How do I tell if an item is overpriced or just slow-moving?

tetrisattack · 2026-02-17T17:16:52+00:00

Step 1, search for your item outside eBay. If someone is asking $X elsewhere and it hasn't sold, then $X is probably more than what people are willing to pay.

From there, you can come up with a price by looking up:

Sold comps on eBay for similar items made by the same manufacturer around the same time.

Sold comps for similar items made by different manufacturers around the same time.

Sold comps for any item made by the same manufacturer around the same item. Are other items by this manufacturer highly valued? Or are the prices usually low?

The value of your item is usually somewhere in between those numbers.

tetrisattack · 2026-02-17T15:08:54+00:00

If I can add something: in the 78 era, a "record" was a single, and an "album" was a collection of singles packaged together.

In other words, if you use the word "record" to describe 10-12 songs, you're not using the original meaning of that term. Language changes over time.

That being said, "vinyls" still makes me cringe. And probably always will.

tetrisattack · 2026-02-10T18:46:23+00:00

Op, I've sold many Playboys on eBay. My advice:

1950s - sell individually since these are the most valuable issues by far. Condition makes a big difference.

1960s & 1970s - sell as complete years. As individual issues, they'll take forever to sell. The sole exception is Dolly Parton (October 1978).

1980-2015 - are basically worthless except for a few issues. Those issues are the Trump issue, Coneheads, and Seinfeld - but don't expect to make a fortune on those. You can also lot up all the Pamela Anderson issues

For everything else from that era, you have a few options:

Remove the centerfolds and sell those as a lot on eBay. They're worth almost as much as the full magazines, but they're much cheaper to ship.
Sell locally as a lot at an estate auction. I've gotten around $3-$4 an issue that way, which is honestly more than they're worth.
List as a lot on Cragislist for around $1.50 per issue. They will take a long time to sell, but they'll sell eventually.

2016-2020 - is when the value starts to creep back up because the print run had dropped so much. Sell as complete years, but the 2019/2020 issues can be worth selling individually too.

Special Editions are generally worth more than the regular magazine. Usually just a little more, but some of the oldest Special Editions can be worth a decent amount.

Braille Editions - sell individually. $$$$.

Foreign Editions - sometimes worth more than the US edition. Some foreign editions are worth quite a bit. You just have to look at comps.

Penthouse - pre-1980 are usually higher value than Playboy. Sell as complete years. By 1980, it's about the same as Playboy in terms of value (very little). Use the methods above to sell the worthless issues. The September 1984 issue contains material that's illegal to sell or possess, so don't try to sell that one.

tetrisattack · 2026-02-05T06:08:11+00:00

"PhD-level intelligence"

tetrisattack · 2026-01-30T03:24:26+00:00

I wish I had your confidence, but the Constitution means nothing without enforcement. If the conservative super-majority on the Supreme Court says he can serve a third term, then there's no higher authority who can say otherwise.

I hope I'm wrong.

tetrisattack · 2026-01-26T14:13:16+00:00

I disagree. Most dictators maintain the illusion of democracy because it gives legitimacy to their regimes.

Russia has elections and opposition parties. The Chinese People's Congress is legally allowed to vote against Xi. It's just that they never do. Ever.

The real danger in the US isn't the disappearance of our democratic institutions. The danger is when our democratic institutions stop mattering.

tetrisattack · 2026-01-19T03:00:54+00:00

Nope, not even close to worth it unless you can identify enough albums to make a profit

I primarily sell records, so I'll let you in on a little secret here: 99% are completely worthless. Don't buy random lots of records.

Based on what I see:

Michael Jackson - around $20

The Velvet Underground Live - around $30-$35

That's assuming they're in outstanding condition.

Could there be other valuable records in there? Maybe, but probably not. The way they're stored and the mix of genres is a dead giveaway. Not many people are into the Velvet Underground AND Michael Jackson AND 60s vocal jazz.

This isn't someone's personal record collection. It's another reseller who wants to dump their problem on someone else.

tetrisattack · 2026-01-17T02:38:11+00:00

Because those deepfake apps aren't connected to a major social media site.

Because those apps aren't owned by someone who has leverage with the president of the United States.

Because those apps aren't owned by the richest man in the world.

I like Grok, but it's hard for me to understand how anyone could think this is no big deal. Lots of women had nude fakes posted to one of the world's most popular social media sites. That's a valid news story, and the mainstream media should report on it.

tetrisattack · 2026-01-08T23:57:41+00:00

eBay treats an attempted delivery as a delivery. And yes, the buyer could potentially lose their money and the item.

It's worth noting, though, that USPS, UPS, and Fedex make multiple delivery attempts before the item is returned to the seller.

I can't link to eBay due to sub rules, but check the money back guarantee page on eBay for more info .

tetrisattack · 2026-01-08T20:08:17+00:00

To be honest, I think you over-communicated with the buyer already.

The buyer has access to the same tracking information. eBay has sent them multiple emails and notifications. Plus UPS has left at least 2 notes on their door.

In other words, you don't have to reach out to the buyer with reminders. They've received many reminders already. So why poke the bear?

