Strategies for bidding on Ebay

[Les]

When bidding on an item on Ebay what is your approach?  Do you bid your max up front or do you wait until the final seconds of the auction and bid your max (sniping)?

I find if you make your initial bid a few days before the auction ends and you are outbid you increase your bid to the point you realise you paid to much after the fact (Buyer's remorse)?

Just a fun topic to throw around.

[BillyJack]

I'm trying to fine-tune my ebay searching methods more than my bidding methods right now.  I think showing no interest then sniping is my preferred bid method right now, the last thing I nibbled on jumped up to 56.00 in the last 5 minutes of the auction... that's a little much for a Zippo.

BillyJack

BTW I lost that auction thank God.

[AlanS17]

I prefer sniping. I load up my watch list with a few items I don't plan on buying to see how high the max bids usually go. Then after a few auctions have gone by I snipe the one I want. Just don't get caught up in it.

I've found that people tend to rationalize raising their bids if they've been working on an item over the course of several days. Plus I don't want the world knowing I want an item until it's too late.

[Les]

I'm trying to fine-tune my ebay searching methods more than my bidding methods right now

No doubt.  Having a good searching strategy can pay dividends as did for me.  Check out this auction I won:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3226403253&category=13718&rd=1

Little did I know when I did a search for "joystick" I would find this little treasure (720 degrees joystick for those who don't know  .  Works perfectly too.  I thought I'd never get one since I wasn't willing to spend $100 as they have been going for lately.

I find locating auctions where the seller has no idea what they have seem to provide the best prices!

[AlanS17]

Speaking of ebay and joysticks... anybody seen a good analog arcade joystick lately? i wanna emulate some consoles on my machine.

[1UP]

My favorite method is Buy It Now!  The idea is, search for any completed (past) auctions for the item you want to buy, to get a good idea of what you should be prepared to pay.  Keep checking back, until you see the item you want with a Buy It Now price that's the same or lower than the final price from other auctions.  BUY IT!!  It saves you from paying an even higher price, and you don't have to get up at 4am to catch the end of an auction.

If all else fails, sniping is always good, or you can just contact the seller directly and make an offer....

[paigeoliver]

Speaking of ebay and joysticks... anybody seen a good analog arcade joystick lately? i wanna emulate some consoles on my machine.

What consoles had analog sticks?

[TheTick]

Before you bid on or "buy now" for anything, you better double check the shipping cost. Something small for $6 to $10 is okay... sometimes they demand something outrageous like $20 to ship a small box, that UPS charges $9 for. If they don't have the fixed shipping cost listed, email them with your zipcode and request an estimate. Otherwise, you may get burned.

(sometimes they just pad $2 or $5 on for packaging costs... sometimes they try to recover their ebay fees).

[AlanS17]

Speaking of ebay and joysticks... anybody seen a good analog arcade joystick lately? i wanna emulate some consoles on my machine.

What consoles had analog sticks?

Nintendo 64 has one, doesn't it? (Never owned one) So does Playstation.

[spectre]

dreamcast has analog sticks too

[paigeoliver]

Ah, those newer consoles just don't pop to mind when someone mentions emulation. When someone says console emulation I am thing Nes, Snes, Atari 2600, Genesis, etc.

[armad1ll0]

you dudes need to be educated.

It's all about.

www.auctionstealer.com

nuff said...

[spectre]

paige i agree... the old consoles were great! new ones pretty much suck... i sold all my consoles now, i rarely play pc games, or i play mame, thats it, lol

[AlanS17]

you dudes need to be educated.

It's all about.

www.auctionstealer.com

nuff said...

I would just prefer to do it by hand. I don't bid much and I'm always within reach of a computer to place a bid. I like doing it myself. That's part of the fun.

[Smittydc]

When I don't have time to snipe it right by myself I use auctionsniper.com -- has worked for me every time.

[SirPoonga]

you dudes need to be educated.

It's all about.

www.auctionstealer.com

nuff said...

I would just prefer to do it by hand. I don't bid much and I'm always within reach of a computer to place a bid. I like doing it myself. That's part of the fun.

Me too, unless it is something I need.  Then I auction stealer it so I don't have to worry

[1UP]

Yeah, until everyone starts using auctionstealer, then it's going to be a luck of the draw again...

[Les]

you dudes need to be educated.

It's all about.

www.auctionstealer.com

nuff said...

I wouldn't call paying $9 a month for someone else to place bids for you on Ebay "educated".

