Another Ebay Rant

webley445

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 16, 2001
Messages
1,353
Location
St. Pete, Fl.
Just got ticked off here!!
Twice now I have bid on an item and got outbid. Hey thats the way the game works right? All in the spirit of Ebaying right?

I bid the item at $80 [plus $20 shipping] at 4+ days of bidding. I was highest bidder at $54. Stayed that way for 2+ days. Then this morning someone bid and raised my price to $76. that person had absolutely zero feedback. Made me suspicious. I check them out and they have only been a member since 4/20/2003.
Few hours later that someone else outbid me by $1.
I had a funny feeling and said the hell with it and up my original bid by $10. that put me in the lead.

few hours later another person, who has only been a member for 2 months and had absolutely zero feedback, outbid me by a few bucks.
I think these are imaginary bidders that are just there to up my bids [or whoever's] to raise the final sale price of the item.

I was steaming but am calmed down now. maybe I'm just overreacting. Maybe I'm just paranoid [but who wouldn't be when everyone is out ot get you].
 

NeonLights

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jan 18, 2003
Messages
1,493
Location
Ohio
When I first started bidding on items on ebay a couple of years ago, I would get really ticked off when I was the highest bidder for 4 or 5 days, then someone would come along in the last 5 minutes of the auction and beat my bid by a dollar. But, that's the way the system is. What's the old saying, "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em"?

Anymore, I seldom bid on an item unless I can be around in the final minutes of an auction, and often don't place any bid until the final minute or two of the auction. I do feel bad having to resort to tactics like that, but I felt worse losing every auction.

-Keith
 

2dogs

Enlightened
Joined
Oct 21, 2002
Messages
384
Location
Santa Cruz CA
Web I have bought several items off ebay with only minor problems. You need to know in advance exactly what you will pay for an item and don't worry if it sells for more to someone else. In addition ALWAYS check the shipping charges before you make a bid. Look at the seller's rating and feedback, see if he has sold similar items. If you have major trouble after winning a bid contact ebay.

Many, if not most smart bidder's, don't really worry about the price until a few minutes before the close of the bid. Since you have followed rule number one and decided on the maximun price you are willing to pay you can bid by proxy and sleep well. If you are worried use http://www.esnipe.com/ for something you can't live without.

Again, don't fret about what you can't control. Whatever it is you are looking for will turn up again later. Don't worry about the insane high prices for certain itmes. Write the seller's name down and watch for that tactic again. I watched, as did many others from CPF, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich sell for almost $45.00 last christmas season. Don't forget the $90.00 minigags just a few months ago.

Best of luck and have fun.
 

Marty Weiner

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Oct 31, 2002
Messages
1,038
Location
Same Area Code As Death Valley
I never bid on anything (unless I use Buy It Now) until the last 30 seconds using Auction Sentry (free on download.com). It will place a bid for you. If the going price is higher than your pending bid, you are notified by the program. At that time, you can increase your pending bid or take a pass.

I have Auction Sentry scan all of the items that I'm watching every 5 minutes. I can actually watch several dozen auctions at the same time.

Marty
 

I_rv_too

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Apr 13, 2002
Messages
193
Guys, guys ... haven't you ever been to a "real" auction?

The guy who bids last wins (with obviously the highest bid) ... and yes, everyone knows the auctioneer has "shills" in the audience to bid up the price of hot items.

So what else is new?

Figure out the MOST you are going to pay ... and stop bidding when you're about 20 percent over the MOST you had planned to bid (unless you are my wife, who bids until she gets the item, regardless of cost!).
 

The_LED_Museum

*Retired*
Joined
Aug 12, 2000
Messages
19,414
Location
Federal Way WA. USA
I pick items that close when I'm awake, so I can go to the listing at the last moment and put in my bid. I've only been accused of sniping once (on an old ghetto blaster that didn't work right, of all things); I've never tried to install any auction sniper software. If I get sniped at the last second, oh well. I guess the sniper wanted the thing (flashlight, LEDs, old ghetto blaster, old tapes & CDs, used up old insolators, etc.) more than I did. :p
 

Banshee

Enlightened
Joined
Oct 11, 2002
Messages
388
It is always possible that the seller is bidding under pseudonyms to drive up the price !!

Its an illegal practice on ebay called Bid shielding—The deliberate use of secondary User ID's or other eBay members to temporarily raise the level of bidding and/or price of an item to extremely high levels in order to protect the low bid level of another bidder and also called Shill bidding is the deliberate placing of bids to artificially raise the price of an item and is not allowed. To avoid the appearance of being involved in this activity, family members, friends, and individuals living together, working together or sharing a computer should not bid on each other's items.
Contact ebay if you think either of these may have been used against you to jack up your bid..
 

keithhr

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 21, 2003
Messages
1,388
Location
bay area California
I decide what is the most amount I would pay for the item and wait until the last 20-30 seconds of the auction and put in that amount and enter. I never, ever bid any amount before the close of the auction unless I buy it now or figure the item is so obscure I don't want to forget about the auction and place a safety bid. I rarely get last second aced out anymore. Funny thing, there are a lot of people sniping(or sandbagging as I call it) doing the same thing, trick is picking the right amount without over spending.
 

webley445

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 16, 2001
Messages
1,353
Location
St. Pete, Fl.
I been buying off Ebay for couple of years now. I've done the waiting game too if I really want something. I just got ticked cause it looked suspicious to me. I still participate, but I feel that the spirit of ebay [at least from its inception] is not there anymore. Capitalism has taken its toll there, but then again I am a consumer so I keep returning, though not with the frequency that I did when I first started. But it is still an up side to the whole thing. Like I said, I was only venting.
 

Latest posts

Top