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I Hate EBAY.

Jimmy Bones

Jimmy Bones

Feb 24, 2009
1,970
5
Baxley, GA
www.myspace.com
#1
So I was bidding on the perfect bass for me, one which had every single thing in it that I wanted:

LP Body
5 String
Active EMGs
Full Scale
Set Neck


Been bidding on it for two days, been in the lead for almost 24 hours. Even put in more than I really wanted to pay for it so that if I fell asleep it would automatically up my bid for me.

So I sit here, and my bid gets outdone, so I up it some more. Last couple minutes, I refresh every couple seconds to check. 30, 27, 19, 3... I was still in the lead. JUST IN CASE, I entered a quick increase. By the time I finished, time was up, and in that split frikkin second, some ass hat outbid me.

I am bloody well pissed off. I have so little cash to begin with, when I get the opportunity to actually get EXACTLY what I want at a reasonable price, I get real excited and invested in it.

Now I don't know what I am going to do. If this jerk who outbid me goes and reposts it, i am going to be so ticked I won''t even be able to express the levels of my anger.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
#3
You got 'sniped', buster! You need to get an eBay sniping program of your own and set that bay boy up to post your max bid at about 3 seconds before the auction ends. That's what the other guy did...and now he's stroking your favorite bass.
I'm really sorry for you. I've had that happen to me before too...serious bummer!
 
#5
If you really bid more than you were willing to pay for it, you didn't lose because the person outbid you at the last minute - you lost because they bid more - period. Last minute sniping or not - if you were willing to bid more you could have just done it and be done with it.
The thing is most people either don't bid all that they're willing to , right away OR they expand and increase what they're willing to pay for an item as the bidding heats up.

If you set your price, make a conscious decistion tobe willing to walk away if it is higher than than, and you get outbid, it doesn't ever matter if you get outbid early or at the last second - you still lost it because it cost more than you wanted to pay for it.
 
#6
i've bought quite a few basses on the bay. don't bid until the last minutes, ie sniping like everyone is saying. almost all of my guitars i got after several appeared at the same time. if a ton of people bid on one specifically, there is usually some reason, ie good pics, better written description, etc. you can almost always find a pretty close bass right after. don't give up. it's hit or miss when you purchase without playing first. i agree on the decide your price approach and don't go beyond. if you do, no doubt a cheaper or better one will appear right after.
 
#8
One word: esnipe.com

Make up your mind the absolute maximum you are willing to pay for the item. Factor in everything such as actual street value, emotional or sentimental value, importance to your mental health and well-being, etc. Set your price, put your bid in with esnipe.com, go to sleep and forget about it. If someone still outbids you, they wanted it more, and you will have to wait for the next one or re-evaluate your willingness to compete in an auction situation.

Regarding "flipping," I've been seeing a lot of that with a couple of the basses I'm trying to acquire. Really makes you mad when someone only buys something to flip it and make a profit, and you want it for more noble reasons. Such as playing it.
 
#10
The complaints about ebay are accurate, BUT ebay is fantastic for finding guitars. I live in NC, and we are limited to Guitar Center and Sam Ash and that's it. I grew up when guitars were everywhere and not Guitar Hero (joke. GHero is pretty addictive). So many great old basses are on the bay. And many of the newer ones are sold at quite a loss due to no one willing to pay full price. Just stick with it and you'll find what you want. I can remember when Rics and Rippers couldn't be touched or moved anywhere, and now they are like gold. Ibanez Roadstars and Blazers are dirt cheap now, and they were quality back in the day.
 
#11
Been there a hundred times, and I say don't sweat it. You bid your max and it wasn't in the cards. Name calling will just bring bad karma. You're better off, as you'll always find another. Keep saving your money and look local. That thing had a long way to ship, and shippers can be brutal, as well as people packing poorly.
 
#14
Jimmy Bones said:
So I was bidding on the perfect bass for me, one which had every single thing in it that I wanted:

LP Body
5 String
Active EMGs
Full Scale
Set Neck


Been bidding on it for two days, been in the lead for almost 24 hours. Even put in more than I really wanted to pay for it so that if I fell asleep it would automatically up my bid for me.

So I sit here, and my bid gets outdone, so I up it some more. Last couple minutes, I refresh every couple seconds to check. 30, 27, 19, 3... I was still in the lead. JUST IN CASE, I entered a quick increase. By the time I finished, time was up, and in that split frikkin second, some ass hat outbid me.

I am bloody well pissed off. I have so little cash to begin with, when I get the opportunity to actually get EXACTLY what I want at a reasonable price, I get real excited and invested in it.

Now I don't know what I am going to do. If this jerk who outbid me goes and reposts it, i am going to be so ticked I won''t even be able to express the levels of my anger.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Click to expand...

Dont EVER bid until last seconds (use sniper service if you feel insecure doing it manually), if you REALLY want the item, overbid quite a bit more than you think is reasonable, but not higher than you actually in the end is prepared to pay, and then just keep your fingers crossed.


There are only two strategies on ebay, eiher you bid to win, or you bid and hope for a bargain.


D.Don
 
#15
My eBay rule of thumb is to bid only what I am willing to pay, then I don't have to worry about it if I don't win. I have lost a couple of basses that I can think of in the past several months by $10.

Even if you loose by a few dollars you still don't know what the winning bidder's max bid was.
 
#17
I rarely use ebay. 2 purchases since the early 2000s.... both BUY NOW button presses - one for a hat, one for an apron/pot holder pack.

But man, it's really aching at me. I was so excited... I make exactly $243 a month, and Mr Obama went and gave all of us on VA pension an extra $250 this month, so I was willing to go as high as $400 (not counting shipping). I was in the middle of typing it out at the 9 second mark.

I appreciate the condolences, but I can't imagine ever finding another bass that is literaly so damned PERFECT for me.
 
#18
Have ebay notify you the next time a similar bss is listed, and like everyone else says use a snipe program to bid on it. You can also email the seller ands offer him $20 more he might sell it to you and tell the winner the bass is no longer available...

it happens.
 
#19
I understand and sympathize with the fixed income situation. All I can say is no matter how rare something is, odds are another one will show up on Ebay within a year. And like one other guy mentioned above, sometimes a bunch will show up at once, like feast or famine.
 

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