I picked up my first one on e-bay a couple months ago, that's after bidding on dozens and dozens of them & searching for the "one." Keep trying...your next bass is out there, just waiting for you.
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I Hate EBAY.
- Thread starter Jimmy Bones
- Start date
Well, working also on a 5 string stiletto to match my elite 4. Not SUPER interested in it, but I want a 5er.
And all this cause I wanted to try to find a better bass for the buck than an SX.
And all this cause I wanted to try to find a better bass for the buck than an SX.
There is no point in bidding before the last minute of an auction. All it does is encourage others to bid up a couple of bucks at a time until they outbid you.
And the REAL auction is in the last 30 seconds. I usually don't bid until the clock is under 30. Then I've been able to watch others and see who is bidding and how often.
You'd be surprised how often the winning bid is either the first bid for that person or a second bid by someone who only bid once, right at the start - probably as a place-holder in My Ebay.
But when the final 5 seconds hit, the snipe bids come in - and unless you're higher, you lose. That's the fact, Jack. I bought a Jack Casady bass two weeks ago for under $400..and all the action was in the last 90 seconds.
And the REAL auction is in the last 30 seconds. I usually don't bid until the clock is under 30. Then I've been able to watch others and see who is bidding and how often.
You'd be surprised how often the winning bid is either the first bid for that person or a second bid by someone who only bid once, right at the start - probably as a place-holder in My Ebay.
But when the final 5 seconds hit, the snipe bids come in - and unless you're higher, you lose. That's the fact, Jack. I bought a Jack Casady bass two weeks ago for under $400..and all the action was in the last 90 seconds.
I NEVER bid until the end of the auction. If it's something I really want, I ask the seller some strategic questions and then wait and use my sniping program at the end.
Who cares who has the bid with a couple days, hours, minutes left.... it's who has it at the end. I don't understand people who think they gotta have the bid with time left... they are just driving up the price !!!
Who cares who has the bid with a couple days, hours, minutes left.... it's who has it at the end. I don't understand people who think they gotta have the bid with time left... they are just driving up the price !!!
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
I bid the max that I am willing to pay and if it goes higher than that then the other guy gets it.
The problem with waiting until the last seconds is something could go wrong with your bid, Ebay's service or your computer does not transfer as fast. I was bidding on an item at the last minute when my grandson asked me a question. I stopped to answer him and this was just long enough for me to get the dredded "Auction has Ended" message. The item went for about half of what I was willing to pay.
When it comes to the last 30 seconds, you have to put up the max you're willing to pay. Otherwise you may end up kicking yourself. I can see keeping the $$$ down until crunch time, but as others have mentioned, at the last second, sniping or not, the guy with the highest $$$ bid wins.
...and of course somone who outbids you (assuming you come in 2nd) wins by 50 cents, or a couple of bucks, whatever the bid increment is, that's the way the system is set up. He/she might have bid $100 higher than it shows, but he only pays the incremental amount higher than the 2nd place bidder.
I just lost a nice Harley leather bass strap to another bidder. I had $12 bid going into the last couple of hours. Another guy came along and outbid me, bid showed $13. With a minute to go, I upped to $21, then $22...the most I was willing to spend on the strap. Mr $13 was still showing outbidding me, because his initial amount must have been way up there. I bid the most I was willing to spend for that strap, he got it because he was willing to spend more. Plain & simple...
...and of course somone who outbids you (assuming you come in 2nd) wins by 50 cents, or a couple of bucks, whatever the bid increment is, that's the way the system is set up. He/she might have bid $100 higher than it shows, but he only pays the incremental amount higher than the 2nd place bidder.
I just lost a nice Harley leather bass strap to another bidder. I had $12 bid going into the last couple of hours. Another guy came along and outbid me, bid showed $13. With a minute to go, I upped to $21, then $22...the most I was willing to spend on the strap. Mr $13 was still showing outbidding me, because his initial amount must have been way up there. I bid the most I was willing to spend for that strap, he got it because he was willing to spend more. Plain & simple...
I'm a 3 second sniper ~ women want to be with me, men want to be me.......not really, but I've broken a few hearts on ebay & I've got some nice gear to show for it. Don't hate the players, hate the game.