Although it does take away the grueling task of reading the time on your clock and placing a bid manually on ebay.

[Smittydc]

I wouldn't call paying $9 a month for someone else to place bids for you on Ebay "educated".
Although it does take away the grueling task of reading the time on your clock and placing a bid manually on ebay.

Yikes! that's expensive.  www.auctionsniper.com charges per snipe based on the price of the auction -- I think the first few are free, and then it's something around 1%.

As I said, I usually snipe myself for the fun, but when I don't want to stay up until 4am or I'm out of town this is much easier.

I am slightly surprised that nobody has complained here about sniping in general -- I guess people are used to it by now.

[Les]

I am slightly surprised that nobody has complained here about sniping in general -- I guess people are used to it by now.

I think it's a legit tactic.  I've been sniped before by someone on a Star Wars Yoke.  That actually turned out to be a good thing as the yoke was missing a gear and I managed to buy another yoke for the same price only complete.  

However if you are going to snipe do it correctly.  There is an account on Ebay by the name of "usedelectronics" that is a total moron.  He bids throughout the auction length driving the price up and then places snipe bids as well.  This is the same fool that got stuck paying $150 for a 720 control panel.  When you snipe it should only be at the last possible moment and for as much $$$ as you are willing to part with.  Any bidding beforehand will only inflate the final price (IMHO).

[TheTick]

I'm not sure if I buy into that whole "running the price up".  Doesn't everyone have a maximum they think something is worth. Is someone else bidding earlier, really going to affect what everyone else is willing to go up to?

If you and another bidder are both willing to bid upto $50.xx dollars at the last minute, but a 3rd bidder runs the price upto $40-$50 early on; does that really change anything?

If you loose an auction by only $1, that doesn't mean you were outbid by $1. You'll never no the actual amount, but it could've been a proxy bid $20 more than you max bid. Sniping won't help you there.

The morons that bid $1 more 20 times in a row, are just plain annoying.... they were obviously willing to be $20 more, why didn't they just do that with a single bid? Ebay will just show $0.50 or $1 more than the next highest bid, anyhow.

Than there's the auctions with an extremely low starting bid, and a fair price "Buy It Now".  Half the time some moron will bid early "extremely low" with no interest in the auction.  I've seen some of my own auctions wind up going higher than the "Buy It Now" option. Not that I'm complaining, it  just seems moronic... what's the strategy there?

[Wade]

I think the only strategy for bidding on ebay is not to bid at all.  I keep a close eye on arcade games and they almost always go for about twice what they are really worth among usual collectors.  It's better to make connections or find games through a club or friends in the same hobby.

Wade

[Les]

I'm not sure if I buy into that whole "running the price up".  Doesn't everyone have a maximum they think something is worth. Is someone else bidding earlier, really going to affect what everyone else is willing to go up to?

Yeah but I think you'll find most people will rationalize spending over what they thought was thier "maximum".  The thinking goes:  Well if I was going to spend that much for it, what's $5 more?  Plus one of the beauties of Ebay (at least if you own stock) is that is creates a competitive atmosphere.  Some things turn into downright bidding wars.

[HeadRusch]

What part of PROXY BIDDING do you guys not seem to understand??

There is no sniping strategy......you're kidding yourselves into believeing there is something there..

Log on
Find the item you want
Put in the maximum amount you are willing to pay
and bid.

I log on, I see a marquee..I say "Hmmm, if some guy had it in hand I'd go $15 on it..no...I'd go $25..but no more".  I bid $25...in a few days, I win..I lose.

That pretty much kills the whole "sniping" theory.....unless you guys aren't concerned about how much youa ctually SPEND on an item, and are more interested in being the last person to actually bid on it....

[Snarbald]

What does piss me off is when an auction is staying low and someone bids the auction up $1 at a time and when the go over your max bid and then retract the last bid. I've got a feeling that that's always the auctioner under a different name. wish I had a way to prove it...

[ThePunk]

I am slightly surprised that nobody has complained here about sniping in general -- I guess people are used to it by now.

I think it's a legit tactic.  I've been sniped before by someone on a Star Wars Yoke.  That actually turned out to be a good thing as the yoke was missing a gear and I managed to buy another yoke for the same price only complete.  

However if you are going to snipe do it correctly.  There is an account on Ebay by the name of "usedelectronics" that is a total moron.  He bids throughout the auction length driving the price up and then places snipe bids as well.  This is the same fool that got stuck paying $150 for a 720 control panel.  When you snipe it should only be at the last possible moment and for as much $$$ as you are willing to part with.  Any bidding beforehand will only inflate the final price (IMHO).

