I see interest is back in my crazy auction, but I think I should clarify a couple of things.

I chose to donate to the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) for several reasons. Number one, it was founded because of Sir Elton's relationship with Ryan White who, like my husband Anthony, died of AIDS because of being injected with HIV-tainted anti-hemophilic factor VIII. Number two, the foundation doesn't do research, but instead is focused on helping people with AIDS directly. (I don't have anything against research, I just think there is a lot more money donated for that than directly helping people.) Number three, Elton John is FAMOUS and I had hoped that donating half the money to his foundation would make getting publicity for the auction easier. (I don't know if this is true yet, I'm cranking up my "publicity machine" today--which means writing my own press release and finding media outlets to send it to--not very sophisticated, but it's all I have.) Finally, I had hoped the EJAF would help me in getting the word out to high profile donors and take my auction beyond the Transformers community--which would make it more likely that the toys end up in a museum rather than in another private collection--but, unfortunately for me, they are not equipped to do so as they maintain almost no regular staff to keep overhead low.

As to your guessing about the reserve, a couple of posts to this board guessed correctly. The highest bid on the first auction was $50,000, but since that bid was made on the second day AND the auction did not get to reach its rightful conclusion AND I'm now donating half the money to EJAF, I set the reserve to reflect that. I don't want to come out and say exactly what it is, but the actual reserve figure appears somewhere in my listing and, as I said, in several of these posts. (HINT: look for the figure that is obviously above today's $71,100 bid that makes me seem the least GREEDY and you'll have it.)

I also want to address another post that talked (again) about how awful it is for me to be selling my husband's "memories." I could sell everything I own on ebay and memories of my twenty-one years with Anthony will never be erased; people's homes burn down every day and they have to deal with that fact. Stuff is just stuff, but I pray to God that I am given the gift of my memories to the day I die because a disease like Alzheimer's would be the only way my memories could be taken away.

I hope every one of you on this board realizes that while your toy collections bring their own brand of joy and happiness into your lives, ultimate joy and happiness is found in the love of another person. May you all be as lucky as Anthony and me to find that, and realize that in comparison, the toys are meaningless.

Now feel free to go trash me some more.

Have a Transformers kind of day,

Phoenix

The new auction is at:
[EBAY]230154823371[/EBAY]

 

I think the problem here is that the "publicity machine" isn't working, and in fact, it may be hurting you with false bidders. How do you know the people bidding now aren't a bunch of fakes like the last guy? This auction is probably attracting all sorts of fools who just like to fake bid.

If you REALLY want to maximize profits, you need to break this collection up. It sounds like you don't want to do that, but that's likely the way to make the most cash off of this. If I were you, I would forget about the publicity, and spend that time on the actual sales and smaller lots - helping charity is supposed to be #1, right? Sometimes charity takes a little work, it's not always about the easy route.

 

2nded. If charity is the real issue here, then you'll likely be able to earn a much more realstic and high dollar value if you sell these individually or in lots. I've stopped collecting, but even I can tell you - there are a lot of desirable pieces in that collection that, individually, may bid-war their way up to high prices.

The income from this collection could be progressively high over the course of a year. Trying to go the "one shot and it's done!" route is, in my opinion, poor planning.

 

I don't mean to be rude, but seriously your memories of collecting with your dead husband don't give your collection this magical aurora of specialness. Your Transformers are just toys, and by trying to make them appear more than what they actually are or will ever be makes you look both foolish and greedy. In all honesty there really isn't anything special about the collection other than its almost complete and you still have the boxes, but there have been tons of auctions over the years with collections even more complete and in better condition.

It seems more like you want your fifteen minutes of fame at the expense of your dead husband's memory rather than making the most amount money possible for charity, which you claim is a major goal of selling the collection. Again, not trying to be mean to you or poke fun at you, but you've set yourself has a target by making a spectacle of what sounded like a great relationship.

 

I agree 100% with people saying this collection needs to be broken up and sold in separate packages/lots.

I mean, this auction has made national news for crying out loud....I completely understand that you want to make the most money from this auction, more power to you..it is a nice collection..BUT,

1) This collection isnt worth 1 Million dollars

2) You have to look at what others have gotten for similiar pieces and access the value based on that...the object of EBay isnt to pay the MOST money for something in a "showmanship" kind of way, but rather get the best deal for the LEAST amount of money possible. Thats why somebody can win a bid simply having a bid $1 more than someone else.

