ebay bidding

[unknown poster]

I remember some prior discussions here about bidding on ebay, and how to get the best price by sniping or other techniques. I think ebay has changed over time, and some of the old techniques may not be as effective.

For those who buy on ebay, what are your preferred techniques for getting the best price? I'm looking to buy some stuff (not woodworking related, so I'm not bidding against you) and I'm hoping to avoid a long term bidding war.

Thanks!

[LarryG]

eBay has for the most part turned into an online store for power sellers. At least 90% of the time, I find a seller with the item I want with a Buy It Now option and use that. I started doing this when I realized that what little I'd save in most auctions wasn't worth the hassle and, if I failed to win, the time required to find another example of that item.

The other 10% of the time, I do what I've always done: enter a proxy bid at the latest time that is convenient for me, then wait to see what happens. (Most of the time, this is for an item that I'd like to have only if I can get it a good price, as opposed to something I really need.)

Most sellers on eBay are pretty savvy nowadays. True bargains have gotten very difficult to find.

[herb fellows]

I do a lot of buying on Ebay. I use Esnipe, although I'm sure all the other sniping services work just as well.
I used to growl at the thought of someone sniping, but I have come to realize it is a legitimate technique, but far from foolproof.
First, with sniping, your bid is entered at the last few seconds of the auction.
This gives you an advantage over someone who is bidding 'live', although I seriously wonder what percentage of bidders this is anymore.
If some one has entered a maximum bid that is more than yours, you will lose.
If someone enters the same bid as you, but enters it prior to yours, you will lose.
You really have to know what you are willing to pay for an item to snipe, and you have to be able to live with the fact that you will lose some auctions.
If it's a one of a kind item, go all out and ensure that you get it (I have bid $50 more than the actual value of an item on occassion, because I knew there were no more available).
Most times, however, I just use it as a convenience thing. I decide what an item is worth to me, (factoring in if any more will be available if I lose this auction) and set my bid for that. If I see people bidding above what I did, I can always re assess my position and bid more, but I rarely do this.
The other advantage of sniping is that you don't actually register a bid until the last few seconds, so up until about 5 minutes before an auction ends, you can retract your bid. Once you bid with Ebay, your bid is locked in for the most part, so if you found it cheaper or better or whatever somewhere else after you bid, tough luck.
Good luck, hope you're not bidding on buggy whips, I don't need any more competition!

[LCHIEN]

i still buy stuff on ebay but it has surely transformed from individual sellers with one-of-a-kind items to power sellers. The prices for the most part are cheap (low overhead on stuff imported from china) so the right deals on low priced stuff you don't need much service on are good.

So prices are pretty much fixed when they have multiple items and buy-it-nows.
I can't remember when I last bid on a rather unique item.

[unknown poster]

Thanks for the advice guys. The item i wanted was used and it sold for more than common retail for new. The price jumped a lot in the last few hours and turned a good deal into a bad one.

I haven't found any retailers with this item in stock so I'm going to be keeping an eye out for another aution. I'll keep your advice in mind on the next one.

I know the lack of retail stock affects demand and thus the price, but I don't need it tomorrow so I'm not willing to pay a 25% premium over new for used.

[LCHIEN]

as with anything, impatience will usually cost you money on eBay. Patience will eventually find you a better price.

[cabinetman]

A friend of mine has a stay-at-home wife that collects anything of value to sell on eBay. She shops flea markets and garage sales and according to her does pretty well.

.

[pelligrini]

I usually snipe within the last couple seconds. I too used to be against sniping, but it's the name of the game. It can also not let a bidding war happen on an item. I haven't used any 3rd party software yet. Before ebay changed the clock I'd have two windows open, one set up with the bid I wanted to lay down and the other watching the time.

A few times I've had something else going on when the auction ended so I'd put down a bid at what I was willing to spend on the item as late as I was able. I didn't win most of those, but I also didn't spend more then I wanted to. When bidding during the last second I don't have the time to re-up my bid, which is usually a good thing. Getting caught up in the heat of an auction usually meant I spent more than I really needed to.

When I snipe I make the bid at my max price I want to spend and leave it to fate. I do add a small amount to the bid though. If I want to make a $20 bid I'd add .11 or $1.11. There have been quite a few times where the winning bid was the same amount as mine, but I didn't get it. A few cents more would have made the item mine.

Like others have said, patience is usually the key for good deals.

[LarryG]

There have been quite a few times where the winning bid was the same amount as mine, but I didn't get it. A few cents more would have made the item mine.

Maybe, but probably not. Remember that the winning bid you see is only the minimum required to beat all the other bidders (including the earliest-bid tiebreaker) You still don't know what the winning bidder's maximum bid might have been.

[jnesmith]

I use a snipping service (gixen) mostly for convenience. For example, I was recently in the market for a 6" or 9" Starrett combo square. There usually are a half dozen or so for sale on ebay at any given time. I use the snipping service to place a bid on each of them, and "grouped" them. (If I win one of the squares in the group, the rest of my bids in that group are automatically canceled).

I placed individual bids on each square, depending on the value to me. (E.g., some came with a centering head which has very little value to me, so I bid accordingly).

I went through several rounds like this before I finally got my square at my price or less.

[pelligrini]

Maybe, but probably not. Remember that the winning bid you see is only the minimum required to beat all the other bidders (including the earliest-bid tiebreaker) You still don't know what the winning bidder's maximum bid might have been.

I understand the proxy bidding. I think the proxy will increase the bid to the next bid increment, not leave it at the same amount. I believe when it's the same amount that's their max, but they have the winning bid since they bid first. If ebay always left the winning proxy bid as the same amount of a new bidder it would be confusing for new bidders.

Last year there was a plane a laid a modest bid down with a couple hours to go. After my dart match I checked the auction and there was a guy that made many seperate bids increasing by a dollar each time. He stopped right at my max. One more dollar from him and it would have been his, or a smaller increment.