The guy your talking about lives nearby...
 I checked out his setup recently and needless to say, every odd-ball controller in existance is in his cabinet.
I bought yoke gears for my star wars controller from him. $10 for the pair!
Not to mention he had a shelf full of new 720 parts, and a bunch of NOS atari goodies...

[TheTick]

What does piss me off is when an auction is staying low and someone bids the auction up $1 at a time and when the go over your max bid and then retract the last bid. I've got a feeling that that's always the auctioner under a different name. wish I had a way to prove it...

I thought ebay forced them to cancel all their bids when they do that? Maybe thats just with in the last hour? If nothing else, you should report it to ebay so they can investigate (yeah, that would help   ). You always have the option of cancelling your bid, and rebidding if you think something suspicious is going on. Hmmm, I guess that scenario makes the proxy bidding a bit flawed.

I usually check the sellers previous auctions, mostly just cursiosity. Sometimes they are selling something I want, but they have many, they just sell one a week at a time. If someone outbids me, I just wait for the next auction.

[1UP]

The reason some people seem to up their bid by $1, 20 times in a row is BECAUSE of proxy bidding.  Ebay's useless proxy bidding system is moronic: you put in your max bid, and hit submit.  Seconds later, you've already been outbid.  Why?  Because someone else has also used ebay's automatic bidding system to do the same thing.  The two automatic bids rapidly try to outbid each other (by $1 each time) until the one with the highest max ends up on top.  If you notice you're continuously being outbid, odds are that no one's on the other end, they're just using ebay's stupid proxy system.

In my opinion, if you can't get a reasonable buy it now price, sniping is the only way to go.  There are always idiots out there who will keep upping the ante to astronomical levels in an adrenaline-fuelled rage, even days before the auction ends.  The only thing to do is remain calm, and wait for the final seconds of the auction, then take your chances.  And if you're bidding your max when you snipe, you're a fool as well.  If you keep refreshing the screen in the final minutes, you'll have an idea of how high to go, and whether or not to withdraw.  If the high bidder is at $50 in the final moments, you wait till there's 5 seconds to go, then bid $60 or $75, not $200...

[SirPoonga]

you dudes need to be educated.

It's all about.

www.auctionstealer.com

nuff said...

I wouldn't call paying $9 a month for someone else to place bids for you on Ebay "educated".

Although it does take away the grueling task of reading the time on your clock and placing a bid manually on ebay.

umm, auctionstealer is free for 10 snipes a month.

The point of sniping, for those who don't get it, is to get the lowest possible price.  It's the best way.
Max price proxy bidding is the best way to just get the item at the price you are willing to pay, but not the lowest possible price.  You won't always get a win or much below your max price but more than not you do.  I know I've saved about 50% through sniping.


The only thing I hate is when there is an abviously huge supply of something and people bid up to full price when there are plenty of more chances.  

[Smittydc]

Tick,

I agree that you should just bid your highest amount.  However, by bidding early you are making your price point visible early and giving others a chance to outbid you.  It's supply and demand, but it's not a static system, it's over time.  I see it happen like this a lot:  Say there's something you want with a current bid of $15.  You're willing to pay $75.  If you bid right away you are showing your cards early and the price might jump up to $75 right away.  If you wait, the price might go up a little bit as others fight it out around $20-30, thinking that's the going value.  So when you bid at $75 you get it for $50 instead of $75.

Another factor is that a lot of the stuff I buy on ebay isn't available otherwise, so its hard to judge what a fair price is.  Obviously, your final price shoud depend on how badly you want it.  Ok, so there's a lot of "mights" in there and that doesn't happen in every situation.  But I've seen it happen a lot.

Another odd ebay observation: I am shocked how often I see bids on computer parts, cameras, and other "commodity" like products go HIGHER than you can find them at online stores.  Some people are definitely morons.  I usually buy that kind of stuff using froogle.com or pricewatch.com and find cheaper prices than on ebay.

[Les]

I am shocked how often I see bids on computer parts, cameras, and other "commodity" like products go HIGHER than you can find them at online stores.  Some people are definitely morons.  I usually buy that kind of stuff using froogle.com or pricewatch.com and find cheaper prices than on ebay.

Yeah, its like I said "bidding wars".  Some people think it is a slap in the face when they are outbid by someone else (stupid).  Also there is the effect when more people are bidding on an item it artificially increases the value by making it seam like such a sought after item.  I don't care what anyone says, it's not just as simple as placing your max bid whenever.

