eBay - Sniping

[Steve_S]

[ QUOTE ]
I disagree. People tend to get caught up in "bid fever" and will bid more than they intended. If you start out high, they usually won't bid. If you don't make your reserve you don't have to give you iten away. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

That's basically what I think I said. Reserve price allows you to start the bidding low so you don't scare people away. Especially works on newbies.

 

[jlaird]

I like it best when the biding starts at 10.00 for 50 dollars worth of parts that are like new and I get em for 10.01. Now that's skill and cunning. Hehe.

And you would be susprised how often I get something like that. Just have to know what things are worth.

In fact this week I got a new rubber seal for 50 cents and the price of shipping 34 cents. Yep did not save a lot but was fun.

Also got two rear spring U bolts and some other rear spring parts I did not need for 10 bucks and shipping. Boy good deal, the bolts I needed and new ones are $20 each. Grand saveing on this auction about $35 plus a few parts to put away for when someone needs em.

 

[JamesWilson]

Given the time zone differences it isn't always possible to snipe; but I try to put a sensible maximum bid in- one that will beat the last-minute snipers unless they're willing to out bid, then it hardly matters. And making the bid and then ignoring it lets me avoid the bidding war syndrome....

Some you, win, some you lose but losing then isn't an ego issue...

 

[michalotti_tr]

My name is Raymond and I'm an eBay sniper ...

actually, I do snipe but I don't buy much on eBay - I snipe for the same reasons that others have mentioned here, to try and get something at a good price. I wait until 30 seconds before it ends and put the max i'm willing to bid for something. Sometimes I get it and sometimes I don't, but at least I don't overpay for something.

 

[tony barnhill]

I agree with the reason for reserves - I just don't agrree that reserves are a protected secret so all buyers have the same advantage...

 

[JamesWilson]

I suspect the reason some people are unwilling to reveal their reserves may be psychological.

Basically a reserve is saying I'll accept $X. Now if you'd been willing to enter a maximum bid of twice that much you might not be so eager to do so, knowing the vendor would accept so much less.

If there's steady bidding on an item that might push the price up past the reserve minimum and beyond.

But if bidding is light, and people want to wait to the last minute there may then be a case for hiding the reserve: put your bid in to reflect what its worth to you, not what you think I'll accept.

Rather than trying to use a fixed reserve as the guage of how much to bid the price is then wide open....

If you think an item is worth $5K and the reserve is only $500, would you, or how many other people would then be willing to bid the $5K?

As you say its no protection for the buyers, it a price signal from the vendors and not everyone is so inclined to tell you what they want and possibly prejuidice what might then be offered....

 

[coldplugs]

I don't get all hot and bothered about reserves or sniping on eBay. Generally if there's something I want I just enter whatever my max bid is right up front. If the seller has more than one of the item (e.g. An eBay store) then I just bid the opening bid and often get an offer to buy at that price after the auction closes (this is “eBay legal”).

If I get outbid, so be it. Getting sniped is just getting outbid at the last minute – it really doesn't mater when I “lose”. With so many people sniping these days I usually don't get the feeling I'm being “pecked at” by people mindlessly raising my proxy bid by bidding against me. I probably win 60-70% of the auctions where I really want something and 25% where I bid low in hopes of a bargain.

When I sell, I usually get more bids in the last few minutes than the first 6.9 days. With so many folks sniping I don't know if it offers any real advantage or lower prices any more.

Interesting stuff – probably a good thesis topic for someone.

 

[BoneIdle]

..and then there's that class of sniper who snipes to win an item only to turn around and try to sell it for more money in a new auction the next day.

A friend of mine used to do that. He'd won 40+ items by sniping and figured he'd make a tidy profit reselling. The problem was: the market for that particular item had cooled a bit, so he actually lost about 25% of his investment.

As far as I'm concerned, if I'm willing to spend 100.00 for an item and I place that as my maximum bid and someone snipes for 101.00 and wins, they're welcome to the item. If the most I want to put into an item is 100.00, I'm not going higher than that.

I've seen people on ebay snipe themselves into paying slightly above retail for items in a few cases - Now that's something to brag about! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devilgrin.gif

 

[jlaird]

Oh, haha, folks do that all the time, pay more than retail.

I just chortal to myself when that happens.

A fool and his money are soon parted.

 

[AngliaGT]

The one that gets me is when they put "No Reserve"
on an item,& they start the item out at $50.
To me,that $50 IS a reserve.

- Doug

 

[Keoke]

Thats generally true Steve, but in most close cases the winning bid will be just $1.00 higher than yours.???---Keoke- /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yesnod.gif