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ebay bidding technique

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<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]....the real problem with Ebay....is no real competition.[/QUOTE]
Every bidder competes with every other bidder...I've been to too many auctions to get real upset because somebody puts in a bid that I know is higher than what I was willing to pay - unless he knows me & knows I want the item & bids it out from under me.
 
tony barnhill said:
Scott - thus is the nature of auctions everywhere, on the internet & in person....I've won many that way, lost some also.
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Well, I don't know how it's supposed to work, but I know empirically that you will win a lot more auctions at the price you want to pay by sniping than by bidding early. I used to be confused (not angered, just confused) by people constantly beating me out on ebay auctions by paying more than I thought items were worth. As soon as I started using sniping software instead of bidding directly, my percentage of auctions won (while still using 'choose my max price and bid once' behavior) skyrocketed.

(I use the free jbidwatcher software to snipe, don't know why people pay to use sniping tools...)
 
Just to add another note to the whole discussion, I would rather sit and watch an item without bidding on it to guage how desired by others it is. If the bidding is very spirited then there is probably too much interest in it and it will go for more than I am willing to part with for it. If bidding cools down and I still feel it is a good buy, I will try a last minute bid! If I win, all well and good, if I lose I just keep watching for similar deals! E-Bay has a fickle lot of bidders! As I said, I got a smooth-case tranny (in VG condition too!) for $.99 and the very next week one just like it went for over $250.00! Go figure /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/crazyeyes.gif
 
BOXoROCKS said:
If after a few days if I get no action, BLAM....auction over.
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Makes me wonder why you don't set a minimum price that you want to sell the item for? Any bids above that are icing on the cake. It must be a bit of hassle and cost to set up ebay auctions so to pull them prematurely would be counterproductive.
 
I was doing that,...then I read some sage advice(BCF maybe?) telling me I would never get any bids doing it that way. So now I start the bidding low and wait......and wait....
As far as snipers,as I said, I rarely buy, but I still dont like them,even though I am selling. All's fair in love and war they say,...but it doesn't mean I have to like them. I think I will put in some clause in one of my auctions that I won't honor a sniped auction. Can I do that??.....Which is a retorical question, caues I'll do any D*#m thing I want,if it fits my definition of fair play.
As you may have guessed, I don't much care for people when it comes to money. Their worst traits seem to surface.John, the answer is..yes it is costly doing it my way. The gentleman in the sport of gentlemen,has no place on ebay.
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]...a sniped auction[/QUOTE]
how do you define that? Maybe the guy was out of country & didn't have computer access & just got back to his computer in time to bid within the last few minutes of an auction.
 
BOXoROCKS said:
I was doing that,...then I read some sage advice(BCF maybe?) telling me I would never get any bids doing it that way. So now I start the bidding low and wait......and wait....
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It appears that a lot of people list their minimum sale price when they set up an auction. I know I do. Or they set up a 'reserve' price but I never understood that .. why have people bid bid bid to find out what the reserve is? Just start with the 'reserve' price in the first place. Anyway, I won't bother selling anything on ebay anymore unless it's an item worth more than $100. It's just not worth the effort to deal with the questions/shipping/hassle.
 
We have bought and sold over 300 items on E-bay. As far as selling...We decide how much we can let it go for, start the bid as low as possible ($1) set a reserve and wait. Its weird...same item goes once for $50 one time and another time for $5. We use the same ad, new pics and things still sell for whatever? There's no way to know. I figure e-bay is like a garage sale...I sell things to get rid of them not to make a living...clean out the garage...sell a few leftover parts, feel better than throwing it out. I've had several surprises.

As far as buying. I know what the parts go for new. I decide what its worth. I wait until the last few seconds enter what I am willing to pay and usually get it (for actually less than my bid)
Why do I wait? (snipe)
Well, let's say its a parts car going for $50...I know its worth $200 to me. If I enter $200 a day or two before..there are people (newbies?) who will sit and "pick at" my bid, sending it up...often $50-60 or even $100. Maybe not enough to outbid me but still..you see it all the time 6-7 bids in $10 increments. If I wait until the last, put what I'm willing to pay, the auction ends and I win the car for $50 or I don't if I get outbid at the last second. (However, I usually win :smile:)
 
Auction Stealer works very well. Download for free.
 
PAUL161 said:
Auction Stealer works very well. Download for free.
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Meh. It's an online service, so there are privacy issues. Also it's crippled unless you pay. I'm still confused why people use and pay for online bidding services when free (really free, open source, not crippled or ad supported) local clients are available.
 
....Tony,...I'm workin on it. Maybe say no new bidders in the last hour of an auction. Something to that effect.
Sure it may cut the profit a few bucks, who cares. People who cut in line tick me off. If somebody was out of the country????? he has missed more than just an auction. Don't people who can afford to be out of the country have laptops?

John...I hear ya, and agree.

What we haven't touched on here is people who's idea of fun is to harrasse your auctions. Honest questions are fine, deliberate harrasement is a whole nother matter.
 
BOXoROCKS said:
What we haven't touched on here is people who's idea of fun is to harrasse your auctions. Honest questions are fine, deliberate harrasement is a whole nother matter.
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I always wonder if, when I see an auction for a part that is clearly not what it's described to be, whether I should politely tell the seller or not. I've done it on occasion and sometimes get a sincere thanks from the seller and a correction in the auction description, and other times I get "stop harassing me".
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]Don't people who can afford to be out of the country have laptops?[/QUOTE]
Yep - but access is something else! I've found Europe isn't as internet 'friendly' as the Far East...this past summer, I went days without being able to find an internet access unless I found one of the many internet cafes that seem always to be owned by citizens of the Middle East!

Korea & other Far East locations, however, are like here in the States or better when it comes to internet access.
 
terriphill said:
We have bought and sold over 300 items on E-bay. As far as selling...We decide how much we can let it go for, start the bid as low as possible ($1) set a reserve and wait. Its weird...same item goes once for $50 one time and another time for $5. We use the same ad, new pics and things still sell for whatever? There's no way to know. I figure e-bay is like a garage sale...I sell things to get rid of them not to make a living...clean out the garage...sell a few leftover parts, feel better than throwing it out. I've had several surprises.

As far as buying. I know what the parts go for new. I decide what its worth. I wait until the last few seconds enter what I am willing to pay and usually get it (for actually less than my bid)
Why do I wait? (snipe)
Well, let's say its a parts car going for $50...I know its worth $200 to me. If I enter $200 a day or two before..there are people (newbies?) who will sit and "pick at" my bid, sending it up...often $50-60 or even $100. Maybe not enough to outbid me but still..you see it all the time 6-7 bids in $10 increments. If I wait until the last, put what I'm willing to pay, the auction ends and I win the car for $50 or I don't if I get outbid at the last second. (However, I usually win :smile:)
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That's it in a nutshell!! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/thumbsup.gif
 
Nothing wrong with that!!
 
BOXoROCKS said:
Sure it may cut the profit a few bucks, who cares.
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Buyers do, obviously, else there wouldn't be sniping.

Some character here in the UK was selling a Midget and kept cancelling the auction early when the bids didn't go high enough to suit them. I guess he was too cheap to pay for a reserve auction.

I stopped watching, and he ended up with fewer bids even at the lower prices.

Shot himself in the foot: driving off interested bidders.
 
BOXoROCKS said:
James,...buyers care if I make less profit? There is hope for humanity.
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You mis-understand: they do care, for its their money before it gets to become your money... those rascals WANT to pay you less.

Less hope for humanity? /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/devilgrin.gif
 
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