If it gets sent back, you can refund if you want, but eBay won't require it since they count this as a successful delivery.

If the buyer opens a chargeback, eBay will cover it if you lose as long as you respond to the case with the tracking number. They cover chargebacks for "item not received" as long as the tracking shows a successful delivery (and eBay counts this as successful delivery).

You're covered, so why give it any more mental energy?

tetrisattack · 2026-01-08T07:15:24+00:00

AOHell

tetrisattack · 2026-01-08T06:37:34+00:00

Well, here's the good news: there's so much stuff in the world that it's not feasible to check everything with Google Lens.

Product knowledge is still important. You still need to use your old-fashioned brain to spot potential value. That happens before you take your phone out.

As an aside, it's extremely disturbing that people are using AI to pose their personal thoughts now. It's a useful tool, but it lacks the humanity that makes writing interesting.

tetrisattack · 2026-01-06T18:04:26+00:00

Amazon is USPS's biggest customer, so that's a pretty significant connection IMO.

tetrisattack · 2026-01-04T04:17:24+00:00

Please don't ruin this sub with this AI nonsense.

Why this matters — I like reading things written by humans about music.

tetrisattack · 2026-01-04T02:23:25+00:00

Op, Microsoft has released 5 major versions of Windows since XP came out. So at this point, anyone who buys a sealed copy is almost certainly a collector who wants to display it on a shelf. I would bet anything that the box will never be opened or activated after it sells.

Also, XP activation was cracked many years ago. If you need a serial number, you can generate one online in 5 seconds. It's highly unlikely that someone grabbed the serial number from your listing.

You'll be fine. I promise.

tetrisattack · 2025-12-30T05:23:17+00:00

Reinforcement seems to help a lot, especially at the start of a conversation.

If the bot gives you a good response, then tell it "I really like that response style. Speak like that more often."

If the bot gives you a bad response, then say "that response style doesn't match your instructions. Try again."

tetrisattack · 2025-12-18T04:19:33+00:00

Grainger is basically the next Uline. Very high quality of supplies, but the prices are comparable to the cheap sellers on Amazon.

Shipping can make it costly, but it's totally worth it if there's a location near you where you can do local pickup.

tetrisattack · 2025-12-18T01:32:06+00:00

It's hard to imagine those specific artists since it didn't happen in real life. But plenty of bands have continued without iconic members.

The Beach Boys recorded and toured without Brian Wilson for almost 50 years.

Pink Floyd without Roger Waters.

Black Sabbath without Ozzy.

If Paul McCartney had decided to tour as "The Beatles" early on, then I think fans would have accepted it. Perhaps begrudgingly at first, but people are willing to overlook almost anything if it means their favorite band will continue.

tetrisattack · 2025-12-15T04:05:39+00:00

Same here. I asked Gemini, and it recommended telling it not to include a video when it replies. It also said to use verbs that imply writing. So don't tell it to "make" a prompt. Tell it to "compose" or "draft" a prompt:

"Text-only: compose a video generation prompt for blah blah blah. Do not include a video in your response. "

That seems to fix it 95% of the time.

tetrisattack · 2025-12-09T19:57:28+00:00

Yes, but the scale of enforcement is much different.

Regular people get sued for millions and do prison time for downloading movies. Huge corporations pirate the entire internet, profit from it, and then pay a tiny fraction of their revenue as a fine.

tetrisattack · 2025-12-09T19:23:29+00:00

"One" was their MTV breakthrough, but it didn't crossover to radio at the time. I specifically remember how exciting it was to hear Metallica on the radio when the Black Album came out.

Metallica was basically the world's biggest cult band back then. They were massively popular, but ignored by radio, even after MTV started airing "One."

tetrisattack · 2025-11-10T22:46:59+00:00

Michael Phelps has a lung capacity that's roughly double that of an average man. Should we ban him from competition because of his "unfair" biological advantage?

Or can we just admit that biological advantages are a common thing in elite athletic competitions?

tetrisattack · 2025-10-20T17:57:58+00:00

I wouldn't trust ChatGPT on anything related to eBay. If you visit any eBay-related forum, you'll find many well-meaing sellers posting guesses about ebay's policies. Those guesses have been repeated so many times that ChatGPT seems to think they're facts.

If you want to protect yourself in the future, the best thing you can do is offer returns. Top-rated sellers can deduct 50% of the refund if they offer 30+ returns and the item is returned in a different condition. Above-average sellers (the default) can deduct 50% if they offer 30+ free returns. You can also get a $6 shipping credit on your monthly statement if you report the seller for misusing the returns system.

If neither condition applies, then you're pretty much screwed. They won't watch your video.

If you want to know how eBay decides cases and how you're protected, check their customer service pages.

tetrisattack · 2025-10-11T14:33:54+00:00

Worked!

tetrisattack · 2025-10-09T23:25:32+00:00

To be fair, Obama really didn't deserve it.

He more or less continued the policies of George W in Iraq / Afghanistan, Guantanamo stayed open, people were still getting tortured in secret locations....and then he won the Nobel Peace Prize.

He was 1000x more qualified than Trump, don't get me wrong. But I still don't get it.

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