The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

We should all take lessons from this lister. I have been watching his listings for quite a while and he always, I repeat always gets nearly twice what the item is worth.

Excellent pic's and writeup but nothing special.

Here is his lastest. Standard X2 going over a grand.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1906-Standard-X ... 2c63303f7c

Blizz

Holy [crap]

Am I missing something.

In my mind this machine isn't worth a penny over $600.00 but it has been bid over
$1500.00.

What am I missing????

fmblizz

Firebottles obviously understands good common sense marketing. By contrast, how often do we see dark, blurred pictures of machines sold by others and say "yep, I think that's a phonograph alright"? Poor pictures and vague descriptions may cause the prospective buyer to wonder what defects are being hidden. Who would bid top price on doubts? Firebottles displays lots of pictures that are large, well-lit, sharp, focused and well-composed showing the various angles and details a buyer would want to see. His descriptions are a quite lengthy, but that is preferable to too scant.

A friend of mine bought a Pathé Elf disk phonograph from Firebottles and was completely satisfied with the factual description (the machine was very nice, but not perfect) and the good packing. I saw and played it and was equally impressed.

VintageTechnologies wrote:Firebottles obviously understands good common sense marketing. By contrast, how often do we see dark, blurred pictures of machines sold by others and say "yep, I think that's a phonograph alright"? Poor pictures and vague descriptions may cause the prospective buyer to wonder what defects are being hidden. Who would bid top price on doubts? Firebottles displays lots of pictures that are large, well-lit, sharp, focused and well-composed showing the various angles and details a buyer would want to see. His descriptions are a quite lengthy, but that is preferable to too scant.

A friend of mine bought a Pathé Elf disk phonograph from Firebottles and was completely satisfied with the factual description (the machine was very nice, but not perfect) and the good packing. I saw and played it and was equally impressed.

That's all well and good, but it wouldn't make me want to pay way more than a machine is worth.

bbphonoguy wrote:

VintageTechnologies wrote:Firebottles obviously understands good common sense marketing. By contrast, how often do we see dark, blurred pictures of machines sold by others and say "yep, I think that's a phonograph alright"? Poor pictures and vague descriptions may cause the prospective buyer to wonder what defects are being hidden. Who would bid top price on doubts? Firebottles displays lots of pictures that are large, well-lit, sharp, focused and well-composed showing the various angles and details a buyer would want to see. His descriptions are a quite lengthy, but that is preferable to too scant.

A friend of mine bought a Pathé Elf disk phonograph from Firebottles and was completely satisfied with the factual description (the machine was very nice, but not perfect) and the good packing. I saw and played it and was equally impressed.

That's all well and good, but it wouldn't make me want to pay way more than a machine is worth.

Or me either, but obviously some people will. Some people may find it more convenienct or economical to shop from home rather trekking across the country to a Union or Wayne phonograph show where prices ought to be more competitive. If I go to Union, I have spent a thousand dollars to get there before walking in the door. Some people have more money than time. Pouring through the doors Saturday morning at a Union show looking for that special machine before someone else grabs it is like a calf scramble; maybe some people don't want to deal with that. Different stokes for different folks.

Looks to me like the machine finishes are resprayed and buffed down but not refinished. All of the sellers machines have the same exact uniform finish and luster on them! Of the hundreds of Edison's that I have had in my life, I can tell that even Edison didn't have that good of quality control! They really look nice! If not, he has found a porthole back to the turn of the century!

Prices aside - and they are way, way out of my range - those are model ads.

I always try to shoot my Ebay phonos in the best, most revealing light, including the flaws. People seem to respond in a positive light and I have been able to get solid prices for items, but never that high!

"firebottles," in person, is a good fellow. I've met him at shows, and I can't say anything bad about him. He is an enthusiastic phonograph guy. He is definitely doing something right. I haven't figured out what, per se. I may very well have been the one that started the trend of good pictures and lengthy descriptions mottled with long-winded word-ology and purple prose...back on eBay in 1998. As as result I have had my share of "home runs" and "strike outs." We all have on eBay. I think that he caters to the 1st-time buyer. It is important to create a sense of trust with potential buyers. 1st time buyers like lots of information. Its like buying a car you don't know anything about. You read everything you can about it. Build credibility. When that is built, the "buy button" is ready to be pushed at nearly any cost. I wish him the best. But, I would like to hear from more of his buyers. What makes "firebottles" buyers tick?

-MM

He sells a lot af machines, radios, etc. that you don't come across very often, and his items are in near mint condition and very well cared for. He notes every little flaw and takes fantastic photographs. No one packs better than him either. I bought a phonograph from him and it is one of the best looking machines currently in my collection. You pay for what you get, even though I still prefer buying a diamond in the rough and spending my own time restoring it. That's really what collecting is all about - the hunt and the fix.