Ebay Hats: Victories, Defeats, Gripes & Items of Interest

[rogerstg]

Perhaps I don't understand. It seems to me that if you put in the max you're willing to spend in eBay's interface, you can only be outbid, not sniped. I've lost auctions because my bid wasn't high enough, but never have I lost an auction because someone else somehow bid faster.

A

You understand it correctly. I've lost plenty of snipes because my sniped bid was not high enough to beat the other bidder's highest bid.

 

[barrowjh]

moehawk, that has happened to me once. It had something to do with the Seller's exclusion of bidders that had not jumped through enough hoops regarding information provided to paypal, I think. I had not (at that time) given paypal a bank account link, the paypal account was only linked via a credit card. I have since opened a separate account at a separate bank and provided that link to paypal and this does not happen anymore. This may or may not be what happened to your bid. I initially dealt with this by bidding early, but not re-bidding, the purpose of the early bid was just to make sure there was no criteria that would block my bid. If you can bid, then the snipe will work also, regarding this type of paypal linkage problem. That was a couple of years ago and now I no longer bother with the early bid, confident the snipe will work ok.

Joao, the snipe is a convenient way to keep myself from overbidding. I make up my mind about the max bid, set the snipe, leave it alone.

 

[alanfgag]

The eBay app for iPhone is quite good, though they are constantly working on it to make it less so. It will notify you with fifteen minutes to go on the auctions you watch. You can then prepare your own best bid, submit it in the final moments and hope you've bid enough dinero. Early place marker bids can be helpful to keeping an auction from being halted by an offer under the table but can also serve to push the final price higher as others nibble to see your limit.

 

[barrowjh]

Yes, Alan's observation is correct. Bid early while the price is low, and only bid marginally higher, and do not re-bid until the end, whether submitted manually or via automatic means.

 

[barrowjh]

The only purpose of the early bid is to make sure you are not being blocked, and to make sure the seller knows you are out there. It does not matter if your bid is not high enough to ever be top bid, and you only cause the previous bidder's price to bump up by a dollar, you achieve a purpose.

 

[Alexander Sommerset]

It is always a good idea to be the first bidder and bid only the asked for first amount adding no more to it. That way it is a bit harder for the seller to cancel the auction and sell it to someone off line. However, I think it is foolish to ever bid again until the last 10 seconds of an auction. Seems to me that bidding at all during the auction (until the last seconds) only needlessly drives up the price.

 

[fashion frank]

Sniping as an artform

Maybe ebay changed something and made it useless.
Never needed a program to snipe a auction even it is was needed to wake in the middle of the night.

Hi Gang I'm slowly starting to come around and feeling better every day and P.T. is slowly starting to work and now I'm walking around on my own pretty well.

This is a subject close to my heart as I consider myself a pretty good sniper.

IMHO the key to sniping is to never bid at all on an item in the beginning ,in fact I don't even put the item in my watch list because that alerts any other buyers that someone besides themselves is watching that item.

I write on a slip of paper the item and time it goes off and then in the last seconds of a bid (most times with only one or two seconds left) I will bid what I think it is worth to me and nine times out of ten I get it .

Here is some things to consider ,I know that I have sniped things even if someone else had a higger bid then me because the key is to not lose your nerve and wait till the very last second ,if you do even though the other guy might have a higher bid the auction "runs out of time " and you bid carries the day.

Can you remember in the Raiders Of The Lost Ark when Harrison Ford is in the Mayan temple and the stone wall is coming down and trapping him and the other guy says " give me the idol and I'll give you the whip " and he manages to just at the very last second squeeze himself over the edge and on to the other side just as the wall come's completely down ,its the same thing the auction "runs out of time " so even a higher bid and even an automatic bid cant "react " in time and up the bid and your bid is therefore the last bid .

Joao (I love this guy were both Portuguese and he's got big one's wearing those wide brimmed cowboy hats ) is so right ,get up in the middle of the night if you have to, I have never relied on an automatic sniper I just do it myself.

So in closing thats my take on the whole snipping issue and its good to be back and I'll try to get on more often as my recovery progresses.

All the Best ,Fashion Frank

 

[Joao Encarnado]

Joao, the snipe is a convenient way to keep myself from overbidding. I make up my mind about the max bid, set the snipe, leave it alone.

True, I do the same. Set a max bid, try to snipe.

The only purpose of the early bid is to make sure you are not being blocked, and to make sure the seller knows you are out there. It does not matter if your bid is not high enough to ever be top bid, and you only cause the previous bidder's price to bump up by a dollar, you achieve a purpose.

Sometimes bidding early makes other people think someone put a big bid on it and move along. Others try to outbid you for any value you put.

Joao (I love this guy were both Portuguese and he's got big one's wearing those wide brimmed cowboy hats ) is so right ,get up in the middle of the night if you have to, I have never relied on an automatic sniper I just do it myself.

I could tell you enough snipes I did on my bay days.
Even taking a old laptop with a 3G access to the middle of Alentejo I did. Phones by the time would only access internet with crappy WAP portals, not like today phones/tablets/pads.

