Anyone Ever Buy Anything On Ebay?

[THUNDER HANDS]

I'm currently in a bidding war over something on ebay. In about an hour the price went from $103 to $285.

I've never done this before and I don't want to lose out on this thing (a stenograph machine, which is actually worth about $400). Does anyone know any tips on how to get it and not lose out?

I want to be the last person bidding on this. But I don't know if my trigger finger is that quick. Is it worth it to place a high maximum bid and hope that a person doesn't match it?

Or do I just have to sit by the computer and watch it and hope someone doesn't outbid me?

[Jessica]

1. Keep refreshing your screen & wait until 20 seconds left.

Then do your bidding.

On edit: Make sure when you place your bid, make it about 50 cents higher. Like if bidding is at $250 & you wanna go to $255, make it $255.50. That really makes the difference sometimes.

[TXlib]

3. This is called "sniping"

Google "Ebay sniping" and you'll prolly get lots of advice on how to do it well.

Some Ebayers consider it unethical -- I say bullshit. Jungle law, baby!

[Shakespeare]

18. Yup. Gotta do whatcha gotta do.

I once got hate email from another buyer because I swooped in and won an auction in the last seconds. I've had it done to me plenty of times--that's just the way it goes.

[TXlib]

20. I just tell the whiners to watch & learn, or else suck it up.

[Pacifist Patriot]

30. Jungle law, LOL! I love it.

I'm watching a smashing Vera Wang gown at an obscenely low price. When it comes up in a few days I'll be refreshing with at least three browsers open.

[guitar man]

25. a good sniper

would make it 255.51. I have won items by a penny.

If your max amount you would pay for something is say, $200. Make your proxy 201.51. The 1.51 isn't going to kill you and it increases your chances of winning.

[TXlib]

26. check this out

http://www.auctionsniper.com/

[guitar man]

28. cool

Thanx,I'll have to try it out.

[Lisa]

39. seconded (thirded?) on the 0.5x thing too

I'm by no means an experienced bidder -- and due to my schedule I'm usually not able to sit on an auction during the closing minutes -- but still, I've done quite well by adding "pocket change" to my proxy bid.

An antiques pro told me that there are certain psychological thresholds associated with particular numbers -- e.g. the difference between 90 and 100 isn't very much, but for some reason it seems like a lot more to many people.

[AlCzervik]

2. I can't stand that whole bidding thing, i did it a few times

for my daughter, it makes me crazy. I always get outbid with like 30 seconds left. Just try and be the last one before the auction closes.

[TXlib]

8. Rarely happens to me

I often have bid on unusual items with very low demand, or on popular ones with lots of supply. Either eay, I know what the price is to buy it on other sites, so my maximum bid is well-defined. I've seen idiots run easy-to-find items up to over 150% of their intrinsic value because they HAVE to win.


But, for the sake of a rare, collectible item whose market value is unclear, I'd recommend setting a true maximum upper limit for your bid, and stick to it. I'd also recommend sniping; avoid bidding wars by bidding in the very last second of the auction. You'll also then see if a bidding war has occurred, and get to decide if the price is still right.

[paula777]

4. Stop bidding until there is only about 45 seconds left

You are just driving up the price right now. Stop bidding and then right before it ends, put in your top bid ... the most you are willing to pay for it. That way, your highest bid hits when the auction ends and the other bidders will run out of time and be unable to re-bid

[Cobalt Violet]

16. As a seller people like you piss me off.

But as a buyer that's exactly what I do. :)

[Modem Butterfly]

5. Sit by the computer

I try to choose auctions that end at odd hours for just this very reason. Of course, I don't often bid on E-bay these days.

[NewJeffCT]

6. put in a max bid of what you want to pay for it

Say, $350 or $375, as the seller will likely want you to pay shipping & handling.

or else, try to swoop in at the last minute & get it. I never wait to the last second. I put in a good bid and if somebody does outbid me, I make a decision if I want to up my bid - usually not.

[Mountainman]

7. Here is how I win almost every time I want.

First you have to want something very badly because you won't be sure what you will have to pay for it.

A minute or two before the auction ends, bid some ridiculous amount, in your case say $600. You will have to pay something between $285 and $600 but probably now where near $600.

As the auction draws to a close someone will always try to win by going over the last posted bid when there is a minute or less time left. They are thinking they just have to out bid the current amount by a few dollars but because you bid what you did, he will get a message telling him that someone has outbid him. He has to bid again and again to try to get higher than you but he will run out of time and you win.

You will have to pay the next highest bid amount over his last bid. He could bid $400 and you would have to pay $405. Not too bad if it is worth $400.

[r_u_stuck2]

9. I would be careful

If it is the one I think it is, then the seller just joined ebay recently and has zero feedback. I realize everyone has to start somewhere but this is just one little red flag to consider.


Oops, found another one with 8 feedback. Do not know which you are bidding on.

[barackmyworld]

10. there is a site that bids for you

it does it automatically at the last second, anyone remember the name?

In other news, I love ebay. There is so much stuff on there that is cheaper than anywhere else. I've generally had luck with sellers too.

[MissMillie]

11. I just put my first bid in

for a formal dress. I am the only bidder.

I don't really have a suggestion for you for as far as the bidding goes. I mean, I think if you know what your max price is, and you don't mind bidding that high, then there's no reason not to bid your max and take your chances.

Good luck!

[FizzFuzz]

12. I only did it once. Got a Dennis Rodman paper doll dress up book.

:D hilarious!

