Ebay, or am I missing something?

[Iain]

I've been watching a few guitars on ebay the last week or so, not sure if I'm going to buy. Thing is, I can't make head nor tail of the bidding behaviour on some of these items.

For instance, one guitar has a reserve on it, and bids started at £0.99, so why with 5 days to go has someone bid £0.99? It makes no sense to me, but perhaps there is a reason.

Also, why the bidding wars 3, 4 even 5 days out? One beaten up guitar has been bid up to £77 with over a day to go. It's not the same names either.

Perhaps I don't understand ebay.

edit - with two and a half days to go someone has just bid a guitar up to the price I saw the same model, same condition get sold at two days ago.

[charby]

Its just Ebay, like all auctions its hard to predict the attitiude of the bidders.

[mtnbkr]

Yup.  I've seen people bid up used items for more than the exact same thing new available at multiple online sources (really bad with photo equipment).  I've seen desirable items go ignored until the auction closes.  I got a NIB Ritchey seatpost for my bike for less than the cost of a cheap seatpost this way.  Because the guy lived in my town, I was able to avoid shipping as well.

Chris

[Felonious Monk/Fignozzle]

Has to do with the maturity and experience of the bidders, IMO.

I swim slowly around the prey until the last 1 minute or so, and surface to feed.  I establish my highest price BEFORE I start bidding, and if someone takes it, there'll be another one along shortly.

I win about 80% or higher of what I bid on.

...but you can watch inexperienced bidders bid their highest 4 days before an auction ends, and it'll sit there untouched until the serious snipers come along, or perhaps another inexperienced person comes along and starts a bidding war.  Interesting to watch the human animal in its um, 'natural' habitat.

[cosine]

...but you can watch inexperienced bidders bid their highest 4 days before an auction ends,

Or, like I've seen argued on other forums, you may see experienced Ebayer's who bid their highest 4 days before an auction ends because that's as high as they'll go and they believe that sniping is "unethical." Boy, you should see the forum flame wars that generate about the ethics of sniping.

[charby]

When I see something on Ebay that I want, I just bid the amount that I want to pay for it no matter how soon the auction ends. Sometimes I win sometimes I don't. Regardless what I buy on Ebay there will be similar items listed or soon the future.

Sniping bids.. geez happens all the time in the real world. Tell those ethic preachers to go to a estate auction with lots of antiques or farm equipment sometimes.

[mtnbkr]

I pretty much do what Fig does unless I know I won't be around to bid in that last minute.  The reason I do that rather than bid my highest early and hope for the best is because I've lost too many items as the bidding develops into a bidding war once the first bid is placed.  Someone will always outbid you just for spite or sport until the price gets too high to risk it.

Another strategy is to bid odd amounts (such as 10.31, 53.28, etc) in the hopes that the other person will bid on whole dollars and quit at 10 and 53 based on the examples above.  I learned this after I lost a few auctions by a penny.

Chris

[crt360]

It's impossible to figure out.  A guitar I was watching failed to meet reserve, ending around $250 after being listed about a week.  It was relisted and immediately had over a dozen bidders at $550.  Huh?

[The Rabbi]

Often I will set my highest bid, only to have someone else already bid that amount.  So bidding early can be good.  I also look to see items that are about to sell and snipe them at the last minute.  Sniping is not illegal or unethical.  That is part of the auction process.

[Iain]

Recently I've determined that I will not bid until the last minute or so, but that I have a maximum price in mind. So if it's already there then I won't bid, and if I don't win it, well at least I haven't spent more money than I meant to because the adrenaline rush got silly.

This guitar of which I speak was about £100 with an hour to go and sold for £155. The MSRP is £399. Someone did ok there. Another one appears, same model and also brand new. It is already £125 with 2 days to go because someone has been feeling out someone else's max bid. This one is going to go for more than £155 no question.

No question that people are paying too much for stuff. A beaten up guitar with a RRP of £300 is presently at £110 with a day to go. It's a good guitar, but I'd not really want to pay more than £200 secondhand for one in good condition, and I expect this one will go for over £150 now.

What will be interesting is that a Takamine sold for £122 just last week a good price, and now an identical one has appeared.

[richyoung]

Not all bids are live bids - soem are "shills".  Either the seller himself, or an ally, bidding up the item.  Also the same procedure can be used to pretend that an item is "no reserve", or already past a low reserve, in order to stimulate interest, yet provide the seller with the protection he would have if he set an honestly high reserve.  Example: "looney01" is taking bids on a plasma TV, supposedly in a "no reserve" auction, but "couch_spud103" (actually himself or a confederate) will make sure that any bid LESS than $1800 is "over-bid", in order to prevent someone from winning it at a low price.   Then if the shill buyer "couch_spud103" is the high bidder, "looney01" re-lists the same item the next week, possibly claiming "winning bidder never followed through".  I was the "loser" outbid in the last minute on one such scam.

