Do you have a strategy on ebay????

[blacklagoon]

I remember finding an original irvin flying jacket on ebay,in average condition,about 10 minutes before the auction ended.I had £450.00 to spare,so i checked my bank account,went back,and with a few minutes to spare,decided i could bid £500.00 for it ( i was despreate for one,as my grandfather flew lancasters over germany during the war,and i have always dreamt of having one ).I could not believe it when my huge bid of £500.00 failed to win it.It sold for about £200 - £250.00.
To me personally,the jacket was a memory of my grandfather and my childhood,so i was willing to pay £500.00 for it.since then,watching how EVERY irvin jacket seems to sell for higher prices,it makes me wonder if buyers simple put an astronomical amount as their secret highest bid,just to ensure no one else dare try and beat it ( even if they don't actually have that amount of money in their bank account ).I personally only put an amount i actually have in my account.to my mind,if people really are putting astronomically high secret bid prices on item,such as irvin jackets,then that could account for the sudden price hikes of items.people will assume,realistically,that they really do need £700.00 - £1000.00 to own an irvin jacket.I think it is a seriously sad situation,as i really believe it goes on a lot more than is believed.It also influences people to sell items along those price lines,as a buy it now price of from £450.00 - £1000.00 ( as i have seen some irvin jackets sold for ).

 

[Dr Doran]

I use auctionsniper.com. I do not disagree that there are some morally dubious aspects to it, though. I figure that the reality is, I cannot be on the internet at the last moment all the time; plus, my home connexion speed is horrifically slow. I lost a fabulous Hugo Boss DB, brown with PINK pinstripes that I desperately wanted and would have paid 130 for, and it went for 77 dollars because my connexion at home was too slow. After that (and I still don't have a brown pinstripe DB) I figured what the hell, I'll use an automatic service like auctionsniper.

 

[Tango Yankee]

I once stumbled on a technique by accident. It was for an item I was prepared to pay around 30€ for, which was set to open at 1€. Now I usually type in a bid ending two places after the comma to confuse snipers (like 30.73€).

But because of a misplaced decimal separator I had bid 307.x€ on that item, so other bidders got notified that their maximum bid was not high enough all the time and I got the item for 1€... I hadn't paid any attention to the confirmation mails so I wasn't aware of the ridiculous bid I made until the auction was over

Interesting. My impression of how eBay worked (at least, the original eBay.com--it could be different for the other country-specific eBays) is different. I suppose I could be mistaken, but my understanding is this: If I see something that I want and it has a low starting bid of, say, $5, I can put in my maximum bid of, say, $300. It then puts in my bid at $5. Then Joe Gottahaveit sees it, and puts in a bid of $10. eBay then automatically puts in a bid for me at $10.50. Joe decides he really wants it, and starts hunting for my max bid by putting in higher and higher bids, each one then trumped by and automatic bid on my behalf. This goes on until Joe decides he really doesn't want it that badly after all, or until Joe bids higher than my max bid. This is what drives up the prices. It sounds as though your experience is that eBay said to the other would-be buyers, in effect, to not bother even trying and then does not enter the new bid which keeps bidding from even happening.

This is also why I agree on the suggestions of deciding what your absolute highest price will be, then bidding it--except I use a sniper 99.9% of the time. Using a sniper is a fire-and-forget sort of thing. I can put in my max amount, then walk away. That keeps me from getting caught up in the excitement and over-bidding. It also keeps others from pushing up the item's final price by making incremental bids trying to find out what my maximum bid is.

Using a sniper tool is no more morally or ethically wrong than using a pipe to extend a wrench handle to gain additional leverage when trying to break free a rusted nut. It may be called a "cheater bar" but it's still just a tool that makes a job easier.

Cheers,
Tom

 

[SamMarlowPI]

i win every time...and i'm not telling

 

[Edward]

When I first started using eBay, I considered sniping tools to be underhand. Later on (after losing out on many auctions at the last minute to snipers), I decided that I would get involved in it myself. hy place myself at a disadvantage in that way - after all, what really is the difference between mechanically sniping, and doing it yourself by being there when an auction ends? The auction is open for bids right up until the closing time, any highest bid until then is valid. So I do use sniping, albeit rarely, just when I particularly want soething. sometimes I'm still outbid. It is annoying to lose by a dollar on something i really wanted, but then obiviously someone else was just preapred to pay more - which might have been much, much more than what they actually did end up paying.

I try not to bid until the last few hours on any auction, as frequently it does just serve to push up the price.

 

[Dr Doran]

When I first started using eBay, I considered sniping tools to be underhand.

Same here.

Later on (after losing out on many auctions at the last minute to snipers), I decided that I would get involved in it myself. Why place myself at a disadvantage in that way - after all, what really is the difference between mechanically sniping, and doing it yourself by being there when an auction ends?

My thoughts too.

The auction is open for bids right up until the closing time, any highest bid until then is valid. So I do use sniping, albeit rarely, just when I particularly want soething. sometimes I'm still outbid. It is annoying to lose by a dollar on something i really wanted, but then obiviously someone else was just preapred to pay more - which might have been much, much more than what they actually did end up paying.

