Does a comma really matter?

[Mongoose]

I have bought and sold many timeshares on eBay over the past 15 years and its amazing to me how little effort people often put into the Ad they develop. Many look like they were put together in 2 minutes with little thought. What I've found is you need to "Sell" the auction with an enticing description, good professional looking formatting and lots of pictures. I've found that its also important to set the start and finish times so that fall at an appropriate hour, typically 5-8PM PST and that I get a better price and more bids when I start with $1.

Now for the comma. I was bidding on two nearly identical auctions on ebay for a Worldmark. Both were for 6,000 credits and were fully loaded meaning they had 12,000 credits available and 6,000 more to borrow. Both had the same costs/transfer fees and both ended within 2 hours of each other. Both were properly setup under real estate and timeshares. One in its title described 6,000 credits. The other described 6000 credits. The one with 6000 credits had more watchers and 26 bids with a final purchase price of $1725. The one I won was described as having 6,000 credits and had fewer watchers and fewer bids with a final purchase price of $395. What was interesting is the later one was at $1200 when the first one was at $345. Lesson learned#1, something as simple as a comma can impact searches and cost/save you a lot of money. Lesson learned #2, don't get tunnel vision, when bidding on something, maintain awareness on what else it out there.

I've also saved a lot of money on ebay by looking for auctions that end at off hours such as late night or early in the morning. Often, most of the price and bidding activity occurs in the the last two hours, so picking auctions for similar items with strange end times can be beneficial. Finally, don't forget that comma!

 

[VacationForever]

I have bought and sold many timeshares on eBay over the past 15 years and its amazing to me how little effort people often put into the add they develop. Many look like they were put together in 2 minutes with little thought. What I've found is you need to "Sell" the auction with an enticing description, good professional looking formatting and lots of pictures. I've found that its also important to set the start and finish times so that fall at an appropriate hour, typically 5-8PM PST and that I get a better price and more bids when I start with $1.

Now for the comma. I was bidding on two nearly identical auctions on ebay for a Worldmark. Both were for 6,000 credits and were fully loaded meaning they had 12,000 credits available and 6,000 more to borrow. Both had the same costs/transfer fees and both ended within 2 hours of each other. Both were properly setup under real estate and timeshares. One in its title described 6,000 credits. The other described 6000 credits. The one with 6000 credits had more watchers and 26 bids with a final purchase price of $1725. The one I won was described as having 6,000 credits and had fewer watchers and fewer bids with a final purchase price of $395. Lesson learned, something as simple as a comma can cost/save you a lot of money. I've also saved a lot of money on ebay by looking for auctions that end at off hours such as late night or early in the morning. Often, most of the price and bidding activity occurs in the the last two hours, so picking auctions for similar items with strange end times can be beneficial.

Is it in the comma or does it have something to do with sellers' ratings?

 

[Passepartout]

Kinda like the difference between 'Eats shoots and leaves' and 'Eats, shoots and leaves'.

 

[RX8]

It matters to grandma.

"Time to eat, grandma."

"Time to eat grandma."

 

[Mongoose]

It matters to grandma.

"Time to eat, grandma."

"Time to eat grandma."

 

[DRIless]

If I were in the buying market, I'm not, $1725 ---> $395 is not a significant diference for the value you're getting. BUY BOTH and enjoy !

 

[Mongoose]

Is it in the comma or does it have something to do with sellers' ratings?

Good question. They both have 100% positive feedback. The one that was $1725 had 300+ sales. The one I bought had 200+ sales. I certainly wouldn't bid if they had bad feedback or no experience.

 

[LannyPC]

The Search function here on TUG led me to a few other threads that discussed the importance of properly placing commas.

https://tugbbs.com/forums/search/446480/?q=oxford+comma&o=date

In English often there is a discrepancy or difference between:

A) what is technically correct and
B) what is generally and commonly used, understood, and accepted.

I'm just wondering if there's going to be a very serious court case because of a contract where one party is arguing point A above while the other is arguing point B.

 

[montygz]

It's not just timeshares where sloppiness can result in bargains on ebay. There are users actively looking for such mistakes to grab deals on pretty much every product out there. I recall some search tools designed to help poorly spelled items.

