I really like eBay myself, and can't really say I've had any bad
experiences....except one guy I bought some printer cartridges from, but
everything worked out.
For whoever it was that asked about DSL being quick enough to put in last
second bids, I have a cable modem (not the same, but just about as
fast....if not faster than DSL), and I have literally placed bids within the
last 10 seconds of an auction, and they did go through...
Of course, I tend to put in my max bid early in the auction, and if I'm
outbid at some point, so be it...I don't usually hang around and wait until
the last 10 seconds or even last few minutes of an auction...but have done
so once or twice. I can say that waiting until the last second hasn't
really ever helped ME win an auction...its usually my luck that my max bid
is lower than the highest bid anyway...either that, or as the auction is
winding down, I'm already the high bidder and nobody else puts a bid in. If
its an item I really want, I tend to put a higher bid in from the start, and
much of the time, only need the first bid to win the item.
If anything, I think waiting until the last minute to bid might drive prices
up more than normal in some instances...at least if me or people like me are
around. Personally, if I'm the high bidder on an auction for most of it but
am outbid in the last minute or two, I'll go in and bid a couple more
times...I guess its the thought of trying to foil someone's plan of sneaking
in at the last second that causes me to do so. Sometimes I'll re-gain the
winning bid, while others I simply end up raising the price with my
desperate, last second bids (I never bid, however, with the sole intention
of simply driving up the price...I only bid if its something I truly want).
If I'm outbid a few days, or even a few hours before the end of an auction,
I generally just let it go and don't worry a whole lot about it. I guess
much of my bidding madness hinges on the fact that the items I bid on are
very seldom, if ever "rare" items, so I can usually find another auction for
the same item, and I just shift my attention to that auction.
I find it kind of odd how some things will sell in cycles ranging from high
priced to low priced. For instance, I bought an Owner's manual for my 57
Dodge on eBay. I think my winning bid with shipping and all was about $5.
The manual was in very good shape, and I couldn't have been more pleased.
Not more than a couple months or so after I won my Owner's manual, I noticed
the manuals starting going for winning bids of around $10, not including
shipping...many of the manuals were quite visibly in worse condition than
mine....recently, I've noticed the manuals selling for bids closer to what I
paid, rather than in the $10 range. I've noticed similar cycles for other
items too...such as model cars/engines, chest waders, Richard Petty Magnum
decals, etc....
I suppose it depends who you're talking with, but I don't think there really
is ANY surefire method for bidding and winning on eBay...or any auction
service...except for entering the highest bid.
On a side note, I remember a funny scene at a REAL auction one time. A
friend of mine and another guy were both in a bidding war for the same item.
Both kept their cards up and the auctioneer kept going up and up. Anyway,
it was one of those situations where the one person didn't want the other to
win (but wasn't necessarily interested in the item any longer), so the price
started getting way out of hand...kinda like playing chicken I guess.
Anyhow, just as the price was getting past REDICULOUS, both my friend and
the other bidder put their cards down at the exact same time, but the
auctioneer said the other guy had his hand down last, so the other guy ended
up getting stuck with the bill. When it was overwith, the other bidder and
my friend had a laugh about it...and then asked if my friend wanted to buy
the item (and seemed kind of disappointed when he said no).
Enough ramblings from me.....
Garrett
----- Original Message -----
From: "Rog & Jan van Hoy" <vanhilla@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <L-FORWARDLOOK@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, October 01, 2002 7:13 PM
Subject: Re: [FWDLK] eBay Quasi-Cheaters
> I've been tempted to bid on eBay but this thread is
> discouraging me.
>
> What happens to those automatic bid increases as the
> deadline arrives? Is it the last automatic increase at the
> last moment that wins, even if someone else has put in a
> call for a higher bid?
>
> --Roger van Hoy, '55 DeSoto, '58 DeSoto, '42 DeSoto, '66
> Plymouth, '81 Imperial, Washougal, WA
>
> -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
> Need an answer fast? Search the 17,000+ pages
> of the Forward Look Mailing List archives at
>
> http://www.forwardlook.net/search.htm
>
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