As to "sniping", it is flately unethical - in a real auction, there is an interval after a bid where the auctioneer solicits further bids, until it is plain there are no more.

How to fix it?  Two simple steps...

1.  Any bid in the last two minutes results in an automatic extension of the auction's close.  In other words, to be the "high bid", it has to stand unchallenged for over two minutes - otherwise, more time is granted.
2.  Require that any auction where the "winning bidder" fails to claim the item, it automatically goes to the next-highest bidder, if they still want it - and so on down the list of bidders.

[crt360]

I don't have much of a problem with sniping.  I did when I first started bidding on ebay, it seemed like I got sniped on every single thing I bid on, but when I thought realistically about my max bid, decided what I would pay and not get involved in a last minute bidding war, I was at peace with it.  Some items I win, some I get ridiculously outbid on, others I still get "sniped" on, but it doesn't bother me.  Like previous posters have alluded to, it's the nature of the system - it is not like other auctions - some people can't stand it, but it's obvious that a whole lot more really like it.

[Iain]

It's beginning to look like my best option isn't ebay - http://www.dv247.com/invt/24199

I'm a little stunned by that. Shipping is £6, I'm trying to find the catch.

[BozemanMT]

I hate sniping.
It's a huge flaw in Ebay's system
As an earlier poster said, in a real auction, the time extends for a minute or so.

In ebay, the seller gets hosed, big time.

and of course Ebay makes a % of the total, so it would be to their benefit to work the rules to seller's favor.

[cosine]

As to "sniping", it is flately unethical - in a real auction, there is an interval after a bid where the auctioneer solicits further bids, until it is plain there are no more.

How to fix it?  Two simple steps...

1.  Any bid in the last two minutes results in an automatic extension of the auction's close.  In other words, to be the "high bid", it has to stand unchallenged for over two minutes - otherwise, more time is granted.
2.  Require that any auction where the "winning bidder" fails to claim the item, it automatically goes to the next-highest bidder, if they still want it - and so on down the list of bidders.

Oh geez, I knew I shouldn't have brought it up.

Sniping: not unethical. There are no Ebay regulations against it and you're still working within the context of the system (i.e., you not doing anything devious, last bid in before the timer runs out wins the auction). There. Not unethical.


There. I had my say. I'm not going to say anything more about it, for fear of triggering a forum argument about the subject.

[The Rabbi]

As to "sniping", it is flately unethical - in a real auction, there is an interval after a bid where the auctioneer solicits further bids, until it is plain there are no more.

Sniping: not unethical. There are no Ebay regulations against it and you're still working within the context of the system (i.e., you not doing anything devious, last bid in before the timer runs out wins the auction). There. Not unethical.

Plus one for Cosine.  Not unethical.  Ebay sets the rules to the auction and everyone plays along with them.  Same rules for all buyers and sellers.  I dont care what other auctions do.
Shilling is not just unethical but a violation of rules.  They do investigate this and toss people periodically.

[jefnvk]

Sniping is not unethical.  It is someone playing the game better than you.  They are still following the rules, just bending them to their advantage.

Anymore, I wait until about 20 seconds is left on what I want, drop my highest bid, and don't look until it is over.  Either I win what I want at a price I want, or i avoid getting caught up in a bidding war.

I would like to see eBay go to a Gun Broker type thing, where the auction isn't over until 15 minuets after the last bid.  That and do away with the auto bid thing.  If you want to bid $100 on something, to make sure you get it, bid $100.  Don't drop a $100 max bid on something going for $5 just to discourage everyone else from bidding.

[Strings]

Yep... another EvilBay sniper here. And (for me) it isn't so much about getting the best possible deal (although that IS fun): I always try to push just how close I can shave it. I'm down to three seconds at this point... :evil:

[gunsmith]

my ex is an ebay fanatic, she gets a kick out of bidding up stange items...sometimes she wins though and has to shell out cash... we used to make a good profit once in a while though selling stuff

[Lennyjoe]

I'm a sniping fool.  I use it 99.9% of the time.  That way I can set my bid and forget about it.  I get the win confirmation at the end and make payment.  If the bid goes above what I want to pay then they can have it.  

As for the bidding prior to the close, who knows.  Maybe its a way to keep it on the scope instead of using the watch list.  Dunno.