I guess for some sellers, speed in listing as many items as possible, even if it results in a few costly errors, is worth it.

 

[VacationForever]

The other difference betweeen the 2 ads is that the first one (higher price) specifically stated that 2022 and 2023 credits are available. The 2nd ad mentioned fully loaded in the heading but no clarification in the description below. If the 2nd one has both 2022 and 2023 credits, it is an even better deal since it has an April anniversary month. On the other hand, if 2022 credits are not available, and only 2023 credits are available, it is marginally a better deal than the first. The second successful bidder pays $395 + $399 but it is still a better deal than the first.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Rick came in from the bathroom and I was laughing hysterically. He asked what was so funny, and I showed him Martha Stewart with the caption. He should have known I would be laughing at a meme with a grammar error.

I did read the book, "Eats Shoots and Leaves," and I was laughing throughout the entire book. Gave it to my son, who is also a grammar freak, and he laughed as well. I am such a nerd.

 

[easyrider]

I have bought and sold many timeshares on eBay over the past 15 years and its amazing to me how little effort people often put into the Ad they develop. Many look like they were put together in 2 minutes with little thought. What I've found is you need to "Sell" the auction with an enticing description, good professional looking formatting and lots of pictures. I've found that its also important to set the start and finish times so that fall at an appropriate hour, typically 5-8PM PST and that I get a better price and more bids when I start with $1.

Now for the comma. I was bidding on two nearly identical auctions on ebay for a Worldmark. Both were for 6,000 credits and were fully loaded meaning they had 12,000 credits available and 6,000 more to borrow. Both had the same costs/transfer fees and both ended within 2 hours of each other. Both were properly setup under real estate and timeshares. One in its title described 6,000 credits. The other described 6000 credits. The one with 6000 credits had more watchers and 26 bids with a final purchase price of $1725. The one I won was described as having 6,000 credits and had fewer watchers and fewer bids with a final purchase price of $395. What was interesting is the later one was at $1200 when the first one was at $345. Lesson learned#1, something as simple as a comma can impact searches and cost/save you a lot of money. Lesson learned #2, don't get tunnel vision, when bidding on something, maintain awareness on what else it out there.

I've also saved a lot of money on ebay by looking for auctions that end at off hours such as late night or early in the morning. Often, most of the price and bidding activity occurs in the the last two hours, so picking auctions for similar items with strange end times can be beneficial. Finally, don't forget that comma!

I use Gixen on all of my bids. Sometimes I win and when I do it's at the last second while paying very little.

Bill

 

[pedro47]

Yes! A comma does matter to The Commander in Chief, in our household.

 

[TheHolleys87]

The Search function here on TUG led me to a few other threads that discussed the importance of properly placing commas.

https://tugbbs.com/forums/search/446480/?q=oxford+comma&o=date

In English often there is a discrepancy or difference between:

A) what is technically correct and
B) what is generally and commonly used, understood, and accepted.

I'm just wondering if there's going to be a very serious court case because of a contract where one party is arguing point A above while the other is arguing point B.

There has been such a case: https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/09/us/dairy-drivers-oxford-comma-case-settlement-trnd.

If the link doesn’t work, just search for “Oxford comma court case.”

 

[LannyPC]

I did read the book, "Eats Shoots and Leaves," and I was laughing throughout the entire book. Gave it to my son, who is also a grammar freak, and he laughed as well. I am such a nerd.

Where can I find that book? Like your son, I too am a "grammar freak".

 

[Mongoose]

Where can I find that book? Like your son, I too am a "grammar freak".

Amazon

 

[rickandcindy23]

Where can I find that book? Like your son, I too am a "grammar freak".

I bought it on Amazon. I would bet you can get it on Kindle.

 

[AwayWeGo]

I've been a comma jockey all my life, including 34 years of civil service work.

I'd say commas are important -- and tricky sometimes.

Fortunately, professional help on the subject is available.

Check out the little book.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[amycurl]

They can pry my Oxford comma from my cold, dead hands.


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