PSA: eBay bidders!

[HAL9000]

Hey you!

When you're bidding on an item on eBay, don't bid until the last 30 seconds (better yet the last 10 seconds), firstly all you do is push up the price of the item, so that people who bid at the right time have to pay more.

Secondly, unless you've bid a lot of money you wont win!

 

[wiredspider]

i've won some stuff by sniping

 

[HAL9000]

i've won some stuff by sniping

Exactly, it's the way to do it, not bidding hours or days before.

 

[Sluggo]

I'm lazy and just use proxy bidding, because I really only half care if I win or not, and I have neither the time nor inclination to sit and F5 an eBay screen.

If there is an item that I simply must have I go and buy it retail.

 

[HAL9000]

I'm lazy and just use proxy bidding, because I really only half care if I win or not, and I have neither the time nor inclination to sit and F5 an eBay screen.

If there is an item that I simply must have I go and buy it retail.

That's fair enough, but two things I would mention, firstly you don't need to refresh an eBay item in the last hour any more, the page updates in real time, secondly I only buy things I can't find elsewhere, for example I collect old comic books and you can't really get them in many shops, and if you can they are expensive.

 

[Pardus]

PSA.. stop the PSA's.

 

[HAL9000]

PSA.. stop the PSA's.

PSA: Ok.

 

[Tristicus]

Hey look, I'm necktard, and I think everything should be regulated by some fascist regime where people can't bid how they like. As if eBay wasn't already fucked up enough.

PSA: Ok.

That isn't a PSA necktard.

 

[HAL9000]

Hey look, I'm necktard, and I think everything should be regulated by some fascist regime where people can't bid how they like. As if eBay wasn't already fucked up enough.

I thought you were called "Tristicus"...? I'm confused

 

[kami333]

Someone left me a negative feedback for sniping. This is from back in 1998, back when eBay first started and you didn't have to have a transaction with someone to leave feedback.

 

[HAL9000]

Someone left me a negative feedback for sniping. This is from back in 1998, back when eBay first started and you didn't have to have a transaction with someone to leave feedback.

Hah, mental. This is what I keep thinking, I keep sniping and winning, I would say I win 80% of the auctions I bid on, there must be some pissed off people out there who are bidding hours before, or even half an hour before thinking they have won then the auction says 4 seconds, 3, 2, you lose. 1. End.

 

[frostedflakes]

Whether people bid as soon as you list the item or within a minute of the auction ending, it will tend to be bid up to about the same price.

I mean think about it, if an item's worth about $50, why would it matter when people bid on it? In the end it's going to get up to about $50.

Of course there are exceptions, sometimes people will get into bidding wars and an item will sell for more than it's worth, sometimes items will be poorly listed or described and will sell for a bit less than they're worth. But if you look at completed listings you can usually find trends in final item price.

 

[Ns1]

Whether people bid as soon as you list the item or within a minute of the auction ending, it will tend to be bid up to about the same price.

I mean think about it, if an item's worth about $50, why would it matter when people bid on it? In the end it's going to get up to about $50.

Of course there are exceptions, sometimes people will get into bidding wars and an item will sell for more than it's worth, sometimes items will be poorly listed or described and will sell for a bit less than they're worth. But if you look at completed listings you can usually find trends in final item price.

by waiting until the last few seconds you take the emotional bidding war out of the equation

 

[HAL9000]

Whether people bid as soon as you list the item or within a minute of the auction ending, it will tend to be bid up to about the same price.

I mean think about it, if an item's worth about $50, why would it matter when people bid on it? In the end it's going to get up to about $50.

Of course there are exceptions, sometimes people will get into bidding wars and an item will sell for more than it's worth, sometimes items will be poorly listed or described and will sell for a bit less than they're worth. But if you look at completed listings you can usually find trends in final item price.

That seems valid logic, however by bidding days or hours before the end of the auction you give others time to look at your bid then adjust theirs accordingly, whereas by bidding at 4 seconds other people have no chance to respond.

Also what at items worth is completely subjective, as a result some people will value it higher than you, giving them a chance to change their bid based on yours is not a good way to go.

 

[frostedflakes]

I guess it depends on how people bid. I look at completed listings to get an idea of what items are selling for, and if it looks like they're selling for about what I'd be willing to pay for it, I'll put in a bid. Or if it's going for more than I am willing to pay, sometimes I'll just go ahead and put in a bid anyway at the max I'm willing to pay but not expecting to win the auction (but for whatever reason, sometimes go a bit under what they usually sell for an you win anyway, which is nice). But with me "not having time to respond" isn't an issue, because if I get outbid I'm not even going to bother responding, I already put in my max and somebody else went above it.

I know a lot of people don't seem to understand proxy bidding and don't bid like this, though. That's why sniping *can* be a pretty successful tactic.

 

[olds]

British repost.

 

[HAL9000]

I guess it depends on how people bid. I look at completed listings to get an idea of what items are selling for, and if it looks like they're selling for about what I'd be willing to pay for it, I'll put in a bid. Or if it's going for more than I am willing to pay, sometimes I'll just go ahead and put in a bid anyway at the max I'm willing to pay but not expecting to win the auction (but for whatever reason, sometimes go a bit under what they usually sell for an you win anyway, which is nice). But with me "not having time to respond" isn't an issue, because if I get outbid I'm not even going to bother responding, I already put in my max and somebody else went above it.

I know a lot of people don't seem to understand proxy bidding and don't bid like this, though. That's why sniping *can* be a pretty successful tactic.

That all makes sense but it wouldn't work for the items I'm bidding on as comic books are quite unique and the value is heavily dependant on the condition of the comic which obviously varies from comic to comic.

 

[Sinsear]

Troll thread

 

[Mike Gayner]

ITT: People who don't understand efficient markets.

 

[fatpat268]

That's fair enough, but two things I would mention, firstly you don't need to refresh an eBay item in the last hour any more, the page updates in real time, secondly I only buy things I can't find elsewhere, for example I collect old comic books and you can't really get them in many shops, and if you can they are expensive.

Pfft... manual sniping?

I use a program to do the sniping for me.

 

[KeithTalent]

Meh, I put in a bid for what I am willing to pay, if I win, fine, if not, I move on. /shrug

KT

 

[nageov3t]

sniping is why I stopped selling stuff on ebay.

 

[SaDiZTiKStyLeZ]

i've won some stuff by sniping

I don't bid until the last 10sec.

People still use ebay and not get scammed? shens

 

[mcmilljb]

Since proxy bidding is used, I will bid what I am willing to pay. If I don't win oh well, and you can enjoy paying more.

I wish they would add an ending period just for you. If you place a bid in the last 10 seconds, the auction does not end and extends 10 seconds. Enjoy sniping then.

 

[Dr. Zaus]

Troll thread

, yall be post'n in a.

I wish they would add an ending period just for you. If you place a bid in the last 10 seconds, the auction does not end and extends 10 seconds.

10min; to a maximum of 1 day; but all bids made during that last 10min are 'last bids' in which no two people can bid against each other.