I try not to bid until the last few hours on any auction, as frequently it does just serve to push up the price.

Exactly.

 

[GWD]

I refuse to snipe. I find it unsportsmanlike, and avoid it unless I'm bidding against someone who has won by sniping in the past, or I'm really annoyed.

Although going through the list of other bidders past buys and contemplating blackmail if they have bought a gimp suit is rather entertaining...

There is nothing unsportsmanlike about sniping. If I beat somebody in the last seconds of the auction that person obviously wasn't willing to pay more than I was. I guess it's psychological but I feel I have more control when I bid in the last seconds of an auction.

Sniping is something you Brits perfected in WW2, I would think you'd have a more positive view of the practice.

 

[KittyT]

1. always use a sniper
2. figure out the max you're willing to pay, and then add some to make sure it's an odd amount. For example, if you're willing to pay $45, instead bid $45.51. If you choose a round amount, you risk putting in the same max amount as someone else. I can't tell you how many auctions I've won by some silly amount like $0.13.

 

[Dr Doran]

Sniping is something you Brits perfected in WW2, I would think you'd have a more positive view of the practice.

Now now [shakes index finger]. Play nice.

 

[DeaconKC]

I don't bother with the sniping aspect. I know what I am willing to pay and that is what I bid. I do like the suggestion of the odd cents, thank you!
This one just got here today!

 

[deadpandiva]

Is losing a strategy?

 

[pennycarrol]

Is losing a strategy?

lol!!!! I lose a lot too!! So, most of the time when it's not too expensive I use the "Buy it now"!! [huh]

 

[MJrules]

I lose a lot, too. There's only a handful of smaller sizes available so other bidders are willing to go high for what little is available. Toward the end of the auction I just determine my max bid plus a couple extra dollars and some odd cents, then walk away.

But what worries me is when I see something perfect that hasn't been bid on, even up to a few hours before. I get paranoid and think all the experts out there smell a fake/unworthy item and if I bid and win, I'll be stuck with crap. Know what I mean? Right now there's a pair of reptile peeptoes in great condition in a popular size and I'm tempted to bid but I'm thinking everyone knows something that I don't.

 

[Dr Doran]

I lose a lot, too. There's only a handful of smaller sizes available so other bidders are willing to go high for what little is available. Toward the end of the auction I just determine my max bid plus a couple extra dollars and some odd cents, then walk away.

But what worries me is when I see something perfect that hasn't been bid on, even up to a few hours before. I get paranoid and think all the experts out there smell a fake/unworthy item and if I bid and win, I'll be stuck with crap. Know what I mean? Right now there's a pair of reptile peeptoes in great condition in a popular size and I'm tempted to bid but I'm thinking everyone knows something that I don't.

My good Lounger, PLENTY of superb stuff just happens to go unnoticed. Plenty. I have found marvelous things for a pittance and the Lounge is full of tales of people who have gotten e.g. a fedora for cheap on the Bay.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

I bid in the last 10 seconds. I win about 50% of stuff i bid on.

Doran is correct. There is so much good stuff goes unbid or for a pittance. Particularly listings where the age of a garment hasn't been specifically stated. Without this "look at me, i'm from the 1940s", many seem unable to recognise the true vintage of a garment.

bk

 

[Micawber]

I usually bid in the last few seconds too, either by an automatic sniper or manually. I agree with BK, you need to know what you are looking at rather than rely on sellers description. I would say that many bargains are to be found from private sellers who don't really know what they have and who list items to end in off peak periods.

 

[SarahLouise]

I do use a sniping program but it's mainly because I buy 99% of my vintage items from the US. Due to the time difference there's just no way I'm going to wait up until 4am to bid on something! When I don't use a sniper I bid in the last few seconds as I see no point in bidding before that as the price just goes higher and higher. I've never understood why people keep bidding against each other when there is still 6 days to go! It makes no sense to me.

I do lose out sometimes, not terribly often I'll admit - because of the exchange rate it seems like I'm willing to pay a lot more than the US bidders. I can usually tell if I'm going to lose out on an item as it will most likely have lots of bids already or is a particularly rare or stunning piece.

 

[pablocham]

If I find something that is mislisted or poorly listed/described, I will bid a small amount early because it prevents the seller from revising the description. The other thing it does is make it unlikely that another bidder will win the item with a lowball buy it now offer.

Then, I will bid what I am actually willing to pay for the item at the last minute either manually or using a snipe program.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

^^^

That sounds like a good strategy i might adopt. I had a paranoid moment a while back when i kept getting outbid by the same buyer. I thought i had a hint that he was looking at my profile to see what i was bidding on (i hate that feature of ebay) and thereby finding the things i thought were badly listed etc. and bidding against me. So i moved to the late bid only strategy.

bk

 

[Retro Rob]

Rule #1 for me is don't get caught up in a bidding war just for the sake of winning, if I really need it I bid high early. Because of my career (Civil War photography) all my equipment is off ebay. I cant order my stuff from Best Buy, I decide what its worth, and what it will do for me, thats how I determine the value. On non job related items, I always have a figure I will go up to, and don't watch the auction.