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eBay... A disappointing black hole of despair.

Hector_G

Hector_G

Apr 6, 2009
545
60
El Paso, Texas
www.myspace.com
#1
I am not rich. Quite far from it.
So when I saw a 4 string fretless Warwick Corvette Standard Bubinga for only $300 on eBay, I was ecstatic.

I entered a max bid of 430. All was going great!
Very last day of bidding, still no one put in a higher bid.
WOO HOO!

But alas, in the last few hours, it was done.
I lost the auction. The final selling price was $480. I couldn't go higher. It was either this bass, or bills/gas/food/shelter until next payday.

What are the chances that a Warwick Corvette will ever go for that low again? I know I've never seen it.
And... don't they retail for $1,600?
 
#2
Hector_G said:
I am not rich. Quite far from it.
So when I saw a 4 string fretless Warwick Corvette Standard Bubinga for only $300 on eBay, I was ecstatic.

I entered a max bid of 430. All was going great!
Very last day of bidding, still no one put in a higher bid.
WOO HOO!

But alas, in the last few hours, it was done.
I lost the auction. The final selling price was $480. I couldn't go higher. It was either this bass, or bills/gas/food/shelter until next payday.

What are the chances that a Warwick Corvette will ever go for that low again? I know I've never seen it.
And... don't they retail for $1,600?
Click to expand...

Welcome to eBay. On a hot item, most of the action happens in the last 15 SECONDS, not hours. It's not for the faint of heart. My advice is to decide the absolute most you would be willing to spend on the item based on its true value (to you) and submit it as your one and only bid with less than a minute to go, and then go away and don't watch.

EBay is designed with the seller, not the buyer, in mind. Deals can be had, but don't count on it. I once scored a functioning Conn Strobotuner for twelve bucks, but that's pretty unusual.
 
#3
You should have waited until the last minute. If you bid higher earlier, people will see your bid and will have to bid higher to get the instrument. I picked up my Warwick Corvette FL for 760 at Guitar Center 3 days ago. I don't think they retail for $1,600 but I think they are around $1,200 new?
 
#4
ggunn said:
Welcome to eBay. On a hot item, most of the action happens in the last 15 SECONDS, not hours. It's not for the faint of heart. My advice is to decide the absolute most you would be willing to spend on the item based on its true value (to you) and submit it as your one and only bid with less than a minute to go, and then go away and don't watch.
Click to expand...

I've only within the last 2 weeks have begun experiencing eBay. Finally decided to give it a try.
So I guess I'd better sharpen up on my bidding strategies.
Looks like I'm in for some heartache.
 
#5
Yup, on ebay, it's all about sniping the deal at the last second... someone always walks away with a broken heart, but if it's worth enough to you, you might just score a good deal if you're lucky, and at the very least, get it for a decent price, as long as you don't place too high of a bid. The problem with finding deals on ebay is it taps in to the competitive spirit of people, who just want to win the item they're bidding on, in turn causing some idiots to over bid in an attempt to beat the other bidders.... Let them pay too much and wait for another one to show up on ebay.

Most likely, you won't get a Warwick fretless for that cheap, but I'd say it's not entirely unlikely you'll find one for $550-$600. Save a little more, and you'll find one eventually.
 
#13
If it's something I want I wait until one second on auctions. No drama, no heartbreak, no anticipation that way.

Even so, there hasn't been much up for auction that I've wanted on eBay lately. What little there has been has been minor stuff that if I win, good, if not, oh well. Stuff like that I just place my highest bid on and let it ride.
 
#14
Hector_G said:
What are the chances that a Warwick Corvette will ever go for that low again? I know I've never seen it.
And... don't they retail for $1,600?
Click to expand...

I bought a Warwick Corvette fretless 4 in excellent shape for $400 even. Had to get a ride down to Jersey to pick it up, but it was still cheap. Just keep your eyes open on all the classifieds out there, and don't be afraid to make a fair off ($450 or so)- someone might say yes.
 
#16
Hector_G said:
I've only within the last 2 weeks have begun experiencing eBay. Finally decided to give it a try.
So I guess I'd better sharpen up on my bidding strategies.
Looks like I'm in for some heartache.
Click to expand...
It takes a while to get the knack. Like it was mentioned above the winning bids are in the last 15seconds. Ive bid on items where it was like playing a video game in the last minute trying to out bid the others bidding on the item. Yes, especially if its a hot item. I have got MANY excellent deals. My current motrcycle i won on ebay. It was an odd win too. I won it for about 1k below blue book. I was getting dressed for my best friends wedding and had to split. So, I made a bid with about 1hr to go thinking there was no way i would win because someone would outbid me in the last few seconds. About 2 hrs later i checked from my iPhone and surprise - I won it!! Know one else had bid on it in the last hour. It was a rare case. I walked a way with a darn steal. Its all about being on the item if you really want it.
 
#17
I'll probably regret this later when one of you outbids me on a nice bass :D.....but I use eSnipe. It is a web site that automatically bids for you at the last second. You can set it up to bid with one second left if you want (I usually use the default of 6 seconds), and you don't have to even be there.

I started using it after losing a lot of stuff to snipers like the OP did. I figured if you can't beat them, join them.
 
#19
Hector G:
I just looked at the "completed auction" section of Ebay and found the bass you bid on. If it makes you feel any better, 3 other people bid over your max bid of $430. Who knows how high the winning bidder's max bid really was, as he won by the standard margin of $5 over the guy below him. I'm guessing he was prepared to spend at least $500, maybe more...

Ebay's a blast, but you need to develop several different strategies and, above all, be patient. Waiting til the last second is effective on some things, but not all.

I wish you the best!
 

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