Does Anyone Else do This?

[Rosie]

I'm officially some kind of ebay nut. I'm planning on bidding on these gorgeous gloves I've seen and and usually when I REALLY want someting, I check up on my fellow bidders, look at their past auctions to see what it is they've bought and how much they've paid for their items to try and size them up. I ran into this one bidder who hasn't bought anything but vintage gloves and, she's paid a pretty hefty price for them in the past. (She's going to be competition for me with these). So it got me to thinking, who else does this, or am I really just that nutty?

 

[Marc Chevalier]

I do it all the time. The research lets me know in advance whether I'm going to lose the auction.

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[LizzieMaine]

Nah, you're not nutty -- you're a smart shopper, that's all. I do the same thing, especially if I'm getting outbid a lot. It's a good way to get a realistic idea of what kind of prices certain items will bring, and how much you're going to have to be willing to bid to come out ahead.

The frustrating part, of course, is learning that there are a lot of people out there with more money than sense....

 

[J. M. Stovall]

I do that too. What really drives me nuts is when someone bids too early on something and has a zero rating. I'm always suspicious that it's one of the sellers friends helping him out.

 

[Andykev]

I do too.

That is how you win, by doing your homeowrk. Ebay deliberately lets you check what someone had done in the past to gauge their savy, price threshold, and what they are interested in.

You are a smart shopper.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Also, smart shoppers snipe. Sniping leaves less of a bidding pattern for others to read. All anyone can know is that so-and-so always bids within the last few seconds of auctions. Bidding wars? What are those?

Do your homework, decide in advance your highest bid, and make that bid at the last moment.

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[J. M. Stovall]

Also, smart shoppers snipe. Sniping leaves less of a bidding pattern for others to read. All anyone can know is that so-and-so always bids within the last few seconds of auctions. Bidding wars? What are those?

Do your homework, decide in advance your highest bid, and make that bid at the last moment.

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Marc, shhhh!

 

[Baron Kurtz]

I'm another one ...

... who does this. Mostly i'm bidding against the same people, so i know them by now (all but one in Japan for small vintage clothes). I have about 50/50 success rate when bidding against those guys.

bk

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Marc, shhhh!

(Don't tell anyone I told him, okay?)

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[Baron Kurtz]

Do your homework, decide in advance your highest bid, and make that bid at the last moment.

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yep, that's the way to do it!

More and more people seem to be learning this, too.

bk

 

[Pilgrim]

You bet. Check out the competition and you have a better idea what their behavior may be.

 

[Caledonia]

I did too till I quit ebaying. No point in wasting the early hours of the morning and get beat, or get hammered on price and find out, sshusshh, dare I say it, they may have been pushing the price up themselves. Anybody had this?...You bid till you're at your limit and you're the only one left, and the bid is a tad past what you think it's worth (ok, more than a tad). You pull out, and, what a shocker, the seller contacts you independently to say the winner pulled out and do you want it at your last bid? Glad to say I spotted that one and never bought:eusa_clap. And it happened more than once. I love the concept of ebay, I really do, but you have got to know your market.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

No point in wasting the early hours of the morning and get beat ... and the bid is a tad past what you think it's worth.

There are solutions to both situations. I won't give away the first one this time (although I have in the past -- feel free to do an FL search, if you wish). As for the second one, just don't bid past what you think it's worth. If you're well-informed, there's no excuse for you to do so.

Sorry to sound rough, but I see things from both the buyer's AND the seller's point of view. And yes, as a seller, I really have had winning bidders back out on paying for my auctions. About 5% of my auctions have ended up this way. Caledonia, you shouldn't presume that those sellers were trying to rip you off.

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[magneto]

No, it's not just you Sometimes I look at a person's buying history and think "Oh gosh, they have such terrible taste, I can't possibly let them win this!"

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Ebay intelligence.

That's all it really is. Why not arm yourself with as much knowledge as you can if you are seriously interested in an item for your collections?
I find it's also a good idea to check the seller's purchases, if any, as far back as I can. This way, if a seller is re-selling an item that they originally bought on ebay, I can get a better grasp as to what I may be willing to pay.
I once almost payed $300 for a size 44 army officer's tunic, WW2 vintage. Missed it by a few bucks,....luckily. I checked the seller's history and sure enough, he had purchased that same item for $125 in a "buy it now"!

 

[RedPop4]

I know my limits, and if it's past my limits I won't buy, so no reason to scout.
I rarely buy, and if I do, my connection, wireless router and computer are fast enough that I can snipe. If the auction is already past my threshold, then I won't snipe.

If like many things that sit and then jump in the last couple hours, they'll likely go past my limits anyway, so no problem. There'll be other items.