Damn EBAY

[vernon]

Was watching some crappy old TT frame on EBAY last night. No bids until about 2 minutes before (well, just mine of 99p). Anyway, then all hell breaks loose and I lose the frame at just £26, all in the last minute.

I know the strategy but I just thought maybe, just maybe, it was only me in the running.

Would have made a great spare road bike. Darn it!

You can't blame Ebay. Last minute bidding is normal. Looking at the number of watchers gives no indication of the number of bidders that will enter the fray in the dying minutes of the auction I've had goods on sale with dozens of watchers that attracted only a couple of bids and a few items with single figures for watchers that sold in a last minute frenzy of a dozen or so bidders.. Sniping is the way to go. There's less emotional involvement with the bidding/winning of items in the auctions. I've never lamented the loss of a sniped bid. The goods went for more than I was prepared to pay, no gnashing of teeth, no 'if only thoughts' just acceptance that I've not overpaid for something that I was interested in.

Something similar always turns up and is winnable by a snipe.

 

[vernon]

I like the buzz of putting in my max bid with seconds to go. Never used a sniping tool. What happens if 2 or 3 of the bidders are using one?

The highest snipe wins. Obvs.

If your snipe doesn't win it's no loss as you've set the snipe at the maximum amount that you are prepared to pay. If it sells for more than that, it's overpriced.

 

[slowmotion]

[QUOTE 4186506, member: 259"]Yes, set the top price you will pay and use a sniping tool.[/QUOTE]
It's way more fun to decide what you are prepared to pay in advance, and have the Speaking Clock in your ear as the seconds tick down to the deadline. Quite why anybody bids for anything until the last second is a complete mystery to me. Why advertise your interest? It just pushes the price up.

 

[Lonestar]

How ironic...just bought a drive off of ebay which is £90 cheaper than what they are selling for in Maplins.Didn't have to snipe this one either.

It's way more fun to decide what you are prepared to pay in advance, and have the Speaking Clock in your ear as the seconds tick down to the deadline. Quite why anybody bids for anything until the last second is a complete mystery to me. Why advertise your interest? It just pushes the price up.

Stop giving away my secrets...

 

[Deleted member 35268]

You can't blame Ebay. Last minute bidding is normal. Looking at the number of watchers gives no indication of the number of bidders that will enter the fray in the dying minutes of the auction I've had goods on sale with dozens of watchers that attracted only a couple of bids and a few items with single figures for watchers that sold in a last minute frenzy of a dozen or so bidders.. Sniping is the way to go. There's less emotional involvement with the bidding/winning of items in the auctions. I've never lamented the loss of a sniped bid. The goods went for more than I was prepared to pay, no gnashing of teeth, no 'if only thoughts' just acceptance that I've not overpaid for something that I was interested in.

Something similar always turns up and is winnable by a snipe.

I have no issue with EBAY (unless they don't pay enough tax). I am just annoyed with myself for not preparing to win the item - I was instead winging it, punting, gambling, for want of a better word. I won stuff at the last minute plenty of times. I thought I was good at it, this is a blemish on my good standing!

 

[swee'pea99]

I have no issue with EBAY (unless they don't pay enough tax). I am just annoyed with myself for not preparing to win the item - I was instead winging it, punting, gambling, for want of a better word. I won stuff at the last minute plenty of times. I thought I was good at it, this is a blemish on my good standing!

Seriously, if you can post on a forum you're more than capable of using snipe software. You just enter the item number, it says 'how much are you prepared to go up to?' You put in £10, then forget about it. The thing bids for you, ten seconds before the end, so you don't 'show your hand early' and encourage counter-bidding, but you also don't get carried away in the heat of the moment and over-bid. It's really easy, and it lets you 'set & forget' at a time that suits you. I recommend Auctionstealer and Myibidder, but there are loads out there. And they are all free.

 

[swee'pea99]

Oh, and you never end up paying more than you'd have to. If you put in a maximum bid of £10 but it starts on 99p and no-one else bids, you'll win it for 99p. If someone else bids £5, you'll win it for £5.50, or something. Your maximum bid is just that - the most you're prepared to bid. You'll win, if you win, at the least possible price to win - to beat the next highest bid. And if you don't, well, there'll be another one along in a while...

 

[Oldfentiger]

I got into the habit of using a sniper when I was suffering with unreliable broadband. I use it every time even now.
As said above, I never pay more than I think it's worth, and I win more than I lose.

 

[slowmotion]

[QUOTE 4187485, member: 259"]Perhaps it's more fun, but you're more likely to lose what you want.[/QUOTE]
Not winning's all part of the game.

 

[Col5632]

I can't say I really use ebay that often, feel like I'm missing out on some bargains now

 

[Deleted member 35268]

Not winning's all part of the game.

So true. I don't even need another bike, except I have enough parts to make one, and I broke my spare. So its purely entertainment.