Ebay strategy

sapwood · 02-12-2008, 04:39 PM

After years of stoic resistance I signed onto Ebay this week and bid on an item.

Pretty dumb as all the good deals have long since past and apparently one needs to spend a substantial amount of time learning the mechanics and subterfuges.

So . . . why would someone bid $26 to become top bidder. Then immediately bid $50 for same item?????

Bid doesn't end until Friday.

Clueless in Durham,
Roger

Larry Rose · 02-12-2008, 04:46 PM

I have bought a few...well maybe a little more than a few...collectable planes from Ebay. It seems that you're almost wasting your time to start bidding untill 2 minutes before the close. I've only been successful on a fewl that I bid on early. Just MHO

jeff... · 02-12-2008, 04:47 PM

Originally Posted by sapwood

After years of stoic resistance I signed onto Ebay this week and bid on an item. Pretty dumb as all the good deals have long since past and apparently one needs to spend a substantial amount of time learning the mechanics and subterfuges.

So . . . why would someone bid $26 to become top bidder. Then immediately bid $50 for same item????? Bid doesn't end until Friday.

Clueless in Durham,
Roger

Roger you need two accounts one that you post items with, the other so you can out bid others on the item you posted, to drive up the price.

ebarr · 02-12-2008, 04:50 PM

Roger,

What you are probably experiencing is someone putting in what they will go as their max bid.

In other words the bid is at $26.00 they put in their max bid would be $50.00.

Someone else then goes in and does pretty much the same thing on the same item. The bid would then instantly shoot up to the $50.00 dollar mark.

Make sense, or did I just confuse you more.

MikeL · 02-12-2008, 05:01 PM

I wish I could help you Roger. I was a big fan of Ebay for many years, both buying and selling, but finding a good deal nowadays seems difficult. The use of sniping programs and bidders' willingness to overpay to become "victorious" hurt the chances of coming away with a deal. I miss the good 'ole days.

Jim Murphy · 02-12-2008, 05:07 PM

Originally Posted by MikeL

I miss the good 'ole days.

As do I, in more ways than I care to mention for multiple unrelated reasons.

On topic though, since Ebay went with the "BuyItNow" stuff littering (no, not littering, actually obfuscating) the private seller auctions, it's such a mess it just isn't worth messing with, IMHO.

lottathought · 02-12-2008, 05:09 PM

Hey Roger...let me try this as my wife is the Ebay master.
First off...Be Careful.
I like Ebay today a LOT less than the one of a few years ago.
The great deals are not there nearly as much as they used to be.

If you are going to be on Ebay though...here are some basics that you must adhere to in order to be safer.

First..Feedback is King. If the seller has 0 feedback points ...or has several negatives compared to the positives, avoid this person. This person has little or nothing to lose by cheating you. If you have a person with a ton of positive feedback points, they have something to protect, so they are safer.

Second..watch the shipping cost VERY carefully.
A good deal can go bad very quickly when that cheap item has super high shipping rates.
If shipping is not clear ...I strongly suggest you email the seller and get shipping cost to you before bidding.

Having said all that..Ebay can serve a purpose.
Hard to find items....antiques....etc....Ebay is a good place to find these.
Also...high depreciation items might be a good items to search for on Ebay. (Car speakers, childrens clothes, etc.)

Many of the items on Ebay are from home business though.
Often times, you can find the reason that item are being sold on Ebay is that somebody found a great deal on a website and are trying to re-sell it for a profit. Look around on sites like Slickdeals or Fatwallet and you might be able to get their deal on it.

As for the bidding..
When you bid, you are also asked for your high bid.
For strategy purposes, most people do not give their top bid right out.
It is cheaper to have the time run out before your comp can bid again rather than allow them plenty of time to bid as high as they want.
Some people "Snipe" too.
You wait until the last 15sec +- and then give your high bid....
You can see how this can help you to win..

Hope this helps.

MikeL · 02-12-2008, 05:10 PM

Jim, remind me never to battle you in a game of Scrabble.

Cliff · 02-12-2008, 05:22 PM

Roger,

If you take a look at the bidding history, you can see what Wayne is talking about.

If I put in a maximum bid of $60 on an item, eBay will start me off at the starting bid, set by the seller, let's say '$10'. If someone bids $25, eBay will automatically increase my bid to $26 (assuming the bid increment is $1). Then, if someone bids $49, eBay will automatically increase my bid to $50. However, if someone were to bid $65, I would be outbid, and would need to manually enter a higher bid.