[TheTick]

The reason some people seem to up their bid by $1, 20 times in a row is BECAUSE of proxy bidding.  Ebay's useless proxy bidding system is moronic: you put in your max bid, and hit submit.  Seconds later, you've already been outbid.  Why?  Because someone else has also used ebay's automatic bidding system to do the same thing.  The two automatic bids rapidly try to outbid each other (by $1 each time) until the one with the highest max ends up on top.  If you notice you're continuously being outbid, odds are that no one's on the other end, they're just using ebay's stupid proxy system.

No, that's actually a person doing that. eBay sees two proxy bids as only two bids, and will figure out the high bidder. Equal bids, earlier bidder gets priority; otherwise 2nd highest bid + bid increment.  You can check that after the auction is over, and see what each person bid and when.... except for the highest bidders last bid (you'll own see the 2nd highest bid + bid increment.... their actual bid remains hidden).

I think for items that have low starting bids but will likely go for much more, you guys are right about holding off from bidding early. I think the exception would be items that are only worth the opening bid (maybe a little more).... Its not worth getting into a bidding war. Example: Some guy keeps selling mini guitars for an opening bid of $5.xx every week. That is generally the closing bid as well. Even though he has plenty more (sometimes 5 a week) some moron will outbid and windup overpaying.

Is the sniping service providing any feature other that the following:
    Bids the max amount you specify
    Bids at a specific time before the end of the auction

I guess its more convient and reliable than sitting there, but it doesn't seem very "value added".  I think the next topic should be "strategies for snipping on ebay"

[HeadRusch]

It seems like what we have here are a BUNCH of people who DONT like the way ebay works....

They'd prefer it to be "nobody bids until the last second, and then at the last second I bid, and I win the item for $1 buck! YEAH!..and when I lose, EBAY SUCKS!".

Which I suppose is fine, but...Ebay doesn't work that way.  And you just gotta deal with it.  
Ebay is more like a real auction...

At a real auction you can't be "waiting until the last blow of the auctioneers gavel" to try to sneak in a final bid.....

[tetsu96]

It seems like what we have here are a BUNCH of people who DONT like the way ebay works....

They'd prefer it to be "nobody bids until the last second, and then at the last second I bid, and I win the item for $1 buck! YEAH!..and when I lose, EBAY SUCKS!".

Which I suppose is fine, but...Ebay doesn't work that way.  And you just gotta deal with it.  
Ebay is more like a real auction...

At a real auction you can't be "waiting until the last blow of the auctioneers gavel" to try to sneak in a final bid.....

Actually, I think that most do understand how Ebay works.  What I don't think you're taking into account is that not everyone uses Ebay in the same manner as you do.

There ARE some people who will look at an item, place their maximum bid, and will simply let it go if that bid is outbid by another...

And there are also those that will place their max bid, see it's not high enough, and then will take a moment to ask if that was really their last bid or not...  Fairly often, they'll decide they can bid the extra few dollars to win that auction.  Then they'll do that another few times until they reach their "real" maximum bid.

It's to handle that segment of bidders where sniping is an appropriate and effective strategy.  And if someone gets sniped, then next time they bid they'll consider going a bit higher on that max bid the first time as it's supposed to be done.

[jakejake28]

tetsu96 said
There ARE some people who will look at an item, place their maximum bid, and will simply let it go if that bid is outbid by another...
And there are also those that will place their max bid, see it's not high enough, and then will take a moment to ask if that was really their last bid or not...  Fairly often, they'll decide they can bid the extra few dollars to win that auction.  Then they'll do that another few times until they reach their "real" maximum bid.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
yeah, that is very true. when i bid ebay, i just give my max immediately. if i lose, my budget does not account for passion. but i know people who will pay a years worth to get revenge on someone who outbid them on anything. i find it crazy, but i guess ebay lives off that kind of people...

[SirPoonga]

At a real auction you can't be "waiting until the last blow of the auctioneers gavel" to try to sneak in a final bid.....

yeah you can, I do it all the time.

[JK99]

At a real auction you can't be "waiting until the last blow of the auctioneers gavel" to try to sneak in a final bid.....

yeah you can, I do it all the time.

but then someone can sneak in after you. and so on and so on.

In some respects Ebay should be the same. Extend auction time for a minute after each bid. Fairer for everyone.

Though really, I cant complain, I've snagged a few things in my time.  