There weren't any other bidders :D :D

[ET Awful]

13. No other bidders at all? Imagine that! I woulda thunk that would be

in really high demand :evilgrin:

[FizzFuzz]

14. I have specialized tastes.

;)

[sniffa]

15. i bought this (onLy thing i ever got from ebay)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5922915419



it seems rather rare - the guy died shortLy after they made this figure... yet, whenever it comes up for bid on ebay the winning bid is Like $15

does anyone know if there's a resource for toy worth/rarity?

[THUNDER HANDS]

19. OMG the Blue Blazer!!!

I loved him!

I saw him die on tv. It was so sad. I loved Owen Hart.

[sniffa]

24. what i don't understand

it was my understanding that not many of those doLLs were produced, so i thought i scored huge! on getting it for $14 + s/h

now, whenever i see it up for bid, it bareLy gets any bids.

i have it at home in the box stiLL - and i occasionaLLy get antsy about finaLLy opening it (if it's not worth anything)

[THUNDER HANDS]

32. i would keep it

they won't be making any more, and it'll probably be worth more the longer you keep it.

Owen Hart was a beloved wrestler, and the Blue Blazer was a cult figure.

Keep it for a few more years, at least.

[sniffa]

33. i bought it about 4 years ago

what's a few more years. :P

[Goathead]

38. I wonder if what you paid for that on eBay

drives the market price up or down for such an item. Let's say you paid $200 for it and it is only worth $20 but there are only let's say thirty of those in existence. You would think that you paying a higher price for it on ebay would drive the up the value. I've always wondered about that. Just speculating, I'm not an economist.

[Fridays Child]

17. Here is the best way to snipe on eBay: open the auction in two...

...browser windows, about five minutes before the bidding ends. In the first window, enter your maximum bid amount and go through all of the steps except for the final one that actually places the bid. Use the other window to count down the final minutes and seconds. Keeping in mind how fast or slow your Internet connection is, in the last moments of the auction, submit your bid in your first browser window. For me, that means hitting the button when the time is down to about 10 seconds because I have a pretty fast connection.

A couple of tips: synchronize your computer clock to the eBay clock, and close out all other applications on your computer, to get the best speed from it.

[THUNDER HANDS]

21. question

can only the highest current bidder place a maximum bid?

Right now, I'm the highest bidder and I placed a maximum bid significantly higher than what the current bid is.

Am I going to get outbid at the last minute because some else previously posted a higher maximum bid...or am I, by being the current highest bidder, already outbidding their highest maximum bid?

[NewJeffCT]

22. no

If anybody else has placed a higher maximum bid, you'd instantly know it.

[Fridays Child]

27. Anyone can place a bid of any amount, provided it is at least one...

...increment higher than the current high bid. In your auction, that means that your next bid must be at least $290.

So, in that first browser window, go ahead and enter your maximum bid and click on "place bid." It will either take you to a sign-in screen or to a screen where you confirm your bid amount. If it takes you to the sign in screen, sign in and click "secure sign-in. Then, you go to the screen where you confirm your bid and actually submit it. That's where you wait until the last moments.

[Left Is Write]

23. Bid the maximum amount you are willing to pay and leave it at that.

If someone else wins the auction, it will be because they were willing to spend more than you. That happens sometimes.

What you don't want to do is make a bid higher than you can or are willing to pay, hoping that you won't reach that amount. Just bid what you're comfortable with from the get-go.

[GOPisEvil]

31. I agree.

Put in your absolute maximum. If someone out-bids you, so be it. There will be others.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

42. Exactly

I bet other bidders hate me, but when I want something, and I see bids on it, I just make sure I'm at the computer for the closing minutes - yes, I even set timers so I don't forget - and, when there's a minute or so left, I bid my absolute highest amount, and I've lost a few times (probably Sniped), but I've won a hell of a lot more than I've lost.

There's a great market there for antique jewelry - not the costume kind, the good stuff - here are some of my absolutely great eBay buys:

[AllegroRondo]

29. Use the proxy bidding features

Its automatic anyway.


You simply bid the max you are willing to pay. The computer will automatically keep rebidding for you whenever someone tries to bid higher than the current bid. It defeats the last-second snipers, unless they bid more than your max. In which case, its more than you were willing to pay anyway.

[Fridays Child]

34. It's over! Did you get it?

[davis_islander]

35. Yes and I screwed up and got ripped off...

I had no idea that the item I bid/won would be coming from CHINA! It was not mentioned on the Ebay web page of the item, nor was the shipping cost. I got the item for like $35, but the shipping turned out to be damned near $60. Never again.

[CanuckAmok]

36. You're lucky you got it at all...

There are all kinds of horror stories about companies in Russia, China, and other parts of Asia which don't even have the t=items they offer; you 'win' and send the money, and you never recieve anything. Who are you going to sue in Russia?!

[Darth_Kitten]

37. Reload during the last few minutes....

sometimes it's just luck. :) Good luck!!! :D

[Flammable Materials]

40. I've got two DVDs on the way from the UK bought on eBay.

Although I generally sell more stuff than I buy on eBay.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

41. Lots of stuff. I've sold lots of stuff as well. Just make sure you check

the sellers feedback and make sure the feedback is for sales.

It can be a lot of fun and sniping is unfortunately rampant so it seems fair to me.

Set yourself a top price and don't bid above it. If you don't win, don't worry, there'll be another just like it in a few days!!

Happy bidding!

[mark414]

43. i bought a car

[ariesgem]

44. Go to bidnapper.com

They give you a few days free and then charge a small monthly fee. It does your bidding for you at the VERY LAST second. I've won dozens of items using their service.