 

[Frunobulax]

Glad you're moving forward and progressing FF. Good to hear.

I've never used a program to bid for me - heck, half the fun is the last 30 seconds. Better yet when you're the high bidder on something coveted and you sit there in anticipation, hoping like hell nobody else steps in. I refer to getting that first bid in early - days before the auction ends, as "marking your territory," though I use a more colorful term in practice.

 

[hatophile]

My Ebay days are coming to an end. Should I daresay I have enough hats now? But the prices are also getting ridiculous.

So nice to see you around again Frank!

 

[moehawk]

Congrats on the progress, FF. And thanks for the addiction um I mean auction advice everyone. I did just send an email to the seller saying that if the buyer returned the hat for any reason to contact me. Might happen if the buyer opens a box expecting a Montecristi and gets something else....even if he doesn't know that something else might be just as nice.

 

[Retro Spectator]

I got this hat the other day at eBay. According to a very faded stamp, it is made in England for Marshall Fields, and is 60% Wool, 40% other. It has a moderately stained sweatband. I'm not sure when it's from.

The hat has no odor, but when I first got it, it smelled slightly of cologne/perfume.

The hat has a 1 7/8" brim. I quite like this hat. All I hope is that there is no ringworm in it.

The hat being worn.

Supertweed Showerproof.

The Marshall Fields stamp.

The feather.

Some stains.

A link to the hat on eBay. Here you can see the Marshall Fields stamp more clearly.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mens-Tweed-...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

[Lotsahats]

Here is some things to consider ,I know that I have sniped things even if someone else had a higher bid then me because the key is to not lose your nerve and wait till the very last second ,if you do even though the other guy might have a higher bid the auction "runs out of time " and you bid carries the day.

This is the heart of the matter, and everything that I've read about it refutes your comment: the algorithm of the bid system is close enough to instantaneous that the high bid is the one that wins. Auctions are lost for entered bids that are low but not too slow. If you mean that a last-second bid beats the bid never entered, well, yes, clearly that's the case.

 

[Lotsahats]

Nice complete look, RS!

A

 

[fashion frank]

I'm Not So sure About that

This is the heart of the matter, and everything that I've read about it refutes your comment: the algorithm of the bid system is close enough to instantaneous that the high bid is the one that wins. Auctions are lost for entered bids that are low but not too slow. If you mean that a last-second bid beats the bid never entered, well, yes, clearly that's the case.

Lotsahats like your imput but just not so sure about that here is a watch that I won with just one second to go ,another guy but in a bid with just two seconds to go and I can't of course prove it but Im sure his highest bid was bigger than mine but the interseting thing is he bid with two seconds and I bid with just one second to go then it ended and unless it gets split into thousands of a second there was just plain and simple not enought time left for a reaction automated or humanly done .

http://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBids&item=161839446237&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2565

Notice the time difference less than a second ,perhaps your are correct and my bid was just higher but I dont think so because if you look at the other bidders the price took off like a rocket within just the last few minutes of the auction.

At any rate glad to see your input, makes for interseting conversation would you not agree
All the best to You ,Fashion Frank

 

[Lotsahats]

UI think, sir, that you won because your bid was higher, not because of your speed. Keep in mind that eBay's system already has the highest bid stored for each bidder and can perform a very simple check to see which bid is higher; pre-determined high bids are already timestamped in the system, so your last-second snipe can actually be beaten by a high bid from hours before. Your last second snipe only prevents people who have bid less than you did to re-bid; people whose bids are in the system and are higher than yours will win.

Anyway, on with the hats! Anyone here win this giant?

 

[moontheloon]

Anyway, on with the hats! Anyone here win this giant?

I was watching that just out of curiosity

 

[ccorsair]

I do the same wait till those last seconds. but do put the item on the watch list or leave it in a open tab. I got so good Ebay sent a message to ask me if i was using sniping program(this was after winning 3 out 4 bids mast with in seconds apart ) I said nope just 3 laptops and a tablet and lots of focuses to guess my one bid. I some how don't think they believe me. Oh well . Everyone has their way of trying to win a bid.. If get out bid or it shoots up too high I back out.. i do try to set a limit as to what feel is a deal vs just getting good price. I got over 11 hats I think 7 or 8 were bids the rest just making deal when i could on the price.
I will say I can see how some can become addicted to the bidding.. Waiting for those last few seconds to make your bid watching that counter counting down to that one point where you hit send on your bid. To me i know there those who put in that highest bid but the game is to think"what is their limit?"
Biding one more than one item at one time with few seconds is very crazy but it is rush when you win.
I haven't had the spare funds to buy online for a few month but do watch sales to speculate the price of an item . i been shocked at some hat going lower than they should or i think they should but there been some great deals made by a few people .. hope they member here. If i beat anyone here last year..Sorry it nothing personal it just how the game works.
I guess while i off everyone has better chance for hats they want lol .. I did score a nice Boater while at a Steam punk event.. I posted it on the FB site.

Later all

 

[Frunobulax]

I was watching that just out of curiosity

Me too. I want to see the head of the guy that bought it.

 

[Retro Spectator]

Nice complete look, RS!

A

Thanks!