Quiet Markets

[artifice]

Hi Have you like me noticed a big downturn on items bid on on ebays Murano site it has been very noticeable over last month,also forums including here have gone quiet,people holding onto pennies or waining interest I am glad I dont depend on ebay sales as the downturn is marked.,ebays Murano auction site is steadily turning into retail site and last resting place for all manor of glass oddities not remotley akin to Murano.All this sounds negative however interest in the better Murano items will rise again it is nearing the bottom of the trough,time to buy smart, store and wait till confidence returns ,this is a personal view and any comments are welcome ,in the coming years those that want Murano will want certainty in what they buy so labels signatures are the order of day when buying for future resale .Cliff

[fossilfly]

I agree. I think the forums have been slow since there has been a bunch of downtime and flakiness over the past 2 weeks, frustrating users. However, the site is its new home, so no more planned disruptions!

[tam bam]

On Ebay in the U.S., I have noticed that some sellers want too much money for what they have considering the way the economy is right now. Some of the glass is not even marked or if it is then it is not good quality and the seller may want hundreds of dollars for it. Sorry I am not going to pay hundreds on a piece that I am not sure of. Plus Ebay is swamped with glass that is attributed to the wrong maker or the seller may say the glass is made by a number of Murano firms (for example Venini, Seguso, Barbini) all on one item so that when someone does a search the chances of their item will be viewed by potential buyers is greater. This is just plain wrong in my eyes. If you do not know just say so.:mad:

I saw a substantial Seguso necklace a couple of weeks ago that was made for Chanel and I believe there were 54 bids on it but the seller ended up selling it for under $200.00. When I first saw this necklace a couple of years ago the auction went up for over a $1000.00. I thought under $200 was pretty low considering who made it and with all the diamonds in the necklace. I should have bid because that was a heck of deal, but I seriously thought the bids were going to go sky high even in a tough economy. :rolleyes:

Here is a similar necklace. The seller has the date WRONG and I am skeptical of the Antonio Seguso attribution but then again I could be wrong.

http://www.nightingaleantiques.com/costumejewelry/cj_sold/12185.html


tam bam

[TxSilver]

Cliff, I can speak as a seller that things are very tough right now. This affects eBay and other auction houses a lot because merchants depend on these potential-wholesale venue for their inventories.

Speaking as a buyer and a seller on eBay, there are a whole range of characters there now. Some are asking ridiculous prices. For example, there is a common Fratelli Toso millefiori paperweight listed for $799. I love these listings because I enjoy a good laugh. I think the sadder ones, though, are the listings selling a beautiful piece with an opening bid of $9, I'm sure hoping for better. There are no bids until the last minute and it ends up going for $9. There is a snipe strategy going on that programs are being used to offer opening bid only. Even if 20 people bid, if they all offer $9, that will be the price.

There is a bit of a loss of balance right now. Buyers want things at a price lower than sellers can afford. And many sellers are not responding very well to the depressed market. I don't know if things will pick up again, but I know some of us will always have Murano on our shelves. Many people buy glass as a fad. I bet that the people who are more serious have better glass!

I could write a book. Maybe we can hear from a couple of more sellers.

[artifice]

Hi Anita good points made the market has become very quiet ,just as some sellers are asking overtop prices for not rare items, some ebay sellers will have to think long & hard about item mark ups for instance a Carlo Moretti bottle/perfume signed on sale for over year started at £129 now down to £85
on German & U.K ebay still not sold .I have 2 and would not think to get more than£50 each in fact thats where I see value of them ,like Fratelli Toso weights £30-40 is where I see them unless its something special you say you saw one for $799 sure that was not for a dozen.The Murano market has become unbalanced as with all markets as buyers decrease prices have to come down or a stagnant market results.In future an upswing will occur through some trend or fad for glass as I said in original post buying opportunities are there for those willing to wait for upturn.Cliff

[TxSilver]

The glass market can be treacherous. I thought of Lalique this afternoon when I first read your message. The prices on Lalique are good at the present time, but some familiarity with the history of their prices make many cautious. Prices can swing unexpectedly, so high prices make me cautious. One has to ask if they can afford to hold the pieces if the market should turn down.

I mention this because I think the best thing sellers can do right now is to pack away their best things until the market returns. I see glass worth hundreds being sold for tens right now. Continuing to do it will keep the market depressed, IMO. If people get used to paying lower, they will want to keep it up.

It is easy to look to the sellers to lower prices, but in reality it is not a good strategy to buy something for $100 and sell it for $50. That would be like paying an employer to work for them. :) People who depend on the money from the glass have to be able to make a reasonable profit. This is what keeps them going to estate sales and online auctions.

I have to say that many of the eBay prices right now are lower than the estate sale and auction prices, particularly when buyer's premium and other expenses are considered. We've lost many of the serious Murano sales people on eBay because they cannot afford to lose too much money. They will probably be back when the market turns around.

One word about eBay right now is to be careful when buying. There are fewer professional glass people and more garage sale grabbers. I would buy only pieces that have good pictures or are sold by someone I trust.