sell them, but since I could not wear them it seemed like the right thing to do. I recently purchased a pair of JM Westons that absolutely fit me perfectly, so the time seemed right to sell them, hence the reason I lowered the price. If greed had been my motive the boots would be in Japan right now and I would have a little more than $4000. That may seem crazy to the very same people who predicted I would never sell them, but it was important to me who and where they ended up. If some in this forum could have gotten over themselves and provided the type of home for them I wanted, they may have sold for far less still, but I guess they were of more use as fodder for ridicule. Whatever.

Who knows, maybe the Buyer will grow tired of them and I will buy them back some day, just for fun. I would hate to think I have ended a great source of entertainment for the SF members.

One final thought. J has always been a gentleman and tried to treat this issue, and me, with some modicum of dignity. In truth, I never cared about the personal attacks or ridicule. The line was crossed when my Marine son was attacked. I have one son in the Marines and another in the Navy, Naval Special Warfare(who we do not discuss). They should be off limits since they have nothing to do with what I do. If I committed any crime it was in being proud of my younger son and his service and wanting to say I was proud. I do not regret my pride in his service, only my mistake in posting that pride in a forum (Ebay) where it would bring the ridicule that it did here, but mostly in AAAC. Not the behavior of gentlemen, in my opinion. That said, J was an absolute gentleman in his handling of the issue and his communications to me. I thank him for that. Andy could learn from him, J, and maybe that is why this site is more popular and gets far more hits? Just a thought.

 

[rnoldh]

That's a classy posting whomewhat!

Do you think that the "Hollywood Producer', will be using the Lobb Boots for a movie, or his own personal use?

Quote:"This Buyer is a Hollywood producer "

 

[josepidal]

Portnoy makes movies now?

 

[tiger02]

Originally Posted by whomewhat

One final thought. J has always been a gentleman and tried to treat this issue, and me, with some modicum of dignity. In truth, I never cared about the personal attacks or ridicule. The line was crossed when my Marine son was attacked. I have one son in th eMarines and another in the Navy, Naval Special Warfare. They should be off limits since they have nothing to do with what I do. If I committed any crime it was in being proud of my son and wanting to say I was proud. I do not regret my pride in his service, only my mistake in posting that pride in a forum (Ebay) where it would bring the ridicule that it did. Not the behavior of gentlemen, in my opinion. That said, J was an absolute gentleman in his handling of the issue and his communications to me. I thank him for that.

I wonder what J's opinion of the whole ordeal would be. I would be surprised if it matched yours. I would also be surprised if the record bore out your claims of simply using these boards to drum up business. Frankly.

 

[whomewhat]

Originally Posted by tiger02

I wonder what J's opinion of the whole ordeal would be. I would be surprised if it matched yours. I would also be surprised if the record bore out your claims of simply using these boards to drum up business. Frankly.

There is always at least one not willing to let a matter die gracefully. I do not understand why you would be surprised if J did not share my opinion that he is a gentleman? I know that is not what you meant, of course, but the truth is I have the emails from him, emails whose content he requested remain private, that do bear out that he found the behavior of some here not what he would prefer on this site. As to my "claims" about using this site, that is not exactly what I said either, is it? I only learned of what was going on in this site toward the end of 2006. When I did learn of it, initally, I simply observed and said nothing.

Involvement in politics taught me a long time ago that any publicity is good publicity. Like it or not, the boots got hits averaging more than 1000, and on one occassion upwards of 4000. Those are facts. It is also a fact, as the title of this thread states, that the sale was a record price, so clearly the publicity helped. I knew no matter what happened, if they never sold or if they had sold for a crazy price in the 10K range, that some here would never let it go. Seems to be true. I never said I used this board to drum up business, rather, I said it did not hurt and so I took advantage. As to using the board, I use it, like the rest of you, to look for deals.

Maybe you would be "surprised if the record bore" out another thing: ALL OF YOU WERE WRONG! Why don't you look up the many predictions that were made about a final price? How about the predictions that the Buyer, if they ever was one, would never complete the transaction? I guess you are just as surprised about this as all the Rolex watch "experts" who sent me emails telling me that the Rolex watch I had for sale would NEVER bring more than 6-7K, at best. Maybe some of you can call the brain surgeon that purchased the watch for 10.5k an idiot as well. He bought it, paid for it, and left outstanding feedback. In the end, is it not feedback that is supposed to tell the story of Buyer/Seller satisfaction? No matter what my feedback rating, how many happy customers I may have, some are still going to call me names because, I suppose, that is the only joy they have in their lives. On the other hand, some who had been critical, initially, have represented themselves to be quite the gentlemen, later, through their actions, and that is a good thing.

Since learning of these sites, I have consistently stated that I think it is perfectly legitimate for members to help each other look for incredible deals on Ebay and elsewhere and then report about it here. I, myself, have benefited from the research many of you do and have made purchases based on recommendations that some have made. EL72, for example, has particualry good taste and an eye for deals on shoes and I have benefited from his research. It is what it is: a place for people with high-end tastes and low-end wallets (I know not all are starving college students!) to find bargain basement deals. That is a really good thing, not bad. That I have sold and will continue to sell items, at times, that are not the type of deals that people here can afford or would avail themselves of is also fine, with me, although clearly not with some others. In the end, what I care about, is that my customers are happy. So far, ALL of them are!

I am sure headaches were caused for J that he regrets having had to bear. Am I responsible? You obviously believe that is the case. Maybe those who crossed the line, made personal attacks, made threats, posted pictures that should not have been posted, maybe, from the perspective of others, they are to blame for J's headaches. If you pick a fight, throw a punch at someone who turns out to be a far better fighter than you are and he rearranges your face, is he the bully for defending himself and being better at it than you were?

It is all a matter of perspective and the losers almost always feel victimized, even if they started it in the first place. After all, it was one of your members who emailed me, made me aware of this site and what was being said, all because he "disagreed with the vitriol" of some who were posting and thought I "had a right to know." In other words, not all here agreed with what was said or done. J can speak to his own thoughts on this, if he chooses, but the content of his emails will remain confidential, at his request. That said, I stand by my claim that he is a gentleman and did the very best he could to de-escalate a situation that was not to anyone's benefit.

But since some, like yourself, are likely to continue to be critical, even after the Lobbs have been sold, let me also thank those of you, aside from J, who took the high road, especially Ian and Andrew (there are, of course, many others). Sometimes venues like this can bring out the absolute worst in humanity, but it can also bring out the best. For every person out there who will continue in their anger, maybe because they were not the one to successfully sell the boots, there is an Ian or Andrew who completely understands. I thank you.

 

[rnoldh]

I was real surprised that whomewhat lowered the start price to $1000. Using the formula he laid out, (just keep relisting them on free listing days, with free photo hosting), will eventually work. There's a lid for every pot!

I think that he sold them too low. The kind of mullet that paid $1000 for them would probably have paid $2000 for them. Or someone like him. I say this in praise. Ebay is a buying and selling forum. Sellers look to sell high and buyers look for bargains!


You could have just said the above. Congratulations on your record price for pre-owned boots.

You business plan works, at least for selling pre owned boots and Rolexes on Ebay.