[1UP]

A real auction also doesn't last for several days--there is a time limit, albeit an arbitrary one (the auctioneer decides when it's been too long between bids, going once, going twice...)

I hate seeing something that I want now, and waiting 6 days before I can even bid without driving the price up too soon.  I'd rather that Ebay auctions lasted a few hours at most.  That's why I usually sort by items offered with Buy It Now, and look for one with a fair price.  To me, time is a commodity, and if I can get back to my life sooner by paying a fair price, I don't mind that it wasn't the lowest possible rock-bottom deal of a lifetime price...

[u_rebelscum]

My bidding "stratage" (done mostly because I'm usually not at the computer at the end of the auction):

If not bid on yet, bid early with a max I'd feel good with if I won, but low enough that I have space later.  If over bid, see below.

If prior bid is still low, still bid early, but with a lower max than if there was no prior bid.  If over bid, see below.

If bid is nearing my "low end max" or I was over bid, I try to remember to snipe.  (Then usually unintentionally forget or be too busy at auction end )  In the rare case I am online, I prep two snipes: a low-to-mid "good" price, and a "near the top" max price.  I snipe the lower bid with ~ 1 minute left.  If I'm outbid or over sniped, I still have the second one and time to use it, if I really want to.  After I deside my "near the top" price is really too high for me, I refresh and find that 3 people sniped at higher bids than I would have gone anyway.

I only have won with my "first person to bid" and my "low-to-mid snipe" bids.  *shrug*

A real auction also doesn't last for several days--there is a time limit, albeit an arbitrary one (the auctioneer decides when it's been too long between bids, going once, going twice...)

Some "real" auctions take several days, although they're usually "blind" auctions.  House sales are one example, with no set end time.  

My parents have gotten their last few cars through the California Highway Patrol used patrol car auctions; there's a minimum bid price for each car, the bids are placed sealed in a box, and once a week the bids are examined.  The highest bid (if any) for each car wins.  Usually a car lasts a few weeks before someone bids on it, more than two bids on a car at once is high.

I'm not sure if you would call them "real auctions", though.

I have wished auctions on ebay were shorter, but then it would easier for me to miss an object, and harder for the seller to get a (more profitable) bid war.  There are (were?) short auction sites, but all the stuff there was at retail prices since the sellers knew there was only enough time for only one or maybe two people interested in the thing to find it and "bid".  (That is, when I last looked.)  I can see the minimum price racking way up if ebay started doing 4 hour auctions, and more importantly, me never finding a live auction of stuff I want.  *shrug*  Not sure if it would really be any better.

[Chris]

I used to like the way surplusdirect.com did auctions: if there was activity within 5 minutes of the auction close, the auction would stay open until there was no activity for 5 minutes.  No sniping there, just a good honest auction!  I find myself sniping now sometimes because I have to: if I don't, someone else will.

Generally, I try to stick to Buy-It-Nows.

I do agree, though, that you should never bid on an auction that doesn't state shipping costs up front!  I've gotten burned by ridiculous shipping before...

--Chris

[HeadRusch]

Poonga, if you're doing that consistantly they wont let you back in the auction, if its any reputable one because when EVERYONE starts to do that, it wastes alot of time for the auction house/auctioneer and in most auctions time is money.

Anyways......Tetsu, the deal with "people want to up their bid by a buck or two to win the auction", don't take this the wrong way..but...."duh".

Thats the entire point of an auction.....to get the item for the smallest possible price while still beating-out the next guy who also wants it..for just a buck more than you're willing to go.

I guess I'm not making my point here cuz there isn't one to make.....you can bid however you like in an auction, but I still chuckle to myself when people brag about their "fool proof strategies".  There is no strategy.....there is "bid at the last second" and hope your last bid beats the last max bid placed, or bid upfront the max you're willing to pay and forget about it.

Usually its some 13 year old who wins an auction by like 1 bid, suddenly he's an expert with a "fool proof strategy" and he's "Scamming auctions left and right" and all that crap.....as if its some super fool-proof method that only HE or She knows  Its laughable....

I usually log on, see an item, place a max bid, and be done with it.  If someone beats me in the auction, so be it.....but to hear that person brag how they "sniped the item out from under me" is ridiculous....I wouldn't have paid $1.00 more for the item.....that way I dont have to play this game of "watching the auction tick down".......call it sniping, call it whatever....but its definately not some fool proof method and there really isn't any complex mathematical formula behind it......you bid, you win or you lose..nuff said.

[jakejake28]

all this sniping stuff, i just let proxy biddig do it for me.