My sniper program works even if my computor is not on.... I've rarely lost an auction using it. It'll keep bidding until either the bid goes over your entered max bid or time runs out. The only instances I've lost is when I didn't program a high enough max bid. You can set it to kick in at any point in the countdown. I set mine with 5 seconds left. Seems to me I recall one auction where it made 8 bids with 5 seconds left... And the computor wasn't even on !!
Of course, the sniper is not rwally a program as in software you own, but a service a seperate business provides.
google auction sniper
It is really discouraging when this happens. If you really want something, you must bid about 10% higher, just in case. As said, this guy wanted it more, and you don't know what his max was. I probably would have bid at least $300 on that bass.
HOWEVER, I've learned that the rule of eBay is that "There will ALWAYS be another one". Do a search and save it, and have eBay email you when another comes up. I have found the most obscure items that way.
Meanwhile, there are plenty of other reasons to hate eBay. I hate the way that they are now pandering to the buyers, and screw the sellers. It is now impossible to leave negative feedback for a buyer, even if he doesn't pay, etc. SO - what the point of the feedback system? It is useless. It like our school systems that give every kid a passing grade.
HOWEVER, I've learned that the rule of eBay is that "There will ALWAYS be another one". Do a search and save it, and have eBay email you when another comes up. I have found the most obscure items that way.
Meanwhile, there are plenty of other reasons to hate eBay. I hate the way that they are now pandering to the buyers, and screw the sellers. It is now impossible to leave negative feedback for a buyer, even if he doesn't pay, etc. SO - what the point of the feedback system? It is useless. It like our school systems that give every kid a passing grade.
I only bid what I'm willing to pay for the item. If it goes over my max bid then the other guy can have it.
One thing I don't understand about ebay that I've noticed a few times was I'm first and only person to bid on an item then it tells me I'm out bid but I'm still the only one that bid on the item.
I've had that happen 3 or 4 times, now I don't bid on anything until the last few seconds of the auction. If there's a buy it now feature and I feel its a good deal then I'll just save all the hassle of bidding and just use that.
One thing I don't understand about ebay that I've noticed a few times was I'm first and only person to bid on an item then it tells me I'm out bid but I'm still the only one that bid on the item.
I've had that happen 3 or 4 times, now I don't bid on anything until the last few seconds of the auction. If there's a buy it now feature and I feel its a good deal then I'll just save all the hassle of bidding and just use that.
I don't really understand the point of sniping so it doesn't really piss me off. At the end of the day if you set a price you are willing to pay and stick to it, it really doesn't matter when you make the bid - the proxy bidding will keep going for you. As someone said, choose the max you are willing to pay, then add 10% to cover for people beating you by 50 cents and stuff. If you get beaten then someone is obviously simply willing to pay more, it doesn't matter when you bid at all. Thats why I like ebay.
A lot of people put a lower bid than they're actually willing to pay. This is why sniping works, as it doesn't give anyone an opportunity to raise their maximum bid.
happened to me last night, lost a MIJ P bass that called my name so hard, I"m still broke up about it. Lost by a few bucks in under 5 seconds. If anyone got that fotoflame 94, please contact me. I feel your pain.
Seriously - this is exactly why I would never get involved in a an auction anywhere, for anything!
It all seems like so much hassle for so little reward - all these people desparately chasing a bargain...
I'm sure they put in far more effort than they ever get back in terms of reward...
If I am buying something I want a price and the option to buy it now!
I am not against buying from shops on eBay that put up a buy it now price or from any other online retailers...?
But if I want to buy something - that doesn't mean I want to get involved in an auction!!
I don't go to the supermarket and start haggling amongst the other customers - I just look around, look at the prices and put what I want/can afford in the trolley and buy it - end of story!
If that is the case then I'm not surprised sniping works.
I guess you have to decide how much you want the item, if you are only interested because the current bidding price is low and you want to get it for a bargain by all means bid below what you think its worth. Just don't be surprised when someone outbids you that is willing to pay a realistic price for the item.
To be honest I don't find ebay stressful at all, you either get it for a price your happy with, or you find another.