3) I know there is a lot of price increases due to the movie out...ive seen signifigant increases right before and right after the movie, but my advice, as others have mentioned, is to TAKE YOUR TIME, and RESEARCH THE PRICES...not simply put a blanket value on something that nobody in the their right mind would pay for without a little research and seeing if, collectively, thats what they would get by buying the pieces separate. I dont know of too many TF fans with Millions of dollars to spare....the people who would spend that much on a toy would typically be doing it IMO, more for the charity than anything else, as opposed to hard nosed TF fan..who would know enough about TF to realize that a 1 million dollar asking price for this set isnt going to happen, nor is it worth that much.


I wish you the best on the auction, but realize that if it doesnt sell..and my believe is it wont at this price, is going to be due to the above mentioned reasons and what other board members have already stated.

 

Has it really gotten national press?

 

I'd say regional press, local TV stations and newspapers. It must have considering the increase in ebeg type auctions.

 

BRAV-FUCKIN-O!!!!! Exactly my thoughts.

I'm not knocking on you either, Phoenix, but this is a TF auction - nothing more. It's a ploy to draw unknowledgable collectors into bidding on an auction that's worth half of what you claim. I wonder how many other TF auctions have been listed over the years that had sentimental feelings with them? Several I bet...but they don't use that as a plea for sympathy and hope that it pays off in the end.

Attaching your dead husband's memory to it, attaching a charity to it, and trying to get press (IE: draw the unkowledgable bidder and get more money) only asks for the replies you are getting from this board. You can justify it all you want but, in the end, you look greedy and that's all there is to it.

I know you hope your collection ends up in a museum somewhere but, realisitcally, look at what you're selling? They aren't all in C-9 or C-10 condition, they have pricetags all over them, and most of them have been opened. How is that museum quality?

You just need to question yourself realistically with this. Your cause seems somehwat noble but it also casts a big shadow over your true intentions. I still wish you the best of luck but if you really want to get the most out of this consider selling individually. Otherwise I think you're going to be disappointed.

 

omg who has this kind of money to spend on toys? lol. This is crazy I wish I had that kind of money.

 

$89,100 is current price.

Phoenix, if your reading this, you need to cancel/block bidder 15s bids. Smells like a deadbeat. Less than 10 feedback and a rating of 75%.

 

anybody who pays over 25K for this lot is a moron, and using sob stories and famous charities to boost your sales is pathetic.

 

At $90k, they should all be MISB.

 

According to my calculations and personal preferences, the collection, although impressive, is worth about $40,000.00 to me.

I would love to have that Computron though.

 

Do you people think that the sale of this auction will increase G1 prices drastically?

Give me the Seacon giftset.

 

From being in the health care business for 16 years now, I can tell you this isnt true. There is too much money flowing into "awareness" and "treatment" then researching a CURE, which should be the ultimate goal.

Unfortunately, you are mistaking FAMOUS for IMPORTANT. Nowadays, a lot of people - like myself - ARE NOT donating to the charities with big names behind them and/or the charities that have let down there constituents time and time again like the Red Cross or United Way. I would much rather donate my money to my local charity DIRECTLY than to see pennies eventually trickle their way down to the needy through charities such as the one you're using.

What I'm trying to get at is....You are not Jay Leno and this is not "The Motorcycle". You're just an Average Jane and its a big collection of Transformers. You're hyping this as being something WAY more than it is and its bothering most of us, so don't try to guilt us with the "Feel free to trash me some more" BS. What's more is that you just don't get it. You want to feel important and make a difference with this collection? Then donate the proceeds LOCALLY and give it to the RIGHT PEOPLE, instead of making a damned Hollywood production out of it.

Or feel free to ignore all this and do something ultimately meaningless for the people around the United States that, like your husband, have died from a disease that might someday be curable.

 

isnt elton john seriously in debt? exploiting a disease to help her auction sell. well whatever works I guess. example: hey my grandfather(that none of you know) died in 2000 to cancer, wanna buy some tfs for about..lets see...a 2000% mark up and I'll take the loot and give some of it to a cancer reserch charity, so it makes you feel better that you paid an obscene amount of money for something that wasnt worth 1/100th of what you paid. you fucking suckers. anyways, thats how I read it.

 

I don't even want to think about a 2000% markup on an AFA-80 Bumblejumper.
I couldn't even afford that Gem at the normal price!! 

 

$95,099.49

Not counting artifact items, because they're trivial, average cost of the remaining 173 items. $549.

 

Have funny feeling that when this auction ends, we all are going to mess our pants.

 

her claim to fame will be exploiting cancer to sell toys on the internet.

Well, at least we know she's worthless.

 

It looks like a few people are just bidding to mess it up and drive the price higher. one of the high Bidders only has a 75% feedback with only 9 wins. As posted above. One is a newbie, but The person who is winning now really looks like he/she wants it. I think this auction going to end with some one who is not going to pay for this.

How pieces in her set are worth more than the average price of 550.00 dollars each?? that was posted above.