Ebay - Any Tips on Winning?

[Solarmist]

I've been watching Ebay/basses for some time now, but never actually tried it. I have lately, and was wondering if you Ebay "experts" have any advice on bidding & winning?

[bassteban]

Decide your max bid, type it in, but don't confirm until the last 10 seconds or so. Open a second window to watch the 'time left'.

[benthughes]

Have more money than the other people.

[Mazatleco17]

Originally Posted by benthughes

Have more money than the other people.

+1 that will usually do it

[bassteban]

Originally Posted by benthughes

Have more money than the other people.

Yeah, this makes great sense as long as you're willing to throw it away just for the sake of *winning* the auction.

[MilkyMcMilkMilk]

if you want to keep the bidding low dont' bid until the last day. don't get crazy in the last couple of minutes, know how much the item is worth to you and don't exceed that price. it's very easy to get caught up bidding a lot near the end just to beat the bastard trying to get your stuff.
bassteban's idea is pretty good, that should keep you from going to wild.

but unless you're willing to pay a high price just bid your maximum as your 1st bid because it will only charge a tiny bit more than what the bid below yours was.

but most stuff on ebay there are multiple auctions going on, if you can find the one that not many people are paying attention to you might get a good deal if you have a bit of patience.

well really this is more about not paying too much than winning.

[TheoFly]

If you want to bid without "showing your hand" or having to baby sit the auction you use one of the commercial snipers to bid on your behalf, such as this one:

http://www.powersnipe.com

There are others as well.

But, it all boils down to what has already be mentioned. Decide what the item is worth to you and bid accordingly, whether you use a sniping service or do it yourself.

[D.Don]

Originally Posted by Solarmist

I've been watching Ebay/basses for some time now, but never actually tried it. I have lately, and was wondering if you Ebay "experts" have any advice on bidding & winning?

Well, ebay is only about two strategies, either you bid to win, or you bid and hope for a bargain.

If you bid to win, wait until the last 12-8 seconds, and place a bid that is fairly lots higher than the item normally is sold for, if you're lucky, you get it for less, if not, at least you most probably get it.

Else, you just place a bid corresponding to what you feel is your max-bid, and hope for the best...


D.Don

[Johnny Crab]

Originally Posted by bassteban

Decide your max bid, type it in, but don't confirm until the last 10 seconds or so. Open a second window to watch the 'time left'.

+1
Time-conscious bidding.

[bassteban]

I am dumbfounded as to why anyone would bid less than a few minutes before the end. 4 days remaining?

[stratovani]

I've been doing eBay for about 9 years now, and I've found a couple of things that have helped me:

1. Do your research. Find the same or a comparable item, save it in a Bookmark folder called Watched Auctions, and track it over the life of the auction. Do that over a period of time for several auctions, and you'll start to get an idea of an item's worth.

2. eBay is more than an auction site, it's a miniature capitalist free-market economy. Everything has a fair-market value, but if you do your homework sometimes you'll get a bargain. Case in point - last year I won a Squier Affinity P-Bass for $50.00. I was the only bidder, but I did do my research beforehand. I then modded it with all eBay-won parts and I got me a killer P-Bass for about $175.00.

3. A cardinal rule - never, ever, ever get into a bidding war. You'll pay way more than what the item is really worth. But if you do your research that is usually not a problem.

4. if you're going to snipe, then snipe by all means, and don't feel guilty about it. I've done it to others, and I've had it done to me. That's the way it goes for snipers!

5. Check out the shipping charges when you first come upon an auction that interests you. If it seems too high then, as they say in New York, fuggedaboutit! Paying $10 shipping for something that's worth $5 is too much.

6. Don't forget to leave feedback, but not until the item is in your hands and in good order, never before.

[fdeck]

I think the secret to winning, is to make it a habit of not winning if the price isn't what you are willing to pay. Also, about shipping charges, I just factor it into what I am willing to bid.

[GeneralElectric]

The other secret to winning is finding the bid history and murdering the other bidders.

[tplyons]

Tips on winning? Spend more than it's worth.

Tips on getting a good deal? Don't get sucked into the "winning" mentality. You win nothing more than the chance to buy an item. Sometimes, you win the chance to spend more than an item is worth.

[hbarcat]

SNIPE.

Here's how:

1) Never, ever bid until the last moment. Bidding while there is still time left only encourages other bidders (and their sniping software) to out bid you.

2) Have a high speed connection. The faster it is the more reliably you can snipe.

3) Open two windows, so you can watch the time with one (keep hitting refresh) and use the other to bid.

4) Bid what you are willing to pay (decide this ahead of time and don't exceed it) in the bidding window and keep it on hold until it's time to snipe.

5) Bid as close to the end as you can. That means within 3 seconds or less in order to beat any sniping software that others are using.

[Relic]

Originally Posted by hbarcat

SNIPE.

Here's how:

1) Never, ever bid until the last moment. Bidding while there is still time left only encourages other bidders (and their sniping software) to out bid you.

2) Have a high speed connection. The faster it is the more reliably you can snipe.

3) Open two windows, so you can watch the time with one (keep hitting refresh) and use the other to bid.

4) Bid what you are willing to pay (decide this ahead of time and don't exceed it) in the bidding window and keep it on hold until it's time to snipe.

5) Bid as close to the end as you can. That means within 3 seconds or less in order to beat any sniping software that others are using.

+1
This is pretty much what I do.

[Beno]

Originally Posted by hbarcat

SNIPE.

Here's how:

1) Never, ever bid until the last moment. Bidding while there is still time left only encourages other bidders (and their sniping software) to out bid you.

2) Have a high speed connection. The faster it is the more reliably you can snipe.

3) Open two windows, so you can watch the time with one (keep hitting refresh) and use the other to bid.

4) Bid what you are willing to pay (decide this ahead of time and don't exceed it) in the bidding window and keep it on hold until it's time to snipe.

5) Bid as close to the end as you can. That means within 3 seconds or less in order to beat any sniping software that others are using.

Yep... or only buy stuff that you can buy it now

[nortonrider]

My way is pretty simple.
I decide the Maximum I am willing to pay, bid it and wait.
If I win, cool! If not, I figure that it was worth more to someone else.

I don't have the time or desire to sit around and wait until the last 12 seconds of an auction to bid.

[fdeck]

Exactly what purpose does "sniping" serve? I mean, I don't see anything wrong with it, but if you know how much you want to pay, what difference does it make when you enter that amount?

[bassteban]

Originally Posted by fdeck

Exactly what purpose does "sniping" serve? I mean, I don't see anything wrong with it, but if you know how much you want to pay, what difference does it make when you enter that amount?

Bidding earler than neccesary only serves to alert potential bidders, driving the price up. I decide my top bid, but if I enter it 3 hours before the auction ends, there's a good chance someone else will outbid me out of sheer desire to *win*.