Let's go back to when I'm sitting at $26. When the other bidder bids $49, his bid and my subsequent outbid are submitted in a matter of seconds, if that.

Perhaps that will clarify what you'll see when you click the bidding history link. Look for the line that says "History: xx bids". Click the "xx bids" part and it will show you all of the submitted bids - even the ones that only lived for a second or so.

Once all of that sinks in, you can see why eBay is loved by some and hated by others... my policy for a non-collectible item is to submit one bid: the maximum amount I'll pay for it. Then I just wait for the email that says I won or lost. It's a difficult discipline to adopt, but getting swept up in last minute sniping and "one more dollar to win" can be a dangerous, slippery slope.

You have to remember, there's no such thing as 'the last 1.5HP router on Earth' . Don't get obsessed with winning any particular auction.

HTH...

cliff

sapwood · 02-12-2008, 05:27 PM

Originally Posted by ebarr

Roger,

What you are probably experiencing is someone putting in what they will go as their max bid.

In other words the bid is at $26.00 they put in their max bid would be $50.00.

Someone else then goes in and does pretty much the same thing on the same item. The bid would then instantly shoot up to the $50.00 dollar mark.

Make sense, or did I just confuse you more.

No, it makes sense as do the other replies. However, in this particular instance the same person bid $26, then $50 and there weren't any other bids an hour before or after or in between . . . including "automatic bids". My guess is bidder did it accidentally when setting up automatic bid or employed a ruse similar to Jeff's comment.

Guess I'll bookmark Ebay under "Amusement"

Roger

Alan in Little Washington · 02-12-2008, 05:40 PM

The deals aren't there like they used to be! Like a few others have said, it does no good to bid early- just stimulates bidding action by others, so I snipe. The only reason to bid early with a high proxy amount is if you really want the item and you will be away from your computer when the auction ends (and don't what to buy a sniping service).

I always add the item to my watch list but always wait and snipe, to avoid driving the price up early- if it has already been bid above the max amount I will pay, I don't even bother. Sometimes I win, sometimes I don't. Sniping keeps me from getting sucked into bidding more than I had originally intended. Last night I won some solenoid valves for my blast gates with a snipe bid 7 secs before the auction ended, but there was only one other bidder who bid early with a low proxy amount. You can snipe easily with high speed internet.

Alan in Little Washington · 02-12-2008, 05:42 PM

Originally Posted by sapwood

No, it makes sense as do the other replies. However, in this particular instance the same person bid $26, then $50 and there weren't any other bids an hour before or after or in between . . . including "automatic bids". My guess is bidder did it accidentally when setting up automatic bid or employed a ruse similar to Jeff's comment.

Guess I'll bookmark Ebay under "Amusement"

Roger

He had to take his grandmother to the store, and knew he wouldn't be home in time to bid again!

WoodWrangler · 02-12-2008, 05:44 PM

Tip on eBay ... use AuctionSniper.com to "snipe" auctions at the last minute.

Also, never bid on the item .. just drives up the price. Let the sniper do the work at the last minute. This also keeps you in control of your willingness to pay so you don't get caught up in a bidding war.

Gotcha6 · 02-12-2008, 06:46 PM

auction (awk shun) n. an event held to sell a particular item or items to the highest bidder. Bidding may be in person or by proxy at the discretion of the auctioneer. Buyer should examine said item(s) and weigh it/their worth or valu as it relates to him/herself. Buyer shoud understand that in order to acquire said item(s) he must successfully bid against the WHOLE WORLD to get it. Having understood that, buyer(s) should resist egomaniacal urges to acquire item(s) beyond one's reasonable willingness to pay. I.E. don't go crazy, just bid your top offer & walk away.
I've bought stuff on Ebay for less than my highest bid because no one else wanted it. I've also been outbid many more times. Let your pocketbook guide you - not your ego.

woodworker2000 · 02-12-2008, 06:54 PM

Originally Posted by jeff...

Roger you need two accounts one that you post items with, the other so you can out bid others on the item you posted, to drive up the price.

Yeah, that's called shill bidding and is against eBay policy. eBay will suspend your account indefinitely for doing that (no, I'm not speaking from personal experience).

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